F350 Tremor/ Supertramp “TRAMPER’s” build thread.

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Thoughts on A/C?????????

Anyone have feelings on Air Conditioning??? ST offers the new Dometic 12V rooftop system, with the batteries we optioned it’ll run 4-ish hours plus I already have a Honda 2200W generator that’s converted to run on propane that would let me run it as long as we needed…. I NEVER thought I needed AC, but as I’m hoping to keep this camper for 10+ years I don’t want to wish I had it down the Rd. Problem is it’s a $5100 upgrade from where we’re at now…. And I lose 1 fan. Tbh seems like a portable option may be better…. Thoughts? Oh we normally camp in cooler weather but this camper will 100% see all 49 states….

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Nice! I love the Tremors. After owning a Land Cruiser with the Cool Box center console I can understand the desire to have one in this truck, you'll have to let us know if they are adaptable to the '23+ Super Duty. Looking forward to seeing your build complete and congrats on the new truck.

I can’t see a way to put the fridge in the 23 since it’s a different console slightly. New plan is a 50% safe and radio in the console and if I have to have a fridge in the cab to put it in the massive backseat. I really wish the center was an option still.

 

[Tex68w]

I can’t see a way to put the fridge in the 23 since it’s a different console slightly. New plan is a 50% safe and radio in the console and if I have to have a fridge in the cab to put it in the massive backseat. I really wish the center was an option still.

I bet they will offer one for the '23+ at some point. I am waiting for the split safe to come to market for the '23 consoles, I'll keep the other half open to used for random stuff. If I do install a radio I'll put it behind the back seat.

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

I bet they will offer one for the '23+ at some point. I am waiting for the split safe to come to market for the '23 consoles, I'll keep the other half open to used for random stuff. If I do install a radio I'll put it behind the back seat.

Idk…. Not saying it’s not possible but 23’s don’t have a 12V outlet in there like the earlier models. Obviously you can get one in there but the Dometic is pretty plug and play. I think the market is smaller for people who want to go the extra mile and make larger Mods.

Behind the back seat is a real possibility. Once I get the compressor installed I’ll have to see how much space is left.

 

[Tex68w]

Idk…. Not saying it’s not possible but 23’s don’t have a 12V outlet in there like the earlier models. Obviously you can get one in there but the Dometic is pretty plug and play. I think the market is smaller for people who want to go the extra mile and make larger Mods.

Behind the back seat is a real possibility. Once I get the compressor installed I’ll have to see how much space is left.

There's not a 12V hookup in there but there are two USB-C ports in there. In terms of the radio behind the seat I'd do it on the drivers side seat back frame. I have the ARB Twin compressor behind the passenger side rear seat but there's still room there to the outside of it if using the Dirt Church Industries kit.

 

[tacollie]

I’m surprised you think extra suspension is needed. My truck was ordered specifically to have as high a payload as possible. 4214 lbs. I’d guess my Supertramp fully kitted weighs 1400 maybe. That gives me a ton of extra capacity. I was strongly considering Sumo Springs after reading a lot about them on the full size forums…. Might even net me a tiny front lift according to some.

I would love to see a pic of your camper and truck!!!!

I don't you'll need to do anything. We didn't need to and we are probably heavier than you. The only reason I bought progressive leaf springs was to soften the ride

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Well, today was the day to finalize my Supertramp build and after some major back and forth and changing my mind was too many times I settled on the following options:

Exterior L-track on both sides of the camper
1500W Go Power inverter
Phase 2 Air Conditioner
400Ah Battle Born LiFePo batteries
Inside shower
Ceiling L-Track
Kitchenette L-Track
Rear view camera

What I ditched from my initial order was the Lagun table as well as the "Plus" version of the Truma Combi. TBH for $750 I felt the Lagun table wasn't really worth it. While I plan to add one myself in the exact same sport the Lagun portion is about $200 and I want a table top that is larger/ more versatile so I'm planning on ordering a table top that has two folding wings that basically double the size when needed and when not remain a small form factor. The Plus verion of the Combi allows the heater to run off 20A 120V power. I initially thought this was a cool idea but after some reflection I can count the number of times we've stayed at a campground with power on one hand and if it really was important to me to have electric heat for the night I could plug in a $20 heater from Walmart just as easy.

Now the other stuff, we did L-Track basically everywhere it was offered so it was as modular as possible. I'm not sure if/ when i'll want an awning/ shower cube or anything else but the track is there, factory installed and ready to go if and when I do, if not it's just low profile track that isn't hurting anyone.

1500W inverter was important as my wife work's remote and the more power the better, this will most likely be used for Starlink, a computer and who knows what else. I also plan on tracking down an electric Kettle with a acceptable amp draw so we can make coffee via electrons instead of using propane on the stove or the jet boil like we normally do. Anyone know of a really nice electric kettle that draws 1200W/ 10 Amps preferably a collapsible silicone one????

Inside shower, I originally had no interest in this either but after some reflection we have camped at some spots, Yellowstone, and on some beaches that not only forbid you to put grey/ shower water on the ground in the case of the beach even if you didn't intend on showering you needed a grey water tank to get a permit to camp out there. So, not sure how much i'll inside but I think the option is worth it.

Rear view camera, I think this one is a no brainer, Supertramp orders a factory camera that mates to your vehicle and integrates into your system. My F350 TREMOR while only being an XLT does have the 360 cameras so they will all continue to work as designed by Ford.

