The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

So you were able to circumvent a portion of the lead time and you are negatively posting about said lead times? Something doesn’t seem right.

 

you could say.. something ‘smells’ about it

 

I am at 15months. I think it will still be another 3-4 months before receiving it due to the covid situation. Just sit back and wait.

 

Congrats. You’ll be stoked when you get your camper

 

FYI I’m at 13 months. Based on the build numbers of those recently delivered I expect mine around 15 or 16 months. This is pure speculation based on simple math, and does not take into account actual delays from suppliers, etc. So it could be later, or hopefully sooner.

 

I hope you're right. I'm a couple orders ahead of you. With my four month "Corona Factor" added on I am figuring I have to wait until the beginning of December (16.5 months total). Like you, no idea how the supply issues are affecting production. If you're right, maybe a Thanksgiving kickoff trip. If I'm right, an early Christmas present. Either way, hopefully everyone can stay safe and keep churning these things out.

 

Phil seemed happy to allow the transfer of the deposit and I was happy to pay the dude selling it for the opportunity.

I don't see the issue with being honest about the lead time with people. I would appreciate the candor if it were me, since the website still says "approximately 12 months". Given the current rate of production (seems to be at a stand still), a backlog of orders, and assuming additional delays due to continuing Covid-19 impacts, close to 2 years seems believable.

If you have better details please share - not much in the way of updates from Vagabond.

 

I think accurate build times isnt really that crazy to ask for. As someone who is 13 months into a 10 month estimate and still no final build phone call, im pretty frustrated. Sleeping under a leer cap with me the wife the 3 month old and the dog was not the plan this summer camping season.

That being said I do understand that supply issues and covid have taken their toll. Not exactly the VO guys fault; but not the customers either. I'm sure the VO guys would much prefer to be on schedule too.

At this point im willing to wait 15ish months (probably accurate) for a extremely well made product with room and longevity to grow with my family. I've been neuroticaly studying these forums since before I ordered and re-mapping out my build 100 times. And hell I have been waiting this long, whats a few more months.

If i were to go back and talk to myself the day I ordered I probably would have gone with a different camper (not GFC) with less wait and more camping.

Till then, I'm thinking the L-Couch build out may be the ticket. Simple and comfortable

 

boy do I have a story for you. lucky you have somewhere to sleep at all...

im 3 years into a 6 month estimate

 

Shift in subjects. I am seeking some counsel on the following matter as my searching hasn't surfaced anything yet.

I have been thinking about putting stuff on top of the drifter. Specifically a kayak and a rocketbox. The kayak is about 80 lbs. and the rocketbox with stuff probably about the same weight. I cannot recall reading anything about a weight rating for the top. Nothing stated on their website.

I have three concerns. One being the struts ability to both lift and hold up as well as possibly overburdening their limits. The second is the added weight impacting the integrity of the bulb seal both in the short and long term. The third is whether an unbalanced load (only one side having weighted) is a problem for the hinges or the struts.

I decided to begin a preliminary functional test and put the kayak on one side of the top. The struts seemed at their limit when raising the roof. I needed to continue to push it in order to get it to its zenith. Once up, the fabric on that side was not as taut as the other side which I surmised was from an unbalanced load only on one side. I expect that I could have used the internal brace which would have shored it up. It made me wonder about any uneven stress on the hinges. I also realize the position of the boat will make a difference and that by moving it forward, it should help. I plan to install a third bar in the front of the drifter to allow more forward positioning of the boat.

I then put my wife’s 50 lb. boat on. Lifted much easier and did not notice the fabric sagging like with the other.

What I do not want to do is stress the Drifter over what it is designed to carry. Does anyone have specs/experience/knowledge related to this?

Oh, I also realize that it will make it even more top heavy and that is causing me to consider a suspension upgrade or at least an opinion from someone who has knowledge I do not have in this area.

I'd send Vagabond this, but it isn't a repair/order question so I don't think it would garner much attention.

Thanks for any help.

 

I added two solar panels and angle iron on top of my roof. Also have snowboard racks on top of aluminum square tube that I throw on for snow trips. I let Phil know and he linked me to heavier struts on McMaster Carr where I just ordered directly.

https://www.mcmaster.com/9416K54/
(edit - I went up to 200lbs. I think VO does 175lbs)

Swapping the struts is a little bit of work, especially by yourself. It’ll require you to take off the tent and reinstall (since I couldn’t compress the struts manually).

