Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

You can adjust that spot in the center. There is just a piece of 18oz vinyl velcroed to the ends of the tent where the zippers end.

 

Heckkkk no those are way overpriced! You could build that with $225!

I’ll have mine installed (finally) soon. Finals week for me

 

These guys are local to me. They have a lot of cool stuff! Got to go to an open house and walk through a bunch of their full size setups.

 

I've just been using an outdoor padlock that has the rubber molded exterior. I bought a pack so the key is the same for the ones I have on the Drifter latch and my Hi-lift mount.

That one on the GFC does look pretty nice but like @cobes said, an interior latch would be ideal for me.

 

Thanks a bunch. You just answered questions that I think about when Im laying in bed pondering my buildout haha. I kind of want to avoid the cubes despite them being the cleanest option. This interior bracket makes the most sense but I get what you mean about losing access once the panel is in. External L and T brackets are the least pretty but should also work eh?

Do you mind if I PM you some Qs down the road? I was hoping to have my Drifter this winter so I could have a long patient build, but it sounds like I'll be getting mine right around the time of year where I start going to the desert every weekend so I think I'll end up rushing it. So I'm trying to have as must as possible planned, ordered, cut, prepped etc.. and there's a few measurements and things I'm curious about with the fist gen. Going to go back through your post history because mounting everything to l-track like that is more intensive than I was planning for my base, but hot damn its clean. I have to keep reminding myself that I have no workshop not tools nor any real craftsman skills and my intent started as a budget build. Viewing this thread daily is definitely not helping me stick to that plan haha. Also could eventually use some Baja info. 2022 I'm planning on Baja to Alaska

 

I plan on making a rear bumper soon and I'm trying to decide between a single or dual swing out. I will be mounting two jerry cans, a spare tire, a trasharoo, and a hi lift. I've read conflicting info on single swing outs flexing the frame and bed. Single would be easier to build, but if dual is the way to go I can make it happen. What do you guys think that have swingouts?

 

Love the simplicity of my 4x innovations single arm. One bolt and the whole thing comes off and on easy. I don't carry as much weight as you're taking about, so the dual arm may make more sense.

Either way, I'd say you should also include a fold down table in your criteria.

 

Link for Diesel Heater Exhaust that doesn’t suck:

$25 36061296 90394 Exhaust Pipe 24mm with Clamps Replace Webasto Eberspacher

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B086PQ4GNP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Just in case!

 

It looks like his current setup has a mounting bracket around it? is that photo above like a just the hs2211 mounted to the frame using only the mounting fittings it comes with? @Iggy?

 

So I camped this weekend to test a few things out and found that when the temperature is at 25F outside my 1.5gal fuel tank lasts 20 hours of continuous heater use when the thermostat is set to 64F. The Espar B4L heater kicks on and off quite often going through its on and off cycle each time which is pretty loud.

Also the condensation build up at the far end of the Drifter is pretty bad, there was even a layer of ice on the right and left edges. I am not sure what to do about this except for a morning wipedown with paper towels.

Third thing I learned is that my battery charger is useless below 32F as it shuts down all charging from shore power and solar panels, I read that Redarc released an updated shunt and battery temperature sensor to adress this issue in NA but mine is the older type so I will need to find out what I can do about this as 32F is a good day in Minnesota.

Lastly if anyone is thinking of installing a fuel tank inside the bed then make sure to run a vent line outside!

 

I learned this the hard way, too, over my Thanksgiving camping trip. What battery are you using? What Redarc charger? And where did you hear of an updated shunt/temp sensor?

I'm using a Relion LT-series battery (with the internal heater) since I knew I'd be camping in cold temps. Didn't expect my $400 charger to automatically stop charging on the Lithium setting once the temp reached freezing, I figured they'd let the battery's onboard chip determine that. But nope. The Relion's heater never gets the chance to kick on because the Redarc disallows current. If not in Lithium mode, the Redarc's lower temp limit is 14*F, which is considerably colder than 32*!

