OVRLND CAMPERS ONLY : Post your OVRLND Camper build here or a link to your build thread to inspire others!

dstefan

Well-known member
Thanks for the idea. Will definitely check them out. I'm looking to build a minimal L shape bench like you mentioned. My 12 yr old gets the long bench and my 7 year can fit on the cab bench, will double as seating and storage.

That's only about four trips a year where I will have all four of us. There's going to be plenty of small weekend trips with just two of us. I foresee us bringing the gazelle tent and throwing the kids and the dog in there for trips where we're going to be at the same place multiple nights. Byeeeeeeeee


Big news! The big deposit is paid, and they are starting the manufacturing of my camper this week!

Here are most of the specs:

It's going on my first gen double cab Tundra 4x4. It's a 2006 and super clean. I sold my two-wheel drive Tacoma long bed for about the same price I bought this for a few months ago. Much roomier for the family, has 4x4, and a bigger bed (63w X 76L). Win-win all around.

- 11inch cabover, black anodized

- 70/30 ratio half barn doors, extra 2" of entry height. Slider window on the larger door (centered to truck), 80/20 on the smaller door.

- drive side flip up hatch, passenger side slider window (will have a dog crated in the bed during travel)

- Cabside slider window

- deluxe maxxair fan

- keder awning tracks on both sides, mounting a Kammock Crosswing awning on the rear.

- unistrut roof rails for occasionally hauling a canoe or paddle board, traction boards.

- headliner and insulation on ceiling

- had them cut off 6" from bed slide out length. Now it'll be 74", and I'll have more standing room.

- black Friday deals they ran... Free window, brake light, and clear plastic for the tent windows.

Decided not to get the lights ($$$ and I can do myself), solar gland (I have portable panels), daisy chain $$$.

I'm so stoked! They said should be ready in late February/early March.

View attachment 816022
Congrats! I like the 70/30 barn door idea. Post up some pics of those open and closed if you don’t mind when you get it. If you don’t need the bed length for sleeping cutting it down is a great idea too. I’m sure you’ll like the extra room.
 

tgoff

Member
Had my camper for a few months now and finally starting the insulation. Wanted to share what I did around the positive pressure vent since I hadn’t seen anything on this thread yet (I may have missed it too). The outside diameter is slightly under 3” so I just cut a short stub of 3” abs pipe and it turned out great. It’s currently just slip fit with the insulation holding it. I’ll probably seal it in later after I install Coroplast paneling.

IMG_6930.jpeg
 

sea_weathered

New member
Had my camper for a few months now and finally starting the insulation. Wanted to share what I did around the positive pressure vent since I hadn’t seen anything on this thread yet (I may have missed it too). The outside diameter is slightly under 3” so I just cut a short stub of 3” abs pipe and it turned out great. It’s currently just slip fit with the insulation holding it. I’ll probably seal it in later after I install Coroplast paneling.

View attachment 816438
It's the little things like this that make this group so great! I can't wait to start tweaking on mine
 

Tundra08

New member
My camper has held up incredibly well over the nearly 2.5 years and lots of use that I've had it, but the Arizona sun (and elsewhere) is brutal over time. The only thing I've noticed so far is a bit of cracking of the gaskets around the window/door latches, no leakage though. Partly my fault, as I missed those in my initial treatment with 303 for UV protection. The Maxxair fan, the PV cable gland in the roof and the roof seams seem like a longer term concern for sun damage.

So, last year I got a custom cover from Adco/Covercraft to go with the Covercraft pick-up truck cover I already had. Adco seems to be the RV side of Covercraft. Just put it on today for the first time as we were using the camper enough last summer that it didn't seem worth the effort to put it on and off a bunch. I'll be taking it right back off for a trip soon, but had to try it for fit. Maybe 10 to 15 mins to put on, and guessing a little longer to take off and stow.

