Pop-Up Camper - Custom Build (scratch built) Oasis-Si

[VanIsle_Greg]

Next up... the lift system. What a PITA this was to sort out. Lots of head scratching and going back and forth. It is not 100% what I wanted, but it works. Still needs a bit of tweaking too. I still think going to a linear actuator lift system is the way to go so I will likely use this for now and retrofit something like that in the future.

My son and my wife helped me get the temp bracing in place and to get the lid all squared up. Then some woodwork for the backing plates that attach it to the roof, and some screws in it temporarily to test function. Now that I know it works, and I can raise and lower it, I will glue and permanently fasten it in place. Not bad for about $50.00 worth of conduit, screws, bolts and 1 slab of Fir. And again, pics uploaded out of order...

Finally it is a real pop-up camper. It has been a tub with a box lid up until today. Was a little unnerving closing it for the first time. But with the gas struts it is simple and controlled... had to pull it down a bit, so the gas struts are perfectly sized for the weight. Once the solar panels go on this will be spot on.



That... looks rad. Hardly any side to side flex or front to back. There will be another brace at the front over the bed... just need to install it this week.



Here you can see the limiting screws I put in place behind the upright tube. This is drilled and tapped and can be adjusted to act as a limiting adjustment for helping keep the roof adjusted, in place and tensioned when open. They worked out amazing. so easy to adjust and a few threads moves the roof side to side a fair amount.



Another shot of the mounts and the adjustment/stop screws.



Finished (almost) product. I can't wait to get the fabric done now!



I used ratchet straps as limiters and to help secure the roof in place and to keep it tight to the braces.



Here it is with me and my son trying to get it lined up, squared up and mounted... bracing in place.



Looks a LOT bigger with the roof up. Only 21" of fabric visible on this one... a lot less than some makes. Makes for a full 6'3" headroom inside from the floor.



Big moves after nothing for so long. Camping before the end of summer.

 

[Ducstrom]

Great build! Looks like we started our truck camper builds right around the same time and with very similar trucks. Don't worry, my camper is not done yet either...
It's tough to keep motivated with all the little bits and details that need figuring, solving, and building with a custom box.
You're in the home stretch now for sure!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Great build! Looks like we started our truck camper builds right around the same time and with very similar trucks. Don't worry, my camper is not done yet either...
It's tough to keep motivated with all the little bits and details that need figuring, solving, and building with a custom box.
You're in the home stretch now for sure!

Thanks for the encouragement sir. Yeah, it has been hard to get back on track. Lots of little things to do, but its coming along.

I can't wait to get the roof completed and to get all of the mechanical systems done. I am really looking forward to actually using it. Heh

Need to get warranty sorted out on my battery...its a sealed AGM unit, and doesn't appear to be holding / taking a charge properly now. Sigh. Also still waiting for the delivery of my Laguna table leg setup. FedEx appears to have lost it.

 

[Rando]

Very nicely done!

One quick point - you may want to flip the gas struts around, they should be mounted with the rod down to keep the internal seals lubricated, and to stop water running into the body of the strut.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Very nicely done!

One quick point - you may want to flip the gas struts around, they should be mounted with the rod down to keep the internal seals lubricated, and to stop water running into the body of the strut.

Funny thing...I noticed that yesterday, that I mounted them upside down. My son actually pointed that out to me as well.

I don't know what I was thinking? Thanks for the heads up and good catch.

 

[ITTOG]

Very nicely done!

One quick point - you may want to flip the gas struts around, they should be mounted with the rod down to keep the internal seals lubricated, and to stop water running into the body of the strut.

Glad to see this post. It will keep me from making the same mistake soon.

@VanIsle_Greg it is looking great. I love how you designed the conduit supports.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Glad to see this post. It will keep me from making the same mistake soon.

@VanIsle_Greg it is looking great. I love how you designed the conduit supports.

Thanks man. I can't take much credit for it, Tim Morrissey is who I sort of modeled this from... his videos are pretty good, especially the ones on redoing the fabric himself (him and his wife)! My fabric is shorter at 21" only so the tubes are significantly smaller on mine.

Tim Morrissey on YouTube.

Managed to get a bit more work done too. I installed the awning brackets, and then the awning the next day... as it was DARK when I finished the brackets. Oh and I swapped around the gas struts as well.

Awning mount looks pretty much in the overall theme of the whole exterior! heh



Sticks out a few inches bast the end of the camper for now, but I will play with the positioning once I test it on the truck and deployed.



And you can see the struts are flipped over... heh Nice big awning too.

 

[CoyoteThistle]

Continued great work! Looks amazing. Hope you get it out on its maiden voyage soon!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Continued great work! Looks amazing. Hope you get it out on its maiden voyage soon!

Thanks man! Much appreciated.

And me too.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I spent some time this past weekend and this week re-building the fridge slide and drawer system. I was not happy with the way it was coming together, and it had some challenges the way that it was setup. So, of course, I pulled it apart and re-did it all with the exception of the drawer base.

It went from a closed box, to an open front slide... and it works great. I was fortunate to have some left over off-cuts of poplar that match the trim and frames etc. What I didn't have, apparently was time to take any pictures. lol Just imagine it... so tight. heh Pics to follow here.