I called Redarc, and the fellow I talked with hadn't heard of that issue before. I'm using the

$430 BCDC1225D Dual Input 25A in-Vehicle DC Battery Charger

BCDC1225D charger, purchased spring 2020.

I asked Redarc guy for any workarounds, and after a bit of thinking he offered up the following: To select the Lithium mode, you have to connect the green and orange wires when installing the BCDC1225D. If they are left unconnected, the charger operates in AGM mode. So, he suggested I install a switch in the green/orange circuit I've created. When under 32* (but over 14*, the hard lower limit for the charger itself), I could break that circuit with the switch, throwing the charger into AGM mode, and providing current to my battery. The battery's on-board system will recognize current coming in but a temp that's too low, start the heating element, warm up the battery and begin accepting charge, and possibly raise the charger temp as well (they are mounted directly adjacent to one another in a small box). Once the battery/charger are warm and charging, I'd have to flip the switch to put the charger back in Lithium mode. The boost-stage current isn't significantly different between AGM and Lithium settings, so no damage unless I forget to flip the switch.

Less than ideal. But I might just do it anyway, so that I at least have an option for winter-morning charging. It's either that, or buy a Propex just to keep the damn charger warm... which seems ridiculous.

 

Ah, finally...heater install is done!

Here are a few pictures. I did make a video on it on my Youtube channel: socalexpeditions (keeping thread clean by not linking it). You can find that on your own if you’d like!

 

Man you have to do a fender mounted GoPro to see the look on peoples faces when they see that exhaust coming out of a Tacoma
Clean install!

 

Haha! Someone was already taking a picture of it this morning at a stoplight lol

 

I am using a Renogy 100Ah AGM battery with a Redarc BMS 30 charger. I learned about the issue by reading another forum where a guy was able to get information from Redarc tech support that if you bought a charger from them before end of year 2019 they were all setup to where when you hit 32F ambient it would not charge. Of course for most of North America this is a no-go so they updated their shunt and battery temperature sensor and now rate their charger down to -25C. Here is the link to that thread: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/redarc-bms-30-not-for-use-in-cold-temps.212046/

I had to run the heater in the Drifter for 2 hours and use a heated blanket on top of the battery sensor to get it to start charging as I was not going to make it through my camping trip without charging. Even after it was nice and toasty inside it would still not charge until I power cycled it. Im all for battery safety but if you are camping in freezing temperatures then having power is a necessity. I sent an email to Redarc to see if I can get a replacement shunt/battery sensor as I was not able to find one online.

 

You should do a funny post asking people if this muffler will cause exhaust flow issues on your tacoma.

 

Dangit! I just deleted Facebook...that is a good idea though

 

Thanks for the details. I have the same charger but don’t have any loads connected the the battery yet. I have made one design decision that hopefully will help with cold weather issues.
I’ve put all the electrical stuff behind the back seats. That way I can just warm the cab with the main cabin heater if needed.

 

If the Espar has an hZ mode like the Chinese heaters, then I recommend using that mode. No cycling of any kind and it just keeps the fuel pump at a consistent rate.

And YES have a breather for the fuel tank. I did mine pretty much the same way I did the read diff breather mod - even using the Toyota breather at the other end (below)

Good work! Very similar mods to what I've done. Just curious, how come you didn't route the intake outside? Also, the one adjust that I still need to make on my set up is the positioning of the muffler. Mine is the same orientation as yours (I assume because it's best for ground clearance), but it shouldn't be. There's a drain hole on one of the long sides that needs to be pointed down to prevent any water build up

 

I just followed what John Mck47 did on Youtube with his all-in-one haha. He put it under the heater, so I did too. That being said, mine is in a much smaller space. I'll eventually move it outside; too lazy right now to remove it.

I'll try bending the U-Bracket to put the exhaust at an angle. You think that'd work? It looks stupid sideways haha.