So on Monday I had the unfortunate experience of crash testing my Vagabond Drifter.
While driving down a dirt road near Toponos, CO I took an incline turn too wide and flopped my truck on its side. The Drifter likely prevented me from rolling over completely, and I came to rest on the cabover portion of the Drifter. I was incredibly fortunate that my dog and me came away unscathed - if I had rolled completely over I don't think that would have been the case. The Drifter certainly prevented further damage to my dog, my truck, and me and for that I am grateful.
The Drifter sustained only minor injuries, and continues to be used (where I am writing this post from in fact - a body shop in Glennwood Springs). There is a dent in the cab over portion, and the entire camper shifted (you can see this in the photos) - I expected my bed bolts to be broken but instead only one of the c-clamps was busted and a few of the bolts were bent.
There's been some discussion about the structural integrity of the Drifter and after this I really have no doubt that it's incredibly strong. There is an absolute ton of bends, folds, and welds inside that all contribute to the structural integrity of it. A couple bent bolts and a minor dent are pretty impressive. The fact that the gas struts were on the inside, and that the folds and bends in the aluminum extend entirely around the camper I think are the keys in minimizing the damage I imagine.
My truck was not so lucky. The side airbags deployed and it laid on the driver side for around 5 hours (I was 40 miles from cell service) and we can't get the engine started. The spark plugs have all been pulled (it was hydrolocked), and it's been manually turned with a wrench (so it's not seized) but there's something electronic preventing it from cranking (it acts like it has a dead battery, starter doesn't even engage but fuel pump is active). Basically if we can get the engine going insurance will repair it, otherwise it's probably a loss. It's a 2017 Tacoma with about 30k miles on it.
I'll end with two notes -
I've been driving on dirt and forest roads since before I had my license, so I'm not new to it. I definitely got complacent, and likely didn't pay enough attention to the road. As you can see it was a beautifully graded dirt road where a Honda Civic would have had no problem. It seems obvious, but always pay attention and don't become complacent.
I'd recommend everything have some form of bailout/overnight bag in their cab with them. I'm not talking a threeper bag, but a bag that contains everything you would need for you and your family or pets if you had to walk out. I didn't have access to my bed for over 24 hours and luckily had some dog food, toiletries (contact lenses really), warm jacket, and cash in a bag that I grabbed when I climbed out.
