Old camper, same gameplan, let the mods begin!

[IdaSHO]

Yes, this project is extremely budget minded. Ive been saving receipts, and not including the new tires, Ive got less than $1200 in this so far. :sombrero:

The deck on the flatbed is wood. Fairly normal up here in the north west. While metal decks are nice, last longer, and require little maintenance, they are also VERY slick during the winter.

As for the chains on the tires, those are just so the tires dont walk off in the middle of the night, if you know what I mean. I had the truck parked overnight at the tire shop, and didnt want to worry about theft. :ylsmoke:

 

[IdaSHO]

A little update.... Ive been busy with all kinds of stuff, some of it being camper related. Right now Im focused primarily on tools/gear for the trip. The truck and camper are 100% ready at this point. :wings:

Got the treads on.... just in time for our first real snowfall. (6-8 inches) They perform EXCELLENT. We live on a hill, and with the old tires I had to toss it in 4wd quite often during the winter to make it up the hill. With the new tires, it doesnt slip a bit even in 2wd, with no weight on the bed.

Fire extinguisher installed.

Since we are taking the two cats and the pup on the trip. We thought it would be best to allow the cats time to familiarize themselves with the camper.

Our older cat, on the new shelf I built. The dog crate fits snugly under this shelf.

Cat and the Wife checking out the cab-over

Both of the cats found this closet space. I might just remove the door for them, I think they would enjoy bunking up in there for the trip.

And our oldest, wondering shy she and the other cat got locked in the camper for a couple of hours :snorkel:

A view of the homestead after one of the storms.

 

[VicHanson]

So did you get everything ready for your Christmas trip? How did it go?
I just bought my truck camper today, although I won't get to see it for 2 months yet. It is waiting for me in Florida, along with my truck. Now that I have the camper, I can get actual measurements and start planning how to modify and mount it. I am planning on making storage compartments along the side like you did, but I will be doing a direct chassis mount rather than using a flatbed. Actually I will be making a base frame (out of wood I think) to mount on the truck frame rails and then mount the camper to that.

Any advice you can give me on the side compartments would be much appreciated. Especially any problems you ran into or neat solutions you figured out. What are your plans for doors? Are you going to stick with what you have or something stronger and lockable in the future? How did you seal them against dust and water entering?

I would like to keep my total camper length to 13 1/2', so will have to cut down the over cab bed part to do that. I think there is about a foot there that is just storage, need to get it down to 4' total, so will have a little smaller than a normal full size bed. Unless I can make a folding extension on the inside, not sure if that is possible or not. Need to get more photos and measurements to be able to plan and design.

Thanks, Vic

 

[Cacher]

Very nicely done!

 

[IdaSHO]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

This is just a quick check-in. Im logged on at my folks' house in Lone Pine, CA.

So far, the camper has done fantastic. No problems to speak of.

We even survived a 3 degree low night, staying at Rye Patch, NV on the way down. The furnace was able to maintain a balmy 65 degrees in the camper, even with two windows cracked to reduce the condensation buildup.

Ill have a full review, with fun travel photos in another week or so. We will not be back in Idaho until after the new year.


Happy Holidays, and see you in 2010! :victory:

 

[IdaSHO]

Time for a trip report!


Curb weight of empty truck: 7200 lbs

Weight with camper, two adults, pets, and all gear: 9700 lbs

Miles traveled: 1994

Gallons of diesel burned: 142

Thats a solid 14MPG! :ylsmoke:

The entire trip went off without a hitch. No camper problems, and no truck problems. Though, I do have some changes that I plan to make.


Bear in mind that this was anything but an off-road expedition. This was primarily highway traveling, with off-road excursions to find locations to camp, and just have fun. This trip served as an excellent shake-down trip for the camper and rig.

Day 1:

Starting Tuesday evening, we hit the road. Heading south out of Moscow ID on HWY95, we made it to just north of Riggins ID. We happened upon a deserted "sportsmans access" just a mile or so off the road, and decided it would be a great spot to camp for the first night.

Very little snow on the ground, and right on the river. Low temp that night was around 20 degrees.

Duke thought this was a great place to camp

Looking south from the river front, notice the cabin on the other side of the river.

Day 2:

Continuing South on HWY 95, we were set on reaching Nevada by nightfall.

Looking upon SW Idaho from attop a bluff, just past the Oregon border. We stopped for lunch here.

Many miles later, we happened upon Rye-Patch Recreation Area right off of I-80 We camped here for the night. By the time we got settled in, the temps were already well into the single digits.

The propane furnace kept is nice and toasty though, having no trouble keeping the camper 60+ degrees warmer that outside.

Day 3:

Further south in NV, on HWY 6, Montgomery Pass, we found a great location to stop for a break. I chose a random road, that came to what looked like an old rock pit. Giant bowl in the ground. Made for a very sweet place to let the dog run.

The BFG Commercial Traction tires proved to do VERY well in the light snow.

Next stop..... the Owens Valley, and our home-town, Lone Pine CA.

To be continued.... Im tired, and going to bed!

 

[kcowyo]

Time for a trip report!


Many miles later, we happened upon Rye-Patch Recreation Area right off of I-80 We camped here for the night. By the time we got settled in, the temps were already well into the single digits.

The propane furnace kept is nice and toasty though, having no trouble keeping the camper 60+ degrees warmer that outside.

This thread has been a lot of fun to read and follow. Congrats on a successful build and first big trip.

