Vagabond Outdoors Drifter

[Lord Larry]

Thank you.

 

[Windmill Road]

Managed to stop by today, not closed, folks working, but Phil was not there.
Talked to Chris about the changes discussed in the email and where current production was.
There were 13 Drifter/Nomads in the shop, about a third had tents, one was old stock in for new windows.
As I "will be in the next batch" my guess is that they are in the 200-210's roughly. Output, they confirmed, is still about what we have seen for the last few years; one per month.
The aim of the streamlining is to make that 1 per week, but how far away that is... we will see.

What I did see is some of the improvements. The new door they are designing for the back is a trapezoid- no rounded edges at the top- and will be aluminum available with or without a window. My hope is that the glass is still fairly big, but I forgot to ask. My other hope is that it doesn't channel water into the camper when lifted, which the rounded top windows will do without fail. Once they can make their own doors, that should speed things up.View attachment 770464View attachment 770465

The new gray powder-coat is fairly light, here's a dark gray and light gray comparison.

Powder coating happens to the 2 parts (base and lifting portion of the roof) once they have been welded together from the cut & formed pieces they get back from the CNC company. Now that all campers get PC, I imagine there is no longer the stain-grade/paint-grade difference for protecting the protective wrap while assembling. Production might be a little more linear if everything has the same process. Forgot to ask how the PC was affecting turnaround, or if that was happening as fast as Vagabond could get them the parts.

The left photo has the older Frontrunner windows, there were no Tern windows mounted, but the hatch looks excellent. All are top hinged black doors with black trim and hardware, 2 locking twist handles that look to cam down to pressure the seals. They look to open about 130º on quality struts and are insulated.

The Tern windows use more latches, three on the bottom and two on the sides, which are not accessible from the outside. The struts will lock at the 20º & 40º positions, and 60º is the max opening, which is will make access through them difficult. Here's a stock photos of both-
View attachment 770467View attachment 770469

The Tern door option is actually a retrofit, riveted and glued on to the original back. For the Nomad, it is fully reversible, for the Drifter, a notch is cut from the top of the opening which would have to be repaired if the back panel ever came off. The doors are pretty expensive, so they do not plan to stock them, but Tern has been responsive, so they shouldn't add much time to a build.
View attachment 770470
Things like the L-track, solar pre-wire and the fan (though not the concealed wiring) can also be added at any time, as the structure for it part of every build. Other options need to be finalized when the build is starting and dimensions are sent to the forming shop. This used to happen when the request for final payment was made, but it was acknowledged that those two events became unrelated. Going forward, the aim is to finalize the build when the batch it is in is ordered from the CNC outfit, and I assume the final payment requested.
Regarding part changes/ omissions in order to get individual campers out the door, it is really dependent on the individual build and its' particular holdups. If the new email address actually gets answered, this would be the way to go if folks have builds in the shop waiting on parts.

So, this still looks like a going concern, just a very slow going one. I'm not checking social media, so I don't know what # was last delivered or when that was, but until we see differently, one camper per month looks like the output. Luckily, most of these are going on trucks that can last a long time...

The shop is full of camper bodies in from raw to all-but-doorless stages and there is a good deal of stock on the shelves waiting for the time it can get installed. Reorganizing the build and streamlining the options looks like a very real effort to reduce build-times and not the sort of effort a company would make if it couldn't keep the lights on.

I would love to hear from them rather than having to drive 2 counties over to talk ( which has always been pleasant, candid and pretty informative), let's hope they are investing in communication as much as the build process.

I am personally still trusting that Vagabond will get me the camper that was ordered almost 3 years ago, perhaps before the end of year 4, so I'm not calling my CC company or a lawyer, but it is hard to keep faith at times. Hope this was helpful.

Great update, thanks for sharing.

looking at the new options. I had ordered raw aluminum with Frontrunner hatches and was told they would honor that unless I decided to change to one of the new options. appreciate the photos!

 

[Northern Tundra]

I appreciate you taking the time to going to see them, and sharing your findings with all of us. It makes me a feel a little better about getting my camper one day

 

[CanyonTravelers]

On a different topic....
Does anyone sleep with head in towards the wedge? My wife has arthritis and would have trouble doing a 180 to go down to the use the toilet at night. Thanks Jeff

 

[crazysccrmd]

On a different topic....
Does anyone sleep with head in towards the wedge? My wife has arthritis and would have trouble doing a 180 to go down to the use the toilet at night. Thanks Jeff

I did in my GFC and had no issues. I don’t think you’d have a problem unless you’re really tall.

 

[UncleAir]

On a different topic....
Does anyone sleep with head in towards the wedge? My wife has arthritis and would have trouble doing a 180 to go down to the use the toilet at night. Thanks Jeff

I have toyed with it. I added a 12” platform (80/20) so I could get my noggin away from the roof and scooched the mattress toward the rear a bit. When I did sleep that way, I don’t think my sleep was inhibited, if I recall correctly. For some reason, it just didn’t feel right. As I use sheets/blanket tucked in at the foot end, perhaps it was because I still had to finagle them to get out and down during the nightly call. While not dealing with arthritis, I can see how that would cause problems spinning around to get down. Hmmmm…

 

[czukie]

I have toyed with it. I added a 12” platform (80/20) so I could get my noggin away from the roof and scooched the mattress toward the rear a bit. When I did sleep that way, I don’t think my sleep was inhibited, if I recall correctly. For some reason, it just didn’t feel right. As I use sheets/blanket tucked in at the foot end, perhaps it was because I still had to finagle them to get out and down during the nightly call. While not dealing with arthritis, I can see how that would cause problems spinning around to get down. Hmmmm…

Can you post or DM your 80/20 order? I’d like to do the same thing.

