mandog's Hard Shell Camper & Stories from the Road

I sleep pretty well once I'm adjusted to it, but a sixer would obviously make a huge difference. I'm usually in too wet/cold of a climate to ever sleep with the glass open. So, I sleep from one corner to the other and don't feel too cramped. I can stretch out if I want to, but for the most part, have a slight bend to my legs (5' 8" in height).

The absolute best part of this setup is... there is none! Its always ready to go. I really can't see myself liking the process of a RTT with uncovering, folding down, popping up, rolling out, unzipping and then having to put it all back again. This *feels* like a bed and short of tracking down little bits of corner moisture that get in sometimes with heavy, sideways rain, it feels cozy and I truly enjoy sleeping in there. I also have the added security, warmth and storage aspect of a shell.

Its a certainly a great topic though, and one I don't read/hear too much feedback on. So there's mine.

Lemme know if you have any other questions or what you end up going with. I love seeing this build in use!

Caught a winter storm this weekend up in Tonto NF!

Sundown...


Sunup...


Full-on winter storm!

 

mandog presents...
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL VIDEO SERIES

PART 1


Well, I finally got down to business and started to crack into all the footage I collected last year. I had spent 40 days truck camping as I drove across the US in hopes of discovering the scenic national treasures that make this country so great.

I titled the series, America the Beautiful in homage to all those places I got to see.
See the description in the video for further details!

Be on the lookout for more!! Cheers

 

Hey neighbor, I drive by your truck every Monday!

What are you doing to keep warm while sleeping in the bed in the cold? I'm in much the same situation and planning on hitting the AZBDR at the end of the month and don't wanna freeze back there.

 

Howdy Snaeper! That's hilarious! Thanks for stopping by... Cool to see another aussie suspension setup

I'm about to head up to Sedona this week/wknd while the temps are up and the sky looks dry.. but basically my warmth comes from multiple blankets + reflectix in the windows. Remember to crack a window for condensation to escape!

The bedding is as follows: 2" memory foam atop a carpeted platform, a big cabella's XL outfitter bag that lays over top of that. I lay on top of those and then put two blankets on top of me. When its cold cold I pull on another lightweight down bag that acts like a shell/barrier and when its really freeze your balls off cold, I got a 12v plugin warming blanket that runs down to a 330W portable power bank type deal. Basically, just blanket up until you're warm!

Stop by and have a beer someday when you're headed home!

 

Wrapped up a 6 day camping/4-wheeling trip through Sedona and wrote a thorough review of the trails I visited here: Phoenix Valley to Sedona with OHV trail info | Tacoma World



PHOENIX VALLEY TO SEDONA
Date Visited: February 2021

Deadwood Draw Campsite



BROKEN ARROW





Devils Staircase



SCHNEBLY HILL






SOLDIERS PASS



Seven Sacred Pools



VULTEE



Vultee Arch



OUTLAW



Honanki Ruins



POWERLINE






JEROME



Still working on productions for the america the beautiful series, so the video for this one will come out after. Cheers all!

 

We're off and rolling... and PART 2 is here !!



America The Beautiful, Part 2 picks up in Wyoming as we weave our way south towards Dinosaur National Monument located along the Colorado and Utah border. The excitement takes off as we become immersed in this campers paradise.

 

I saw your comment over on Hobbs build thread and came over to check out a fellow quicksand 3rd gen. Nice build and trip reports. Checking out your webpage now. Keep it up.

 

Thank you sir! A coastie?? Whereabouts in Florida are you? I harbor out of Riviera Beach

 

Yep a retired Coastie (reserves). I’m up in Pensacola

 

That's cool. I was going to guess Tampa area. Do you get up into AL any? I went through Talladega NF on my way over and boy was it pretty!

 

I haven’t gotten up that far into AL yet. I’m going to try and get up there this year. Run the infamous FS 601/602, aka the Alabama Rubicon. Lol

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-offroad-hood-vinyl.530256/

Is this where you got your hood vinyl from? I just spent the morning commute fighting the sun's reflection and realized that this is gonna get bumped way up the priority list.

 

PrinSu Roof Rack Grab Handles
Source: Trail Tacoma Grab Handles for PrinSu Rack
Cost: Four handles cost me $30 with additional hardware

Hardware: ACE Hardware
8x — 1/4 x 20 blackened hex head bolts, nylock nuts, jam nuts and black washers. $10

Background: Needed a way to keep myself perched against the vehicle while fetching things from the storage boxes. Had been eyeing these $90 ridgeline handles from PrinSu, but I knew there had to be a cheaper alternative. Glad I waited... saved me $150 and I really like the look & feel of these.

