Do you have a build thread?
Now that we're back I'll get one up and running in the next month. We spent a few months in Germany late last year and now that Christmas is done and dusted the build should start shortly.
The MOG is almost complete; that is in relation to the various undertray stowages for extra water, fuel and spares. I have hung all the stowages from the chassis rails and left the tray clear of attachments. And of course there are always other things to do and places to go.
Essentially the camper will be a 2 x 3 mtr floor plan, level with the top of the drivers cab in travel mode, using a hard side sliding top section. Commercially the Alaskan is the closest concept that I have been able to find, although there are some privately built examples that will probably resemble my finished product more closely.
I also have a preference to keep the Camper somewhat in context with the age of the MOG as well as building in redundancies for "critical" equipment, a fallback from my past. This concept helps to drive the direction of the design that will suit us but maybe few others. For example while we will have a comprehensive 12v and 240v (via inverter) system, a refrigerator is unlikely, leading to no Solar system in the initial build although space has been included for solar if future needs dictate.
I've been accumulating many of the bits and pieces needed to construct the camper and having a debate with myself on the multitude of options for the construction. As always cost is a driver and a lot of stuff readily available overseas is expensive here by comparison, up to 30% more this year just on exchange rates before any local surcharges and international freight. The latest head banging exercise has been the lift mechanism for the sliding top section. The options have been hydraulic, pnuematic, electric via linear actuators and even spring lifters. As the top needs to rise squarely to avoid binding, some options fell by the wayside as they couldn't be phased or sychronised at reasonable cost. At the moment it looks like screw jacks will be the solution. If I don't go for the industrial linear motion jacks I will have to make them myself to get the stroke needed. There are commercially available camper jacks for slide ons which would do the job but at $1800 a set compared to $500 for a DIY soultion, that choice is becomming a no-brainer.
I'll post some pictures in the build thread as something worthwhile occurs.
