The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Overland Hadley]

I’ve been following this thread off and on. Like many, I too have played the waiting game. It’s good to see this now coming to fruition, Nathanael – I know it’s gonna be great for you.

Thanks David!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Grey Water Bucket

Going to use a collapsible bucket to take care of the grey water when needed. (Grey water will drain from the middle area of the truck).

One of these Camco buckets showed up on the boat this year and it is the best folding bucket I have used. (Camco does seem to make some nice products.)

So I have ordered one for the camper. (Not surprisingly amazon has the best price.)

 

[Overland Hadley]

Looks like the Heki vent is still an option. Hhhmmm.

 

[pods8]

Looks like the Heki vent is still an option. Hhhmmm.

Some of the reviews out there on that are not too favorable about the design/build quality on those.

From a practicality standpoint, unless you want to be able to crawl through it I don't see what real perk there is with one of those verse a powered fan.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Some of the reviews out there on that are not too favorable about the design/build quality on those.

From a practicality standpoint, unless you want to be able to crawl through it I don't see what real perk there is with one of those verse a powered fan.

Thanks for the heads up on the quality. I will do some research in that area if I think I might go with one.

I like the idea of having a large hatch opening, but good point about a fan moving lots of air. I like to stick my head out and look around, I do that a fair amount on the boat, and the light inside makes a big difference in the feel of a small space. But I would be bummed if it leaked in the rain.

 

[pods8]

I like to stick my head out and look around, I do that a fair amount on the boat, and the light inside makes a big difference in the feel of a small space.

I figure the side windows on the soft walls are right there to look out and when the top is pop'd you'd have to stand on the couch to look out one of those if over the main camper. Perhaps a little more useful over the bed. If you're one of the people that intend to get up onto their roof for photography or something then again maybe some use.

The smoked fan vents let a fair amount of light in as well but if you think more is needed then maybe there is merit. I was intrigued by a skylight as well but eventually chalked it up as something that sounds cool in theory but something I probably wouldn't use too much in reality.

 

[ersatzknarf]

If the Heki ones are a concern or too small, how about an actual boat hatch and a couple of those solar vent fans to move the air ?

( http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9502-Alaskan-Camper-Build-Up?p=164659#post164659 )

Thanks for the heads up on the quality. I will do some research in that area if I think I might go with one.

I like the idea of having a large hatch opening, but good point about a fan moving lots of air. I like to stick my head out and look around, I do that a fair amount on the boat, and the light inside makes a big difference in the feel of a small space. But I would be bummed if it leaked in the rain.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

The Mini Heki is not something that we generally advertise.

The cost is $ 695.00 if you wanted one installed on a new FWC.


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Looks like the Heki vent is still an option. Hhhmmm.
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[Overland Hadley]

I figure the side windows on the soft walls are right there to look out and when the top is pop'd you'd have to stand on the couch to look out one of those if over the main camper. Perhaps a little more useful over the bed. If you're one of the people that intend to get up onto their roof for photography or something then again maybe some use.

The smoked fan vents let a fair amount of light in as well but if you think more is needed then maybe there is merit. I was intrigued by a skylight as well but eventually chalked it up as something that sounds cool in theory but something I probably wouldn't use too much in reality.

A hatch the size of the Heki is gold on a boat. But, you have a good point about the side windows, as with the camper it will be living off the ground not "under the waterline" like on a sailboat.

Not planning on standing on the roof. While possible, the construction is not designed for it. And while it looks cool, it is not a stable platform to set up my large camera on.

 

[Overland Hadley]

If the Heki ones are a concern or too small, how about an actual boat hatch and a couple of those solar vent fans to move the air ?

( http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/9502-Alaskan-Camper-Build-Up?p=164659#post164659 )

Thanks for the link, some good reading there.

Marine stuff is high quality, but it also can be heavy, as most of the time weight is not a big consideration on a boat. (The boat I am on weighs 20,000 pounds, a bit different than a FWC.)

 

[Overland Hadley]

The Mini Heki is not something that we generally advertise.

The cost is $ 695.00 if you wanted one installed on a new FWC.

Thanks for the info Stan.

Too much money for my build. :snorkel:

 

[Overland Hadley]

Just got some new info on the smooth Filon siding.

