Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Agreed. Specifically as an entrance to the camper, I would love to have a door like what they've done.
But there are too many downsides for me too. I designed my interior around having access across the full width of the back of the truck, so even taking "truck" use out of the equation, it wouldn't work for me.
I'd be much more interested if it was like one of the above pics too. Preferably the double doors.

Though I've also had a mouse get into the camper when I've just left the tailgate down most of the day/evening, so I definitely now have an appreciation for being able to leave the hatch open, but the tailgate closed...

 

Agreed! Even if I were to get a FWC someday I would buy one size shorter to still let me have a tailgate to sit on

 

I had a mouse get into my Drifter this year with the tailgate closed but the hatch open! Little gymnast must have stemmed the tailgate gap to the top.

 

i had a fox jump into the back of my truck with the tailgate closed but the door of my 'camper shell' open, on my previous setup. maybe the tailgate was open....at a NORCAL beach. my kid was stoked

 

Reflectix works to contain radiate heat. The actual R-value is pretty low. Thinsulate makes a 1.5" automotive insulation with an R-value of 5.

 

I still think I want to use my tailgate for cooking and meal prep, but I guess I could just get a table.

 

I only use the tailgate when it's a quick stop, otherwise I set up a table at camp so I can easily get in and out of the Drifter.

 

That's part of what I meant by "tailgating" although I do use a table at camp most of the time so that I don't block the camper entrance.

If the ambulance doors were an option, I'd probably go that route and build some sort of pull-out kitchen setup on HD drawer slides. Only thing I'd really miss is the built in seat for post-bike/ski beers. I always have a chair in the camper, but there's something about sitting on a tailgate drinking beer.

 

It’s the best

 

Yes, a little pucker, for sure. But it was totally worth it.

 

It's a little tough for me to tell how much clearance there is between the top of your bedrails and the bottom of the window openings, but I'll post this just as some general input for dealing with the differences in width on the floor vs. width at the bedrails. In general, try to include vertical framing at the corners of the cabinet nearest the bedsides. If you have something in the way, then you might have to offset the upright and then tie it in with the top horizontal frame. If you have a wheel well in the way and there isn't any way to include an upright, you'll need to anchor the frame to the bedrail. You can see in the pics below, an example where I used a horizontal frame that ran parallel and just above the bedrail. It sits further out than the corner vertical upright frame posts. I found by placing the top elevation of the (bench) cabinet above the bedrails, I could conceal the camper clamps. Yet, they are still accessible for removal.




At the fronts of these cabinets where the horizontal frames are closest to the truck cab, I had to shave the frames because the Drifter camper contours in toward the cab at this location. It's ugly, but it can't be seen once the cabinets are in place.



Once the hinged lids are on, the top horizontal framing along the bedrails is barely visible.

 

Apologies if you've answered it elsewhere, but how did you bolt that seat track down to your bed?

 

That's a super helpful write up. I didn't think about bringing it above the bedrail and mounting downward onto it. Then you could use a simple L bracket to get it in there.

 

Wow nice job!

 

Anyone have a writeup on how to make the bed of the Drifter raise up with the hydraulic struts rather then folding the mattress and sliding the bed panel forward? The more and more I use the Drifter the more sense it makes for the bed to go straight up and not fold the mattress and slide bed base forward.

I like how the Alu-cab camper does it. Seems like a simple solution.

 

@excav8tor did this (edit: April 2021 - This Drifter was sold to a new owner)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3NkXVnIqo/

 

Thanks I’ll message him. Think this is a better solution than the standard way.

 

See post #4159 of this thread. It's fastened to the bed using plus-nuts and 1/4-20 stainless steel screws.

 

Thank you!

 

When I was deciding on a wedge camper, this was a factor that I definitely considered. I originally thought that I would prefer the lift-up method due to the simplicity and ability to leave your bedding alone (other than it maybe sliding down to the front, and having to pull it back out when flat). But now that I've built out the Drifter, I'm really glad to have the sliding and folding bed setup instead. It ended up actually being a necessity with the way I built my interior. I need the full headroom at the front end of the camper when the sitting deck is in place. It's also nice to have all that headroom when the deck is stowed and the floor space is open with two people standing inside. I can see either setup being a benefit depending on how the interior is configured. It's kind of like having side windows vs. windoors vs. solid panels. It's one of those decisions to ponder and will depend on how you end up using / configuring the interior.