First off, thanks to everyone that posts their builds here. I appreciate the inspiration and creativity; special thanks to G100 with the T100 build.
In mid 2015, I bought a 2013 Tacoma extracab, 4x4 offroad, with 30,000 miles. It is completely stock except for a slick Relentless Fabrications rear bumper that the previous owner installed. With the burden of a vehicle payment, I didn't have much to work with for my build, so besides the vehicle itself, everything else is low budget.
The impetus here was a month off that I wanted to spend exploring the surf in Baja. The build took about three days and I got an amazing three weeks in Mexico.
The shell, $250 on CL in San Diego. Aluminum contractor shell. Sliding rear windows, ladder rack, very basic.
I wanted to try and insulate the roof a little. Mostly though, I didn't want to feel like I was sleeping in an aluminum can. The basic pink insulation roll at Home Depot, split in half so it would lie between the roof struts. 1/8th inch birch veneer from home depot, attractive and cheap enough to try and fail. Two sheets, cut by the folks at HD, screwed into the roof struts with metal screws and overlapping approximately 2 inches. I'd hoped to have the edges meet in the center, but quickly realized I didn't have that kind of precision.
For the sleeping platform, I drew from the dirtbag climbing world, specifically Steph Davis' old climbing trucks. Very low sleeping platform with a fixed shelf towards the cab. This design allows me to sit up in bed and keep some basics inside the shell while camping. I keep everything in bins, and they come out and either go on the ground or get stacked behind the seats in the cab. 4 inch memory foam mattress topper is very comfortable to sleep on and rolls up into a tarp under the fixed shelf.
The wood tailgate. This is also from Steph Davis. It's a pretty nice spot to drink a beer and watch the ocean.
Pull out table. This worked out really well. We did all our cooking here. The legs tuck up underneath it and the spacer is just a little too wide so the legs jam nicely under the table and stay put when I'm sliding it back in.
Homemade sun shade. Two fiberglass extension poles, four pipe clamps, a $7 tarp and a tub of bungee cords. Shade is precious in the desert and this worked pretty well for about $80 total.
In mid 2015, I bought a 2013 Tacoma extracab, 4x4 offroad, with 30,000 miles. It is completely stock except for a slick Relentless Fabrications rear bumper that the previous owner installed. With the burden of a vehicle payment, I didn't have much to work with for my build, so besides the vehicle itself, everything else is low budget.
The impetus here was a month off that I wanted to spend exploring the surf in Baja. The build took about three days and I got an amazing three weeks in Mexico.
The shell, $250 on CL in San Diego. Aluminum contractor shell. Sliding rear windows, ladder rack, very basic.
I wanted to try and insulate the roof a little. Mostly though, I didn't want to feel like I was sleeping in an aluminum can. The basic pink insulation roll at Home Depot, split in half so it would lie between the roof struts. 1/8th inch birch veneer from home depot, attractive and cheap enough to try and fail. Two sheets, cut by the folks at HD, screwed into the roof struts with metal screws and overlapping approximately 2 inches. I'd hoped to have the edges meet in the center, but quickly realized I didn't have that kind of precision.
For the sleeping platform, I drew from the dirtbag climbing world, specifically Steph Davis' old climbing trucks. Very low sleeping platform with a fixed shelf towards the cab. This design allows me to sit up in bed and keep some basics inside the shell while camping. I keep everything in bins, and they come out and either go on the ground or get stacked behind the seats in the cab. 4 inch memory foam mattress topper is very comfortable to sleep on and rolls up into a tarp under the fixed shelf.
The wood tailgate. This is also from Steph Davis. It's a pretty nice spot to drink a beer and watch the ocean.
Pull out table. This worked out really well. We did all our cooking here. The legs tuck up underneath it and the spacer is just a little too wide so the legs jam nicely under the table and stay put when I'm sliding it back in.
Homemade sun shade. Two fiberglass extension poles, four pipe clamps, a $7 tarp and a tub of bungee cords. Shade is precious in the desert and this worked pretty well for about $80 total.
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