Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

One hell of a suspension.

 

Yeah, that thing is built with no dollar spared. The galley is pretty nice - but the use of space for the sleeping area and the sitting area is a bit curious.

 

After a long while now creeping on this thread, I finally made the first step to (potentially) having a Tacoma/Kimbo setup!! Long term goal now is to go back country skiing and spend more time in the snow. Last April I adopted an Alaskan Malamute puppy that started all this and we spent the year training to do mushing and eventually skijoring, and I'm happy to say he's completely ready for major trips this next Winter and my fat ass is ready for a 95lb sled dog to pull me up a mountain.

On Monday I'll be picking up a 2021 TRD Off-Road Tacoma and driving it back to San Francisco where I live. Unfortunately I had to go with the 5ft bed because parking here is tricky, but everything else I'm very excited for. For now, a shell will do me good, but this thread got me hooked on the Kimbo because it's abilities in cold weather as well as the optional mod to put an A/C unit in (among other qualities) and I seem to only make decisions for my pup so it looks like
a good fit.


I do have two questions that I haven't seen in this thread (sorry if I missed it...):
1. Security. I live by Haight-Ashbury and car breakins arent uncommon anywhere in SF but especially here. What are your thoughts on the security of the Kimbo? This wouldn't be a major deterrent if it's not great, but it would mean maybe buying a camera or upgrading the car alarm system. Would have liked to have the 6ft bed to use the gate as more security but that's how it goes..

2. Resale value. Being a young dumb kid ready for adventure I'm hesitating to drop 70k into weekending (I shouldn't even be thinking of it really), but if I were ever to get in a bind or needed money for a downpayment or something I know I could get decent money from the truck. Was wondering what your thoughts were on the Kimbo? Being aluminum, a growing company, and just all around badass, I have a feeling if I absolutely needed to I could sell this and not eat the entire cost.

Thanks in advance, and thanks to everyone in this thread taking their time to answer questions and post pics, it's given me way more comfort with the camper where there isn't a ton of feedback on these quite yet so this has been my main source of information. Cheers!

 

Hi, Welcome. Here is my response, others may chime in.

1. Security. I would have to go with not that great. The door lock is small and probably could be pryed open easily with a crowbar. Never having been a break in person, I can't say for sure but that's what it looks like, imho.

2. Resale. Since there is a wait of about 6 months currently I think it's pretty good. Ask yourself if you could buy a used one for just a little less than new and not have the 6 month wait would you do it?

3. Being a dumb kid. I would say you are not, as you are doing some research trying to figure stuff out. As for your finances only you can assess the value received vs. work or effort spent for acquisitions / items.

One last thought would be if you want a 6 foot bed, you can go with an access cab and be at about the same length as a double cab short bed.

 

Well congratulations on the new truck! Im looking forward to this winter too since I was building mine out last winter. Will the camper remain on the truck full time or do you have a driveway?

As far as security goes, there is a deadbolt and handle lock on the door. The window would provide access to these if broken though. There are motion sensor lights on the outside which are nice. Other than that there isn't much else. You would have to rely on a safe parking spot or possibly a security camera mounted on top with warning stickers. These as you know have become quite small and wireless. I was able to add cheap insurance to my Kimbo just in case.

Resale value will be strong I believe with these. The lightweight camper market seems to be growing and I'm sure you would be able to get the majority of the cost out of it. There may be some that are willing to purchase it at the same price to avoid the wait times too. Hard to tell though. It is a very high quality made camper and in-person speaks for itself.


Hope that helps a little.

 

Baby steps on the wood burning stove. Have the mineral wool and back plate installed. Added some extra aluminum to the edges and used brass thumb screws with the existing spacers. Will potential do the section above based on the amount of heat but it’s currently within clearances based on the stove specs. Will be securing the granite soon with Sikaflex and then drilling later this summer/fall. Thinking about using a high temp clear coat (500°) on the back plate but don’t know if it will release fumes or not. will do some research.

 

A little control panel to keep the controls off the floor and open some space.

 

Clean

 

1. Well, you'll likely have to get creative on the security because if someone really wanted to get in, they're going to but you can make them work for it. One idea is to have a home style deadbolt installed that's keyed on both sides so if they do break in the window, they still won't be able to get in. Beyond that, you'll have to get creative I guess. I would recommend the long bed if you ever plan to get out of SF.

