1 Bored Clerk's Garage Built Camper

Grrr!

 

whoops skimmed right over that!

 

Got lucky. There is glass available locally and I have an appointment this afternoon to get a new window. Apparently, due to supply chain issues and a spike in smash and grabs, some people have had to wait weeks or even MONTHS to get window replaced. Crazy.

 

Put up a spotlight camera on that corner of your house, huge deterrent.

 

Just an FYI. I installed a spotlight ring camera and its nice when things go bump in the night and I can pull out my phone from my nightstand and turn on a live feed of my truck from the comforts of bed.

 

Got out for a weekend of camping and dirt biking. I've been pouring so much energy into my new job that I just haven't been out all that much. This was a good trip to remind me how badass my truck is. And a good bit of motivation to get some of the last details wrapped up. Here's to a good summer!

 

Took a whole week off. Was planning to do a long bikepacking trip but the weather report was not good. I signed up for a certain amount of suck but not the amount of suck the weather report was suggesting. So I pivoted and packed up the truck and moto and headed to Nevada to do some exploring.


Found a good campsite that I stayed at for almost the entire trip.

Washoe Valley

Carson City - my hometown

Virginia City

Heading down to Carson River

Overall a good day 1. 90 miles and about 80 of that was in dirt. The next day I decided to leave the bike in camp and take the truck out.






Fun roads to explore. There were a lot of tight, steep and rocky trails. Entertaining day two.

Day three was back on the moto but heading west instead of east.


Spooner and Lake Tahoe

Spent time up around Lake Tahoe. Up through Kings Canyon, messing around Genoa Peak, down the Mt Rose HWY. 120 miles of good times. Steak Dinner at Glen Eagles in Carson City. Excellent day 3.

Day 4 was a travel day heading over the pass to visit family in the Sierra foothills on the Cali side. But on the way, I did a little hiking.








Got a campsite 30 minutes north of Placerville, cooked some dinner and went for a swim in a nice lake.





The next two days was spent with family then an 11 hour drive back home on Sunday. Great trip.

Every trip with the truck gives me more clarity on how I like to travel and what I like to do. That being said, I'm about 90% sure I'm going to sell my camper. I don't take many photos and I don't show every trip I take with my truck. I report when I feel like it. I have quite a bit of experience with this setup and there are a lot of benefits but I think I need more flexibility with my setup. I want a truck bed again, a more nimble wheeler, and a toy hauler/camper/utility trailer. While the truck wheels great on open trails, I find myself on tight trails often and the volume of camper above the cab means I'm dragging a lot of camper through the trees or have to back out/turn around. I'd also like to be able to haul my moto or bicycles inside for a higher level of security on trips. On those trips, I seem to park for multiple days as a Basecamp so having a standup camping trailer/toyhauler would be great. Thinking of building a simple box on top of my current utility trailer. I have it, it's built way better than most small cargo trailers and I clearly know how to make a box.

Im going to finish the heater install and padded walls inside then make my final decision. If anyone is interested in buying the camper, let me know. I would be open to selling the sliders and cab rack as a full system...maybe even the rear bumper...maybe. with all of that, all you would need is power to the camper and you'd be good to go.

Stay tuned!

 

Would you consider a topper lift or similar diy or do you want the open bed again?

 

It's a good question. I've been thinking about a change for the last year or so. Having used the camper a lot over the last few years, I've really been able to hone in on what I want. I've decided to sell the entire truck and camper and move to a different platform. I'm actually working to get the ad up today. It'll be here on TacomaWorld as well as Expedition Portal Forum and my local Craigslist.

As far as topper lifts are concerned. I think those are interesting and a very clever idea. Not something I would choose but I can see a lot of great possibilities with them.

I'll be happy to go into more detail about why I'm making the change as there are some very specific drivers. It'll be fun to get TW thoughts and, likely, some hearty flaming.

 

What's the next platform going to be? Full size? Van? Tank?

 

Not from me or others kept so entertained by this thread. I suppose it’s going to boil down to what you want but don’t have vs what you have but can do without. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2013-trd-off-road-ac-with-custom-camper.774137/#post-27663506

And just like that...it's for sale.

 

It's been fun dragging you folks along on this build. I hope this truck goes to a good home. I know it will provide years of trouble free service to whoever buys it.

So, what am I doing next and why?

Let's just rip that bandaid off...the plan is: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

Yup. Apparently I'm tired of all that fantastic service department treatment - which I've had with every Toyota I've owned (5 so far). And I also tire of all that reliability, comfort and build quality that I've experienced - I know not everyone out there has had great experiences with the Toyota brand and their products but, overall, my experiences have been stellar. So, why the defection? Toyota no longer makes a vehicle for the experience I'm chasing (or, the experience I think I'm chasing, anyway).

I want to do more difficult 4 wheeling. That's the root of it. It's very hard to beat a Wrangler from a platform standpoint. Body tucks in tighter, good flex, fairly durable from what I can ascertain, and a VERY stable aftermarket. I do like sleeping in the vehicle as it is convenient and easy when it's rainy, snowy, muddy out. Plus I don't have to deal with drying out a tent or other gear daily or when I get home. That can be difficult in the rainy season of the PNW with a pop up camper/roof top tent. That's why I built a hard box camper for the truck. I can sleep in a 4 door Wrangler so I get to keep that benefit. The jeep will fit in my garage so i can more easily inspect, maintain, modify year round. I dig that! I was going to sell the camper, put a flatbed back on the truck (I have already paid for one, it's on its way from Australia - so if the truck and camper sells, expect another "for sale" thread!) and add something like the Marlin Crawler RCLT system, and everything else that's needed, to it. But the Tacoma aftermarket can be a little sketchy (not throwing any shade at Marlin at all...it can just be an issue with the Tacoma aftermarket in general) with future support which worries me on such a huge modification ($$$$$) and all the other modifications that would follow. Plus, I have over modified vehicles to the point where they are no longer the vehicle that I loved. The RCLT and the road it would send me down felt like I would be stepping over that boundary. Not saying the Jeep wont be modified, over modified or be a total money pit but it's much closer to what I think I'm trying to accomplish straight from the factory.

I hope I don't regret the switch as I'm appreciating the cost benefit of keeping vehicles for a long time. If I hadn't had this 4 wheeling itch for the past two decades to scratch, I'd be rolling my Tacoma well into 2030.

 

Great build, best of luck for the future!

 

Thanks! I'm sort of hoping someone from TW buys it. I'd be cool to see it keep developing.

 

I'm sure you've done your research on the Jeeps.....Good luck with it. I just got rid pf Willys JL after only 3 months. Stellantis is a joke IMO, and I decided I wasn't gonna worry about reliability and how'd they treat warranty and such so I bailed.

 

Yeah, I hear that. It's a worry for sure. I've heard the flip side to that story more than a few times too so its hard to judge. I've also heard people having horrific experiences with Toyota. I like to think I'm a relatively lucky person.

 

What exactly did you have issues with, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Right out the gate I had to get the steering wheel adjusted. Not a big deal but it was brand new. It rode like crap but thats what you get with short wheel base and solid axles. Your 4-door should be better in that department as the wheel base is longer. I went out a limb and tried the relatively new 2.0L turbo motor. Plenty of zip but hated that stop n start feature on it. Then the corrosion issue they have at the door and hood hinges that seems to happen only 2 years in. I didn't have it long enough to have problems, just decided to jump ship on it because I was beginning to get turned off about it all. Never was a Chrysler fan but owned a couple Jeeps over the years and I suppose they aren't for me at this current time in my life Lol.