It took a long time to make, but they nailed it. It's Sunbrella fabric and the quality of the whole thing seems exceptional and a lot better than the off the shelf pick-up cover from Covercraft I'm using on the truck cab.

I can provide more details/contact info if anyone is interested -- the custom guy at Adco was great to work with. FWIW, they keep a library of their custom work and now that they have the dimensions for mine, should make it easier/quicker. I'd bet a cover made to these same dimensions would fit any Ovrlnd camper on a 6.5' full size bed, but the dimensions can be adjusted. IIRC, the cost was around $380 but that was the fall of '21 when I ordered it. Took 'em 6 months at the height of the pandemic and supply/labor shortages.

View attachment 773953
The straps across the back are the only two showing, but there's 7 total -- two under the cabover (which also has a HD elastic edge in the front underneath), two in front of the rear wheels and behind the rear wheels plus the two in the back. All the attachment points for the straps are reinforced with heavy canvas/vinyl and have grommet holes as well, and the straps are quick connect buckles.
View attachment 773954
There's two zippers up the sides in the back with straps and velcro to roll it up on the roof to allow easy rear door access with the cover on.
View attachment 773955
I saw your rear awning and wanted to specifically ask about that. I can’t quite tell from the pic, but do you have the added height And gas assisted lift struts? I was envisioning those both and fitting this same awning (180 degree?) on the back. Thanks for the feedback.
 

Tundra08

New member

dstefan

Well-known member
I saw your rear awning and wanted to specifically ask about that. I can’t quite tell from the pic, but do you have the added height And gas assisted lift struts? I was envisioning those both and fitting this same awning (180 degree?) on the back. Thanks for the feedback.
I have the 2” height, but it’s the old style so the struts are inside. Jay could probably help answer the question. Sorry!

On the awning, see this mini-review; it’s both good and bad, depending on how much heat/sun you encounter:
I’ve had one of these for the past 2.5 years and have used it a lot. It’s got both pros and cons.

It’s easy to set up quickly and put up quickly and doesn’t requite legs (which are also real easy to unclip and drop down and extend). IMO it handles mild to slightly brisk winds just fine in free standing mode. With the legs extended it can handle pretty gusty winds, especially with a line and stake or two. We’ll set up for just a short lunch break if we want the coverage.

Other pros: it's pretty robustly made, and yet fairly lightweight.The cover and all materials are high quality and have stood up very well to the brutal Phoenix sun. Mine is mounted on the back of my camper, but using some lighter weight custom aluminum brackets and the unit weighs 22 pounds. The supplied brackets for a roof rack are close to 10 pounds combined.

It's very rainproof and the fabric is very rugged and blocks light completely. One thing I really like is that there is a keder channel built into the back strip where it amounts against your camper. That allowed me to make a rain gutter with keder strip that would fit into the awning and mount to a keder channel on the back of my camper. One con re: rain is that there’s no flip up peaks to help channel rain off, so it can accumulate a bit. I made a hoop out lightweight tent pole material for the center of the awning that helps.

Cons: the biggest downside to this awning is how hot it gets in direct sun. It’s a dark green exterior with a black interior lining and can really heat up. Even when the outside temperatures are only in the high 70s if there's strong sun out, the underside of the awning can get up to the 130 -140° mark. No kidding. I have to put a reflective cover over the top if I'm going to leave it in the sun for long. The picture was from a very comfortable day in the mountains where the external temp was about 80º.

View attachment 804856

The other thing to be aware of is that the tensioning straps really should stay horizontal to the awning. Initially, I was attaching them to the end of my rock sliders on a diagonal, and that seemed to put too much downward force on the awning arms. It's not a big deal just something to be aware of.

The main other 180º awning I know about is the Darche, which you might look at too.

Not sure I’d buy this awning again due mainly to the heat issue living in the southwest, but I’ve figured out my work arounds and it’s not worth getting rid of either. In the PNW, it’s probably a pretty good unit to have.
 