2. We purchased this because it was built to last a lifetime - there are some things that are designed in such a way that they are timeless, I see the Kimbo as one of these things. Fashion will come and go but the timeless pieces will always have an audience. I suspect these will continue to be popular with a specific audience that will see the value many years down the road - will you lose money reselling? I can see why you ask but I'd be much more concerned if it was made of fiberglass/wood/laminate/etc.

Hope this helps

 

Hey guys - just finished up with a couple of over 100 degree days. It didn't go perfectly. The heat up here in the PNW is breaking records right now and but it was an excellent time to load test stuff!!

1. The goalzero shut off due to overtemp about 11:00pm Saturday night running vent fan and fridge. It was plugged into 110v most of the day and I hadn't been monitoring where the charge was but must have been close to fully charged. We lost 110v power at some point early in the evening and then so that likely ran the battery down a bit. It was hot and super humid. Once the overtemp took out the battery it took a bit to figure out that it has to be reset to begin charging again (hold the three buttons -units/light/info for a few seconds). It was an uncomfortable night but we were fortunate that the temp did get below 80 even though the humidity was palatable.

Not sure what we are going to do to keep the battery under 104 degrees on days like this that are smokin hot.

Goalzero operating usage temp. 32-104 F (0-40 C)

I'll be researching the Lithium Iron battery chemistry to see if they have a broader working range.

2. The fridge puts out some unexpected heat and that wasn't helping inside. I think Voltron4x4 has installed an exterior plug for taking his fridge outside - that seems like an excellent idea considering the heat this fridge pumps out and I'll be looking into that option soon.

We have some things to work on but all in all it is manageable. We stayed out of the Kimbo until temps began to drop and that mitigated the discomfort of all the heat and we were partially in the shade but there is no getting around the thick heat this weekend without dedicated air conditioning and I don't see that ever being an option for us when we're remote.

 

Hi Kimbo Family,

Last weekend I built a sturdy Kimbo removal system. Bascially 4"x12"x8' boards sealed up with some long last deck sealer (Kimbo Skis). This makes the camper a lot more steady when pulling it off my truck. The more the camper jacks extend the less stable and my truck sits way too high. I also had the Kimbo Skis extend past the front jacks to help with the nose heavy aspect.

This weekend I installed a larger solar panel on the roof and added an extra battery to the Yeti 400 to make it a yeti 800.The wires I used to connect the extra battery to the yeti 400 do not have a fuse, but based on my research this is unnecessary as the yeti has one internally when connecting to the Anderson power poles (Is this true?). I may add one more battery to make it a yeti 1200.

My only concern about the solar panel install is that my leading edge on the solar panel in only about an inch back from the front of the Kimbo roof, hoping the wind doesn't cause too much of a problem. The vhb tape with 3/4" #12 screws secured the panel very well I think. I scraped the white paint off the roof in the places where the brackets went on and buffed it with a brillo pad then cleaned with alcohol. Used some skiaflex for good measure at the end to seal it up. Also sealed the pilot holes with sika before sending the screws in.

Here are some of the parts I used:

$13 RICH SOLAR Solar Panel Mounting Hardware Z Brackets for RV Roof Boat Set of 4 Units

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FY32KFJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8

$12 SIKA Sikaflex-221 Multi-Purpose Sealant/Adhesive, Gray, 10.1 fl. oz – Fast-Curing Polyurethane, Highly Elastic, Weather-Resistant, Sandable & Paintable, Bonds to Wood, Metal, and Plastics

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GDN4AAI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K4PQG8P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8

Valley Enterprises Wire Power Supply or Battery Cable with Anderson Powerpole 45 Amp Connectors and 3/8" Terminal Rings, 10 Gauge Wire, Length 6 Feet

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077TT7SWZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8

$74 ExpertPower 12v 33ah Rechargeable Deep Cycle Battery [EXP1233 ]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQX5FPQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8

NOCO Snap-Top HM082BKS Battery Box, Group U1 12V Outdoor Waterproof Battery Box for Lawn and Garden, Tractor and Mobility Batteries

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WCUIC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8

Article for the battery add on: https://www.thenomadexperiment.com/yeti-goal-zero-400-1200w-review/

 

Hi Profloundering,

Sounds like a hot night, sorry about the yeti going out on you. Thanks for the heads up on the reset. Based on what I know, as far as A/C goes, the only way it works is shore power which means RV park (sucks) OR a gas generator (loud). Hopefully there won't be epic heat waves all the time now in the summer, but I am not placing bets on that. It seems like the fridge draws more power than the fan, so if you knew it was going to be hot you could go the cooler dry ice route maybe? Food that won't spoil? All the best!

