Squarestream

[Ditriz]

Thank you very much to the author of the topic for sharing photos and details on creating a camping truck. A friend of mine has the exact same brand of car, so he was very inspired by your experience. I have saved all the photos from your workflow, for some I used a photo enlarger to get a more detailed picture. I think that soon my friend and I will start to create a track according to your example.

 

[dstefan]

So how are you filling up the cab mounted diesel tank for the heater? Do you remove it or fill in place? I've been thinking about one and managing the tank, fuel, spillage, oder, etc is the stumbling block for us. Just curious how its working for you and how you manage it.

 

[Andrew_S]

Good stuff! I love the idea of hard sided pop ups, although I can say I had an old Hallmark with insulated soft sides that did remarkably well in extreme weather.

Seeing all these builds makes me want to finish the plans for mine.

Soft sided campers definitely have their place. I don't think I would want to deal with -20C or dropping in that kind of set up though.

I just discovered your DIY pop-top. Very impressed. It's refreshing to see people making what they want and getting out there. I'm subscribed to see your updates. I'm still deciding if I'm going to build my own or buy. Your can-do attitude shows through and is inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

If I could have bought something for my platform that met my needs I would have. It's a huge time commitment and honestly it's still not cheap. If you factor in your hours at a rate, holy smokes you could buy two of something else and maybe a truck too haha.

What are the dimensions of the truck and the camper, both opened and closed? How much room do you have inside to move around, sit, cook, etc., if the weather is crap and everything is battened down?

Do you get condensation inside in the cold weather? It would be a bit of work, but have you thought about a soft cover similar to the 'blankets' that are used to wrap DC fridges? This would further seal up the exterior and provide a bit of insulation or a radiant barrier. The same could be done on the inside if you did not want to panel the interior walls.

The truck bed is 7'8. The topper hangs roughly 36" out over cab. The camper closed stands only 32" tall, popped up it sits at 62".
No real interest in a cover. We've been in the camper down to -28C or -18F. It can definitely do more but it's really not much fun doing anything in temps passed that point. I'm torn on the interior, I would like to do something but can't make up my mind.

Just went through your build thread, impressive fabrication skills! Well done!

Thanks! it's really appreciated.

Super duper inspirational!

I import JDM's often, a 30 plus year bad habit, and a Hilux with a 1KD is in the plans for our next camper. Totally going to copy your design!

Sent from my SM-G981W using Tapatalk

Another guy on the forum did something very similar. I would love to see something like this on a hilux. Good luck with your build.

Thank you very much to the author of the topic for sharing photos and details on creating a camping truck. A friend of mine has the exact same brand of car, so he was very inspired by your experience. I have saved all the photos from your workflow, for some I used a photo enlarger to get a more detailed picture. I think that soon my friend and I will start to create a track according to your example.

Good luck with your and his project. Share some pics or post a build thread. I would love to see it.

So how are you filling up the cab mounted diesel tank for the heater? Do you remove it or fill in place? I've been thinking about one and managing the tank, fuel, spillage, oder, etc is the stumbling block for us. Just curious how its working for you and how you manage it.

I pull the diesel hose into the camper and pump it up. I gave this a lot thought and considered jerry cans, or an exterior fill port. Honestly it's just to easy to fill it in the camper and be done with it. I'll grab some paper towel for drips but that's all.
No odour at all, no spills either - that's saying something because this truck has honestly caught air on a number of occasions with a full diesel tank.
I had some serious reservations about having the tank inside, but I'm glad now that I did. It simplified removal of the camper drastically. I undo 4 clamps and one electrical connection. Everything leaves with the camper.

Sorry I don't get over to this section often. Here are a few updates.

Spent over 30 days in the camper during hunting season,

We've been making good progress on the camper striping

Well over half the time was in freezing temps. The diesel heater and camper did awesome. We were always perfectly comfortable every night.

Interior views

How's this for a breakfast spot

 

[Andrew_S]

I installed some baja dome lights inside, these were a much needed upgrade from headlamps and magnetic flashlights.

