How to: DIY Wedge Camper

nah not really. i used a nice gun at first from work, but then used a small, cheap gun later on with no big difference.

 

I used a pneumatic one, since there's so many rivets. Definitely recommend over the hand riveters.

 

I decided after a different project using a small, cheaper one, I am in favor of the pneumatic as well haha.

 

@Montani_the_Taco I used a milwaukee electric rivet gun. What a hand saver it was lol.

 

I was eyeing that one up myself, good to know someone used it on this project! Thanks!

 

to others reading, do not cut this material on a SawStop tablesaw without verifying the brake is disabled

 

Thanks for the feedback! I ended up doing it all with a jigsaw and it worked great. I bought a fine tooth metal blade for it (diablo brand) and it was smooth and hardly left any burrs. Quick and easy.

 

Added Decked system to my bed today. Anyone here has made some molle panels that mount to the space frame?

 

Couple questions on this:

1) Is the Exped MegaMat DUO LW+ (52"x77.6") the one to go with? As I'm modeling everything up, there is a 1" interference between the mat and the side extrusions. Do I need to go wider, or will the mat squish enough without bunching up?



2) Where are people sourcing the extrusions from these days? To order a 100" piece from McMaster Carr is $300, and I obviously need two of those, plus all the rest of the pieces. The extrusions alone are probably going to be north of $1500.​

 

That is the mattress I went with and it's a bit wide but works. You have to truck the tent inside when putting it down with the 3in extrusion on the bottom. If I was to do it again I would just go with the taller extrusion on the bottom. Mine is 3in on the top and bottom.

 

Same and yea, tucking it in takes a few seconds but I do like the fact that it is a snug fit to the side so stuff doesn’t fall in the gap when up top.

 

No issues and I hammered the suspension quite a bit, although mine is still stock with airbags in the back. There are a bunch of really stout steel stiffeners out there and for me, never gave this a second thought.

 

I have some Go Fast Camper V2 fabric that I'm thinking about selling if anyone is interested...

I was going to build a camper with it but decided to just keep using my current rtt.

 

1. Yes, what many people seem to be doing is just stuffing the MegaMat in and having it scrunch on the sides and middle. I opted with going 2" wider overall on the ID (52") rather than stuffing the mattress in.

2. I ordered mine from an 80/20 supplier locally. This ended up being TECO Industrial in the Bay Area, CA. Shipping will be expensive depending on where you live. Many suppliers do not stock black extrusion, so it is cut and anodized at 80/20 then shipped to your supplier or you directly. Unfortunately, aluminum extrusion prices skyrocketed in the last 2 years and they are only just now starting to come back down. I spent like $1,200 - 1,300 all in on mine I believe.

 

Anyone in the memphis area with experience building one of these? I'd like to pick your brain or pay for mentorship

 

Pm sent

 

I am currently in between jobs, and in response to @tpp4 's comment I'd be happy to chat/Phone/Zoom with anybody looking to start a project, and share what I've learned. Help me break up the winter days.
Cheers.

 

Another interesting fabric design for this style..

https://www.lonepeakoverland.com/

 

I've been checking that one out - looks and feature-wise I think it's the best of the wedge campers. I like a lot of what he did - I'm about to copy his flip-under telescoping ladder so I can ditch my folding stool. But I'm unsure about the awning piece of the tent. From the video on their website, it looks flimsy, and I've never had an issue with the inward canting of the tent when open getting in the way.

 

What hinge are you running for your panels? I like the idea of a full length