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

[dstefan]

Pretty content with the build out, and getting plenty of use this spring and summer. Thanks to all for the postings, I'll add some pics in case helpful to those still planning.

Few questions for those more knowledgable:
1) suspension upgrade
Currently stock F150, . Fully loaded I'm right at GVWR, ~7000lbs. Planning on Bilstein 6112 @2" in front and 5160 in back. seem reasonable?
I expect I might be squatting after the 2" lift when loaded, not seeing much regarding add a leaf options for my particular truck, should I be looking at custom leaf or RAS system, reviews on airbags seem mixed.

2) tires - stock 32" tires (275/65/18)
I'd like a bigger tire than stock, I've tried to keep everything as light as possible, should I have the same mindset for tires? I like Falcon wildpeaks but the 285/70/18 (~34") are 69lbs and C rated, not much else I'm keen on in this size range. I could instead get plenty of AT options with 275/70/18 (33"), generally all E rated, mid 50lbs, or make a really big jump to 285/85/18 (35") but that might require some vehicle trimming and I'm worried might tank my gas mileage. Lots of all season highway miles, forest service roads to very rough road hunting and fishing mobile is my goal. Is the ~15lb/tire weight penalty of the Wildpeaks for a C rated tire not worth it and just stick to 33" upgrade now.

View attachment 847852View attachment 847853

So, my opinion based on ZERO F150 experience, but having built two offroad vehicles for both light overland as well as more involved and difficult trails is that the tires and springs are exactly the two most critical and first things to be addressed. How far you go with both depends a bit on use case as well as weight

Tires: Yep, bigger and heavier extract a cost in mpgs and somewhat bigger and heavier are worth it for tougher stuff, but IMO unless you want to do really serious rock crawling you don’t need huge tires. My previous rig, a Tacoma with hard tonneau and heavily loaded, but no camper, could go stupid places with 32s and I used to go out with my friend in a Jeep on 35s with no problem, but occasionally took an easier line. Those were C rated Duratracs which I loved, except for the road noise.

For my Tundra/Ovlnd build I also wanted to stay as light as possible. Went with Cooper AT3 XLTs 34s (285/75/17s — 33.8”, LL E ) based on Cooper AT3 experience on my wife’s 4Runner. They are as good as the DuraTracs offroad and better on-road for mpg and comfort. Also lighter by a bit over other good ATs of the same size. Subsequently I’ve seen quite a few people on EP and Wander the West tending to run these on heaver camper rigs. Thought about 35’s , but the extra weight and low speed suck on torque for maybe a 1/4 to 1/2” clearance over my 34s wasn’t worth it. I have had no clearance issue on the 34’s on ledges and big rocks throughout AZ and UT. Been running them for 3.5 years and lot’s rocks and dirt. They wear well on road and off, though there’s a bit of minor chunking. Great grip and actually very good aired down to 20 psi in deep sand. Only flat I’ve had was due to picking up a screw, which isn’t the tires fault.

The other issue is that on my Tundra at least, the larger tires combined with the camper weight and wind resistance (along with the need/desire for F/R lockers) led me to regear to 4.88s which has been great. The Tundra has stock 4.30s and a low first gear, but the 4.88s make a big difference on the highway performance and mileage. DK the year of your F150, but if you have the 10speed tranny and a turbo that may not be an issue. Also try a tire size calculator with input for gear ratios — very helpful in decision making. This one is excellent: http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

Springs:
Rear spring upgrades (along with shock upgrades) made a huge difference in both on and offroad handling, especially with the camper weight. Went with Deaver’s on both and the Tundra springs were spec’d for a constant 1000 lbs in the bed and a 2.5" lift with 3/4" shackle (ended up 3.5” unloaded and about 3” loaded). Due to supply chain issues I had to run the rig briefly without the springs and what a difference when I got them. I’m a little oversprung for the weight I carry, but that is no problem and leads to tighter road handling and better off-road performance and departure angle (which has been really helpful on tougher trails). Couldn’t be happier with the setup.

Best advice IMO is avoid the add a leafs, etc and just go for a set of Deavers or Alcans spec’d to your needs and weight. With the camper I think this is the upgrade you may feel the most, unless you have to regear.

Hope that helps!

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Some progress photos.

