The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

I'm with tacomagee - we picked what we thought would best suit our needs and dealt with what that meant - a hefty deposit. We also book VRBO and airbnb places over a year in advance and often pay full or substantial price down (if not full price) to get what we want..oceanfront..hawaii....etc, so I guess we are used to doing it. I guess we didn't think about it as an interest free loan but rather as a downpayment on the future experience that we want and are about to get!

 

This right here has a lot to do with the substantial deposit as well.
Committing to a big deposit means comitting to the total price as well and makes people less likely to back out I’m sure.
Just my .02
Definitely the best thing I’ve bought for the truck. Good luck

 

I too paid in full; I would look at it as locking in your materials pricing too since those only seem to go up.

 

Big difference when you're dealing with a charge card co for/with backing and established businesses. There's more than a handful of folks that put hard earned chinga down on gear that lost all when the business model failed and never got refund or product. For starters, hear about these: Moby1? Kimberley Kampers? Sierra 4x4 Trailers? Yeah, it happens and more so inside of 2-years with startups. So its a valid concern for those that can't afford to burn $4k or more to ashes and nothing more.

Carry on.

 

I thinks it’s great that you had the opportunity to experience both of the campers. They each have been built differebtly in the persuut of the same goal; to make the camping experience a more fulfilling one.

As per the deposit, I implore you to research buying other types of custom Offroad equipment or RV’s/campers/trailers. They almost all work either in the way of a 50 percent deposit or a pay in full up front. It can feel like a large commitment at times, but you have to either have faith in your decision making process or you’ll never move forward. And buying a Drifter definitely moves you forward in life.

 

I thought the Drifter deposit was very fair for a custom product, built to my specifications. I put a $500 deposit on a GFC thinking that I wouldn’t have to pay the remainder until I took delivery. No, they called me when they were 7 months prior to pickup wanting the full payment. So, I was more than happy to pay the 50% down when I switched to the Drifter.

 

Gotta pay to play and worth every penny

 

Look at the bright side. You pay out $4k now and have six months to forget about having spent that much and reload your savings account so paying the next $4k doesn’t seem so bad.

 

If I’m not mistaken, California State Contractors Law, for residential construction work, allows 10% or $1K deposit plus custom materials cost in full at start of work. So the Drifter deposit seems reasonable, and though I don’t own one (yet) it seems like a lot more fun than a new roof on your house. And I signed a contract for my roof 5 months ago ... still waiting.

 

Bingo, I was about the say the same. This is how I feel.

Putting a 50% deposit filters out the 'tire kickers' and you get a more solid list of people that really want the product.

GFC allows for a $500 deposit and I am sure that alot of people think they want a GFC but when it is time for 100% payment some may flake. GFC lead time is June 2020. I am sure its because of this $500 deposit they have.

I know of one person who sold his $500 GFC deposit to someone else because he changed his mind.

 

^THIS

Everything is only going to go up in price. That's just how the world works.

I know of someone here on TW that was set on pulling the trigger on a Drifter, but waited because he couldn't commit to the price tag. Then Vagabond increased their prices and he had to pay the new increased amount. So not only did he have to pay more because he waited, but he also has a longer wait time because other people put in orders in that time he was deciding.

 

Hi All, I have been following this thread for a while and decided to jump in on the discussion. We put our deposit down on our Drifter back in the beginning of October and looking forward to getting the call any day now that they are ready to start the build. My focus throughout the winter has been getting the truck ready and setup. I have looked through this thread about rear suspension setups for the rear and leaning towards doing a custom leaf pack through Alcan. I currently have spacer blocks in the rear with air bags from the previous owner. I want the leafs to have about of inch in the rear and trying to decide how much extra weight capacity to add. I was thinking about 1000lbs increased capacity for the weight of the drifter and gear but wondering if that would be to much and make the ride overly harsh. I plan on keeping the drifter on most of the year but not doing a full build out. I am wondering if anyone out there has had custom leaf packs made and what weight capacity you went with? I don't have a Tacoma but a 1st Gen Tundra which is very similar to the Tacoma. Hopefully you all will not give me the boot. Since only one other Drifter has been build for a 1st gen Tundra I don't have a bunch of info to pull from. Thanks for any input!

 

I have a drifter on my 3rd gen Tacoma with one front runner door, fan, lights, and alucab shadow awning. I estimated the overall weight to be ~400lbs. Prior to picking up the Drifter, I ordered Deaver U402 Series II (400-600lbs constant weight) expedition leafs. They’ve worked out well thus far, but I don’t have anything built out in the Drifter. If I ever end up building it out, I’ll have to go with a heavier spring (series III or custom).

 

Thanks for your reply. How do you like the ride quality when it is unloaded with gear? I am thinking I may be overshooting the weight capacity at 1000lbs. Sounds like shooting for around 750lbs of constant weight may be a good balance. I am not really sure how how much my drifter will weigh due to the slightly bigger size of the Tundra. I am guessing it may be somewhere around 450lbs. The only other thing I am thinking of adding is a hitchgate setup.

 

I had the Series II on the truck for three weeks before picking up the Drifter. Can’t say the ride was great, but for me it was tolerable (just not ideal). The Series II Deavers ride really well with the Drifter on - loaded with camping gear or without. I also have a steel rear bumper (not high clearance and no swing outs).

I had a similar plan as you - Drifter on most of the year and take it off periodically. After having it on the truck, I’ve canned that idea - the Drifter will stay on full time.

 

@dman100 kinda hit on this. If you've ever had major work done on a home, it's pretty typical to pay the contractor a large deposit up front. My wife and I deal with lots of home repairs for our business. This kind of contractor work usually means a large deposit up front before any work has begun, another payment part way through, and a final payment when the work has been completed.

We even know contractors that are booked out for a year+ and typically request a deposit to hold your spot in line. Our main contractor does this with clients he doesn't work with a lot because he's had people decide to cancel the project and then he has a dead month in his calendar.

Anyway, my point is, paying vagabond up front didn't really seem too unusual for us. Phil and Iggy seemed pretty reliable in my communications with them and so we went ahead with the purchase. Just another perspective to consider...

 

Was driving past Mexican Hat in Utah today when I rounded a corner....and saw @huntca with his TRD Pro and my old Vagabond Drifter camper on it drive past. I immediately made a u-turn, and found him just down the road in a pull off waiting for me.

We talked for a bit, said hi to his (leashed!) dog, snapped a couple photos and then parted ways.

My Drifter was the first "full production" model, installed on July 15th and pulled off on November 21st. I lived out of during that time, but ended up selling it due to wanting more space. As you can tell the FWC is almost twice the size.

For anyone wondering, the Drifter is made a lot better than the FWC...I think on a midsize truck the Drifter is a better design and takes advantage of the limited space much better than the FWC does.

 

I love seeing his pics! Just wish he would swap that westfalia sticker for a vagabond sticker

Also enjoy seeing your adventures all over the country.
Mostly because of your pup

 

Is anyone by chance in So-Cal (Orange County) area with a Vagabond? I'd love to meet up and check one out to show the girl since she has yet to see one.