Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I know there has been a lot of talk on this thread around both bed mattress set ups and the lifting bed partition and wanted to share something I recently wrapped up some what surrounding both topics. This will probably be long winded.

A while back my wife and I were camping out in the snow, spending a lot of time inside the camper and decided it would be nice to some sort of cushion on our benches. I didn’t really love the idea of making additional bench cushions that we would have to find a place for when we didn’t need them. So I started looking at the mattress pad.

As it turned out for our particular cabinets if we were to split the regular bi fold mattress (long bed) into four equal sections they would be the perfect width to use as seat cushions. A couple other aspects it would help with is being able to use the other two sections for backrest pads, allowing us to leave the bed partition and half of the mattress stored away in the over hang so we do t have to move it when we are getting geared up, and more flexibility for open storage space on the over hang area.

Phil and I had been talking about this off and on for a while and he got me in touch with the company that builds their mattresses and from there I worked with them directly to have the first prototype built. While we were at it, We decided to change up the foam a bit and have two inches of the premium medium foam glued together with one inch of memory foam.

The end result turned out awesome. So far having cushions has been great on cold morning gear ups at the mountain or riding moto. And the options for storing the bed leaf is nice. We haven’t slept on them yet but am curious to see if it makes any difference when we are spending a couple weeks at a time in the truck.

I will say we have always liked our original mattress and still plan to use it once our baby is sleeping down below. We also played around with a gas strut assisted bed leaf but with how much we use it as a shelf or as upper deck seating in the summer we wanted to keep it mobile.

 

Anybody know if a product that can weatherproof the passthrough between the cab window of the truck to the cab window of the Vagabond?

I have a first gen tundra so my cab window can roll down. Wanted to put my longboard through it and leave the bugs out

 

Search for “truck window accordion seal”

 

This!!! One of many reasons I went with the Vagabond over Summit is because I wanted the bed area with the extension stowed to still be available for sitting during inclement weather or just relaxing during the day.

 

Or boot. But I’ve found people have better luck making their own compared to what is offered.

 

That's a great way to make something multi-use within the camper. I really like all that extra space you created up in the loft area and I bet the cushions are really comfy. I'll be curious to see your report on the sleep quality. I'm wondering if you'll notice the seams in the middle, parallel to your body length when sleeping.

 

you should just sell me your interior

 

I was considering the "Breezer" window product, which is made for Tacomas and Tundras, and is available with a boot seal. However, I found that the Drifter window is offset from the 1st gen Tacoma window so I wouldn't have the full height of either window available for pass-through function. Considering that plus the cost, I decided against it. Since your window already rolls down, maybe you can see if they'll just sell you the boot.
https://breezerwindows.com

 

Are you 3rd gen owners getting a lot of dust through the bed rails? Debating whether to take them off and seal them like some others I have seen done. I didn't think I saw too much dust when I had my canopy.

 

The over hang on the short bead models has a bit more room too but with half the mattress down it’s enough for my wife to lay sideways. Also if anyone with a Drifter hasnt tried sliding the platform to the “back” of the camper, opening the full pass through tent window, and lounging up there with your feet hanging out on a summer evening... your doing it all wrong!

Thanks! We laid on it on the floor before putting it in the truck and could really feel or tell the seams were there. The lower seam I think will hit most people below the knee so you do t really feel anything on your calf or shin. The middle seam is in the same spot as the regular mattress, and the upper is kind of upper/mid body. Curious to see if we end up feeling the need for a thin layer of closed cell foam underneath the MD density since we lost the inch to the memory foam. But living room testing it felt pretty stellar!

You don’t want my hack job
Yours is going to turn out so much nicer! All these awesome 8020 builds has me considering moving the next interior config time line ahead!

 

Oooh, yeahhh... I concur. Our little GCI Outdoor "Everywhere Chair"s fit nicely up on the platform in that spot with the big window open to the outside.

