Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Are you leaning on getting the drifter ? They seem very well constructed and probably have less leaking issues unlike habitats. But it’s hard to beat the space habitat offers.

 

I haven't had any issues with my Habitat, but I've only been in light rain. The biggest issue I have is the time it takes to setup and take down. I prefer the Habitat, but I'd be willing to sacrifice the space for faster setup time. Setup time wise, it takes me 30-45 seconds to put it up and lock it down. setting up the bedding takes a few more minutes than that. Putting it away is the biggest paint because I have to tuck the fabric in just right and then climb on top of the habitat to lock it down.

my method makes sure that the rubber on the T handles don't get cut up. while other folks have had their's replaced within months of ownership, mine only has a few marks from the first few times it was popped open. I've had mine since November 2016.

 

What?! That can't be true. They're plastic pieces held on by a few plastic clips! Could you show me how those plastic caps are holding the bedside to the composite bed?

 

... are you trolling us?

 

No they dont. I recently changed my bedsides. Can undoubtedly confirm (at least for the 2nd gens)

 

btw, also wanted to chime in about the KB VooDoo camps in aluminum. No powder coat problems at all for me. Lasted just fine this past winter

 

Ok then, back to the question...Is there a major downside to taping up the metal bed rails and mounting the drifter directly on them? Seems like it'd a better surface to seal than the plastic caps.

I'm sure the KB voodoo caps are the better solution, but maybe I could save some money...?

 

The issue isn't the bed caps as much as the space between the bedsides and the bed itself.

The top of the composite bed isn't flat and does not sit flush with the bedsides. there's a 1/4" thick cap that's about 2" wide every few inches along the entire length of the bed. This must be filled and sealed against the metal bedside.

using the voodoo plates alone will do nothing to prevent dust, water, and mud.

 

Ahhh! These can be seen in @MJonaGS32 pic, correct? Assuming you can divert your eyes long enough to look at the actual truck...

 

No. Never.

 

No because the metal bed side sits over top of what you’re talking about in that picture. But saving a couple hundred dollars by not buying bed rail caps for a $8k+ ( ) camper, doesn’t seem like the right place to cut costs.

 

Pic for reference

 

BTW the bed rail caps that come stock dig into the paint when you put a heavy camper on it so I would change them to the KB Voodoo ones

 

I would also bet that even with the holes taped over, the bulb seal compressed between the caps and Drifter would eventually start to get torn up from the edges of the holes.

 

I hope not. The bulb seal on the Drifter never gets in contact with those holes bc the voodoo caps are in between.

@cwhet10's pic for reference

 

Sure, I meant the bedside caps ("tops" probably would have been a better choice of words) if left uncovered.
Agree that wouldn't happen on the KBs.

 

Yea, of course the bed sides sit on top of that. But you can see that the top of the composite bed isn't flat in that picture. Are those bumps at the top of the composite bed not what @kalieaire was talking about?

This is pretty dumb logic. It doesn't matter how expensive something is, cost savings should be pursued on anything that doesn't serve a tangible benefit. I'm trying to figure out what benefit the actual bed rail caps serve in sealing up the camper.

I think @snwbrdr852 is addressing my question about mounting the drifter directly on the bed rails.

 

Ahh my bad, read that wrong. I would hope that nobody puts any camper directly on top of the bedsides without a cap of some sort in between.