Rare Toy Hauler Adventure Rig (Build)

[Shapeshifter]

Found this on craigslist and immediately jumped on it. I saw it as a perfect blank-slate to build on. Its basically an empty shell with cushions and some storage. It's a Panther brand, Sierra model. Manufactured by Best Built Products. It only weights 1035 lbs dry. It has double "ambulance" style doors and a clear floor width of 46" exactly. My Can-Am ATV is 46" exactly so it could possbly haul mt ATV but would defintely haul a couple of dirt bikes, though that is not the intention of this build...

 

[Shapeshifter]

I can do anything I want with this open floor plan but at first I am going to try to keep the 46" floor space clear. Even if I never haul any toys in it, I like all the space to move around!

First thing was to get a heater installed. I found a little rot under where I mounted the heater but was able to repair it with Smiths Penetrating Epoxy I had left over from my boat restoration days....




I made a short run for the exhaust straight out the side.




Then I made an enclosure for the heater and some additional storage with a sliding door. I wanted the heater vent as low as possible so I routed the duct down the hollow space. Im not sure why that hollow space was built but it works perfectly for a duct chase on the left side, and another utlity space on the right side that I will show in a later post.




I used mt Front Runner jerry can with water spigot as a 5 gallon gravity feed water supply. The collapsible sink and cabinet top were temporary for the first trip I did with this rig.

 

[Shapeshifter]

Then I found an ice chest that was exactly 15" deep to fit on the opposite side, across from the heater. The corner is a perfect place for a single rifle mount.




This place on the cabinet was just screaming for an old ships clock...

 

[Shapeshifter]

But the ice chest was also temporary and I replaced it with a Whynter fridge of the same dimension. I made a small platform to allow for the fan on the Lion Energy Safari battery pack to breath, and mounted the Safari on its side.





The hollow space on the right side, under the battery pack is now used to house the new wireless jack controller and some spare diesel fuel for the heater. I will be making an enclosure panel to hide this hollow.

 

[Shapeshifter]

I finished the final countertop with 10" stainless sink. Since the sink willl only have water and biodegradeable soap, the drain is routed outside and a hose will empty under the truck when camped.

Everyting I add is done as lightweight as possible. This rig has and will go on some extremely rough trails.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

That's a pretty neat camper! Never seen anything like it.

 

[Shapeshifter]

That's a pretty neat camper! Never seen anything like it.

Yeah, Ive done lots of searching and cant find anything similar (except for an old For Sale add here on EP that lists it as a Cascade brand (though my unit doesnt say Cascade anywhere on it, its obviusly the same manufacturer) https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...-panther-light-weight-slide-in-camper.188464/.

Best Built has appearantly become Panther RV Parts and Supply, and Allterraincampers.com sells a model called a Panther but it is a differnt animal all together (https://www.allterraincampers.com/PantherOcelot) .

 

[rangerdogg]

Looks great and simply design . Keep making it your own and happy camping

 

[Shapeshifter]

I found the perfect way to store the camper when its not on the truck. I have this small ATV trailer that usually just sits during the winter because my ATV has a snow plow blade on it all season. I dropped the camper on the trailer and it fits perfectly and now it only takes as much space as the parked trailer while stored! It also makes it easy to move around the property if needed.

 

[zb39]

I love this build!

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

This is a super rad setup!

Excellent find, and well done!

 

[slowtwitch]

Those panthers aren't built for rough stuff.

 

[Shapeshifter]

I built a shelf in the new cabinet to get more storage. I like sliding doors better because when stuff bounces against them from the inside, they tend to stay closed better than hinged doors.




My patch collection is always evolving.....

 

[Shapeshifter]

I wanted a super lightweight table for the dinette. I considered fabbing one from honeycomb laminates but that stuff is expensive and hard to find a small sheet of it. I ended up using a table top from IKEA. It has a honeycomb cardboard center with thin laminate sides and is extremely lightweight for its size, and only cost $15. I only wish the corners weren't so sharp.






I used some thickened epoxy on the pedestal socket mount under the table to help the screws bite in the the lightweight material. It's pretty strong.




I put a flush mount post socket in the floor. I used AP Products pedestal parts. If you are building a typical camper pedestal table like this, make sure you buy all the parts from the same manufaturer and double check sizes. Not all of them are the same and wont mix and match. Specifically the diameter of the post and socket holes in the mounts.

 

[Shapeshifter]

I finally made a cover panel to enclose the utility space that houses the jack controller and spare heater fuel. I even used a piece of the factory green carpet I removed from the heater install. It was simple to mount the Reico-Titan wall switch right there on the enclosure.