Newbie - Slow but Sure F150 Build

[bdbecker]

Sleeping arrangements...

Finally got around to building my sleeping/storage platform. I used a cheap cot a few times last summer, but it sucked because I could never get it to sit level and it just wasn't sturdy or large enough for me to ever sleep good. My Dad, brother, and I are headed out west for a week of p-dog hunting, camping, and exploring at the end of May. They plan on using a tent, but Dad snores so bad that I'm sure I wouldn't get any sleep. So I figured I'd better get my butt in gear and start figuring out a better solution so I'm not tired and cranky for a whole week.

The new setup is nothing fancy, and not quite finished yet, but you get the idea. I used a futon mattress for the bed. The whole setup weighs about 50lbs and I can install/uninstall it in less than 10 minutes by myself. It's pretty solid too, holds all 285lbs of me with only minor flex when I stand in an unsupported area. I need to install a hinge for the front storage compartment yet, but I'm happy with what I got done in 2 hours and $50 worth of material. By only making it as long as the mattress, I'm able to sit on the edge and have a decent amount of space to move around (which was a major concern for me at 6'3" tall), and it makes crawling into the bed easier. Side to side, it's snug, but I probably need to install some sort of tie down system to keep secure front to back, or in case of an accident.

 

[bdbecker]

Shade

Figured out how to keep the sun/rain off me, at least to a certain degree. I've seen a few folks that have this setup, so I picked up some tent poles today and worked out my shade system. The wind was kicking up a little, seemed like it should hold, but the true test will be once I get out in the prairies of western SD this summer.

 

[bdbecker]

I'll post some pics up here soon, but I got around to covering the platform with some carpeting. More importantly, I got to test out the sleeping arrangements a few weeks back. Boy am I pleased! I slept like a baby, and despite the fact that the overnight low was 38 degrees and the wind blowing pretty good, I actually got a little too warm and had to crack a window open during the night. My buddies were pretty sore about that fact because they spent the night shivering in their tents. The only sore spots of the weekend were when my dog got bored during the drive out and decided that my sleeping bag would make a good chew toy, and that my buddies forgot how cooler lids worked after they had a few and in frustration, tore the lid off my favorite cooler. So a new sleeping bag and a new cooler, and I think I'm about as ready as I can be for my week in the Black Hills coming up here shortly!

 

[SeeJ]

alternate tarp set up for wind

Figured out how to keep the sun/rain off me, at least to a certain degree. I've seen a few folks that have this setup, so I picked up some tent poles today and worked out my shade system. The wind was kicking up a little, seemed like it should hold, but the true test will be once I get out in the prairies of western SD this summer.

The set-up shown is great when it's calm. In wind, put one pole in the center and pull the corners down to the stakes OR use the two poles but set the height quite a bit lower than the the top of the truck. The choice depends on wind direction and precipitation: the first if the wind is from the side and the second if it's from the rear. It helps immensely to park facing into the wind when you can, then the set-up matter less.
What type of poles did you get? These are expensive but will stand up to all sorts of abuse: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...4442410591&FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302702975. I'm not so sure about the $10 ones. Some folks use the extension handles that painters use ...

 

[jeepmedic46]

Truck is looking good, Like the sleeping platform in the bed.

 

[Ozarker]

I'll probably do something similar in my F-150. As to poles, if weather gets so bad that those bend, you probably will want to button down anyway, wraping it below the tailgate. I use to tie off to trees, but where you're going there may not be any. Looks functional. Good luck!

 

[bdbecker]

The set-up shown is great when it's calm. In wind, put one pole in the center and pull the corners down to the stakes OR use the two poles but set the height quite a bit lower than the the top of the truck. The choice depends on wind direction and precipitation: the first if the wind is from the side and the second if it's from the rear. It helps immensely to park facing into the wind when you can, then the set-up matter less.
What type of poles did you get? These are expensive but will stand up to all sorts of abuse: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...4442410591&FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302702975. I'm not so sure about the $10 ones. Some folks use the extension handles that painters use ...

Thanks for the tips SeeJ! The setup faired pretty well over Memorial Day weekend, the wind was blowing around 15-20 mph, gusting up to the 30 mph mark one day, but everything held fine - mostly due to the fact that the truck was parked facing the wind.