I've enjoyed it all from the resto & design, to squeezing it out of the garage, to the cats marking their territory. Travelling with two cats & a dog in a camper.... I will never complain about packing up my two children again, lol! Nice job detailing it here for all of us to follow.


:beer:


And I wanted to back you up on the absurd low temps at Rye Patch Reservoir... I found myself there one night last month also. It was my first time there, I'd never heard anything about it. I was heading east on I-80 and stopped there when my eyes were too tired to make it to Winnemucca. It was 4* that night too, one of the coldest nights I can recall camping out in a long time. Just brutal. Like you, I was toasty warm inside and only suffered when I had to run out behind a tree at 3am... But I was the only one there and I thought it was a beautiful area and a nice oasis.


One quick pic to share from my recent chilly night at Rye Patch... Looking forward to the rest of your trip -

.

 

[HMR]

Congrats on a successful trip! Excellent work on the camper!

I've done the Riggins to Rye Patch to Lone Pine route more times than I can remember. Beautiful drive.

Rye Patch on a warmer day:

 

[IdaSHO]

Before continuing on, Ill answer a few questions.

I am planning on making storage compartments along the side like you did, but I will be doing a direct chassis mount rather than using a flatbed. Actually I will be making a base frame (out of wood I think) to mount on the truck frame rails and then mount the camper to that.

Vic, I strongly suggest you build the base of the camper out of steel. Depending upon you base vehicle, you will have a range of chassis flex. Even with my heady duty flatbed, during full articulation the bed still twists a bit. All of this will transfer to the camper. And I really think my truck would twist the camper into a bunch of pieces if it was chassis mounted.

Any advice you can give me on the side compartments would be much appreciated. Especially any problems you ran into or neat solutions you figured out. What are your plans for doors? Are you going to stick with what you have or something stronger and lockable in the future? How did you seal them against dust and water entering?

The frames for the doors are simple Z-metal pieces that I made from two pieces of aluminum angle. A self-adhesive rubber weatherstrip was then applied to the inside edge. A temporary door solution was simple plywood doors. While they worked great for this trip, they would probably only survive a few more, as the temps and moisture have them warping a bit.

When the camper finally gets it's final exterior redone, the doors will be aluminum, and will be hinged with proper locks/latches

I would like to keep my total camper length to 13 1/2', so will have to cut down the over cab bed part to do that. I think there is about a foot there that is just storage, need to get it down to 4' total, so will have a little smaller than a normal full size bed. Unless I can make a folding extension on the inside, not sure if that is possible or not. Need to get more photos and measurements to be able to plan and design.
Thanks, Vic

The bed in this camper is small, but JUST large enough for my wife and I. The inside dimensions are exactly 48x72. A strange size, but I have found matresses online, RV specific to fit it. For now, the camper has nothing but a 3" foam pad. Works quite well though.

This thread has been a lot of fun to read and follow. Congrats on a successful build and first big trip.

I've enjoyed it all from the resto & design, to squeezing it out of the garage, to the cats marking their territory. Travelling with two cats & a dog in a camper.... I will never complain about packing up my two children again, lol! Nice job detailing it here for all of us to follow.

Thanks!

Yes, the camper got a bit crowded this trip.

With two cats, two litter boxes (spoiled.... I know), two cat carriers, a scratching post, the dog, his crate, his duffle bag of towels, toys, treats, etc, alone with a load of x-mas gifts for the family, clothes, emergency gear, enough food for 2 weeks, etc, etc.... the camper got full REAL fast.

:ylsmoke:

 

[IdaSHO]

On with the show!

After our stop on Montgomery Pass, we dropped into Bishop and continued south.

Fun in the sun, and in the Alabama Hills :wings:

Duke got out to run again.

And we hooked up with the parents, and my wifes father brought his clean '72 bronco out to play :ylsmoke:

And a pose with Mt Whitney in the background.

Say CHEESE!!

And how about a shot with the infamous Alabama Hills MONSTER ROCK? :victory:

All in all, we had a fantastic stay in Lone Pine. Visiting with both families, eating way too much good food, and having a load of fun. Took a good hike every day we were home.

After the visit in Lone Pine, we loaded up and headed North on HWY 395 to visit my wifes brother in Carson City for New Years day.

To be continued!....

 

[IdaSHO]

headed towards Carson City, NV, We stopped for a break just north of Lee Vining, at Mono Lake.

The lake was pure GLASS that day. Times like this make me wish I always carried my 4x5 large Format Film camera on the road, instead of my lil' digital point and shoot.

Then, right on the CA/NV border, we stopped again to let the dog run at Topaz Lake.

That is actually the last day of photos I took. The final 2 days of the trip were nose to the ground driving, in the nasty, NASTY fog.

Hope everyone had a great x-mas and New Years'

 

[Desert Dan]

Great Trip

I bet you were glad you had your camper in the Winter

 

[davidshourd]

sweet set up and great trip report. I lived over in Moscow for about 8 years between school and work before I headed over to the Eugene/Portland area. still own a house over on East D st. how has the winter been over there? I have heard its been cold and snowy, I was last back for thanksgiving and it was sure cold, not too much snow. good luck with the build and keep us posted!

 

[IdaSHO]

We have had a very strange winter.

It came early, dumping a LOT of snow.

But as of a few weeks ago, warm weather set in.

Snow is all gone, and we are having mid 40 degree days

 

[hinocairnseclipse]

Thanks for the interesting read! Love what you did adding storage to the undersides... opens up completely new avenues of thought for me!

Love the cats finding their place too

Cheers.