Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I am using agm and built a removable unit using suggestions from this link https://youtu.be/R12jqZE-kIY.
All my stuff is removable except the propex which is why I chose this setup.
So far so good. Had 3 days running propex and lights with minimal charge from alt and solar. Did notice some odd failure indicators on the

$465 bcdc1225d REDARC 25A in-vehicle DC to DC charger with MPPT — dual input for solar & alternator charging, green power priority - 12 or 24V battery charger suitable with AGM, gel, lithium lifepo4 batteries

bcdc1225d. But they stopped after a short period and never noticed degradation of function. Temperature lows from 11 to 20f at night.

 

Relion RB100LT lithium battery, Merlin 165W panel, and

$465 RedArc BCDC1225D REDARC 25A in-Vehicle DC to DC Charger with MPPT — Dual Input for Solar & Alternator Charging, Green Power Priority - 12 or 24V Battery Charger Suitable with AGM, Gel, Lithium LiFePO4 Batteries

RedArc BCDC1225D dual-source charger. Works well, other than the slight low-temp snag I described a few pages back. I don't camp that often in cold temps so it hasn't been an issue for me.

 

Apparently Battle born batteries have a heated option now. Of course when I started my electrical project that was not available a year ago.
So I chose to install behind the rear seats for batteries and charger. Thinking it’s easy to start the truck in cold weather and warm up electrical components that might be cranky

 

Yes, but using that charger (same as mine), you won't be able to even get the BB battery heater to kick on! The RedArc has an auto cutoff at 32*F when set to lithium charge mode.

 

Yes it came with my fuel tank. Im sure youre able to find it on ebay for cheap

 

did you notice if not powdercoating the top keeps the drifter cooler?

Is that the reason why you didnt powdercoat the rest in black?

 

And quick build # check

does anyone know where they’re at right now?
I haven’t had luck getting a reply via email and I don’t want to bug them

 

Having a second battery behind the rear seats is the best option for our Tacomas paired up to a DC-DC charger! That's what I did as well and it has worked out great. Camped out at 7F degree weather before, no issues. No heated battery needed. Those plastic panels behind the seat are unusable and waste soooo much space so its a good way to maximize every bit of free space in our Tacoma's by removing them.

 

I’m 140 still no word. Just sitting here slowly going crazy. Two in front of me still no word there either.

 

VO-158 has been transferred and will be going into production as a Nomad in the next month.

 

Phil told me my Nomad #180, was scheduled for month of April. I sure hope that happens.

 

Its not powder coated. I painted the sides myself. I didn't do the roof because I wanted contrast and factored in the heat attraction as well.

 

I wonder if the darker color really heats it up that significantly in the sleeping area

I do want the matching powdercoat but if it’ll be hotter I’ll have to think about it

 

Oof. As order 201 just passing our 12 month mark that’s discouraging. Just holding out on the reasonable hope we get it this year at the very least.

 

what did you paint it with?

 

Starting to rip through the tent canvas. Maybe I didn’t close it properly one day and it got pinched or something. I dislike how the shock wears on the tent vinyl though; yet to find a fix for this.

 

Try making covers for the shocks. Something like CVT has done some of their tents support rods.

 

I am guessing that the abrasion from the lid struts are when the Drifter is open and the tent is getting pushed by wind/human/mattress fold/unfolding into the struts. Adding a cover will still be a source of abrasion and possibly even more when you increase the size by adding material on them.
For adding abrasion resistance AND fixing your other spot that is cracked/torn/cut you can use a urethane product like Gear Aid SeamGrip+WP.

For abrasion resistance, I recommend masking off both sides of the linear area that you want to add abrasion resistance and then paint on the SeamGrip with the separate brush (not the brush nozzle).

You can also use Gear Aid tenacious tape.

FYI - If you see "SeamGrip" for sale by McNett, it's the same product. Gear Aid seems to have licensed or bought the McNett product line and is selling them branded as Gear Aid.

FYI #2: The Vagabond Drifter tent material is PVC canvas. I can't remember if it's 14oz or 18oz.

 

Thank you for this comment, I bought some.

 

did you end up getting the goal zero, if so how do you like it?