I've noticed two issues with the setup so far, the first being that the tarp wanted to shift towards the rear of the truck, leaving the tarp somewhat loose after a few hours. I think this could be fixed by replacing the bungee straps with ropes or ratcheting tie downs. The other issue I had was that the tent pole tips (where I hook the rope through on top) have bent a little. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get any worse. I don't remember the brand of the poles, I found them in the camping section at Scheels. They are cheaply made, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to test the $20 option before moving onto a more expensive solution.

I'm going to have to pull the topper off one of these days and replace the foam rubber seal where the topper meets the truck bed, we had rain every night and I noticed that there were some leaks towards the front of the topper near the cab. Nothing major, just a slightly damp pillow in the morning, but annoying none the less. Other than that, I've got no complaints about the sleeper/tarp setup after spending 3 nights in there with my girlfriend, her shih tzu, and my 130lb Newfie-Lab mix. It was a full house, but I was pleased at how well everything worked.

 

[bdbecker]

I didn't get any real pictures over the weekend because I forgot my camera at home (always forget something) but I did get a few with the cell phone. Norma Jean was pretty happy to have a nice soft mattress all to herself.

 

[bdbecker]

Took a little adventure on some of the minimum maintainence roads in the area. My girlfriend came along for the first time ever, so I gave her the job of navigator. Really I would just ask her if we should go left, right, or straight at intersections, and she would pick a direction at random. We did find some pretty cool spots using this method...

Neat old bridge...

Went through about 10 miles of grass. I'm still picking weeds off the bottom of my truck.

Most of the trails were like this one here.

 

[BCHauler]

That looks like a lot of fun! Off-the-beaten-path, so-to-speak

 

[bdbecker]

Finally got around to installing a front reciever hitch this weekend. Long story short, my truck doesn't have any recovery points up front besides wrapping a strap around the frame. I'll get some pics posted soon...

More importantly, in exactly 71 days the gf and I are heading south for a long week of doing nothing on Padre Island. It was a good compromise for us. She likes the beach, I don't like crowds, so the PINS seems like the perfect solution. I've already found some great threads from others who have spent time on the island. This will be the first full blown, far away from home trip with the setup, I'm sure I'll run into a few issues, but all in all, I can't wait.

 

[jffilley]

PINS is a beautiful place that can be as uncrowded as you want it to be. The wife and I spent a couple days there a few months back when we bought my truck. I would advise against taking the dog tho as there is some kind of red tide thaT makes dogs very sick.

 

[bdbecker]

Thanks for the heads up... I was leaning against bringing her along because of the long drive, but that makes the decision easy. Besides, she'll have way more fun roaming around my folks' farm for a week.

 

[bdbecker]

Installed cruise control on the truck today. It was definately the time to do it with our PINS trip of 2400 miles only a few weeks away. I ended up going with a Rostra kit from M&R Electronics. While the kits seem to get good reviews (it seems to be well made unit), the directions and the rat's nest of wires I'm left with under my dash had me second guessing myself the whole day. The extra wires are to be expected, but I ran out of daylight and patience before I got around to trimming everything up. The install took about 6 hours, mainly because the directions were so universal they were pretty much worthless. There are critical elements in the setup of the control box that are simply not mentioned in the directions. Luckily I've done enough work with electronics to be able to make some educated guesses and have everything work out. All in all, I'm happy that I was able to save a couple hundred dollars over what the dealership had quoted me for a factory unit, and I wouldn't be scared to put another one in a different vehicle now that I've got this one under my belt. It was a weird feeling after 5 years and 50k miles when I pushed the set button and took my foot off the gas pedal.

 

[BigTex]

Sounds like your getting the rig ready to head to Padre Island. I don't know what route you're taking to get there, but if you are coming through the Dallas area, and you need anything, feel free to holler at me. Even if you just need a place to stop and air up your floaties for the beach.

You can PM me for my contact info if you're interested. Being a fellow F150 owner and ExPo member, I thought it'd be nice to know someone along the way, may provide a little piece of mind. Y'all enjoy your trip and Welcome to the Lone Star State.