 

Congrats!

1. They can get in with a crowbar.

2. I think resale will be very high, maybe even a collectable.

3. A 6foot bed would help or you could reinforce the door.

 

Nice work man. I have not had any issues with my panels and basically used the same method. I'm sure you read that some just use the tape which is crazy. I covered mine Eternabond tape as a 4th measure, VHB, sikaflex, screws, eternabond.

 

Yeah man sounds like a tough night. At least these beds are comfortable. I forgot which fridge/cooler you went with, was the inverter being used? I know that charging does cause the battery to warm.

Looks like all the Goal Zeros have a max operating temp of 104, including the lithium. It's probably because everything is contained in the case including the inverter. My lithium's BMS shuts it off at 150 though. I've definitely had the Kimbo in the 104-110 range sitting in the sun in my driveway and have to get the fan running. I dont know if a fan on the battery during those times would be an efficient means, but may help.

I hope it starts to cool off for you too. It crazy what the temps have been. CO had been getting its rain, but we still need it in the SW badly. I'll be heading to higher elevations soon and hopefully report back with some stuff.

 

I like to use use

$14 Dicor 501LSW-1 HAPS-Free Self-Leveling Lap Sealant for horizontal surfaces - 10.3 Oz, White, Secure, Ideal for RV Roofing, Maintenance, Repair, Appliance Application

Dicor self leveling selant for good measure (preferably over exposed metal surface for best adhesive), and then sparay it all with enamel

 

Tire rotation today. Everything has been wearing evenly and flat. The passenger rear a tad more than the rest. Guessing due to the weight on that side, solar and kitchen. After about 7k miles wore about 2/32's Should get well over 50K with these. With my buildout/weight I'be been running 55psi up front / 65psi in the rear and 30psi in the bags. Obviously this is specific to tire size/brand and what you're hauling, but may be a starting point for some. Also, last trip to WY gave me about 12mpg average.

 

Had a busy weekend driving to get the truck, couldn't be happier with it!

Thank you for the finance wisdom and putting it that way I would definitely get that value received and would have no problem losing a little money if it ever came to that. I would have loved to get access and 6 ft, but my dog is too big and even the double cab is a little cramped for him. This spoiled ass dog... Another reason for looking at the kimbo, he comes to work with me on nightshift and hangs out a couple hours in the car when everyone else comes in/before we head home. Having a popup wouldn't work.

Thanks for the response! My brother and his family live in a fifth wheel so he went over the camera options since they're all over that, I think that's what I would end up doing in addition to improving the locking system like others mentions. And good to hear on the market for campers, feel much more sure of this moving forward..

The camper will be on the truck full time. I will move and have driveway access at some point, but I'm not one to rely on what-ifs. I'll eventually own property in which case I would either have to sell the kimbo or I'd have space to take it off, either way at that point it wouldn't live on the truck. But until then I have friends with driveways I could keep it at if I ever needed to use the truck bed for something else.

Unfortunately that means it will be difficult to do any major projects on it, but being that I work in trades I can usually go to a coworkers house or to my work and use the space vs working on the street.

Great idea on the keyed deadbolt. As others said they can definitely get in with a prybar/etc but most of the people around here are just desparate and looking for whatever valuables they can find, so I'd imagine that would deter them enough to move on to the next car. I'm not really sure where my future lies, but I know I won't be leaving SF at least the next few years.

And thanks for the comments on it being timeless, I kind of had that feeling and I haven't even seen one! Looking forward to the next step..

 

Yeah, it's the Iceco VL70 and we were running on 110 shore power through the Goalzero, so I suspect the inverter heat was a contributor for sure.

 

Awesome - love the way you matched the truck color to your dog!