Dave in AZ

Well-known member
Selling my OVRLND - purchased January 2023. Made for Gen 3 Tacomas. Lots of upgrades and customization. Unfortunately we need to offload due to life circumstances. Full listing in Classifieds. Looking for $12,500 but will consider all other deals as we'd like to move this ASAP
Location would be helpful...
 

durtgrrl

New member
Hey all - Not sure I've seen this question asked, but what - if anything - do you wish you had done differently? I am working through the build planning and selecting components right now. I have been really enjoying working with Maggie and reading this thread. Edit to add:
--The truck is a 2018 Tacoma, double cab long bed. Primarily use for weekend up to 2 week long trips. Currently have bed platform in ARE shell with a Topper EZ Lift.
--Mostly point-to-point camping to access harder to reach/more remote areas for climbing, caving, canyoneering, hunting, hiking etc.
--Main areas include the intermountain west and Southwest. I get out in a range of conditions - from hot (85-90++) and dry to ~10-20 deg F and raining/snowing lightly
--Won't be hauling a kayak or bike, most likely.
--I'm usually by myself or sometimes with my husband, no pets or kids.
--Currently planning on maxxair fan of some sort, positive pressure vent, barn doors with windows, driver side hatch with flip down inside counter
--Debating front (cab) window [might be nice for visibility and getting into rear seat]; anodized skin (black)
--Dithering over the DIY roof insulation and headliner or whether to have them install it

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:

K9LTW

Active member
Selling my OVRLND - purchased January 2023. Made for Gen 3 Tacomas. Lots of upgrades and customization. Unfortunately we need to offload due to life circumstances. Full listing in Classifieds. Looking for $12,500 but will consider all other deals as we'd like to move this ASAP. Located in Bozeman, MT.
I don't imagine there's a lot of silver Gen 3s w/ black OVRLND running around Bozeman. So...pretty certain that was you I honked at as I was turning at an intersection on my way to Safelite to replace a blown out rear passenger window :unsure: If you remember a big, green RAM loaded for bear, with a black OVRLND, turning right onto 161 while you were turning left in late August...that was us :cool:

Sorry to see you're having to sell :(
 

Ringer419

New member
Hey all - Not sure I've seen this question asked, but what - if anything - do you wish you had done differently? I am working through the build planning and selecting components right now. I have been really enjoying working with Maggie and reading this thread. Edit to add:
--The truck is a 2018 Tacoma, double cab long bed. Primarily use for weekend up to 2 week long trips. Currently have bed platform in ARE shell with a Topper EZ Lift.
--Mostly point-to-point camping to access harder to reach/more remote areas for climbing, caving, canyoneering, hunting, hiking etc.
--Main areas include the intermountain west and Southwest. I get out in a range of conditions - from hot (85-90++) and dry to ~10-20 deg F and raining/snowing lightly
--Won't be hauling a kayak or bike, most likely.
--I'm usually by myself or sometimes with my husband, no pets or kids.
--Currently planning on maxxair fan of some sort, positive pressure vent, barn doors with windows, driver side hatch with flip down inside counter
--Debating front (cab) window [might be nice for visibility and getting into rear seat]; anodized skin (black)
--Dithering over the DIY roof insulation and headliner or whether to have them install it

Thanks in advance.
Same question - wondering what folks wish they would of done or something you realized you dont like after a few trips. I know someone mentioned earlier in the thread that dust buildup on the rear is bad due to the shape, does this regularly happen and is it enough to cover up windows in the bard doors? Current options I have on the build sheet are black skins, front cab slider window, bard doors with slider windows, driver side flip up hatch, awning prep on driver side, maxxfan plus, gas struts, vinyl windows, and PPV.

