bobbyinredwood
New member
Hey there! New to the forum and wasn't originally going to post anything about my build but in the end decided I should probably give back to the community here, this has been a great resource for me.
I took some time looking at various builds on this site and weighing the different pros and cons. For me the commercial build was always very appealing for it offered many more options then a standard shell but not the cost associated with a 4wheel pop top camper.
My normal camping routine consists of 3-4 night excursions in the Sierras with a tandem kayak that my girl and I like to take out fishing, mountain biking, etc. We also plan on staying down in Baja over the winters for a few months at a time (at least I hope to do this:sombrero
. My plan is to have a simple yet effective design.
After narrowing it down to A.R.E. or Gemtop I came across an add Gemtop ran on Craigslist about selling factory direct! It was enough to seal the deal, not only was I getting the shell at cost I wouldn't be paying sales tax in Oregon!
Gemtop offers two different commercial shells the Workmaster and Jobsite The Jobsite is the lighter duty of the two and suitable for smaller trucks, this is what I went with.
You get a wide array of choices with your shell, this is what I ended up with:
shell height is 30" (I would have liked it a little higher so I could sit all the way upright at 6' 2")
driver side tool box
passenger side lift up door
double rear doors with windows and security screen
solid front window
They do offer lighting, insulation and some other options, mine is sort of bare bones but light at 150#.
www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691983897/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692617340/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692618120/
One of my first purchases was a Todd marine water tank 13 gallon (I figured it was one of the few large items that would be mounted in the bed so better to have it on hand so I could get a visual of were it might work best) It ended up fitting right behind the rear passenger side wheel well. All I needed was to flatten out a little bit of the slope of the wheel well with a couple of swings of a ball pin hammer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691979685/in/photostream/
Next I picked up a standard fresh water filler and cut out the top of the water tank to fit.Using some marine goop I sealed it with some screws.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691983115/ I will use a large funnel to fill. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691981963/in/photostream/
Bought a ball valve and a length of half inch hose. I chose the right side of the truck for the water so it would off set the weight of the tool box that will be full of all my camping stuff, stove, lantern, pots, pans etc.
With measurements in hand it was time to start the actual platform. I went with two different types of ply wood a 3/4 inch for the support structure and 1/2 for the top surface. I wanted to do a 3 piece structure, base and two top pieces. For the base I started with two lengths cut so I would have space for the storage compartments on the right and dual battery system on the left. The box had to be big enough for an old tool box that will be used as my drawer.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645704/ Each top piece will be screwed to the base. Also to get a nice solid feel I mounted a length of pre-drilled angle to the right side top piece using 3 recessed bolts. I also mounted a similar piece to the front of the bed with large diameter sheet metal screws. With the right side screwed into the bed rail there's a really nice solid feel to the platform when everything is in place. Next was to cut out the lids for the two cubbies, one in the front passengers side and one sort of underneath the tool box centered. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658100/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658104/ I also cut out the lid for the water tank so I could fill. Each lid got a recessed handle.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045427/ Next I bolted into place the pieces to make the floor and sides of the cubbys, this also provides a sort of guide to inserting the main support structure. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692654310/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645702/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045419/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045437/ It takes a little bit of effort to get it in and out about 5 minutes worth of work. A bit of gray all purpose carpet for the top stapled into place.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649254/
The space to the left at the rear of the bed under the tool box will house a 20lb propane tank, this will be used with a valve I purchased at Harbor Freight and Tools to refill the small green propane canisters that run my stove and lantern http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-bottle-refill-kit-45989.html. I originally had planned on making some long LP hoses for the appliances but for 20 bucks the valve refill method I think is the way to go. I mounted the tank with turnbuckles and cables so I can easily take it in and out to run my Camp Chef Big Gas Grill when the need arises (49er game tailgating).http://www.campchef.com/store/item/147/SPG90B_big_gas_grill_3.html
The side door is nice and big with plenty of ventilation in the summer. I wanted to put in some sort of mosquito netting to keep the critters out. I used a dowel at the bottom and webbing with rivets at the top to hold the netting in place. (I must admit that this did not go as well as I had hoped and I'll probably re-do it at some point).http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645716/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692654322/ Short pieces of shock cord with a hook at the end keep the netting rolled up when not in use. I used a rivet and some washers to fasten the end of the shock cord. Being able to limit the amount the door would be open was something I thought would come in handy. Using a cleat, rope and a small eye bolt I made a system to regulate the door. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045449/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658106/
One of the great things about the commercial build is the ability to have the tool box on one side. In here I carry all of my camping supplies, stove, lantern, pots, pans, vacuum sealer (think fishing), dromedary bags, pretty much all the small stuff you use at camp. I keep things tidy by using small containers and bags to house most small stuff. The volume the shelves hold is amazing, I have heaps of room for stuff over here.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649236/
I decided to use the lower left bay of the tool box as my electronics center. I riveted (as you can see I like rivets) a 2500W Cobra inverter, this will be directly above the space where the external battery will go in the bed.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649240/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649248/I found a power station that has a coiling extension cord, 25ft,that can be easily detached from the tool box if I need power away from the truck. Plugged into that are two small extension cords with dual plugs at the end. I drilled small holes in the lip of the tool box tray and zip tied the cords out of the way. More to follow.