Sounds good. Enjoy it!

 

I'm still working on the galley cabinet. I'm fitting the left side with a slide-out panel. On the back-facing side (toward tailgate) I'll have a hanging tool roll with hand tools that I can detach and carry if needed. On the front-facing side (toward cab) another tool roll with kitchen supplies, also detachable for use outside. I made a bit of a gamble and ordered some UHMW (ultra high molecular weight plastic) slides that I figured might not work so well for a vertical application. They are much lighter than metal / ball-bearing slides, so that was the hope. Sadly, there is too much vertical play where they fit into the extrusions and they don't glide smoothly. So, I'll have to figure out some regular slides. I'm open to ideas. I'm still going to use the UHMW slides for a couple drawers on the right side of the cabinet below the sink.

As for the tool rolls, the jury is still out as to where I'll get them, but right now I'm thinking it will be from the Overland Gear Guy, and I'll use his kitchen utensil rolls for both sides of the panel. I'm also in the process of putting together a plan for tool rolls and more soft storage for stowing in the bench cabinets. Overland Gear Guy, Step 22, Adventure Tool Company, Yorktown, Blue Ridge Overland are all considerations. I'm attending an online Zoom workshop this weekend on Sunday, Feb 7 at 1pm MST (Arizona) via ExploringOverland.com "Overland Tech - Dissecting the one-case toolkit - Tool Rolls and Cases"; registration is free. There should be some good discussion to add to the decision making process.

 

I ordered this

$190 Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter with ECO Mode, 12V DC to AC 120V 110V Converter for Off-Grid Solar System, Home, RV, Solar Power Inverter with Remote Switch, Surge 2000W

Renogy 1000W sine wave inverter / charger when it was on sale back in Nov. 2019 and I was (not so) patiently waiting to get my Drifter, which took forever plus one day. Now, a year and two months later, I finally found a home for it inside the build-out. This unit has a 4-stage charger with battery temperature sensor, so the plan is to use it to plug the truck into my 120V AC power at home when it's parked to keep the batteries maintained, and of course, have some quality 120V AC power available when out camping or on the road. I have a bunch of solar things to install also, and there is a ton of wiring that hasn't begun yet. But hey, this is a fun start.





I built a frame for it inside the left bench cabinet using the 80/20 extrusions and it's rock solid. It sits up off the floor, above the wheel well and should get good airflow all around it. The controls and LED readouts will be readily accessible but out of the way when the cabinet top is closed. I'll likely run a couple extensions from the AC outlets to a wall box mounted on the face of the cabinet.



The backside where the fan is will be open to the interior of the galley cabinet which has gaps all around the sides, so it should be able to pull air through no problem. You can sort of see in the pic below how the inverter is fastened to the top of the aluminum extrusion rails using a T-bolt with a washer and nylock nut. This will allow the inverter to be loosened and to slide back and forth on the rails if needed.

 

Making another push to seal my Drifter from water intrusion. Bought a new trimlok edge seal with a flap to replace the one VO installed. Goal is to cut this one longer so that it cover the hole on the sides better.



Then i also have water coming in from the sides and front corners, going to put in butyl strips along the full length.

 

Do you have a link for this one

 

$131 Trim-Lok 5B100B3X1/8A-25 EPDM Closed Cell Sponge Rubber/PVC/Aluminum Flap Seal, 1" Side Flap, Fits Edge 1/8", 25' Length

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01CJREWTQ?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

 

I replaced the UHMW slides with a pair of TCH Hardware 16" 250lb. full extension slides with a top and bottom wood flange and it glides nicely now. I also reworked the framing so as not to lose any height on the panel from the depth of the slide hardware and flanges.

 

Not a Drifter mod but, I had this wrap done by XGraphics in San Bernardino.
It has 3 different topo maps, Utah, Big Bear, and Joshua Tree, some of our favorite places.

 

excav8tor, that looks so incredible. Artwork!