Huge upgrade for us

Back at it,

Nights like these I'm so happy with this set up.

This is the reason I didn't want anything more than a topper.

Try to pull one of these guys through a single door on a standard truck camper

Finished up the wiring on the camper and loomed it all.
Also installed some different struts and got the doors to open a bit more.
Small adjustments that made some huge day-day improvements.

I had a local machinist make me some custom badges after a buddy came up with a great name for the camper.

 

[Andrew_S]

We did some more proper winter camping,

I finally found another window for the front wall

Not bad for $20. Testing to see if we wanted to full commit.

Got both the new front and old rear windows tinted to match the sides.

Fully committed

Absolutely stoked on how it looks and functions. So awesome to see 360* now.

Did a bunch of icefishing trips

 

[Andrew_S]

Last modification was to redo the back window. I mounted it roughly 6" to high for no reason at all...

I hope I never have to do this again. Trying to remove all the pieces once sika'd together is a very arduous task.

Reworked the bracing,

New sheet of 0.060"

All that's left is the window

Much better now....

Can't wait to get back out and enjoy the latest round of improvements

There are tons more adventure photos in the build thread linked below. I try to keep this limited to just camper pics.

 

[Mr. Fisherman]

So much awesome!
Love the badges.

 

[AbleGuy]

Great pictures (especially the winter shots…I felt cold just looking at all of that snow), and the camper is an amazing professional work product !

You two are absolutely rocking the outdoor adventure life….all four wheels chained up, man you’re really getting out there and doing it! Very inspirational posts…

The best part of your thread is this attitude:
“So I borrowed a radial arm saw from a buddy and bought a spool gun and just simply got started.”

Too many of us just keep spinning our wheels in dream land, in “some day” land. You just said, “what the he**” and jumped right in to the deep end…and did it!

 

[SFP]

Love this thread and build

I have a 1981 GMC 2500 Camper Special that I so wanna do an Alaskan Camper type build (like yours) but go the way using something like what Total Composites offer (support local eh).

#LoveGMC

PS: Keep the posts and photos coming including the family/couple shots (besides just the build) - they inspire the rest of us.

 

[Nailhead]

Awesome build, Andrew! I'm guessing you have some fabrication in your background.

I've been contemplating a linear actuator system for my Alaskan, but I have a motivational problem replacing a fully-functioning hydraulic lift system.

You and your wife have my respect and admiration camping in the conditions you do. You couldn't pay me enough to camp in that deep freeze. I'm so over winter...

 

[zoomad75]

Wow. Stumbled across this and zipped through the whole thread. Impressive is not a strong enough word on what you accomplished.

There aren’t many choices for the old S-series platform and what little there was don’t have the versatility yours does.

So you say it gained about 500ish pounds as far as the camper itself on the truck. Have you weighed it loaded down with gear for a run? I know with the Camper on my K5 the camper itself only added 2-300 pounds but it’s the ability to cram it full of gear.

How’s the little engine that could dealing with that weight and as I’ve found the aero drag? I know my 5.3 struggled on mountain grades and heavy winds with my setup. The. 8.1 now doesn’t care but fuel mileage is really more dependent on my heavy right foot.

I’m really impressed for sure. I’m going to share this with a buddy of mine that has been listing for an Alaskan but finding an 8footer non-cab over model is not easy and when you do find one it’s super expensive. He’s a hell of a fabricator too so I think he could totally do this.

Great work!

 

[richxd87]

Great build man, thanks for sharing the build and the updates! Can you share some more info on the lift actuators, how they were installed, and maybe the build that inspired you to use them?

Thanks

 

[Andrew_S]

So much awesome!
Love the badges.

Thanks, super stoked on how simple and nice they came out.

Great pictures (especially the winter shots…I felt cold just looking at all of that snow), and the camper is an amazing professional work product !