I took some time looking at various builds on this site and weighing the different pros and cons. For me the commercial build was always very appealing for it offered many more options then a standard shell but not the cost associated with a 4wheel pop top camper.
My normal camping routine consists of 3-4 night excursions in the Sierras with a tandem kayak that my girl and I like to take out fishing, mountain biking, etc. We also plan on staying down in Baja over the winters for a few months at a time (at least I hope to do this:sombrero
. My plan is to have a simple yet effective design.After narrowing it down to A.R.E. or Gemtop I came across an add Gemtop ran on Craigslist about selling factory direct! It was enough to seal the deal, not only was I getting the shell at cost I wouldn't be paying sales tax in Oregon!
Gemtop offers two different commercial shells the Workmaster and Jobsite The Jobsite is the lighter duty of the two and suitable for smaller trucks, this is what I went with.
You get a wide array of choices with your shell, this is what I ended up with:
shell height is 30" (I would have liked it a little higher so I could sit all the way upright at 6' 2")
driver side tool box
passenger side lift up door
double rear doors with windows and security screen
solid front window
They do offer lighting, insulation and some other options, mine is sort of bare bones but light at 150#.
www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691983897/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692617340/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692618120/
One of my first purchases was a Todd marine water tank 13 gallon (I figured it was one of the few large items that would be mounted in the bed so better to have it on hand so I could get a visual of were it might work best) It ended up fitting right behind the rear passenger side wheel well. All I needed was to flatten out a little bit of the slope of the wheel well with a couple of swings of a ball pin hammer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691979685/in/photostream/
Next I picked up a standard fresh water filler and cut out the top of the water tank to fit.Using some marine goop I sealed it with some screws.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691983115/ I will use a large funnel to fill. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4691981963/in/photostream/
Bought a ball valve and a length of half inch hose. I chose the right side of the truck for the water so it would off set the weight of the tool box that will be full of all my camping stuff, stove, lantern, pots, pans etc.
With measurements in hand it was time to start the actual platform. I went with two different types of ply wood a 3/4 inch for the support structure and 1/2 for the top surface. I wanted to do a 3 piece structure, base and two top pieces. For the base I started with two lengths cut so I would have space for the storage compartments on the right and dual battery system on the left. The box had to be big enough for an old tool box that will be used as my drawer.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645704/ Each top piece will be screwed to the base. Also to get a nice solid feel I mounted a length of pre-drilled angle to the right side top piece using 3 recessed bolts. I also mounted a similar piece to the front of the bed with large diameter sheet metal screws. With the right side screwed into the bed rail there's a really nice solid feel to the platform when everything is in place. Next was to cut out the lids for the two cubbies, one in the front passengers side and one sort of underneath the tool box centered. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658100/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658104/ I also cut out the lid for the water tank so I could fill. Each lid got a recessed handle.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045427/ Next I bolted into place the pieces to make the floor and sides of the cubbys, this also provides a sort of guide to inserting the main support structure. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692654310/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645702/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045419/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045437/ It takes a little bit of effort to get it in and out about 5 minutes worth of work. A bit of gray all purpose carpet for the top stapled into place.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649254/
The space to the left at the rear of the bed under the tool box will house a 20lb propane tank, this will be used with a valve I purchased at Harbor Freight and Tools to refill the small green propane canisters that run my stove and lantern http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-bottle-refill-kit-45989.html. I originally had planned on making some long LP hoses for the appliances but for 20 bucks the valve refill method I think is the way to go. I mounted the tank with turnbuckles and cables so I can easily take it in and out to run my Camp Chef Big Gas Grill when the need arises (49er game tailgating).http://www.campchef.com/store/item/147/SPG90B_big_gas_grill_3.html
The side door is nice and big with plenty of ventilation in the summer. I wanted to put in some sort of mosquito netting to keep the critters out. I used a dowel at the bottom and webbing with rivets at the top to hold the netting in place. (I must admit that this did not go as well as I had hoped and I'll probably re-do it at some point).http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692645716/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692654322/ Short pieces of shock cord with a hook at the end keep the netting rolled up when not in use. I used a rivet and some washers to fasten the end of the shock cord. Being able to limit the amount the door would be open was something I thought would come in handy. Using a cleat, rope and a small eye bolt I made a system to regulate the door. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692045449/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692658106/
One of the great things about the commercial build is the ability to have the tool box on one side. In here I carry all of my camping supplies, stove, lantern, pots, pans, vacuum sealer (think fishing), dromedary bags, pretty much all the small stuff you use at camp. I keep things tidy by using small containers and bags to house most small stuff. The volume the shelves hold is amazing, I have heaps of room for stuff over here.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649236/
I decided to use the lower left bay of the tool box as my electronics center. I riveted (as you can see I like rivets) a 2500W Cobra inverter, this will be directly above the space where the external battery will go in the bed.http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649240/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/51077676@N04/4692649248/I found a power station that has a coiling extension cord, 25ft,that can be easily detached from the tool box if I need power away from the truck. Plugged into that are two small extension cords with dual plugs at the end. I drilled small holes in the lip of the tool box tray and zip tied the cords out of the way. More to follow.
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