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Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Discussion in 'Bay Area Metal Fabrication' started by MTNHABITOVERLAND, Mar 27, 2018.

  1. May 25, 2021 at 4:07 PM
    #5621
    Trdooper

    Trdooper Well-Known Member

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    Let me preface this buildout based on two things:
    1. I want to do a buildout with 80/20, but want to make sure I get the design just right before I invest that much money. This is simply the prototype to try for a while and tweak the design.

    2. I went to buy lumber and found the prices to be unconscionable! So this build was done completely out of scrap wood around my house (I even had to disassemble my corn hole set) and the white board material(which was cheap and super easy to build with).

    The stowaway bed is for my 1 year old daughter. I still need to work up some sort of guard rail to keep her in.20210525_152536.jpg 20210525_152622.jpgThe cushions are cut from the Amazon trifold mattress that I was using under my fiberglass topper before I had the drifter. They need covers, but sowing is not a skill I have attempted yet. 20210525_152639.jpg 20210525_152738.jpg 20210525_152748.jpgThe kitchen is a tower design. The water is 2.5 gallons (small but I don't use much) and pulls out for full ups. The drawer is made to hold everything I need to make coffee in the morning without leaving the rig and not moving the bed platform. The collapsible wash basin just happened to friction fit perfectly there. I will eventually add cabnet doors to cover all the holes. 20210525_152758.jpgThe sink is super simple. Not good for much more than washing hands and face or brushing your teeth. Its a rechargeable faucet designed to go on top of those big office blue jugs. I bought a cheap stainless steel bowl and cut a drain in it. It drains to the outside of the truck. Very simple.20210525_153022.jpg 20210525_153012.jpgThe stove spot was a last minute design change but is easily my favorite part. I was originally saving this spot to hang my daypack but didn't want the stove deep in the rig as I always use it on the tailgate. The fake brick was leftover from a project my wife did years ago bit I think is a nice touch.20210525_153113.jpg 20210525_152843.jpg 20210525_153132.jpgThe kitchen drawer and fridge both slide out. There are some accessorie bags velcroed yo the wall above the fridge to utilize the space. I run the fridge off a goal zero X500 the sits in the cubbies behind the fridge. On the drifters maiden voyage she ran the fridge for 2.5 days with no input ( no solar yet) no problem. The truck inverter plug in the back charges the battery.

    There are lots of things I already want to tweak on the design but for the most part very happy with it overall. Still more work to do....
    Happy Drifting
     
  2. May 25, 2021 at 9:23 PM
    #5622
    OG_BajaTaco

    OG_BajaTaco Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE: I had my first shower in the Drifter this past weekend. It was super windy the first day of camping so I spent the time sewing up the shower curtain support straps. I just got some black nylon straps with adjustable cam buckles and sewed to a patch of hook / loop material and fastened to the Velcro strip that Vagabond includes around the top perimeter of the tent for the insulation package. I connected the straps to the shower curtain with carabiners. It worked great and no water escaped from the shower at all. Very happy.

    IMG_2112.jpg

    IMG_2114.jpg
     
  3. May 25, 2021 at 9:56 PM
    #5623
    migx333

    migx333 Well-Known Member

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    badass truck and that grey is sick!

    I think ive made up my mind and going with the grey
     
    Trdooper likes this.
  4. May 25, 2021 at 9:57 PM
    #5624
    migx333

    migx333 Well-Known Member

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    Nice!

    I like the grey a lot.

    Did you buy anything else additional from the gasket seal they provide?
    Im doing the putty tape to seal off the corners as people recommended
     
  5. May 26, 2021 at 6:31 AM
    #5625
    Wackyhacky

    Wackyhacky A Well Known Troublemaker

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    Keith
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    I really like the lay out idea for this one. Very cool! Especially that little nook for your stove.
     
    Trdooper[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. May 26, 2021 at 7:42 AM
    #5626
    tyfoon11

    tyfoon11 Raguel

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    Where bald eagles roam, Ca
    garden shed
    Water and dust doesn't just come in from the holes in the bed caps but also under the edges as well as front corners and a multitude of other spots. It's NOT enough to just tape the top and put a ring of silicone around each hole as I've seen some do....

    The entire mating area between the metal bed and plastic cap needs to be properly sealed otherwise water will be forced between them especially while driving. You should also remove the T-Slot rails and seal the seam behind those, and any other possible gaps and hole you can find.

    The mating area between the camper and the truck has XL triple bulb seal run in a continuous strip all the way around so there is unlikely to be any water intrusion there.

    That being said the reality of it is our truck beds are like swiss cheese... there are holes and gaps all over the place so it's like playing whack-a-mole trying to eliminate all possible sources of dust and water so good luck! Make sure you have extra silicone on hand because you'll use a bunch if done properly.

    Here's a great video on the subject, it's a second gen which has some minor differences to other models of course but the principle is the same.

    https://youtu.be/LIWht8rxbW8
     
    surfjones, NYCO, MJonaGS32 and 6 others like this.
  7. May 26, 2021 at 9:19 AM
    #5627
    MountainRecipe

    MountainRecipe Well-Known Member

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    Battery usage question:
    while waiting for my Drifter, I am planning out my electrical. I plan to get a house battery. Likely a 50ah or 100ah LifePo4.

    I have a Dometic CFX3 35 fridge(avg 1amp draw), and will have a diesel heater or propex eventually(~1.6amps while on). Exterior and interior lights, fan.
    I have calculated my daily usage at around 35Ah in the summer and 47Ah in the winter (+ heater at night mainly). I will have a DC to DC and possibly solar but I live in the PNW so not counting on a lot of help from the solar in the winter but I move around a lot so the DC to DC will help frequently.