**Another edit. I knew I talked about this before:

 

That was helpful.
Thank you

 

Yeah, if you're talking about having the stuff up there occasionally, then I think you've seen that you can get away with not upgrading struts.
But I've got maybe ~ 80 lbs in solar panels, wiring, antenna, and crossbars on all the time, and I'm very glad I upgraded the struts. Mine are 225 lb, but I wonder whether 250 lb may have been a better choice, as it's still more difficult to get up than down.
Plus, they lose some force in the cold, and will slowly degrade over time anyway.

I also throw a kayak up there sometimes, but I usually have it taken down before lifting the lid. In any case, just play it safe and use the lockout bar. And if you keep weight up there with it open, you'll definitely be better off with it being over the lockout bar vs the other side.

As far as the hinges, static load like a kayak is not a big concern of mine, as they're quite solid. But I do sometimes worry about wind gusts blowing the lid laterally.

And I don't really worry about the bulb seal much at all. You may be right about it fatiguing quicker, but the tent attachment design is such that any rain, snow, etc doesn't really have anywhere to go if it made it past the seal anyway.

 

Thanks for yours and mjona’s responses. Very much appreciate all the opinions I receive. They lead me to ask (at least) one more thing. Does anyone know what is the rating of the stock strut or is that what Mjona meant in reference to “VO does 175”?

 

175lbs. If you order a Drifter/Nomad with a fan and ltrack, I believe they install 200+lb struts. But I’m sure @tyfoon11 can lay this one to rest.

 

I was hoping to not have to ask this question here, but I've been patiently waiting for a response from Vagabond about this. I get they're slammed and that's fine but maybe someone here knows the answer. I'm ready to order a Nomad for my 1st gen tundra. It seems like the Vagabond website no longer has a 50% deposit option for either the Drifter or Nomad. Is a payment in full now required to place an order?

 

Also, hi! I can't wait to be a Vagabond camper owner. I know I drive a Tundra and this is Tacoma World but I've read every post in this and the build outs thread. I know it's going to be at least a year and I'm prepared for even 18mo but it seems like it'll be worth the wait. Thanks to everyone for their contributions. This thread is the most valuable knowledge base for the Vagabond campers.

 

Lead times are almost impossible for any manufacturing business to guesstimate with the current state of things. Suppliers are backed up and information is hard to come by which has a domino effect on everything. VO could tell you 10/12/14/16/18 months but that would be conjecture as there's just no way of knowing for sure.
But regardless - welcome to the family and every effort will be made to ensure you don't regret your decision to switch!

200lb struts are now standard, 225 if there is a roof rack. One could go for 250's but that's a double edged sword - the stronger the struts the more weight you can lift overall but the more difficult it becomes to open the lid the first 10-12 inches and the harder it is to close. If someone wanted 250"s they can request it in the notes section when ordering

 

Yup, tyfoon. Just checked (duh). 225 are on mine. I did put a handle on the rear to aid in lifting. Like it a lot! Now I have to weigh your comment with my own experience. Thanks!

 

@tyfoon11 covered this subject well. We're having issues getting information from suppliers, and they are having issues getting info from their suppliers. The whole worldwide supply chain is thrown off. But people are finding workarounds, as are we. We started working with new suppliers and vetting backup suppliers to alleviate supply issues in the future.

Pre-shelter-in-place orders have been unfortunately subject to an increased COVID delay in the middle of their wait period. We really appreciate everyone's patience with this.

Post-shelter-in-place orders do still have an approximate lead time of 12 months.

We typically say that the roof can handle 500 lbs. in the down position. This definitely doesn't mean you can lift the roof with that weight, or that your truck bed could handle that extra weight. We recommend 100 lbs max on the roof. And would suggest putting the load further forward. It will be challenging to lift it with that weight, but it is doable. I have a 50 lbs. canoe and have no issues lifting it. And typically have a loaded cargo box (40 - 50 lbs total) on the roof for family trips. The safety bar is recommended with this weight on the roof.

Sorry for the delayed response. I'll send an e-mail shortly.

As far as the deposit goes... we are working on that. We had to go with a different payment portal since the one were using is no longer supported by our web hosting platform. It should be up and running in the next few days.