The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

Yes I have seen those pictures already. I would say the outcome was good in that accident but I would not rely on one accident to prove structural integrity of the overhang. Not sure if a proper load/stress analysis was done. I am sure over time we will know from folks using these campers if issues will arise or not.

This is why I want the Drifter because of a large sleeping area since it has a big overhang compared to outhers on the market. Just want to know what I'm getting in when I purchase one if actually engineering testing has been done.

 

I noticed the base cost of a Drifter was increased. Glad I didn't too long before ordering mine. It is a big investment, but the memories of adventures with my kids are worth it!!

 

Thanks for bringing it up! It's a valid point that is easy to address. For sake of conversation the camper is in 3 major components; the roof (A), the middle section second part of the roof (B) and the lower part that connects to the truck (C). B is a formed channel, that creates a C beam, similar to the frames on our trucks. Obviously the section of B that connects to C is the strongest becuase of the adhesion between the two, the point after that is where I think you have some concerns.

In our testing we have found that this area would be extremely hard to bend. All the forming involved only creates strength which was the purpose of bending B this way. It was evident by the roll over that our work had paid off and we have created a structure that is extremely strong. When the camper is closed you also have A adding an additional structure that has to be bent as well, since the hinges up front and the latches in the rear hold the two together. So we are confident these campers will hold up to a lot of abuse and last a lifetime.

Zero, the camper that was rolled over, has been lived out of by @danneskjold for several months. He can comment on its strength since I believe he has lived out of our campers for 6 months, the longest I think anyone has lived out of a stateside wedge. Right now Zero is on its way to Expo East on TacoDust's truck.

 

When I get it we better have a Baja trip planned!

This is what I have planned.

Stage 1: next weekend im installing the lift, new rims, tires.
Stage 2: front and rear high clearance bumpers
Stage 3: Get the drifter

Thank you for the info, it was helpful!

Can these be color matched? Think wrapping could be an alternative for me to do once I get it.

 

Oooooooooooo........very good timing. Thank you, crazy! -\

 

This is one of the reasons we wanted the Drifter - to be able to still use it as a truck for truck errands. So, we are not planning to build it out at this point. We'll see. There are so many awesome builds here, but the $$$ cha-ching factor considering we had to also buy a truck *may* keep us grounded in simplicity. Still, it's super cool to see the build outs!

 

Depending on your goals the following link might give you some ideas. It can be done cheaper than you think. I'd never built anything like this before but am pretty happy with how mine came out. Pretty sure mine was around $300. I used Tacomarin's build as a guide and changed it to suit my needs. I can unload the back of the truck if necessary to use as a "truck".
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-storage-systems.424709/page-60#post-18358163
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacomarin’s-chubby-unicorn-build.536001/#post-17410942

 

TacoDust came by the other day and showed off his setup. Great to check out everything in person and see our Squadron Angled Flush Mounts on the drifter. Keep up the good work!

Baja Designs
www.bajadesigns.com

 

Love my Angled Flush lights! Probably the coolest lights out there.

 

Ours also stays on full time. I left access to the claps etc so that in a worse case scenario it can be removed with out much hassle and the interior will stay in place.

Our set up is also pretty modular. we can remove our front box and center floor section to haul something full bed lengths and as tall as the camper will allow.

But like @Anderson mentioned. A trailer goes a long way and I use ours for larger stuff.

 

Thanks! Glad you were able to setup Jason and Zero!

Brian purchased the lights through us!

In case you didn’t know, we are a @Baja Designs dealer. If you’re interested in getting any of their lights, and having the angled flush mounts installed prior to your camper pickup, you know how to get ahold of me

 

Has anyone compared an insulated vs non-insulated drifter? I wonder how much of an impact it would have given the windows and tent.

 

has anyone insulated yet? was thinking of heading to home depot this week to pick out polyiso / xps and paneling. i’m going by the assumption that something is better than nothing... and we’re winter campers.

@Overlanerd will you guys be offering thicker fixture frames?

 

Insulation on the shell or the tent material? We have the side insulation and I think it definitely make a difference on both heat retention and condensation build up.

 

@MTNHABITOVERLAND did some insulation on her early version drifter

 

Shell. Any pics of the production version?

 

I did in fact. My V1 has aluminum framing that I was able to tuck insulation into. It has helped a great deal. The windows are you real enemy though. I have 3 very large ones and 2 smaller sliders. When I cover these with blankets or sweatshirts, it helps a ton! The window covers are a priority for me as we move into “winter” here in SoCal.

 

Oh man, time to break out the winter clothes.

 

I have the insulation in the Drifter and have spent a few nights in freezing temperatures. I had a buddy heater going and I will say that I am not sure if the insulation really helped that much. The side panels are insulated as is the roof, but as mentioned the two rear windows and the floor are you biggest enemies in sucking the heat out of the camper. The tent material I would love to have a insulation layer that can be attached (perhaps their is one?)

I’ll be putting reflectex (or an industrial insulation we have here at work that is made for water tanks not he job, stuff is amazing) on the two lower windows and figuring out something to do on the tent material. Once that gets dealt with I imagine that it will be quite able to get it fairly warm in the drifter.

Steve