Palomino B600 - From Mild Mannered Campground RV to Overland Capable Camper

Josh41

Adventurer
Update: April 4, Deposit on a FWC Fleet Shell. Although we are still budget minded, we realized that we did not want the camper to hold us back on our trip this summer and future trips. So, although she is a great camper, we will be offering the Bronco up for sale. One member on EP has already expressed interest, if he passes we will post it up on CL and this site.



In the next few months we will be overhauling our 2001 Palomino B600 Slide In Pop Up, and preparing it for a five week trip for three from Massachusetts through The Rockies to Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP, and back home via Wisconsin, the UP, and Niagara. Our primary goals are to eat well, hike, mountain bike, find the road less traveled, and enjoy the beauty and solitude that our country has to offer.

Many of you have been very kind by offering us local knowledge about your neck of the woods, we greatly appreciate it. Please feel free to offer your thoughts and suggestions on our modifications and plans.

The Truck:
2016 Nissan Frontier SV Crew Cab Long Wheel Base 4WD
2" lift with Pucks up front and AAL in Rear
BFG KO2 E Rated
Torklift front frame mount
Happijack bumper buttons rear

Planned Mods:
LED Floods up Front (do these need covers when on road)
Remove 2/3 rear seat add storage
5 gals extra fuel
Extra Water (20 gals)
Engine skid (very low oil pan on Frontiers) - ordered Hefty Fab Al
Swing away bike rack


The Camper:
Palomino B600 Pop Up
Planned Mods:
Reinforce corners with through bolted aluminum L Channel for more support
Tape all seams with EternaBond tape
Fantastic Fan
Reinforce floor with 1/2 ply & Al L Channel
Platform to raise camper 3 inches in bed
New Bump stops in front of camper
Happijack spring loaded turnbuckles
Either Split charge from truck battery or 100 watt solar panel
Aluminum scissor steps
Repair some screens
Remove 3 way Fridge (done, still works and for sale)
Add 5 day cooler (not fridge)
Cargo box for roof
Remove badging (done) Need to get rid of shadows

Other Stuff:
Maps, Maps and more maps, CO and MT Benchmarks
US and Canada National Parks Passes (Canada was free this year)
Maxtrax or the like


We bought the camper 2 days after we signed papers for our new truck, below is the last weekend with the old truck picking up the camper.
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We bought it after a 20 minute inspection, it was a windy rainy New England day, the camper was dry as a bone and odor free. We strapped it on to the old the truck with the 5 foot bed, and off we went. We unloaded it at home, did a thorough inspection and cleaning and traded the old truck for the new one the next day. Once we got the new truck, we fashioned a quick pallet like spacer to raise the camper about 4 inches to make sure the cab over cleared the roof. Our first trip was a quick overnight in Salisbury Ma just to make sure every one was comfortable. We were comfortable on the 3/4 full bed up top, and our then 7 year old had the side bench. Our very tall standard poodle got what ever was left (about 10 square feet of floor space). All was perfect, and every one was comfortable, coffee, breakfast and off to the beach to walk the dog.
Below is the first night test run in Salisbury MA at an RV park.
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Below: Heading up to the Bigelow Range in ME, you can see that the Timbrens are starting to sag under the load.
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More to come
 
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kerry

Expedition Leader
Regarding UP--Niagara, a nice route would be thru Sault St Marie, over to Little Current on Manitoulin Island, ferry to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and then down to Niagara.
 

Josh41

Adventurer
The red truck was just a day to get her home, no suspension work. Below is how it sits today on the new truck, leaf work and air bags. Just got back from a 2,600 mile trip and it handled great.
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rangerdogg

Adventurer
Josh 41 great find congrats. I'm in ma too . What city you in? Keep making it yours and safe travels. Any it pics
 

Jigidy

Member
Was it hard to remove the fridge? I'm thinking of removing both my fridge and heater in my Palomino. Cheers
 

Josh41

Adventurer
With access to the back, I just undid the wires, the AC was a normal plug, DC was just a few wires, I capped them. When removing the propane, make sure your system is empty, then just unthread the coupling. I found a cap at HD and then tested it with a gas leak bubble solution. The front was just a bunch of screws.
I'm keeping the heater, too cold around here.
What camper do you have, post some pics.
 

Jigidy

Member
Thanks for the info. Fridge has been on the fritz it seems and since it's just a weekend camping family affair the last thing I need is to be fiddling with the fridge like I was on our last trip and the first thing I need is cold beer! So a good cooler will suit me just fine. Our heater's motherboard went out (according to the RV repair place I'll never visit again) they ordered a new one, put that one in and said it was faulty) I bought a little Mr. Buddy heater for our trips this Fall and it worked great so I'm going to pull the heater out. I'll post some pics. It's an late 90's model...8 footer on 2007 long bed Chevy work truck. Nothing fancy but works well for the family for now. We'll be headed to Moab area in a few weeks for Spring Break. Thanks again!
 

Josh41

Adventurer
I'll post some pics. It's an late 90's model...8 footer on 2007 long bed Chevy work truck. Nothing fancy but works well for the family for now. We'll be headed to Moab area in a few weeks for Spring Break. Thanks again!
Looking forward to pics. Any off-road plans in Moab, curious how it holds up. Planning to add some structural support to ours.
Good luck on the fridge.
Josh
 

Jigidy

Member
No plans for off roading this trip. I'm curious to see what you have up your sleeve for prepping your camper for more off road use and will be following your lead!
 

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