Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

No idea, i’m Down in the US a lot, so for me it’s just order a gallon or two and bring it back. I’ve been looking to do the lower portion of my doors and rockers, but might just get that done professionally. Damn gravel roads

 

Have you ever looked at Upol? Available in Canada. Not sure winter is the time to spray it tho

 

Looking for something a bit more durable and rubbery but better quality.

I’ll take a more in-depth look, but that looks like it’s not what I am after.

 

Thought you all might appreciate this little rendering...



Project "Badass Basecamp" is about to go live and the excitement levels are definitely on the rise.

Phase 1 is prep work: sell tent and both Prinsu racks, seal bed, bed caps, bed stiffeners... anything else I'm missing?

 

Soon...

 

The only other thing you should prep is your wallet - for all the extra little (or not so little) stuff you'll want to add, and all the gas money for those extra trips you'll want to go on!

 

Minor mod: Added crossbars to the roof L-track so I can haul stuff up top - whether its snowboards like in this pic, or plywood, other building materials, etc. Makes overall height taller when in use, but just a small solution to transport stuff when needed. They're easy enough to remove so that I only have them on when I need them. The cross bars are tall enough so that anything on top clears the solar panels and fantastic fan

 

Noted!

 

Saw your IG post. Got quite some attention!

I plan to do this on the side of the camper. Have a removal system for those season changes.

 

Looks like a nice, simple approach. Just 2" square tubing, or?
And something laying right on the crossbars themselves will still clear the fan?

I'm planning on making up some round crossbars with basically notched u-channel feet to mount to the l-track, and want to keep the clearance as tight as possible to the fan. I'm just not close enough to start getting into measurements quite yet.

 

Do you have any closeup pictures of your solar panel mounting? Which brand are they? They look clean and simple.

 

Yea people asking about the Drifter is kind of like a normal thing now. I didn't mind talking about it, but the 10 other people I was with wanted to hit the road and eat dinner haha

I needed at least 2-1/4" to clear the fan, but didn't want larger than 2"x2" square tubing. Another issue was the small apex at the very center of the roof (to help with rain run off). Just sitting on the L-track, the square tubing wont clear the roof apex. So I made four 2"x2" squares out of 3/8" thick alum flat bar that sit in between the L-track and crossbars. That way the crossbars will clear the roof apex, and that anything on top of the crossbars will clear the fan (and solar panels). Also just a note, the stud fittings for the L-track are just long enough to account for the small 3/8'' thick squares and 2"x2" square tubing. Anything thicker and you won't have enough threads on the stud fittings to fasten a nut to it.

I have two 100W Renogy Panels sitting on alum angle iron that fastens to the L-track similar to how the crossbars are mounted.

 

Curious to see a closer picture of the snowboard rack when you get the time, as I would want something similar to accommodate hauling longboards up top while also having a fan installed on a Drifter as it would have to have a crossbar further up towards your solar to accommodate for the extra length of the longboards as opposed to a short snowboard. I suppose I could have the boards off to the sides of the fan instead of centered if it allows for ~23" and that would give access to load them from the side a little easier and not have to worry about clearing the fan as much. I'll have to spec out the Drifter lid to see if it allows for that sort of space on the side of the fan between there and camper roof top-side edge.

 

Cool, appreciate the info.

No need for stud pics on my behalf, I know what you're saying. That's one of the reasons I planned on the feet like I mentioned. They'll be open in the front or rear at least, so that the nut can sit right on the base of each foot and I'll still have access to get a wrench on them.

And hopefully I can get away with 2 3/8" to clear my fan then, since I mounted my l-track practically flush with the outside edges. At least I know approximately what to expect once I get there.

Thanks again.

 

FWIW, we got Yakima tracks and will be putting on Yakima towers to hold the bars which I think will elevate it about 4". I don't think we'll have any troubles with the fan given that height. We have two roof boxes sitting around that fit our vanagon and audi q5: short and fat and tall and thin. I'll post set up once drifter is on and let you know the winner. The short/fat one holds our weber mini charcoal grill (essential) so I have a hunch it will win.

 

The roof is 54" wide and the fan is a little over 14" which only really leaves ~20" upon either side of the fan. Your best bet is to make sure the boards clear the fan with your cross bars

 

No problem. There was definitely a better solution to this than what I was thinking, but I was up against time with this most recent trip. I drilled a hole on the crossbars directly above where the stud mounts fasten the cross bars to the L-Track. That way I can stick a long socket in there and just fasten it from the top.



A cleaner way to do it having a longer base/spacer underneath the crossbar, with 2 stud fittings, and the square tube in the middle of them (I think I saw something like this on one of Phil's campers, not sure which one). But it requires 2 stud fittings per foot (or 4 per crossbar) that I didn't have, so I went my route for now. Looks something like this:

 

Actually found what Phil did for his crossbars

 

Phil's does look pretty bomb-proof, but again, I'm a fan of the simplicity of yours. Considering they're already up there and working for you, I'd just grab some rubber plugs for the access holes and call it good.

With my plan, I'm mainly just hoping to save a few bucks, as well as a few pounds since I've got the third panel up there already.
And the third panel also means I'm limited to one stud per foot anyway.