Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

For sure I could use some advice on the safety of charging a solar generator via a dc inverter while underway. People are doing it and in theory it seems super convenient but how safe is it since it’s not mentioned in the solar generator manuals?

 

I posted on using the yeti 500x using the in bed outlet to charge while driving in post 1130. Not sure what solar generator you're running.

 

I'm back from radio silence! Was out enjoying my rig and life happened .

Has anyone here dealt with moisture on the bottom layers of the insulation / felt? I'm not sure if it's just dirty, or developed mold. There was some time where I let a friend borrow it and then it was sitting in my driveway in Washington. Pics for reference.
Has anyone replaced the insulation / felt?

 

That almost looks like something spilled...did you have a leak or is it just the atmospheric moisture condensing or? Does all of the fabric sections have the moisture stains or just the ones behind the wood?

 

Just the ones in the corners I showed (in contact with the floor). It feels like the pan of the floor could be retaining some moisture that didn't dry out completely. Since the floor doesn't come out easily, I'm not sure how to "dry it better". The first time I noticed some dampness, I ran the heater for a day straight and aired it all out. Seems like I might need to do some surgery on the floor / lower panels to figure this out.

I am also in parallel investigating the leak theory more closely.

But has anyone had experience with servicing the floor or those lower panels? It seems like the felt could potentially hold mold, but maybe not the insulation itself...

 

Do you have the the fantastic fan? Possibly someone left the cover open...

Getting the floor out, you'll ruin the floor but it's actually pretty easy to replace - I did ours and used thicker insulation (won't notice unless you're over 6' maybe). I used the old floor as a pattern for the new floor.

 

Yeah I've got the fantastic fan that was a part of the earlier Kimbos. Might be nice to upgrade to the MaxxFan or something eventually. It's hard to know how, but some moisture definitely entered the camper on that corner of the floor.

I'll probably rip the floor up and do what you did (with thicker insulation - I'm not over 6' so it's all good).

What do you think about those insulation panels near the corner? I wonder if we can like "re-felt" them. I'm just a bit concerned with doing more damage to them while I try to clean them up since I've read (and noticed) that stuff is pretty allergic to vacuuming.

 

Maybe attempt to spray with oxyclean...The early felt is pretty fragile when it comes to vacuuming. I had considered using some thin cork on the lower portions but haven't made any decisions to do that yet.

 

That seems reasonable. I can make the sacrifice to find out what products might work for cleaning the felt and report back lol. I like the idea of changing that material as well considering getting moisture in the lower part of the camper is pretty easy (especially in the PNW / winter ski chalet applications...).

 

Back in the saddle!! - got some interior work done on the sink base, simplified the propane splitter, and some electrical stuff tidy'd up a bit. Missed the snow season, sad about that but we'll try to make it up with more trips this year.

Projects for 2024: Air dam mounted to the truck cab (looks like a big rig visor kinda thing - we'll see), ladder extension on the flank side (can't step on the tire), finish up the porch mounting, 100ah modular battery setup, sail shade canopy, replace exterior solar lights.

Projects from 2023 that got scrapped: quick disconnect brackets for the struts, one drill/two struts tool, new kitchen design.

 

damn mockup:

 

I'm going to be using a redarc 2000w inverter. I've been given a green light from Anker, who make the 767 which I will be using. They said it was safe to charge a 767 while underway via the redarc. The manuals have fairly ominous warnings about charging without grounding so I asked them directly and that was the eventual answer.

 

Could someone tell me how deep the storage shelf is(the one with the desk)?

 

Long time lurker on this thread and now the owner of #443. So appreciative of all the information everyone has contributed here. Really helped me to make my decision after visiting Kimbo in Bellingham last October. Turn around time was quicker than I expected (only 2 months). I heard from Antonio while I was there that they're moving to a new facility at the end of the year.

