Gladiator Pop-Up Pass Through Camper Build

[shirk]

On budget pants for mtb. The ATF by Wrangler Trail Jogger has come up as a great budget alternative to all the mtb branded trail pants that have come to market the last couple years.

 

[Mules]

On budget pants for mtb. The ATF by Wrangler Trail Jogger has come up as a great budget alternative to all the mtb branded trail pants that have come to market the last couple years.

Nice price compared to just about everything else.

 

[86scotty]

Nice progress as always. I hate to be the voice of reason but let me caution you that a black colored gray water tank can go wrong pretty quickly. You can't see the level. If you're proactive about keeping it mostly empty then you're all good but I've had this go wrong on me so just be mindful of it, especially with kids.

 

[Mules]

Nice progress as always. I hate to be the voice of reason but let me caution you that a black colored gray water tank can go wrong pretty quickly. You can't see the level. If you're proactive about keeping it mostly empty then you're all good but I've had this go wrong on me so just be mindful of it, especially with kids.

Good points, and I definitely like others advice. The black tank pictured is actually my Scepter fresh water tank and I'm currently draining gray water to ground. I have room next to this tank for a gray tank. If I add one, I like your idea of being able to see the level.

 

[86scotty]

Ah, gotcha. I also have some black Sceptres that I used to use for fresh water. They are little 2.5 shortys and I used to keep them on a swingout bumper box. I love their products but I must admit I'm mostly buying Rotopax these days because they are so dang handy.

It would be really cool but much harder to manufacture if they would put a clear line up those black containers so you could see the water level.

 

[Mules]

Ah, gotcha. I also have some black Sceptres that I used to use for fresh water. They are little 2.5 shortys and I used to keep them on a swingout bumper box. I love their products but I must admit I'm mostly buying Rotopax these days because they are so dang handy.

It would be really cool but much harder to manufacture if they would put a clear line up those black containers so you could see the water level.

Thanks. I'd like to move my water to the bumper one of these days and I'm still running with an undersized spare tire under the bed. I want to do a bumper mount water/full size spare tire, but it's out of my budget for now (~$4,000 US). Maybe next year.

 

[Mules]

Here's a cheaper hitch mount option at $2400. I actually like that I don't have to get rid of my back bumper with this, but am a bit worried about all that weight bouncing around and just supported by my hitch.

 

[86scotty]

I'd do a swingout personally. Easier to access the back of the rig for what you built it for, getting in and out of the camper.

 

[Mules]

Here's a new camper on the market. Hmmm...

Lightweight Hardside Camper for SUVs - Backwoods Camper Co

Backwoods Camper Co has created the ultimate lightweight hardside camper unit designed specifically for Jeeps and other SUVs

backwoodscamperco.com

 

[Mules]

I can't believe I've been driving around with this camper for 5 months! This is my daily driver as well as my camper and toy. Here's my good, bad, and ugly report.

The Good:

• The truck's HVAC works fine to heat and cool the truck in 100 degrees F to -10 degree F, driving or parked.
• The fiberglass shell and paint job is holding up very well (so far).
• The lift cylinders and external hardware is holding up nicely to the weather.
• The lexan back window is working out well (I broke the acrylic one and had to make a tougher one).
• The shell is very weather resistant driving in the rain. Only a small leak around the back hatch that doesn't affect anything.
• The tent material I used is very heavy duty and probably overkill, but holding up great.
• Love the layout when set up, with plenty of seating and room to stand and move around.

The Bad:

• It's 6 inches too tall! I wish I would have shortened the top by 6 inches, so I could drive into my 8ft. tall garage. It still would have been tall enough up top to keep the mattress and bedding. Opps.
• I love the simplicity of my push up/pull down bed and that I can leave the bedding made all the time, but it really restricts head room when the bed is down.
• I have to put up the pop-up from the outside the truck, since the bed is in the way of pushing it up/down from inside. it would be nicer to pop it up from the inside.
• Since the back is open to the front of the cab, you can hear anything in the back squeaking or banging around when you drive. It helps to keep stuff in bags, to reduce the noise.
• I didn't make zip down windows, so it gets too hot inside to camp in the summer. I have a large velcro panel I can take out, but it's not easy to use. These campers must have large windows that ventilate. Back to the sewing machine!

The Ugly:

• I missed two short seams on the top with fiberglass mesh. These seams were only filled with bondo and paint. Now I have two short cracks on top of the top fiberglass section because of this. You can't see them from the ground and they don't leak but I'll always know they are there. Darn..
• The truck is too tall to go through a drive through car wash. I hand washed it yesterday in 37 Degree F weather. I hate having road salt sit on my cars for very long. Burrr.

All in all, I'm very happy with the build. I'm not much into cold weather camping now, but I'm already looking forward to spring camping.

 

[Mules]

I don't think I ever posted a picture of the pass through area which is huge. I made the camper seats and kitchen so that you can slide it forward over the back seats of the jeep. You can also leave the seats in the back position while camping, with the backrest down. This way, it is really easy to climb in and out of the camper using the Jeep's back seats.

 

[zgfiredude]

Love this so much.....you clearly spent a lot of time thinking things through!

 

[Mules]

It's freezing rain here in Missouri, and I'm sitting at home dreaming about camping.

One subject that I haven't made a decision on is a cooking stove for inside my camper. I've got a spot next to the sink for it. We've talked before about this, but I'd like to hear about options from this forum. I don't think I want to fry burgers in my tight space, but heating up coffee, soup, or a grill cheese sandwich sounds great on a rainy day.

Tell us or show us what you cook on indoors.

 

[97heavyweight]

I personally love my Jetboil Half Gen. It's a single large burner and i have the satelite burner for it so i can use a standard jetboil as well. It's easy to move from inside to outside the camper as needed and i'm not carrying around two stoves.

 

[Mules]

I personally love my Jetboil Half Gen. It's a single large burner and i have the satelite burner for it so i can use a standard jetboil as well. It's easy to move from inside to outside the camper as needed and i'm not carrying around two stoves.

It seems there's quite a few fans of Jetboil. Would I need a heat shield between it and the tent material if I cook indoors on my counter?