Working on the Coroplast wall panels and adding some aluminum unistrut. Going to have some Milwaukee Packout compact mounts on either side of the cab slider window and next to the drivers side electrical panel. A 33.5" x 18" molle panel on the wall next to the fold down hatch. Harbor Freight Rivnut tool works great as well.
JDS Custom Aluminum Milwaukee Packout Wall Mount

Planning to put Coroplast on the ceiling as well.

White walls & ceilings with back windows & trim along with barn doors. Modern Farmhouse build, LoL.View attachment 846929

I am curious why you only built a half raised bed vs raising it for the entire bed. Thank You

 

[STravis]

I just wanted to tune in and tell you how BAD*** your rig is. The perfect medium sized pickup setup. Wouldn't change a thing. 👊👊

The OVRLND flatbed setup with full barn doors, and their willingness to customize it for you, really puts them ahead of the competition.

Thanks! I agree, OVRLND is awesome with how much they are willing to customize.
I need to post some updated build photos soon. The interior is pretty close to its final form and I love this camper so far. We did 6 days with our 3 year old and 2 month old and the space this has compared to our AT camper is awesome.

 

[dirtnsmores]

Pretty content with the build out, and getting plenty of use this spring and summer. Thanks to all for the postings, I'll add some pics in case helpful to those still planning.

Few questions for those more knowledgable:
1) suspension upgrade
Currently stock F150, . Fully loaded I'm right at GVWR, ~7000lbs. Planning on Bilstein 6112 @2" in front and 5160 in back. seem reasonable?
I expect I might be squatting after the 2" lift when loaded, not seeing much regarding add a leaf options for my particular truck, should I be looking at custom leaf or RAS system, reviews on airbags seem mixed.

2) tires - stock 32" tires (275/65/18)
I'd like a bigger tire than stock, I've tried to keep everything as light as possible, should I have the same mindset for tires? I like Falcon wildpeaks but the 285/70/18 (~34") are 69lbs and C rated, not much else I'm keen on in this size range. I could instead get plenty of AT options with 275/70/18 (33"), generally all E rated, mid 50lbs, or make a really big jump to 285/85/18 (35") but that might require some vehicle trimming and I'm worried might tank my gas mileage. Lots of all season highway miles, forest service roads to very rough road hunting and fishing mobile is my goal. Is the ~15lb/tire weight penalty of the Wildpeaks for a C rated tire not worth it and just stick to 33" upgrade now.

View attachment 847852View attachment 847853

Bigger tires just makes things more complicated! I love the RAS active suspension on my tundra. Even lifted me an inch with stock leafs. The truck feels so planted now. Beautiful interior build.

 

[flydream]

So, my opinion based on ZERO F150 experience, but having built two offroad vehicles for both light overland as well as more involved and difficult trails is that the tires and springs are exactly the two most critical and first things to be addressed. How far you go with both depends a bit on use case as well as weight

Tires: Yep, bigger and heavier extract a cost in mpgs and somewhat bigger and heavier are worth it for tougher stuff, but IMO unless you want to do really serious rock crawling you don’t need huge tires. My previous rig, a Tacoma with hard tonneau and heavily loaded, but no camper, could go stupid places with 32s and I used to go out with my friend in a Jeep on 35s with no problem, but occasionally took an easier line. Those were C rated Duratracs which I loved, except for the road noise.

For my Tundra/Ovlnd build I also wanted to stay as light as possible. Went with Cooper AT3 XLTs 34s (285/75/17s — 33.8”, LL E ) based on Cooper AT3 experience on my wife’s 4Runner. They are as good as the DuraTracs offroad and better on-road for mpg and comfort. Also lighter by a bit over other good ATs of the same size. Subsequently I’ve seen quite a few people on EP and Wander the West tending to run these on heaver camper rigs. Thought about 35’s , but the extra weight and low speed suck on torque for maybe a 1/4 to 1/2” clearance over my 34s wasn’t worth it. I have had no clearance issue on the 34’s on ledges and big rocks throughout AZ and UT. Been running them for 3.5 years and lot’s rocks and dirt. They wear well on road and off, though there’s a bit of minor chunking. Great grip and actually very good aired down to 20 psi in deep sand. Only flat I’ve had was due to picking up a screw, which isn’t the tires fault.

