The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Overland Hadley]

I have been playing with Ram ipad mounts in my Tacoma as well.... getting rid of the shake is a challenge with such a heavy chart plotter.

I hope yours proves to be robust enough.

What iPad mount are you using? I am using the X-Grip for my iPod and am thinking that is what I want to use with the iPad, as it has been working good with the iPod. No problem with shake and it is easy to use.

Also, are you using a regular iPad or the mini? I can not decide which way to go. I like the size of the mini, but the larger screen would be nice for mapping. The mini is so much lighter, but the rumor is that anytime in the next couple months the iPad 5 will come out and it might be up to 30% lighter. Just not sure if I can wait for the new one to come out.

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Yes.... they released the mini about 1 week after I bought my ipad.... I too wanted the mini if it was real.... but nobody could tell me if it even was coming and I was on my way to Europe last fall and wanted an ipad.

Truth is... when you are using it the larger screen is nice... when carrying it the smaller size would be nice. I carried it for a month around Europe with my family .... we all had small backpacks... and the ipad was very useful. I recommend the one with the 3G or 4G capability as connecting directly to the cell phone network for data is soooo handy!

I put a RAM ball on one front seat bolt of the passenger seat and then a 9" arm up to a T and then I bolted a Ram ball through the console plastic with a backer plate.... the Ram ball on the backer plate stops the shake... the weight is carried by the ball attached to the seat bolt.

I too have X grips for my iphone and ipad...they work well.

The whole system seems to work..... If the new one will be lighter... lighter is good. Patience is hard.... good luck.

 

[ETAV8R]

Just thought of an added benefit of the wooden slats under the camper. It raises it a bit which leaves more room under the cabover section for potential fuel/water storage.

Side note:
I've been thinking of a replacement for the factory table to go with the new Lagun. Without visiting a brick and mortar store what about a large cutting board for a table. Seems like a good idea to me.

 

[NorCalHawk]

Hey there,
Nice set up with the quick release idea. I will be adding lifting struts before my next trip and I like the idea of having them inside and out of the elements. Can you share with me where to purchased the quick release/stainless and brackets etc? Thank you in advance.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Hey there,
Nice set up with the quick release idea. I will be adding lifting struts before my next trip and I like the idea of having them inside and out of the elements. Can you share with me where to purchased the quick release/stainless and brackets etc? Thank you in advance.

Most of the marine parts I have bought for this project have come from defender.com. Defender has proved to have good service and low prices.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Just thought of an added benefit of the wooden slats under the camper. It raises it a bit which leaves more room under the cabover section for potential fuel/water storage.

Side note:
I've been thinking of a replacement for the factory table to go with the new Lagun. Without visiting a brick and mortar store what about a large cutting board for a table. Seems like a good idea to me.

Yes, I needed a quarter inch more space to mount the sets of MaxTrax under the cabover.

Most likely a cutting board is going to be fairly heavy, unless you went with a bamboo board.
I am currently working on v3 of my table top. The hinged top ended up just being to heavy and clunky. Shame as I spent a lot of time on the hinged top.

 

[ETAV8R]

You can send the hinged top to me.
:26_7_2:

 

[Overland Hadley]

You can send the hinged top to me.

Hmmm. I will send you a PM.

 

[1stGen]

Hey Overland,

I'm new here, but just wanted to drop you a quick line to say what an inspiration your build has been for me. We recently purchased a Grandby shell to ride on the back of our 91 Dodge W250 and are currently in the process of building out the interior. I've taken lots of ideas from your build, and plan on adding a few of my own. One particular idea that I really liked was the Scepter water cans and the Whale foot pump. My first question, do the black Scepter cans retain heat more than the lighter colored ones like the tan or the blue? I was planning on getting one black for showering and washing, using the Home Depot sprayer idea discussed in another thread, and then two tan ones for drinking/washing which will be used in conjunction with the whale foot pump. I wondered if I would be able to get away with two black ones and not need to worry about our water always being warm (thought for washing, I understand that would definitely be a bonus). The second question has to do with your foot pump and the mounting location. It looks like you mounted it above the first rail and below the second, is that right? How awkward is it to use? I guess the idea of using it with the top down is completely out of the question then isn't it? Thanks again for all the ideas, you've been a huge help to a newbie just starting out.

Cheers,

Dylan

 

[ETAV8R]

I will say that the black sprayer, while good for a shower here and there, does not heat up like I thought it would. My old black shower bags got warmer than the sprayer.

 

[1stGen]

Really eh? So maybe just go with two tan Scepter jugs and an old school black shower bag. They fold down nice and flat when not in use, they don't take up much room, and if you really wanted to, you could always heat up a couple pots of water and add that to the Scepter jug on not so sunny days for a quick rinse. Thanks ETAV8R!

 

[ETAV8R]

My neighbor gave me two white translucent 5gal square jugs. I am going to try to have one of these for shower/washing water. It should stow well on the shelf in my FWC. For showers I ordered the MSR 10 liter dromedary bag and the MSR spigot cap. I can use the shower tube from my old shower bag and hook it on the new one. Hopefully the sun can heat the new MSR bag more quickly than the old 5gal shower bag. I'm gonna hang the bag from something or rest it on top of the FWC. I used to place the 5gal shower bags on top of my flippac and it worked pretty well. May get to try this system out this coming weekend. My hope is that the MSR bag can be stowed easily until needed and will be more tear/puncture resistant than my old solar shower bags.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Hey Overland,

I'm new here, but just wanted to drop you a quick line to say what an inspiration your build has been for me. We recently purchased a Grandby shell to ride on the back of our 91 Dodge W250 and are currently in the process of building out the interior. I've taken lots of ideas from your build, and plan on adding a few of my own. One particular idea that I really liked was the Scepter water cans and the Whale foot pump. My first question, do the black Scepter cans retain heat more than the lighter colored ones like the tan or the blue? I was planning on getting one black for showering and washing, using the Home Depot sprayer idea discussed in another thread, and then two tan ones for drinking/washing which will be used in conjunction with the whale foot pump. I wondered if I would be able to get away with two black ones and not need to worry about our water always being warm (thought for washing, I understand that would definitely be a bonus). The second question has to do with your foot pump and the mounting location. It looks like you mounted it above the first rail and below the second, is that right? How awkward is it to use? I guess the idea of using it with the top down is completely out of the question then isn't it? Thanks again for all the ideas, you've been a huge help to a newbie just starting out.

Cheers,

Dylan

Hi Dylan,

Thanks for the kind words. I am glad this thread continues to be of use.


Just today I took out my Scepter water tanks to clean them, and I was thinking how nice it was to easily remove them and clean the interior and dry them. I definitely like having removable water tanks.


The Whale pump location is working better than I thought it would. Once I got used to using it mounted on the wall and not at floor level, it became easy to use. I do like the higher location as it leaves the floor clear and it is not there to stub toes on.

With the glass top sink you can not access the faucet with the top down, so using the pump with the top down is a moot point.


Let me know if you have any other questions, I would be happy to help, it might just take me a couple days to respond.

 

[Overland Hadley]

My hope is that the MSR bag can be stowed easily until needed and will be more tear/puncture resistant than my old solar shower bags.

Those MSR water bags are bombproof! I have a few of them that I use for camping of all sorts, from vehicle to kayak. They work good and still look like new, even though they are something like ten years old.

They are also good to carry as extra water storage, for those points in a trip when you need to "top off" with water. They take up little room, weigh very little, and I have never had one leak.

 

[Airmonger]

We need more photos of your camper in its natural habitat.