FLATBED TRUCK CAMPER: DJANGO and the WHISKEY TANGO

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself and my flatbed truck camper! I have been cruising around on Expedition Portal for a few years now but just have not stepped in and made an intro! I grew up in the VW scene and spent my youth on VW forums, so i appreciate a good active user group!

Currently I work as a FlyFishing photographer based in central Idaho. I have had many different "rig" configurations in the past, everything from Jeep builds to a few Ford Ranger camper builds to living full time in a Vw Eurovan! Most recently I have taken ownership of this amazing flatbed truck setup!
Tango LQ_.jpg
The truck itself is a 2001 F-250 with a low mile 7.3 diesel paired to a brand new ATS transmission. It has a 7ft flatbed with airlift airbags with an add a leaf in the rear and a leveling kit in the front. It's also on 35" duratrac tires with 17" wheels. The camper is a Whiskey Tango thats a 7x7 fiberglass shell with 1.5" R9 insulation weighing in around 1800lbs. It also has 500w of solar with a 200AH lithium house battery with 1000w inverter. The interior has been DIY with large counter top, 20 gallon fresh water, diesel cabin heater, shower, cassette toilet and queen size bed. The camper also features a fold down deck that has changed the game in terms of usable space. The combination of solar skylights and the fold down deck really open this thing up! This deck is rated for over 600Lbs!

Here's a shot with the deck and rear door opened up for the afternoon.
Tango LQ 6.jpg
Tango LQ 3.jpgTango LQ 2.jpg

With the addition of our little cabin heater we have been very comfortable for our winter evenings. It really didn't take much to make this a pretty cozy simple little camper!
Tango LQ 9.jpgTango LQ 10_.jpg

One of the coolest things about the Whisky Tango was the ability to take the camper completely off of the Flatbed which really takes a bit of weight off my shoulders haha! With the electric jacks hooked up to my house battery this shell pops off in about 20mins. Unbolt 6 bolts that secure it to the flatbed disconnect the running lights and lift away. Having the ability to be able to throw boats, rafts ect on my flatbed in the summer months is a huge plus! I would also have the option to drop my camper off my flatbed in remote fishing areas as a stand alone unit as a mobile cabin not to mention fuel savings when the campers not needed.

Tango LQ 7.jpgTango LQ 8.jpg

I have been putting this truck through its paces and have been loving every minute of it! All season no problem!! She's been extremely stout, heats up quick and the amount of space and open feel is next to no other camper on the market. I will post photos along my journey, and feel free to ask me any questions!

Thanks,
Django
 

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rruff

Explorer
Nice! Never seen a hand-laid fiberglass production camper before. I'm building my own... and it ain't that easy to make it look nice (smooth/flat) when you have to use cloth and foam pieces that are smaller than your panel dimensions. Looks like you may have used large pieces of cloth?

How much does just the shell weigh?

 
Nice! Never seen a hand-laid fiberglass production camper before. I'm building my own... and it ain't that easy to make it look nice (smooth/flat) when you have to use cloth and foam pieces that are smaller than your panel dimensions. Looks like you may have used large pieces of cloth?

How much does just the shell weigh?

I did not build this camper its from Whiskey Tango Campers! It is a steel frame with closed cell polyurethane spray insulation then wrapped in fiberglass. The exterior has been gel coated and is extremely smooth and allowed the vinyl wrap to adhere perfectly! The interior has more of a textured feel which i like, it makes it feel less industrial then the smooth composite panel campers. I know that the production facility building these campers has been doing fiberglass work in the automotive industry for over 30 years. Its very well made! The camper built like this is 1800 lbs.
 
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rruff

Explorer
I did not build this camper its from Whiskey Tango Campers! It is a steel frame with closed cell polyurethane spray insulation then wrapped in fiberglass. The exterior has been gel coated and is extremely smooth and allowed the vinyl wrap to adhere perfectly! The interior has more of a textured feel which i like, it makes it feel less industrial then the smooth composite panel campers. I know that the production facility building these campers has been doing fiberglass work in the automotive industry for over 30 years. Its very well made! The shell was 1800 lbs.

That should be very sturdy, but 1800 lbs is pretty hefty for a shell that size.
 
That should be very sturdy, but 1800 lbs is pretty hefty for a shell that size.
1800lbs is with it fully built out in its current setup. Its not the lightest thing in the game but it's also not even close the heaviest option. I want to take this thing on and off ALOT and want to be sure it's going to be stout for a long time. I understand everyones trying to build ultra light campers but i am just simply not, i mean theres a happy medium between a decent weight and rigidity and thats where i believe this lies. Im not into the whole glue my composite camper together thing for ultra light box to put on the back of my 7.3 powerstroke haha. There were ways i could have cut some weight but my truck can easily handle it, and this camper was not meant for light duty trucks. I appreciate your comments and best of luck with your build!
 
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rruff

Explorer
1800lbs is with it built out in its current setup.

That includes the interior stuff? Water, propane, etc? If so then that's pretty light... (y)

Nobody is building light campers of that size AFAIK. And a steel+foam core with FG layup is way more solid than most of them.

I kinda wish I'd painted mine with gelcoat. I used 2 part industrial PU paint and it was problematic.
 
That includes the interior stuff? Water, propane, etc? If so then that's pretty light... (y)

Nobody is building light campers of that size AFAIK. And a steel+foam core with FG layup is way more solid than most of them.

Yes including the interior stuff? kinda wish I'd painted mine with gelcoat. I used 2 part industrial PU paint and it was problematic.
Yes thats including the interior and water. I think there are some other companies doing the "total" composite thing that may be lighter, but again I am not really into spending that much money on something thats not SUPER stout. I don't make ******** loads of money and need my investment to last. After watching some of the TC videos on their campers there is no way I am spending that money to still build a DIY camper that needs bracing outside to make it sturdy...no thanks. I would have loved to build mine personally like yourself but just don't have the time or shop space ect ect. I can do the interior build out but no way im doing the fiberglass work. It seems that everything else on the market is either slide in or a a pop top flatbed camper with an RV interior for twice the price of my build or a $500,000 earthroamer?
 
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rruff

Explorer
Yes thats including the interior and water. I think there are some other companies doing the "total" composite thing that may be lighter, but again I am not really into spending that much money on something thats not SUPER stout. I don't make ******** loads of money and need my investment to last.

How much for just the shell?

I don't think I'd do it again the way I did. Hand layup is dirty, messy, and time consuming. I thought since I wasn't picky about finish there wouldn't be much sanding, but... there is a lot anyway. In the beginning I had someone to help me move panels around, but when they left... well, I had to wrangle help every time I needed to move something, which is tough.
 
Sorry, but the interior or overall height is 7'? Do you have any more pics, specifically of the door in shut, in operation, etc?

What was the cost for the shell, delivered?
The height of the camper itself is 7ft and the inside is essentially the same minus the thickness is 1.5" of insulation. The total height of the camper on that exact truck with tire, wheel, suspension is 11ft. Their shells are 30k built to your desired specs and include the windows, doors, fan ect.

Im sorry i don't understand what you are looking for image wise of the doors.
 

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