From an article on TruckCamperMagaizine,(Link) Tom is is quoted with the following information. The smooth siding is now a $650 option. And the added weight (on a Hawk) is 37 pounds.

As I stated below, for me that is a lot of added weight, and cost.

(I will edit the original linked post with this new information.)

There are a few reasons I have decided to stay with the aluminum siding, even though I once swore I would never own a camper that looked like it had house siding on it.


Looks: I like the way the glass looks when new, but there is a (small) part of me that likes the old school look of the aluminum. My girl pointed out that the smooth sides look cheap, and I can see where she is coming from, especially with plain white glass. If you color matched the camper to the truck then it is a no brainer. But I also think in the long term the aluminum will stay looking nicer, as painted glass scratches easily.


Longevity: I am sure FWC has done it's homework, but I have become skeptical about how long the glass will look good, and looks are the only reason to go with glass. Spider web cracks from flexing. Scratches from tree branches. Minor dings and damage. These things will be very obvious on the glass, but not a problem with aluminum. The aluminum siding can have sections easily replaced, but as best I can tell the glass is a one piece shell, so fixing major damage would be a problem. In the end I know that a ten to twenty year old camper with aluminum siding still looks nice, and I am not convinced that the glass will stay looking as good as it does when new. (Stan please chime in if you have any thoughts on this.)


Cost: $400 is not a huge amount, but it is over 5% the cost of a shell and I am pinching every pinney to afford this camper. (Not sure how much having a shop color match would be, but I would guess an extra $500+.) So for myself spending the extra grand just for looks is a big consideration, a thousand dollars buys a lot of gas.


Weight: Just as with cost, I am watching every pound on this project. Stan says there is not much of a weight difference, but on a Tacoma every extra pound makes a difference. So I would go with the aluminum solely based on a small weight savings.


So those are my thoughts. I reserve the right to change my mind at any point.

 

[chvy39z]

New Hawk

I picked up my new Hawk from Four Wheel Camper this summer and have not regretted it one bit. I bought the shell model with a few options and have been adding a few things of my own. I have used some of the suggestions from this site and am glad that I it. I did use the 2 burner SMEV stove and mounted it close enough to the rear door that I can use it for coffee just standing outside.Very nice for those mornings when I want to get on the road early and can make coffee just by opening the back door. I added the small catalytic heater also and that will be a nice option at certain times. I had Stan install an outside shower door with faucets and the hand wand and have figured out how to make that work very nicely. I bought a Marey hot water heater on Ebay for $125 and a flojet pump for Rvs to pressurize the intake water to the heater. Two D cell battery's and propane and voila instant hot water. In remote areas you can actually shower. The quality of FourWheelCampers build is very impressive. They did a fine job for me and I am very happy with it. This winter I will be heading to Florida to do a bit of camping down there. I had to shave the 2 front rubber bumpers off about one inch to get the camper in towards the cab that much further. No big deal though just my personal preference to have the camper in as far as it will go. I mounted a 35 Amp-hour PowerSonic battery under the hood and used a 70amp breaker that works fine as a switch. I switched the bulbs to LEDS so 35 amp hours will not be a problem. Oh I also installed the motion detector light on the back porch area that was mentioned on this site. It also uses LED lights and works very efficiently. At the moment the camper is in my carport and I cannot raise the top for pictures. I am adding a second tank for fuel on the opposite side of the driveshaft as the original tank.I will have to get rid of the original exhaust system to do this but it can be moved outside the frame rails. It will also have a fuel pump in it and will just be operated by a switch. This has the added benefit of having a redundant fuel pump, in case one dies.I plan to do an Alaska trip and have heard that sometimes fuel can get to be an issue. Thanks Stan for all your patience with the shower door location. I was trying to figure this out and it seemed to work out well.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Froli Sleep Systems

This is an interesting product, and if I did not have such a comfortable Therm-a-Rest (the Dreamtime XL) I would consider trying this setup.

This might be a good alternative to the Froli, at a fraction of the cost.

Here's a picture of the slatted bed spring base from Ikea:

And a link to their page: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40125970/

 

[Overland Hadley]

This might be a good alternative to the Froli, at a fraction of the cost.

I liked it, until I saw the weight. 50 pounds for the Full size, 30 pounds for a twin. Ouch.