The other issue is that on my Tundra at least, the larger tires combined with the camper weight and wind resistance (along with the need/desire for F/R lockers) led me to regear to 4.88s which has been great. The Tundra has stock 4.30s and a low first gear, but the 4.88s make a big difference on the highway performance and mileage. DK the year of your F150, but if you have the 10speed tranny and a turbo that may not be an issue. Also try a tire size calculator with input for gear ratios — very helpful in decision making. This one is excellent: http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

Springs:
Rear spring upgrades (along with shock upgrades) made a huge difference in both on and offroad handling, especially with the camper weight. Went with Deaver’s on both and the Tundra springs were spec’d for a constant 1000 lbs in the bed and a 2.5" lift with 3/4" shackle (ended up 3.5” unloaded and about 3” loaded). Due to supply chain issues I had to run the rig briefly without the springs and what a difference when I got them. I’m a little oversprung for the weight I carry, but that is no problem and leads to tighter road handling and better off-road performance and departure angle (which has been really helpful on tougher trails). Couldn’t be happier with the setup.

Best advice IMO is avoid the add a leafs, etc and just go for a set of Deavers or Alcans spec’d to your needs and weight. With the camper I think this is the upgrade you may feel the most, unless you have to regear.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, super helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post that. I'm definitely new to all this vehicle stuff, my adventuring has always been self propelled.

I'm 10speed w/ 3.5ecoboost with I think the 3.73s? (maybe 3.55s), can't say the truck notices the camper weight much so I'm thinking I'll be ok with only modest tire increase

The Cooper AT3 XLT was at the top of my list, also recommended by a friend so happy to hear you like them. My local tire shop is also carrying the new but supposedly similar Cooper Stronghold AT, I haven't been able to figure out the different applications between the two.

 

[flydream]

Bigger tires just makes things more complicated! I love the RAS active suspension on my tundra. Even lifted me an inch with stock leafs. The truck feels so planted now. Beautiful interior build.

Thanks man! It has been fun to watch your build come together.

Great thing about these campers is how awesome they are with no build or total build. I somewhat miss the days of throwing all the dirty stuff in the back and hosing the thing out, but we are certainly enjoying the amenities and organization.

 

[Ringer419]

Thanks man! It has been fun to watch your build come together.

Great thing about these campers is how awesome they are with no build or total build. I somewhat miss the days of throwing all the dirty stuff in the back and hosing the thing out, but we are certainly enjoying the amenities and organization.

That's where I am now but still thinking of how I want to finish the interior and do a build of some kind, getting tired of the old tote shuffle.. what did you use to finish your walls? It looks very clean and well done!

 

[montechie]

Pretty content with the build out, and getting plenty of use this spring and summer. Thanks to all for the postings, I'll add some pics in case helpful to those still planning.

Few questions for those more knowledgable:
1) suspension upgrade
Currently stock F150, . Fully loaded I'm right at GVWR, ~7000lbs. Planning on Bilstein 6112 @2" in front and 5160 in back. seem reasonable?
I expect I might be squatting after the 2" lift when loaded, not seeing much regarding add a leaf options for my particular truck, should I be looking at custom leaf or RAS system, reviews on airbags seem mixed.

2) tires - stock 32" tires (275/65/18)
I'd like a bigger tire than stock, I've tried to keep everything as light as possible, should I have the same mindset for tires? I like Falcon wildpeaks but the 285/70/18 (~34") are 69lbs and C rated, not much else I'm keen on in this size range. I could instead get plenty of AT options with 275/70/18 (33"), generally all E rated, mid 50lbs, or make a really big jump to 285/85/18 (35") but that might require some vehicle trimming and I'm worried might tank my gas mileage. Lots of all season highway miles, forest service roads to very rough road hunting and fishing mobile is my goal. Is the ~15lb/tire weight penalty of the Wildpeaks for a C rated tire not worth it and just stick to 33" upgrade now.

Great looking build out!

1) I ran Airspring Airbags for a while in my Gladiator which has a rear coil linkage, YMMV. They handled great, limited my articulation some, but were awesome if you vary in load carrying a ton. Really appreciated them when I was doing "truck things" like hauling firewood. I took them out when I redid my suspension with Dobinson coils that were rated to my average load. Having springs (leaf or coil) weight matched to both the load and terrain you travel is far better for ride quality vs airbags, but airbags are more flexible. Bilsteins can be fine, but cross-shop Fox 2.0 IFPs, they have thicker shafts and aluminum housings and are rebuildable, so more expensive but will probably last longer with less corrosion.