Notes: You have options for where to place the handle. Play around with what feels comfortable for you. I liked it slightly rear of center doorway for a good angle on getting up. Also, keeping the handle a bit taught while installing improved the look.

 

​

YOU'RE NOT GONNA WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!!
>>>>>>>> CLICK HERE TO READ <<<<<<<<​

America the Beautiful: Part 1 (Nashville to Black Hill)
The first part of the writing installments are out. A lot of time goes into putting together the videos, but the details are really within the written assessments of these travels.


Here's what some of the readers had to say:

 

Woops, totally missed this! Yes, that's where I ordered from. Mike was quite prompt on service and delivery.

Before and after posted here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-offroad-hood-vinyl.530256/page-46#post-22103638

 

I might pick your brain about the application because I've never done anything like that. I need something to mute the sun on the morning commute.

 

Copy that! I'll see yah on Saturday, I reckon. Lookin' forward to it

 

How fast did you get yours when you ordered it? I might order it to try to have it on before Saturday if I can get it.

 

Email mike at rlmsigns@gmail.com and see what he says.. It might take him about a day or so to respond, but the vinyl showed up quicker than expected. You could maybe see it by Thurs/Friday if he has the time, but just so you know, this little operation is a side hustle of his.

 

FUNCTION NECESSITATING NEEDS

As most everyone who frequents this site knows, TW provides a wealth of information for researching and scoping out new products. However, with that bounty of ideas and information comes a situation of having to decide what's best for the truck NOW and what can be saved for LATER. The time spent drooling over winches, tires, light bars, shovel mounts, etc etc. is not wasted, but it does need coaching for how to back burner some and ramp up the timeframe on others.

I had a similar experience with gearing up for a year long backpacking excursion through South America. I needed to research boots, clothes, water filtration, cookware, tents, sleeping bags, pads and alongside all of that plan my route and look for airfare. Also, all of the equipment had to come in at a goal weight of no more than 70lbs across two packs. I spent a lot of time researching the products and then waiting for the right sale to pull the trigger. But when that moment came, I was ready to go and obtained the best possible price. Once the boots hit the ground, more lessons were learned, but there wasn't an REI or A mazon parcel delivery spot nearby and so purchases had to be intelligent and quite a lot of intended gear got edited.

The same goes for my truck as it needs to be 100% functional while out on the trails and positioned to perform. Similar to a choosing a pack first and then buying the things that went into it, I needed to beef up the suspension before I could add any more weight to the vehicle. From here, calculated decisions on what could extend the trucks function while also enhancing the upcoming adventures.

While in Montana, I got myself a dinger where the enormously large pontoon running boards had been removed and I was left exposed on the sides. This moved sliders to the next position in the upgrade lineup and while in the phoenix area, got ahold of a local fabricator to make me a set. No more having to worry about that freight cost or having to independently source its powder coating either! Protection + Local tradesman for the Win, Win Win!

I've been scanning the interwebs for quite some time for a roof rack that would fit the bill for going onto the camper shell. It's a tricky task as the shell is already a mid-rise cap and adding something on top of it that will, in turn, also have elevated features starts to paint a goofy picture in my head. It's function, however is for tossing up some bundles of firewood, a solar shower water tank and maybe, if space permits, moving the spare tire up top.

Doing the research NOW means when the time comes I'll spot the deal on the product I'm already leaning towards. However, in exact fashion to the sliders becoming immediately necessary, I realized a bundle of firewood from the cab's roof rack had been touching a portion of the camper shell and rubbed a half dollar size bald spot into the fiberglass. wuff And so now, it has become a priority over a potential prospect.

I've seen there are, like most products, quite a lot of tiers to the racks and the low-end ones ($100-200) rust within a couple months. The middle ones ($300-500) will rust after about a year and the high-end ones ($600-900) will last as long as the truck.

As stated, there's a moral objection to anything perched too high, and so I need to make sure the rack can go directly onto mounts that fit into the tracks, not mounted to any crossbars. It's a dilemma and I'm about to pass up a $200 off deal on an ironman rack making it one of the cheapest, high-end products I've liked the most so far. But I'm not sold on the look (angled sides vs square framed) or size (only 4.6' long) of it, and so the hunt continues.

I think maybe, despite bajaracks telling me their camper shell rack wont fit, that I could make it so with a little tweaking. They said according to their tech specs that the tracks on my shell are too short (37.5" long), but I think there's a potential way to perhaps get past that.

Time will tell, but right now, function is necessitating need!
And its not like a pair of socks I can put into a shipping sleeve and send back.