Now the big ones.... I won't lie these next two options were HUGE money and where not part of my original plan at all... Phase 2 Air Conditioning w/ the 400 Ah battery bank. While I truly think the 2 fan design in the camper is fine 98% of the time when it's hot or hot and humid a fan just doesn't cut it. We live in NY and while we don't deal with a lot of 100F degree days we do get a lot of humidity. I also REALLY love the mid-Atlantic region and KY, TN, NC can all get very very hot and humid. We also have been to the West quite a few times now and have had 100F plus days in MT and WY and our travels will surely be taking us to AZ, CA, NM, TX and other hot western states.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 air conditioning from ST are identical except for one difference Phase 2 has an internal divider that allows you to separate the bed area so maximize cooling. ST claims that with Phase 2 and the 400Ah batteries that Phase 2 requires they can get 4 useful days of cooling from the system, this of course is dependent on the 330W of solar being able to contribute back into the system greatly. The AC unit they use is the Dometic RTX2000 which seems very low profile and reliable and on the ECO setting draws only 19A @ 12V so in theory I should be able to run for about 20 hours non-stop.

What I think and hope we have chosen with this camper/ truck combo is a unit that can function 100% off the grid for a week or more at a time in complete comfort without sacrifices for remote work while traveling. I have also thought about adding an additional chest fridge/ freezer to the back seat of the truck powered off the same 400Amp bank should we need more space. The ST comes with a 65L fridge but it's a pull out drawer. Looking at it they seems much smaller in space than a chest freezer but we won' t know that until we try it out.

I'd love to hear your comments but at this point please don't tell me to change anything since the camper order goes to the production team tomorrow! Once we get the camper home and in the garage for the winter I will begin to explore adding the Lagun table, mounting maxtrax, adding an awning or shower cube ext.

I'm also going to prioritize a way to carry fly rods since a very large part of my travels with my campers are for fishing trips around the country. Infact I'd better head to North Carolina or N. Georgia so I can justify all that cooling to the wife.

Thanks for listening to me talk myself through this.

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Man have I changed my mind a lot since starting this thread!!!! Time for an update!

Truck:

Added Toyo Open Country AT3’s in 37x12.50 R18’s on factory rims and added Ford/ Bushwacker factory fender flares.


Camper:

Changed my mind about 100x, poor Kelsey (at ST) has the patience of a saint.

Final configuration is as follows,

-A/C stage 2 with 400ah of Battle Born Batteries
-L-tracks on both sides, the ceiling and the kitchenette
-1500W GoPower inverter
-Inside shower option
-Lagun table plus extra Lagun mount toward the rear
-Intergrated Ford 360 backup/ cameras
-Starlink (last minute addition) this only became an option about 4 days ago. We overnighted them a Starlink and it’ll be installed before our pickup next week.
-Magnetic bug screen by @Fueggia paid for separately but to be picked up at ST in Golden

Removed the tailgate and installed an Easy Hitch Step 3-Step adjustable to facilitate entry to the camper. Might have to add a 4th step to the setup once we try it out but that’s a bolt on option fortunately. Out truck is very tall, bed height is about 41-42” and than Supertramp has a small-ish basement so might be approaching 50” from ground level. We will make do for now and once it’s home and parked for winter will make some final decisions.

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Tremor stock suspension on 37’s.


Tailgate off and steps installed. We’re ready for the camper now!!!!


While still in the way for extreme Offroad they do get tucked away enough for me 99% of the time.

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Well, one SNAFU so far. We took the truck out for a spin yesterday to make sure everything was GTG for the CO trip and…. NO CAMERAS…. through my limited Google-foo I learned that with the 23+ trucks when you remove the tailgate you lose all the cameras…. Despite a jumper and some plugs all being installed…. The only solution seems to be a new camera hooked up in its place so, I guess I’m camera-less until the Supertramp install. Man that’s annoying!!! Anywho, have to do it like the old days and back up until I hit something I guess. ;-)

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Well, I just realized I haven’t updated my own thread in a while. I’ve posted a few of these elsewhere but I guess I’m due.





Truck and camper are home. Spent about 8 days wandering back across the southern US with the camper installed in early Dec.

Returned 10.7 MPG (not corrected for 37’s). Truck drive great, pulled hard up and down the hills in TN and NC no complaints at all.

I added a 4th step (bolt on) to my Easy Hitch Steps to get up over the drawer in the ST.

100% in love with the setup. It’s been tucked away for winter since we cleaned it up when we got home but we have some big plans for Spring!

Camera issue was resolved as soon as ST plugged in the option camera I ordered. All cameras (even the 360) are working great now.

 

[Kingsize24]

Love that set of steps

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

Love that set of steps

They’re AMAZING. I absolutely love them as well! I’ve got a ridiculous amount of money wrapped up in them but it was 100% worth it. They stow in deploy in seconds and make getting in and out a breeze.

They’re also incredibly well made and the owner of the company was great to deal with. If you can’t tell, I couldn’t more strongly recommend them!!

 

[Kingsize24]

I've been looking for something like that for my M1102 build. I may look into them soon.

 

[mikeymad4]

Well, I just realized I haven’t updated my own thread in a while. I’ve posted a few of these elsewhere but I guess I’m due.
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Truck and camper are home. Spent about 8 days wandering back across the southern US with the camper installed in early Dec.

Returned 10.7 MPG (not corrected for 37’s). Truck drive great, pulled hard up and down the hills in TN and NC no complaints at all.

I added a 4th step (bolt on) to my Easy Hitch Steps to get up over the drawer in the ST.

100% in love with the setup. It’s been tucked away for winter since we cleaned it up when we got home but we have some big plans for Spring!

Camera issue was resolved as soon as ST plugged in the option camera I ordered. All cameras (even the 360) are working great now.

Did you ended up staying with the stock suspension? I just purchased a F350 Tremor with 6.7D - this one says the GVWR is 12,000 I too want to run factory wells add 37's Toyo AT3's and run stock suspension - but some of my local offroad shops are telling me I need airbags and a 15-k Carli system. Curious how you like drive ability of the truck camper set up stock?