I've ran Deavers with an Icon setup on a Tacoma, they were great, but for the F150 I'd also cross shop Dobinsons, they make stuff for F150s that is load targeted as well. The Icon lift kit on my Tacoma also handled load well and I didn't do a crazy setup (Stage 3), I like they prioritize increased travel over lift height. Any suspension upgrade you get I'd pay attention to what spring rates are offered, many brands offer optional higher spring rates, but you have to ask and installers are often ignorant of your load use case. A stiffer spring under load will be softer than a bottomed out soft spring bouncing on your factory bumpstops.

2) I completely agree with dstefan's points, but one advantage that's often missed with taller (even slightly) tires is the larger flotation, grip, and puncture resistance when airing down. More sidewall gives you all 3. You may not get much extra clearance bumping up 1" in diameter, but you will 100% feel it significantly in loose terrain when aired down. It's really up to how conservative you drive with your setup though, and you could also get similar effect by sizing down in wheel size instead (17s vs 18s). I can float on drifts with the extra ~1" on my winter setup that I couldn't with my 33s. I don't notice the power difference much in my Gladiator, but do notice the MPG hit on my 4.10 gears. For the average FS road my 33s have been great though. I'd also say increased travel+tire clearance is superior to bigger tires for backroads, ie, I'd do quality aftermarket control arms to increase droop over going with a bigger tire if I had to choose between the two.

Weight's huge, and that's my only complaint with either my summer Falken AT3s or my winter set of Grabber ATx. Either of those are hands down the best AT tire for snow, but the new AT4s are supposedly losing some of that cred to make a heavier duty tire for SD+ trucks. I've ran the original Cooper AT3s along with many of their hard core ATs land all were pretty decent on snowy conditions and very durable, Cooper AT3 XLTs are high on my list if they come in a 285/75r17 when I'm ready...

 

[Dave in AZ]

Great looking build out!

1) I ran Airspring Airbags for a while in my Gladiator which has a rear coil linkage, YMMV. They handled great, limited my articulation some, but were awesome if you vary in load carrying a ton. Really appreciated them when I was doing "truck things" like hauling firewood. I took them out when I redid my suspension with Dobinson coils that were rated to my average load. Having springs (leaf or coil) weight matched to both the load and terrain you travel is far better for ride quality vs airbags, but airbags are more flexible. Bilsteins can be fine, but cross-shop Fox 2.0 IFPs, they have thicker shafts and aluminum housings and are rebuildable, so more expensive but will probably last longer with less corrosion.

I've ran Deavers with an Icon setup on a Tacoma, they were great, but for the F150 I'd also cross shop Dobinsons, they make stuff for F150s that is load targeted as well. The Icon lift kit on my Tacoma also handled load well and I didn't do a crazy setup (Stage 3), I like they prioritize increased travel over lift height. Any suspension upgrade you get I'd pay attention to what spring rates are offered, many brands offer optional higher spring rates, but you have to ask and installers are often ignorant of your load use case. A stiffer spring under load will be softer than a bottomed out soft spring bouncing on your factory bumpstops.

2) I completely agree with dstefan's points, but one advantage that's often missed with taller (even slightly) tires is the larger flotation, grip, and puncture resistance when airing down. More sidewall gives you all 3. You may not get much extra clearance bumping up 1" in diameter, but you will 100% feel it significantly in loose terrain when aired down. It's really up to how conservative you drive with your setup though, and you could also get similar effect by sizing down in wheel size instead (17s vs 18s). I can float on drifts with the extra ~1" on my winter setup that I couldn't with my 33s. I don't notice the power difference much in my Gladiator, but do notice the MPG hit on my 4.10 gears. For the average FS road my 33s have been great though. I'd also say increased travel+tire clearance is superior to bigger tires for backroads, ie, I'd do quality aftermarket control arms to increase droop over going with a bigger tire if I had to choose between the two.

Weight's huge, and that's my only complaint with either my summer Falken AT3s or my winter set of Grabber ATx. Either of those are hands down the best AT tire for snow, but the new AT4s are supposedly losing some of that cred to make a heavier duty tire for SD+ trucks. I've ran the original Cooper AT3s along with many of their hard core ATs land all were pretty decent on snowy conditions and very durable, Cooper AT3 XLTs are high on my list if they come in a 285/75r17 when I'm ready...

This is a good dang post. What spring set do you recommend for 3rd gen Tacoma, 700-800 lb camper plus gear? Deaver stage 3?

 

[Pra4sno]

I used both and the bigger ones are much better. I'll go with the bigger ones from now on. You're welcome! This place was a huge help when decided on my build options.

