The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Overland Hadley]

Thanks for the detailed response! I have to agree, finding "how-to's" on propane plumbing on the 'net is nearly impossible. I know you've been asked for a ton of links, but I'm wondering what kind of fitting you used for your "thru-hull" fitting on the propane locker? Or did you come up with something else to get the hose out the locker? Also, where did you source all the on/offs, angles, etc used in the propane setup?

Thanks!

Here is what I found most helpful, Fireboy-Xintex's Instalation guide.
http://www.fireboy-xintex.com/manuals/Single%20Tank%20Illustrated%20Diagram.pdf

And here is their catalog of parts.
http://www.fireboy-xintex.com/propane_detectors.html#Adapters

Also look at Trident's website as I think they have a similar diagram and parts list.

The on/off valves I used are from the local hardware store.

Also check out SLO_F-250 build thread (Link) as he has done some propane plumbing work.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Would it be conceivable to consider a storage area built between the roof of the truck and the camper overhang, which would aid airflow whilst adding storage capacity?

Yes it would, and I am currently working on it!

There are three inches of clearance between the camper and the cab of the roof. So not a ton of space but it is usable.

I am working on a mounting setup for the four MaxTrax that I now carry. Having them on the roof was okay, but they are heavy and ate up the space reserved for a canoe-kayaks-skiboxes. Having them mounted to the underside of the cabover should be much better. I will need 3.5 inches of clearance for a double stack of Trax, so I will be raising the camper half an inch.

I would also like to have a storage space in the corner, similar to the one in the photo below.

 

[ETAV8R]

Would it be conceivable to consider a storage area built between the roof of the truck and the camper overhang, which would aid airflow whilst adding storage capacity?

IIRC the roofbar mounting channels lie beneath the black trim on the truck roof.

View attachment 127187

Yes it would, and I am currently working on it!

There are three inches of clearance between the camper and the cab of the roof. So not a ton of space but it is usable.

I am working on a mounting setup for the four MaxTrax that I now carry. Having them on the roof was okay, but they are heavy and ate up the space reserved for a canoe-kayaks-skiboxes. Having them mounted to the underside of the cabover should be much better. I will need 3.5 inches of clearance for a double stack of Trax, so I will be raising the camper half an inch.

I would also like to have a storage space in the corner, similar to the one in the photo below.

I would suggest finding Jeffwanamog's FWC thread and/or contacting him. He made a water and fuel storage area beneath the overhang with a wing out front to further redirect airflow. I would call him a master builder of sorts. His latest project is amazing.

 

[DesertBoater]

Nathan, just a thought on your calculations with regards to the MaxTrax and the cabover height, whenever I look in my side mirrors bouncing down the road, I can see a pretty decent amount of flex going on between the bed and cab that's exacerbated by the weight/height of the camper. I'd probably either check and re-check my measurements or add in an extra little bit (1/2"?) to account for the flex so that you don't ding up your roof or the underside of the cabover. I'm currently looking to build a table that fits in between the front of the camper and the bed, and possibly a set of Rotopax fuel cans on the cabover. It would probably be noisy, but what about using the MaxTrax as a piece of your wind fairing idea?

Cheers,
West

 

[Overland Hadley]

I would suggest finding Jeffwanamog's FWC thread and/or contacting him. He made a water and fuel storage area beneath the overhang with a wing out front to further redirect airflow. I would call him a master builder of sorts. His latest project is amazing.

Yes. And not only has Jeff's work been an inspiration, but he has been very kind in answering my questions.

Cheers Jeff!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Nathan, just a thought on your calculations with regards to the MaxTrax and the cabover height, whenever I look in my side mirrors bouncing down the road, I can see a pretty decent amount of flex going on between the bed and cab that's exacerbated by the weight/height of the camper. I'd probably either check and re-check my measurements or add in an extra little bit (1/2"?) to account for the flex so that you don't ding up your roof or the underside of the cabover. I'm currently looking to build a table that fits in between the front of the camper and the bed, and possibly a set of Rotopax fuel cans on the cabover. It would probably be noisy, but what about using the MaxTrax as a piece of your wind fairing idea?