    Does anyone have real life values on how many Ah they typically use with the Drifter?
    I find that my Jackery 500 (~40Ah) will power my fridge for a weekend without charging.
    I am considering a combo of a 50Ah house battery + Jackery or sell the Jackery and just get a 100Ah house battery.
     
  8. May 26, 2021 at 10:47 AM
    #5628
    Trdooper

    Trdooper Well-Known Member

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    Seems the wedge camper gods were on my side.. By some completely unplanned miracle, all my cushions perfectly fit the floor space to make a stealth mode or guest bed. Measurement 27 inches by 6 feet at the wide part. Now I really need to get on cushion covers .16220510921647165284227360412914.jpg
     
    Swatdude1, tyfoon11, POOLGUY and 3 others like this.
  9. May 26, 2021 at 2:36 PM
    #5629
    OneGiraffe

    OneGiraffe ©

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    You could use a bonding tape as opposed to sewing the covers. Assuming not many folks own a sewing machine, but most have at least an iron.
    https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000XAQN5S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_R1BZPT1DKV55QEXX6Q10

    Just make sure the weight is appropriate for your fabric choice.
     
    tyfoon11 likes this.
  10. May 26, 2021 at 7:55 PM
    #5630
    Trdooper

    Trdooper Well-Known Member

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  11. May 27, 2021 at 5:14 PM
    #5631
    Trdooper

    Trdooper Well-Known Member

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    Carpentry is hard. It's harder when your stupid. I'm stupid 20210527_125205.jpg
     
    rob1208 and Bentrodder like this.
  12. May 27, 2021 at 7:05 PM
    #5632
    BongoTheOneEyed

    BongoTheOneEyed Well-Known Member

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    thanks @Trdooper I like your design and layout alot.

    Would you be willing to take some L x W x H measurements of the various cabinets and post them in the thread ? would be helpful for us onlookers whom are jelly of your work.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2021
    parttimedirtbag likes this.
  13. May 28, 2021 at 6:05 AM
    #5633
    MapJunkie

    MapJunkie Well-Known Member

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    Plus one for the 100 Ah battery. I have 100 for the winters rather than the summers. In the summer, I have plenty of power with my 320w of solar. But in the winter, my 3 day snow camping trips run low on power even with 100. The challenge is that temps below freezing drop the battery capacity about 30%. I can’t charge in the winter because my lithium batteries drop below 40 degrees. The battery doesn’t get above freezing in the compartment even if the heater warms the interior to 75. The propex and lights will use 20-30 Ah per day. I would recommend finding a heated battery or building in heat pads.
     
  14. May 28, 2021 at 9:23 AM
    #5634
    MountainRecipe

    MountainRecipe Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, this is the type of experience I was hoping to hear! I do see Renogy and Battleborn make "self-heating" options. It seemed like it wasn't necessary for Washington temps but sounds like maybe it is worth the extra cost. I intend to use it for ski trips so this is good to know.
     
  15. May 28, 2021 at 11:38 AM
    #5635
    migx333

    migx333 Well-Known Member

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    what bottle jack do you take with you?

    I was going to make the switch from my Hi Lift to a bottle
     
  16. May 28, 2021 at 9:42 PM
    #5636
    Swatdude1

    Swatdude1 Well-Known Member

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    I prefer the single barrel select. Oh wait, nevermind. I read bottle of Jack.
     
  17. May 29, 2021 at 8:25 AM
    #5637
    Alexk3303

    Alexk3303 Well-Known Member

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    I have similar draw and have been extremely pleased with my 200w of solar and a 100ah agm battery. I don't have a DC to DC charger, but do have a charger plugged into the 120v outlet in the bed that I can flip on if I need to, but I rarely, if ever do
     
  18. May 29, 2021 at 8:35 AM
    #5638
    d.shaw

    d.shaw Well-Known Member

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    Vagabond Drifter, King 2.5 coilovers, King 2.5 rear, Pelfreybilt front / rear bumpers and skids, rock sliders, Safari snorkel, Smitybilt winch, Baja designs 20in, wide cornering spots, S2 rear. Deaver expedition series stage 3 rear leaf.
    i carry a bottle jack (i think torrin big red - 12 ton (maybe)) and i picked up one of these which i think is handy

    https://bottlejackbuddy.net

    *note - i also carry stock jack as it is def lower - and a couple 6x2
     
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  19. May 29, 2021 at 6:36 PM
    #5639
    Kclamer

    Kclamer Well-Known Member

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    In the winter with the gas heater running all night I wake up to 60% battery remaining on my 100ah AGM. The heater starts and stops quite often so the coil inside has to come on during the startup and shutdown and it consumes a lot of power. During the day the battery will only charge back up to 80% with my 200W solar setup so running the engine for 45min is a must to get the battery charged. Summer is fully sufficient with solar alone. Thinking of upgrading to a 200ah Lithium in the future.
     
  20. May 29, 2021 at 6:44 PM
    #5640
    kalieaire

    kalieaire i didn't know they stacked sh*t that high.

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    Are you burning through a lot of fuel? It might be more efficient if you're using the minimum amount of fuel burned w/ the right fan RPM for the elevation, and have a window cracked. Then the heater is running at a steady speed through the night instead of having to wind up and wind down.

    An alternative method is to just turn off the heater all together in the middle of the night. I like to use a hot water bottle and an electric blanket. Keeps me toasty down to -12°F
     
    Kclamer[QUOTED] likes this.

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