Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I believe this is the exact same kit I have as it works with the factory 16” Probro wheels.

 

I'm just slowly gathering the parts at the moment, but I'll be doing the swap over to 5th gen 4Runner front brakes.
My main complaint with the stock brakes is rotor warping, but I'll be happy to have a little better stopping power too.
It requires 17" wheels (I had already gone to 17's anyway for the tire size I wanted to run), but it's a lot cheaper than an aftermarket kit.

Details:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...unner-bbk-upgrade-for-2nd-gen-tacomas.504234/

 

I believe the discount set up by @Iggy for the group buy a long while ago still works tor the SOS performance brake kits.

 

Very clean and organized buildout!
What awning do you have? I really like the larger coverage area.

 

did surgery on the camper over the weekend



Vinyl transfer paper, inked over template and drilled a pilot hole



One side done

really like the built in blinds/screen/dual pane. The only negative is that it don’t fully open upwards and lock/screen/blind latch only operated from inside. Still can reach in to grab stuff.

maybe vagabond would offer these in the future

 

Phil has a different size of those windows on his Drifter I believe. I think he was doing a little R&D on it to see if it was something he liked. I’m sure he will chime in here when he can.

@Overlanerd

 

Tern Overland windows?

 

I don’t know the name. I tuned out when I learned it didn’t open all the way up like a windoor. I did like the screen and shade ability though. Kinda nifty design.

 

yea they are tern overland windows

 

AT Overland uses those same windows on their campers such as their Atlas

What did u pay for those if I may ask ?

 

Does anyone have any issues with their Drifter making a rattle or knocking noise on big bumps? Mine will occasionally make a slam or knocking noise if i hit a large bump. If there are successive large bumps, it will do it a few times until the road smooths out. I think it might be one of the bed panels rattling, but it doesn't add up as the panels have a lot of compression on them with the tent material pressed down on them under the closed lid. I also checked to see if the drifter is hitting the cab of the truck or the shark fin. Once we are out of shelter in place, I plan to stop by and have the Vagabond crew check it out. Wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this. Here's a photo of my rig for some drifter content

 

only rattling noises I've heard was when the overhang started to make contact with the sharkfin (I have the kbvoodoo rails so i was really close to touching already) but since I swapped out for a replacement cover from @Anderson havent had any rattling issues.

Just to ask the obvious that you probably have done already, have you tightened down your clamps? have you tried moving the sliding bed panel into a different position or removing it and putting it in the bed for testing just to see if the noise goes away?

 

We haven't had any rattling noises, but we have tightened down the clamps on occasion, especially early after install, so would definitely check this if you haven't already as rob suggests.

 

No rattling on mine either.

Also, drifter crib build version 1...

.

 

That's cool, I have a baby coming in May. Need to plan my baby setup over the fall months.

 

Congrats!

I wouldn't worry too much about the baby setup initially. We did a combination of having her sleep in the bed with us and using a fold-up bassinet for the first 6 months or so. She's now too big for that and does kick flips in her crib at night, so it was time to move her downstairs. On second thought, you may be happy to have it done before you're indefinitely exhausted!

 

Anyone else having trouble keeping the front bulb seal in place between the bed and Drifter? Mine is constantly (slowly) working it's way into the camper, from near both corners.

I've lifted the front edge and adjusted the seal once, then tightened the clamps down even more, but it's still being pushed through somehow.
3rd gen here, so maybe it has something to do with the bolt-on riser for the front edge of the bed...?

 

Has anyone cut off the ends of the bulb seal on the rear hatch? These ends seem to rest primarily on the paint and I can’t think of a function. The main body of this bulb seal rest primarily on the tailgate, so very little rubbing on the paint. This one seems like it will wear through the paint in short order - for no reason.

 

I have a 3rd gen but and haven't noticed that problem yet, but mine's only been on a couple of months so I'll keep an eye on it.

 

Feel free to trim them back if you want, it’s just to help close off the corners