Also curious, has anyone done 3M thinsulate for insulation? It's a very popular option for van builds. Seems like thinsulate plus Low-E reflective foam core over top the aluminum framing would be great thermal bridge break - thoughts?
 

jameswirl

New member
FWIW-my biggest regret is not getting flip up hatches on both sides (mine has driver’s side only) as it’s so nice to have the additional access. I got a slider window on the passenger side which is nice but you can put a slider in the hatch and have both. Recommend the gas lift struts too. Positive pressure vent wasn’t available at the time but I plan to add one. Wouldn’t say dust inside is a big problem but anything to help cut down on it is a good idea. Front window works for me, would have gotten a slider but drop down was what was offered at the time. Of course just because something works for me doesn’t mean it will work for everybody. Enjoy the new camper!
 

dstefan

Well-known member
--Currently planning on maxxair fan of some sort, positive pressure vent, barn doors with windows, driver side hatch with flip down inside counter
--Debating front (cab) window [might be nice for visibility and getting into rear seat]; anodized skin (black)
--Dithering over the DIY roof insulation and headliner or whether to have them install it
You’ve ticked off a nice build out. I wouldn’t have minded getting the roof insulation done as it’s the biggest PITA IMO. I did not get the front slider window, but did get a solid one, which I do regret. Can’t see out and it’s now insulated over. For me it would be a useable slider or the drop down for pass through or nothing.

Don’t cheap out on the Maxx fan — the one with both exhaust and intake is great. I have the anodized silver skin and it’s definitely more scratch resistant than non-anodized (the mill alu on the frames and edges show brush scratches where the anodized doesnt.). Though Black will add a lot of solar gain, depending where you are.

I’m with @Ringer419 on the two hatches. I love having both for reach-in access. Do it constantly. Just think through how you want any built-ins as the hatch can get in the way potentially.

I didn’t get any roof tracks for a rack. I have an inflatable kayak and don’t haul bikes, but if I did it over, I’d get the tracks at least. Helpful if you want to add solar later, even the flex panels.

I know someone mentioned earlier in the thread that dust buildup on the rear is bad due to the shape, does this regularly happen and is it enough to cover up windows in the bard doors?

IMO this is the worst aspect of the camper (and frankly any camper). If I go on any DRY dirt roads I get covered in the back. Even well graded easy gravel roads — in fact they’re worse cause you go faster and kick up more. My single most important, can’t live without it option (not a Jay one) is my ARB twin compressor, mounted under the hood with the chuck plumbed to the back bumper. Besides airing up and down for traction and ride, I use it several times a day to clean the back and the awning cover prior to opening the doors. Otherwise, I’d get so much dust in it would negate the advantage of sealing and the PPV to a large degree.

You might get less than me since I have a slight (1”) protrusion of my non-stock tires beyond the bed sides, but it sill happened to a significant degree with the stock tires. A good on-board, high volume air compressor is really, really helpful unless you’re mainly on paved roads or rarely in the dirt.

Also curious, has anyone done 3M thinsulate for insulation? It's a very popular option for van builds. Seems like thinsulate plus Low-E reflective foam core over top the aluminum framing would be great thermal bridge break - thoughts?
There’s only so much you can do to insulate these campers. My insulation in the walls and the roof is nowhere near what some people have, and I don’t have thermal bridges on the walls or roof. I don’t miss having a lot more insulation because . . . Three things bypass even really robust wall/roof insulation as far as I can tell: 1) It’s a tent up top. The thermal pack helps, but it’s limited (worthwhile though IMO for really cold times) 2) the truck bed, though a bed rug will help there a lot, and you can insulate more, but then 3) the worst thermal bridging is the sill plate of the camper and top rails of the truck bed. When my truck is in the Phoenix sun there’s a 10 -15º difference in the camper wall temp vs the sill and the steel truck rail that wraps in at the top. You can try to cover those, but I haven’t figured out a great way to do it, and there’s still a tent up there!, and the honeycomb composite of the cabover floor is not really insulated.

If you’re in a lot of cold weather, plan for a good heater, but YMMV!
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
188,039
Messages
2,901,511
Members
229,352
Latest member
Baartmanusa
Top