Flip-pac camper build

[Harp]

Great story and pics!!

My Flippac arrived late this season but plan to do a trip like this in the spring. A few questions, how would a 2wd vehicle do? Did you camp on the beach? What time of year was it? Any other tips for traveling the outer banks?
Thanks for the story!!

Marty

 

[Dave Bennett]

Great job!!! :bowdown:

 

[Bella PSD]

My Flippac arrived late this season but plan to do a trip like this in the spring. A few questions, how would a 2wd vehicle do? Did you camp on the beach? What time of year was it? Any other tips for traveling the outer banks?
Thanks for the story!!

Marty

Don’t drive your 2WD in the sand. It’s not a matter of if, but when you will get stuck. My bet is within 10 seconds of driving onto the beach.
Yes, we camp right on the beach at the Core Banks. In Ocracoke the camp at the NPS is on the dune side and not the ocean side. Corolla NC or the 4WD beach is off limits to camping overnight.

If you want to camp on the beach at the Core Banks, just have the ferry take you over and park your truck at the ferry station. Its $14.00 round trip. Better yet, if you’re on foot, camp on Shackleford Bank with the wild horses!

The pictures were from early June to mid August.

-Early June is a great time, not to buggy yet, not to hot but the water is cold.
-July and August is perfect for me except the bugs. Water is perfect and I can deal with the heat.
-September might be perfect, but never been then.

Oh and Know when hi tide is!!!!!!!

 

[Bella PSD]

Marty, I thought your Toyota was 4wd. It looks like it from the pictures? Or is it a pre runner?

 

[Glides]

Beautiful trip photos man. I now have a new place to check out. Thank you for posting them.

 

[Harp]

Marty, I thought your Toyota was 4wd. It looks like it from the pictures? Or is it a pre runner?

It is a pre runner, thats why I am not sinking alot of cash into the truck, I plan to find a 4wd version sometime in the next year. I like the pre 04 body style a little better. Holding out for a used something at a good price with a few extras. I have been to alot of the OBX but by boat via the Pamlico sound. I very much enjoy the whole area. Thanks for the info and again great story.

Marty

 

[tlbrewer]

Your kids will remember that vacation for a lifetime! Beautiful shots. Looks like I have some more places to add to the list to check out in my lifetime.

Tom

 

[Hightechcoonass]

Dad of the Year!

Great build , great trip with the kid, and the write up that is the hardest part!! thanks for your efforts!!! Your kids are very lucky to have such a wonderfull dad!!!!!!!:wings:

 

[tommudd]

Great pictures and write up Thanks for sharing, several locations I have been to but never had time for an extended trip like yours.
Need to make a trip from "Northwest Ohio" down there next year

 

[Titanpat57]

Wow...what a fabulous adventure for you and the family....I'm sure the kids will value that their whole lives!!

Love what you've done with your build...good luck with the rest of the modding!!:victory:

Pat

 

[Mr. Moore]

My Flippac arrived late this season but plan to do a trip like this in the spring. A few questions, how would a 2wd vehicle do? Did you camp on the beach? What time of year was it? Any other tips for traveling the outer banks?
Thanks for the story!!

Marty

Assuming you know how to drive in the sand, 2wd can do fine if you air down and be smart about it. I live on the west coast though, so I don't know if the sand is different out east though.

Nice build by the way! looks like lost of fun and memories ahead!

 

[thecarman]

2WD in NC Sand

2WD is not a safe bet in the NC sand, unless you have WIDE tires for the weight of your vehicle. You might get away with it a little bit, but not for long, and not worth the risk. My Samurai on aired-down 30x9.50 ATs could run in 2WD at Hatteras and Ocracoke most of the time, but if I stopped in the wrong spot (soft sand), I'd have to get out and lock the hubs.

I'm up at a rental house in Carova this week, and my 4WD 1990 Suburban on aired-down 33x12.50s will go wherever with no problem. But I've stopped in sand at the entrance to the Oregon Inlet access before, where it was really soft from people driving on it, and I had to stand on it to get out. So you never know what's going to happen - even with 4WD and a locker in the rear.

With a 2WD, if you keep moving, you might be OK, but when you inevitably have to stop (someone in your way, or you want to park on the beach), that's when you'll be in trouble.

Edit - you could get away with 2WD in something like a Baja Bug or dune buggy that is light in the front, engine in the rear, with huge rear tires, but I don't think that's what we're talking about here.

 

[Bella PSD]

I would have to agree. The NC sand gets so deep and loose in spots and I wonder if 4x4 will even get me out of it. As a rule, I would say 2wd on the beach at OBX equals stuck within 50 feet of pulling out onto the sand. I have seen it a dozen times. And I have pulled out 2wd truck to just see them get stuck again 10 feet later. Even some AWD suv type "trucks" don't make it.

Now if a 2wd could get through the deep stuff at an entrance of a OBX beach and get down to the shore you could go for miles on the hard packed sand. Just like a paved road. But at some point your going to have to deal with that deep sand, and that’s just about anyplace but by the shoreline.

Louie

 

[Bella PSD]

And now for something FUN!!!

Take a look at these pictures just posted to expo. It’s a proto type Flip Pac from 1977. And guess what......It’s built like a slide in camper, full-enclosed rear door and camper jacks for removal! Sound like anything you may have seen on Expo? YES, my camper build! I have said it in many threads now that if Flip Pac would build something like what I am attempting they could sell a ton of them. And it turns out the build at least one way back in 77.

The pictures suck but it looks like the proto type was fiberglass with aluminum edging on the corners. At first I thought it was an aluminum cap but I things its fiberglass. No front chin for the torsion bar from the outs side. But I think it does use a torsion bar because in the open picture it’s not flat, just like a modern Flip would do if it were not pinned open all the way. It kind of looks like an 70’s four wheel camper.

Not much to see here new but no torsion chin and old school 70's windows.

First Flip Pac proto type build 1977

And my build 33 years later

Louie

 

[Bella PSD]

I have been studying the proto type pictures and it looks like you open the door and step up onto a small landing then step again up into the camper. If you look close at the back you see it. Plus the bottom of the door hangs way down below the bottom of the bed.

I can see why the proto type was build this way because when I went to build mine I had to enlarge the entire camper height to have a door big enough to walk through. Looks like back in 77 they just made a bigger door that dropped down in the back of the truck but kept the interior the same.