 

[UncleAir]

Can you post or DM your 80/20 order? I’d like to do the same thing.

I built the 80/20 frame with stuff from TNUTZ and put a cheap underlayment top on it. Definitely DIY. The edges are sharp (could file them down), but it works. Not sure of exact dimensions. The width is whatever the measurement is between the rails. I used 10” pieces for the length making it 12” total. The 80/20 extrusion and hardware is way overpriced, but very functional, IMO. I think that little platform was around 100.00 total. Does that help?
BTW: I’m so old I don’t even know what “DM” means.

 

[mista_g]

Just a “heads up”…I have successfully contacted and exchanged emails using the contact form on the Vagabond site. Though Minimal, some positive movement. I was told I am 2 batches out for my build (#235) for SA.

I also inquired via the new contact method. I am #243, as I plan on selling my build spot. Was also told 2 batches out and there are 12 campers per batch. Based on your number, the messages seem to match. If anyone is interested in a build spot let me know, I am mista_g on TW as well.

Matt

 

[MapJunkie]

On a different topic....
Does anyone sleep with head in towards the wedge? My wife has arthritis and would have trouble doing a 180 to go down to the use the toilet at night. Thanks Jeff

We have tried sleeping head toward the wedge, but I have felt claustrophobic. My wife is 5' 4" and she was fine, but at 6", I felt like I didn't have enough space to breath. Also, it was strange to have the roof inches from my face. I also got the extension from VO, but found it was a pain to manage when the bed was up. So... we are back to sleeping head toward the door. We have a build that is high on one side, and that makes it easier to get out at night.

 

[czukie]

Has anyone mounted their own awning brackets (in the rear or side) after picking up the camper? Preferably with photos. I’m looking to eventually mount a 4’ awning either off the rear or side, but did not get my camper with the awning mounts. Trying to figure out the best way to go about this since lord knows I won’t be able to get ahold of VO anytime soon.

Couldn’t find much on the Tacomaworld forum. Also kind of annoying that they are allowing a “GFC mods, tips, and tricks” thread but not a vagabond one. Oh well... TIA

 

[parttimedirtbag]

Has anyone mounted their own awning brackets (in the rear or side) after picking up the camper? Preferably with photos. I’m looking to eventually mount a 4’ awning either off the rear or side, but did not get my camper with the awning mounts. Trying to figure out the best way to go about this since lord knows I won’t be able to get ahold of VO anytime soon.

Couldn’t find much on the Tacomaworld forum. Also kind of annoying that they are allowing a “GFC mods, tips, and tricks” thread but not a vagabond one. Oh well... TIA

Our camper is very close to complete and we got brackets on the back for a 4ft ARB awning so I can send pics as soon as we get it (which god I hope is soon).

 

[czukie]

Our camper is very close to complete and we got brackets on the back for a 4ft ARB awning so I can send pics as soon as we get it (which god I hope is soon).

That would much appreciated. Nervous about drilling into mine to mount brackets so trying to collect as much info as possible lol

 

[mac_dillon]

I'm afraid this post may be met with some heavy objection specially from those that are still able to find hope in the Vagabond process, but please do not flag or report me for this. I, just as many others, am caught up in this seemingly endless waiting game. I have had the same trouble communicating with Vagabond. I have not been able to solicit responses for what seems to me like very easy questions to answer and at this point it is hard to not feel like I am just being strung along to just be witness to the inevitable bankruptcy of a small company.

After 2-1/2 years of waiting I have given up hope my camper ever materialize. In the same length of time I've been involved with Vagabond I have managed to successfully buy a new tacoma, and build it out with SCS Wheels, a King/ Total Chaos suspension package, Alcan Springs, and Bay Area Metal Fab bumpers, shackle/ hangers, and sliders. Every company I've purchased from had their own particular COVID quirks and challenges but they all continued to communicate efficiently and did not push me off or disregard the need to provide good customer service.

I've asked Vagabond repeatedly for a refund and my request is seemingly being pushed off as an unnecessary service. At this point I feel like my money is being held hostage or worse no longer there. The woman working for Phil appears to me to not be any more effective at getting this ship moving than Phil was. I don't blame her, I do believe that if she could she would issue a return immediately and/ or find a way to produce everyones campers in a timely manner. I feel like Phil is the only real road block here.

Nonetheless I feel like I've hit a dead end with vagabond and I do believe my camper that has been said to be just two batches back just as everybody else has been told recently (I have also been told they would make a special exception and they could move my camper to the next batch as long as I wave my request to have my money returned) will never be made by Vagabond as long as it is owned by Phil.

As a precaution and as an effort to recover my money I have begun to explore other options. I have chatted with a hand full of other VO customers in waiting and I have sought legal advice. I'm in the early stages of trying to find an effective way of recovering my money but the legal waters are murky. I did reach out to the Solano County DA's office and I can't say weather or not it will be helpful to chat with them but they do oversee and entertain complaints for customer fraud protection cases on Benicia, Ca. where Vagabond operates. If anyone would like to file a complaint it can be done here..

https://www.solanocounty.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=29520

The form needs to be filled out and sent to the email on the form. It is best to send the form with any/ all documentation you have.

A link to the complaint can be found on this page..

Solano County - Consumer & Environmental Crimes Unit

www.solanocounty.com

If you have any questions for the DA's office you can reach them by phone at 707.784.6859.

 

[OVRLNDFX4]

Are you close by to them?