After #443's completion in December, I had to wait a few months to make the drive down from AK to pick up my Kimbo. It was an agonizing couple of months knowing it was just waiting there. I just got back and the Kimbo exceeded all expectations on the 2000+ mile trek back north. Camped four nights along the Alcan in temps ranging 30f to -5f and the Kimbo stayed dry and warm the entire time.

Looking forward to many trips up here and I'm hoping to use the Kimbo as base camp for some ski trips soon. I've seen some folks adding thule or yakima ski racks to the ladder or jack stands. Has that worked out for folks on here? Debating my options, thanks.

 

Quick pix of the sink base with the amateur "kimbo" finish and door, small phone shelf/charging station on the bed spar, and getting the electrical sorted out/hidden away (Amazon has the gray wire tracks that work awesome).

.

 

So I just got back from a ski trip. Prior to the trip I made some changes and updates to the Kimbo:

1. Added another 200w of solar for a total of 350w on the roof. Also removed old, corroded screws from the factory and replaced them and then caulked over them with silicone or RV roof caulking (I wanna see which one does better over time).
2. Added a Gen3 Starlink dish to roof with a quick release mount (Starmount Systems is the quick release dish mount I purchased from).
3. Drilled a bulkhead for the vehicle integration connection for the new Goal Zero Yeti Pro 4000 battery. Ran marine grade wires and a circuit breaker to the starter battery. Yeti Pro 4000 comes with a built in DC to DC charger.
4. Made the doggy/storage box that comes with the Kimbo smaller to accommodate the Yeti Pro 4000.
5. Wired up a 12v DC circuit breaker.
6. Made some 12v DC tank heater pads that can help warm the battery should the Dickenson stop working.
7. New stainless steel ratchet straps.

The bad: somehow my Noco 11v bulkhead shorted out and fried, see pictures. Not sure what happened, let me know your thoughts. I was charging the Yeti Pro 4000 which was pulling 1600w. I used a 50ft extension cord to reach the truck. Not sure what went wrong.

Overall I love the new battery and the starlink is amazing. The battery powers everything and I am stoked.

 

Nice work man! Love the BlueSea panel, very clean. More power is better, except when the plug melts - DOH!!

So with the plug - the Yeti was charging and pulling 1600w, was there anything else running (LED lighting, toaster, small nuclear fission reactor) that may have over taxed the plug? There looks to be a fair amount of custom wiring - could there be a device that's wired in that could have an "extra" ground? May have even be as simple as the extension cord plug had a loose connection and was arcing and caused it to heat up. Tough to say what happened but that's probably one of the scariest scenarios - glad you caught it before it caught fire.

Solar and other mods look great - need to upgrade that fantastic fan to the Maxxfan to keep all that snow out of your rig!

 

Hey Profloundering,

The only thing running off the plug was the Yeti pro 4000 charging. It was just from the wall > to the cord > to the Noco bulkhead that fried > to the Yeti Battery. All the 12DC circuit panel wiring comes from the yeti battery. I think your guess on the extension cord being loose might be spot on given when it melted. I am planning on being present when I use the bulkhead and 110v fast charge option given this scare. The fan upgrade sounds like a great idea - Summer is on its way.

 

Hey Folks,

Just wanted to throw it out there that I’m probably going to be looking to sell my Kimbo this Spring. Taking one more trip over Easter, then I’m jumping into building myself an off-grid home on 100 acres! (Read that as I bought a cabin kit and I’ll hire somebody to assemble it for me haha)

Still have to determine what it is worth, but I just wanted to put it out there in case somebody may be interested. Just note that I’m in Ontario, Canada

It is pretty much fully loaded with all interior modules, including the shower pan, fireplace, kitchen and A/C. Also have the ski rack on the outside and the additional Rotopax containers. I used it for a couple of months of full time travel last summer, after picking it up from Kimbo in mid July. I love it, but the house is my priority now and I won’t be travelling as much.

Thanks!

 

That is pretty awesome - gotta be quite the sturdy soul to go off grid in the great white north. 100 acres sounds about right to get nice and secluded, best of luck out there!