I took your idea on the unistrut and added a little spin on it - a full length bungee cord. Wanted to share as it is solving quite a few issues for us; namely a simple curtain/clothes drying spot over the front window, and ability to clock and slide items.

Harbor freight had a sale on these hanging lights, I think I paid $3 a piece. They have red/white options and have a hook and magnet for attaching as well as run on AAAs.

 

[montechie]

This is a good dang post. What spring set do you recommend for 3rd gen Tacoma, 700-800 lb camper plus gear? Deaver stage 3?

Thanks! Mostly from my past misadventures

I was a bit lighter setup on the rear when I had my 3rd gen so can't help you there, just had a commercial extended top Lear, and recovery+tools I was around 300lbs in the rear, I had the Stage 2 Deavers (Stage 3 Icon hardwear/shocks). Doing occasional truck things or with moderate camping load (+150lbs additonal) that was fine for us. Advantage of a leaf spring setup is you can remove leaves from the leaf pack if you over shoot on height or ride stiffness. I did have an ARB steel bumper + winch on my 3rd gen and really, really wish I had started with Icon's heavier rated coils up front for that end, I sacrificed some travel/ride height up front with the base springs until I upgraded later. Probably wouldn't be an issue with a lighter bumper.

In my experience the type of shops that carry Deavers or Dobinsons, as well as the manufacturers themselves are often decent for responding with intelligent answers based on your application. I chatted back and forth with Exit Offroad for my Gladiator+Dobinsons and they led me pretty good, they also focus a ton on Yota applications as well. They also focus a bit more towards the overlanding use case. Icon's been less responsive post-pandemic, although did eventually respond with useful suggestions. For Jeepers, Clayton and Metalcloak are over the top in customer service and application specific queries.

 

[jagarcia89]

I got the eibach HD coils for my truck and it helped immensely without limiting articulation like some airbags do. I’d highly recommend for anyone with a coil sprung truck where you can just add a leaf.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tgoff]

I am curious why you only built a half raised bed vs raising it for the entire bed. Thank You

The set up is basically 2/3 of a bambed style platform with a simple box underneath. The platform slides and allows for top access to the box. I regularly use my truck bed for truck things so I wanted something easily removeable. The tailgate end of the bed is where the ice chest and dry food container are stored and clothes bags travel. I did not feel the extra weight and loss of standing room of a full platform and drawer system were worth the trade off. I'm going to split the drawer into two sections soon with all the cooking items on one side and camp chairs/less used items on the other side which is blocked in by the ice chest. Once I get the platform/box set up dialed in for what works for me I'm going to focus on making it as light as possible.

 

[dstefan]

Thank you, super helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post that. I'm definitely new to all this vehicle stuff, my adventuring has always been self propelled.

I'm 10speed w/ 3.5ecoboost with I think the 3.73s? (maybe 3.55s), can't say the truck notices the camper weight much so I'm thinking I'll be ok with only modest tire increase

The Cooper AT3 XLT was at the top of my list, also recommended by a friend so happy to hear you like them. My local tire shop is also carrying the new but supposedly similar Cooper Stronghold AT, I haven't been able to figure out the different applications between the two.

Sure, glad to help.

Yeah, think you’ll be fine with the 10 speed and turbo. The Cooper Stronghold AT seems like a slightly more offroad pitched and agressive tire with the 3Peak snow rating, which I don’t think the AT3XLTs have. Interestingly, there’s no real weight penalty at the same size vs the XLTs. Hadn’t heard of it, but it’s on the radar for my next set, so thanks for that. Hopefully, it’s rides and is as quiet on road as the AT3 Xlts.

 

[dstefan]

This is a good dang post. What spring set do you recommend for 3rd gen Tacoma, 700-800 lb camper plus gear? Deaver stage 3?

You’re better off calling Deaver and giving them some info on the weight you want to support and the lift you want. Keep in mind that Deavers are designed to be very progressive and responsive for off-road performance. On my Tacoma, the Deaver 8 pack (IIRC) was great for performance when not heavily loaded for camping. Once I added more weight for longer trips I needed to put Timbrens on and fully loaded they would engage. Worked great.

On my Tundra plus camper, I spec’d a higher weight and heavier springs as a result and get a great ride, lift, articulation and off-road and on-road performance without getting engaging the bump stops.

Since you’re in Phoenix, you might want to talk to SuperDuty HQ here. They’ve done both my builds and been great. They are very good with advice and helping spec the right set ups.