You two are absolutely rocking the outdoor adventure life….all four wheels chained up, man you’re really getting out there and doing it! Very inspirational posts…

The best part of your thread is this attitude:
“So I borrowed a radial arm saw from a buddy and bought a spool gun and just simply got started.”

Too many of us just keep spinning our wheels in dream land, in “some day” land. You just said, “what the he**” and jumped right in to the deep end…and did it!

All four chained up is like a tank and a lot of fun in the snow until it's not, then you're really stuck.
I'll give the wife credit for my motivation. We had talked about building a camper for a solid year and finally she kicked me in the shins enough times that I got off my butt and stopped talking. Thanks for the good words!

Love this thread and build

I have a 1981 GMC 2500 Camper Special that I so wanna do an Alaskan Camper type build (like yours) but go the way using something like what Total Composites offer (support local eh).

#LoveGMC

PS: Keep the posts and photos coming including the family/couple shots (besides just the build) - they inspire the rest of us.

Total composite's makes some awesome stuff.
I was a bit concerned with long term durability of composite panels, this camper really takes a ******** kicking on back roads.
Good luck with your build! If you're looking for more content, click the pic in my sig. Entire build is in there.

Awesome build, Andrew! I'm guessing you have some fabrication in your background.

I've been contemplating a linear actuator system for my Alaskan, but I have a motivational problem replacing a fully-functioning hydraulic lift system.

You and your wife have my respect and admiration camping in the conditions you do. You couldn't pay me enough to camp in that deep freeze. I'm so over winter...

Man thank you, your rig is such an awesome set up.
The actuators work great and are super light. If you're motivated to drop a ton of weight they would be an upgrade, otherwise I couldn't make a good argument for them.

Wow. Stumbled across this and zipped through the whole thread. Impressive is not a strong enough word on what you accomplished.

There aren’t many choices for the old S-series platform and what little there was don’t have the versatility yours does.

So you say it gained about 500ish pounds as far as the camper itself on the truck. Have you weighed it loaded down with gear for a run? I know with the Camper on my K5 the camper itself only added 2-300 pounds but it’s the ability to cram it full of gear.

How’s the little engine that could dealing with that weight and as I’ve found the aero drag? I know my 5.3 struggled on mountain grades and heavy winds with my setup. The. 8.1 now doesn’t care but fuel mileage is really more dependent on my heavy right foot.

I’m really impressed for sure. I’m going to share this with a buddy of mine that has been listing for an Alaskan but finding an 8footer non-cab over model is not easy and when you do find one it’s super expensive. He’s a hell of a fabricator too so I think he could totally do this.

Great work!

Bingo, very few offerings for these trucks and lots of compromises.
Yes about 500lbs loaded with battery, diesel tank full mattress & bedding.
Probably another 300 lbs in gear, really depends on the length of the trip & time of year. Shoot, 2 sets of tires chains is damn near 150 lbs, canoe is another 80lbs...
I built another engine for it, a 3.4 with a cam and some ported heads. It does ok but definitely not winning any races haha. Drag is surprisingly unnoticeable. Mostly the weight is the biggest downfall with a smaller v6. This is a very easy camper to build, literally a couple of a boxes. Keeping the gaps tight and finding the right gasketing was the hardest part. Thanks for the good words.

Great build man, thanks for sharing the build and the updates! Can you share some more info on the lift actuators, how they were installed, and maybe the build that inspired you to use them?

Thanks

The actuators are some cheapo fergelli units. Sorry I can't remember the military trailer build that inspired me. Actuators are as easy as it gets though. A couple rocker switches and 12v power. Thanks for the good words.


If anyone is looking for more elaboration/content, click the photo in my sig.

Here's a bunch more pics,

set up in the bottom left

For scale next to a buddies ford

 

[Andrew_S]

Lots more adventures since the last post.

Still have to finish out the interior, not sure if I'll ever get around to it.
Solid axle swap is up next.
Lots more details and photos in the project thread below.

 

[DzlToy]

This thing is one of my favourite rigs on this board.