Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

The pshhh noise is the air pump. Not the other kind of pshhh noise that’s associated with a blow off valve, unfortunately...

 

idk My truck is old

 

Just think, when it’s gets just a little bit older , the smog laws oughta allow for you to add some of that Pssshhhh noise for an extra kick in the pants...

 

Got my interior build re-installed. Definitely gonna need some tweaks now that the Drifter is on, but that's why I did the initial build cheap!

@georginclay04 This is the interior bike storage solution I came up with. It'll fit two bikes and slides in/out on some HDPE. I'll probably upgrade to actual drawer slides when I'm ready to upgrade my build.

 

You know all those shiny aluminum surfaces inside your Drifter? You know how they're all covered with fingerprints and sweaty forehead prints where you bumped your clumsy head?

I've got the answer to return your Drifter to it's shiny, just-left-the-factory finish!

Pledge Furniture Polish dusting spray.

Spray a little on a microfiber cloth and wipe it down. Go over it with a dry cloth and it will sparkle like new!

If you care about things like this - you're welcome.

If you could care less about things like this - what's wrong with you?

 

I have a ton of butt cheek prints that i need to get rid of. Thanks for sharing.

 

Ewwwww. Butt dust...

 

O wow that’s great to keep my bike out of the elements. I’m leaning toward the backswing but I’m contemplating a cover for them... or my wife’s dirt bike may take the hitch... so this is something to consider for sure!...
someone mentioned to play with drifter for a year or so prior to committing.. think I’m going to take that approach but I’m adding this option to the list!

 

Is anyone running these Stage III Expedition Deaver springs? https://deaverspring.com/product/tacoma-2wd-4wd-6-lug-2005-2018-expedition-series-spring/ I couldn't tell if they will provide a certain amount of lift or not like their J66 of J59 springs.

If all I had on the rear was the forthcoming Drifter and nothing else, I am led to believe the ride would not be too harsh w/ these springs, in other words better than stock and completely loaded out for a trip just fine. I was also considering the heavier Dobinson's (https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/pro...air-for-toyota-tacoma-2005-to-2019-l59-111-r/ )packs as well but can't find as many reviews on them. They seem very similar to the Icon RXT packs though from what I can tell.

Currently my 2013 TRD Sport is stock w/ a Leer shell and washboard forest roads are miserable at anything more than 10mph. After talking to a few local shops, I am definitely sold on a coilover (Icon Stage 2 or Elka if I really want to splurge) set up to get the ride quality I want on these rough forest roads, but it's the rear where I am having trouble making a decision knowing I will need to at the very least be supporting the weight of the Drifter let alone the rest of my gear. I should also say, that I want to maintain about 2" of lift max. I will most likely will spend lots of time on forest roads and then easy to moderate trails. Not looking to bomb the desert at high speed or conquer the Rubicon trail. With ride quality being my paramount improvement I want out of the suspension, I had a shop really pushing that a 1.5" Icon AAL and Air Bags was the way to go, but it just seems like way more complicated than a leaf pack tuned to expected weight as long as I can get great ride quality on/off road w/ the right spring pack.

 

I'm running them, they're doing alright. I should've done what others have done (and recommend you do as well) which is call Deaver and get a custom pack made.

 

This will be counter to what most folks here are recommending, but this is working great for me.

My Tacoma is mostly stock and like you the worst I'll likely see are fire roads and gravel.. The front is leveled with Bilstein 5100's on the third notch and the rear has the matching shocks. The rear sat about 1/2" higher than the front.

Anticipating the extra weight of the Drifter and some interior build-out I installed a set of Hellwig EZ990 helper springs, P/N981. With no load and the rear u-bolts at the loosest setting they raised the rear about 1/2". When the Drifter was mounted, I re-measured and the rear was the same height as the front. On the trip home(we put on almost 3,000 miles! Took the long way home.) I tightened the rear u-bolts about 1/4th of the way. This raised the rear about 1/2" and stopped the slightly spongy rearend feeling. The ride was smooth on gravel roads and on the highway. Once I finish the interior I will likely crank the u-bolts down a little more, but these springs seem to have plenty of capacity for what I'm doing.

Here's the best part - they were less than $120.

Hellwig 981 EZ-990 Helper Spring Kit

Hellwig EZ990 P/N981

Like I said, this isn't the solution if you are a rock crawler or like the tougher trails, but for the price they are certainly worth a try for a lot of people.

 

When you say get a "custom pack" made, what all does that involve? I am assuming that means you need to have pretty accurate picture of normal payload, in other words after you actually have the Drifter and things built out.

 

Yep. With all things suspension, especially springs, weight is important. If you can make it, waiting till you can get an accurate truck weight is always preferable.

I'm personally looking into the icon rxt and allpro expedition leaf packs. Both seem to get good reviews and the icons come with options for different weights which could help you now and later when your truck gets fatter.

 

Ok All,

Here’s a popular question but still up for grabs....

Drifter Window Options! Which configuration do you have and would you change it?

I don’t see a significant difference between Vagabonds windoor and frontrunner? What’s the big deal for the frontrunner?

Initially I was planning on having a windoor and a sliding window on passenger side but... now I’m leaning toward only one window on driver side so I can use the internal wall for storage or what ever I want. Then hang maxtrax or something on the passenger outside.

Solid windoor vs glass windoor?

Anyway- which window configurations do you all use and would you do it again?

 

I just emailed Deavers (found email on their website) and told them my expected weight and they told me what to get. Very helpful but seems like they can do anything. He said it will take 10-14 days to make but that’s really it for custom leafs.

You can add payload without adding a lift to your vehicle... I haven’t done this yet because I don’t have anything (drifter nor truck) yet.

My plan is to use the stock leafs.. use them abuse them until I get a better picture of my overall weight after mods and build out.

For custom rears he quoted $750-$850

 

Yeah, that seems like it might be the smart play I guess. Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll just do a 1.5" AAL to the stock spring as part of my lift and then Deavers later on once I see how much I am carrying.

I was searching for it b/c I know it was discussed somewhere in this thread but came up empty. Did @Iggy or @Overlanerd ever post what the goose-gear set up for the 5' Vagabond actually comes in weight wise?

 

I have 1" or 1.5" blocks that came on my truck when I bought it. I'm about to pull those out and put a new leaf pack in. You can have them if you'd like.

 

Sounds like an ok plan. The factory leafs won't last long with a consistent load. I wouldn't waste the money on an AAL if you're eventually going to bite the bullet and get a Deaver pack. Weights are listed on the GG website.

 

I am not seeing those weights anywhere on the GG site. They must have removed them I guess as the dims are the only thing I see listed in the descriptions.

Right on, thanks. I will let you know if I do.

 

I was just looking at one kitchen module and the weight was listed. You may have to pick your items and add them up. If money is an issue I'd say build your own.
Lots of options:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eping-platform-drawer-storage-systems.424709/