Next up, I need to finalize the lift system uprights and finish glue and screw them all in. It has been up and down a handful of times, and it works ok, not perfect but a pretty solid ok. It will be a lot better with the fabric installed and the front support (safety support) over the bed. Also need to grab a 4 x 8 sheet of 1/2" birch ply and some 1/2" x 1" fir (or poplar if I can find it) to complete the bed slide portion. Need to add an additional 6" to the current bed platform. Also got some good news, picking up my Laguna adjustable table leg tomorrow... yay.

All in all this weekend should be good. Pics to follow. No really.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Ok... its been a tough week to get back on the camper, lots of work and family stuff getting int he way of my fun. I did receive something pretty awesome however FINALLY. The first order was lost in shipping, but the second one showed up in only 2 days from the UK. Why the UK, cheapest one I could find... and that was in stock. Funny thing I thought it was shipping from the USA?

New arrival. Full Lagun table leg / support kit. Pretty stoked on this... I love the leg I have in there now, but without the option to swing it out of the way, space is pretty tight in there.



Finally remembered to grab some pics of the fridge slide tray as built now after modifications. I removed the front and sides and went with a simple drawer slide and added the front poplar bullnose trim that matches the seat fronts. I still need to remove the stock Dometic handle... and replace it with a tie down of some description.



Decided to modify up some simple cheap tie down loops to use to secure the fridge in place. Going to make up some straps to hold it in there. Simple and cheap option, looks pretty OK too.



Closed up. Nice fit and a little drawer pull that matches the o



Good ventilation too. This is a Dometic CF-35 and it is a fantastic unit. I have nothing but good things to say about Dometic fridges. Really low power consumption, excellent longevity and pretty useful. Mine is the older style, the newer ones have a much nicer colour, and a nicer lid design too... plus all that WiFi technology stuff.



Up next, pulling out the table and existing leg setup and putting in the Lagun. Also need to finish off the kitchen upper cabinet doors soon too, that will basically complete the kitchen. Yay!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Another few hours of progress. Well first I had to do some regression, take a few steps backwards... then move forward. I ripped out the stationary up-down table leg to prep for installing the Lagun leg.

I basically started with this. I love this table leg, VERY sturdy and looks amazing, but it is just not working for me in this build. So out it had to come.



And out it came. There is a 3" hole under it so the leg can co all the way to the bottom / lowest setting... and that means a big ****** hole in the floor plus 6 bolt holes. Hmmm... oh and this thing required me to basically gut the flooring and deck to get to the nuts on the bottom of the bolts. That sucked.



I lifted out the vinyl flooring, cut a 1/2" x 3" plug to fill the hole, added some backing to it, and glued and screwed it all in place.



Worked out pretty good and completely flush. I then needed to fix the 7 holes in the flooring.



I thought this was going to be simple, and that I would just pull out the 2 planks and replace them. Sadly I had only scraps and not enough to replace full planks. Sigh... and I am too cheap to buy a WHOLE box for 1 plank. Ugh. So I needed to very carefully scribe in a patch. That took some detail work. While it is not perfect, it is 95% and that is good enough for now.



You can see it if you look for it... I still need to roll the edges a little to get it smoother. When you cut the vinyl it raises a little on either side of the cut, and that is what you are seeing.



All back together. I forgot to take the pic after I put the 1/4 round back in too. Oh well, adhesive should be dry by tomorrow, and the tape can come back out. All in all this was challenging, but I am happy that it turned out as well as it did all things considered. Next up, planning for the Lagun install! I hope I can re-use my existing table top... we will see.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Ok...last update for today, I promise. It's just now turning dark, and I just finished cleaning up... so that was about 8 hours of picking away at this thing today...need to get it done finally. Anyhow, final updates on Lagun install, which is done (and it is amazing).

Installed and swung out of the way, so I have some more moving around space and access to the bunk etc. I figured this will help a lot when getting ready for bed. I might ditch the table top and make a new one as this one is well made, but crazy heavy.



HEAVY top swung out of the way for maximum floor space.



Much better.



I am very impressed with these table legs. Pricey, but worth it. I found this one online at http://rv-table-mount.com for $133 USD plus $30 ish shipping! Great deal, but after I ordered I did find a few local suppliers as well. The company shipping these is in the UK, and their service was superb! If you are looking in Canada, Expedition Upfitter carries them.









This is what came out. Beautiful thing... and for sale soon too!



Oh and I rolled in the seams in the floor patch, not bad at all.



Next up, finish the electrical and solar, and then get the fabric installed.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Sold the table leg... that was quick.

Apparently these are hard to come by right now? Who knew. Add that to my canvas savings fund!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

So funny story. The place I ordered my Lagun from shipped it super fast... and then FedEx lost it in shipping. Booo So I contacted the shipper, the folks I bought it from (after dealing with FedEx and them looking for it everywhere). He was very helpful, he got on with his FedEx contact... and his comment was, "yeah, its lost".

The replacement that they sent me arrived in 2 days! Nice! That is the one I installed.

Well, the 2nd one just arrived yesterday a month and a bit after it was ordered. lol Awaiting instructions on what to do with it. heh Might have one for sale soon.