Cheers,
West

Yes, I noted and checked the flexing of the camper on this last trip. What I found was that there is side to side flex, but there is very little fore/aft flex. And there is little worry about the cabover clearance measurement as the cab is curved, so the minimum is in the middle where the side to side flex does not affect the clearance.

But I do plan to have some extra clearance, about 3/8". Hopefully that will be enough, if not I will have a dimpled truck roof.

I am going to be using a Thule fairing mounted on the truck. I like the fact that with the Thule fairing I can have almost zero clearance between the fairing and truck.

Please keep us posted on your under cabover table mount. Sounds like a good use of that space. Hmmm.....

 

[Jeff Wanamog]

I thought my ears were burning!
Thanks for the nice compliments.

Jeff

 

[Overland Hadley]

Fail

The campers interior LED lights will have to be used sparingly, as they will be running off the single truck battery. This will work for me, as the weight savings of not having a second battery is impressive.

I have been mulling over options for my main light source. I thought about a LED lantern like the Black Diamond Apollo. (Link) But in the end I hate dragging around small batteries as much as I hate the heavy big ones.

Then I remembered the three candle lanterns I bought for a trip in the pacific north west. There was something warm and comforting about sitting around a couple of candles, especially in the never ending rain. Sure, they can be a bit of a pain, but it's something I do not mind dealing with.

I have the standard UCO Candle Lantern, (Link) customized with some of my stickers.

Well the Candle Lantern was a fail. First night out I knocked over both candles, spilling hot wax all over the Smev glass top and putting a little melt mark on the edge of the polar pack. They got put away and did not come out for the rest of the trip.

Instead I used the pair of Apollo lanterns I had brought as a backup. They worked great, although they ate through the AAA batteries at an alarming rate. Next trip I will have a full set of Eneloop rechargeable batteries, currently I have the USB chargers but no AAA's.

Lesson learned, in a small camper it is better to burn through batteries than burn through the polar pack. :costumed-smiley-007

 

[docdave]

I've got one of those coleman LED lanterns with removable/rechargable panels that I use to lighten the load on my camper battery. It's a bit heavy, but the batteries last a really long time, and a single panel is enough to read by, or find the potty.

 

[Overland Hadley]

New Stereo

I will want a small stereo in the camper.

I looked over a bunch of different options, and in the end decided some small speakers to connect the ipod to would work best.

I went with these Sony speakers because I have a pair of similar speakers made by Sony that are about 12 years old, and they still work and sound good.

Sony speakers from B&H

Sometimes I am just behind the current technology.

The little Sony speakers worked nicely, but I recently found bluetooth speakers that have a built in lithium battery that is charged via USB. Perfect! The Sony ran on AA batteries, and the cords between the two speakers and the ipod were annoying. So I ordered an Aliph Jawbone Big Jambox, welcome to the year 2010 Nathanael!

 

[doubleb]

I use this for a lantern in my camper: http://www.rei.com/product/818880/snow-peak-hozuki-led-lantern-with-candle-mode

It's wicked expensive but it works really well. It takes AAA batteries, or you can run it off of a usb cable (it has a mini usb port in the hook). I power it with usb and it works great.

I think I remember that you installed usb outlets in your rig, so it might not be a bad idea.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Here is an interesting article in Truck Camper Magazine about a couple who are taking their Tacoma mounted pop-up camper down through Central and South America. They carefully saved their money for a couple years to be able to pay for this year long journey.

TCM article

Their blog is here adventureamericas.wordpress.com

 

[DesertBoater]

Have you thought about using the rechargeable battery pack from Black Diamond for those Apollo lanterns? I don't have any personal experience with them, however it seems like a great idea. Rechargeable via wall outlet or cigarette outlet, and you wouldn't need to carry around a whole bunch of excess batteries/charging bits. I've seen them on sale here and there for somewhere around $20 for the kit (battery and chargers).

Cheers,
West

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Hey Nathanael

Loving your pictures and your build out !

Haven't been chiming in much, but I'm watching your improvements each week.

: )

Keep up the good work.



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[Overland Hadley]

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