CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

'91 K5 Four Wheel Camper

This is the build for my 1991 V1500 Blazer, AKA the K5.3. It started out life being sold to the U.S. Government with a 350 TBI/700r4/241 combo. 4 years with a 5.3/700r4 Combo and now moving to an 8.1L Vortec and NV4500 5-speed.
Got the Camper loaded out. Just need to throw my duffel bag and dog bed in the morning. I'll stop for beer at the liquor store on my way out of town. Pretty nice being able to throw it together in 30 minutes or so.


The chuck box. Got all the goodies for cooking in one pelican case. Toss it in and go.

I loaded the fridge with some gatorade and water for now. I've got some treats for desert after dinner that I'll put in there in the morning. Sitting in the hot truck and tossing in the warm gatorade and water brought the temp up. So I dialed it down to 31 for now. Should be down to temp in a couple of hours or less.
No dog picture? Boo hiss
 
No dog picture? Boo hiss
Tomorrow. Right now we got one too many asswipes blowing off fireworks and its freaking her out. The locals sure do like their illegal fireworks down here.
 
Tomorrow. Right now we got one too many asswipes blowing off fireworks and its freaking her out. The locals sure do like their illegal fireworks down here.
Yeah. Our pups will be staying up here for the 4th this year. Not that it’s much better.
Fact is...
 
Yeah. Our pups will be staying up here for the 4th this year. Not that it’s much better.
Fact is...
All the better reason for her to come with me tomorrow. Our other dog is either deaf or just don't care. Funny thing is she didn't freak out last year that my wife or I could recall.
 
All the better reason for her to come with me tomorrow. Our other dog is either deaf or just don't care. Funny thing is she didn't freak out last year that my wife or I could recall.
Yeah our big dog couldn’t give 2 poops about it

The heeler is the one with pretty much all the issues
:haha:
 
Yeah our big dog couldn’t give 2 poops about it

The heeler is the one with pretty much all the issues
:haha:
Heelers are pretty keyed up doggos in the first place aren't they? Mine is a mutt with some herding traits mixed in.
 
Heelers are pretty keyed up doggos in the first place aren't they? Mine is a mutt with some herding traits mixed in.
Yeah. Like a 240 volt version of a 120 volt dog.

Doggo will probably like some cooler weather as well
 
Last dog was very unhappy about fireworks (as was I, as they would launch them over out house). Our new girl is much more keyed up... This will be interesting, she tries to climb the walls when the trash truck is outside... :doah:
 
Overnight runs are great, but almost always too short. But it was worth it for the break from work. I blew out of the shop and stopped to top off the tank and case of suds and hit the highway. The way up Hwy 50 from work is following the Arkansas river through a narrow canyon. Sorry no pics as the dog managed to barf her breakfast right into the console section where my CB is housed. I almost wiped out a passing car as I looked down to see the barf flowing all over. Needless to say a 2 lane highway in a canyon cut by a river means there isn't many places to pull over safely. I found a spot a mile down and proceeded to muck out the console with half of a roll of paper towels. Discouraged over the time I lost cleaning up I decided to boogie without screwing around anymore.

With the cleanup behind me I got to the trailhead an hour behind schedule. But I was at least on dirt and moving in the right direction.

I aired down since the trail to Rainbow lake is riddled with softball to basketball sized rocks that just does not allow one to carry any trail speed at all. But the views out the windows are worth the kidney punishment.

Knowing I was the sherpa bringing the means to cook dinner for the group I didn't stop much for pictures. But here is the creek leading up to the campsite.

Rainbow lake itself has been filling like mad from our a heavy snowfall this winter. The short stretch from the campsite to the lake is only 50 yards right now. It's fuller than anybody that was with us can remember. Here's the view from the campsite down.
Halfway.
From the water's edge. Previously Larry and I had drove between those aspen trees and gone down 100ft straight ahead and another 100 feet to the right.

My buddy John and his brother hiked around the lake before I got up there with his dog in effort to find a good fishing spot. Due to the new larger size they ended up hiking across scree fields on the mountian slope along the edge. His brother fell in and the dog, unfortunately, tore up the pads of her feet on the rocks. Fishing I was told sucked as access was just horrible. Maybe on a kayak, which nobody had.

Back at camp.

I've got some more from my camera I've yet to pull off the memory card. Continued...
 
Here's a little more from my main camera. My coner of the campsite. DSCF0051.JPG
The creek.
DSCF0060.JPG Storm cruising. DSCF0061.JPG
Cooking dinner.
DSCF0063.JPG
That's Shane protecting camp with his BB gun.
DSCF0064.JPG
The creek that was by our camp further down the trail where it crosses it.
DSCF0070.JPG
Getting back to the valley.
DSCF0073.JPG
On the way back we stopped at the section of the Arkansas river known as 5 points. Pretty hairy white water right now. Max flow is happening. Like 2500-3000 cubic feet per second.
DSCF0074.JPG DSCF0075.JPG

Pretty good weekend out. Temps were 20 degrees cooler than back home and overnight it never dropped below 50. The furnace was not put into use last night.
 
Here's a little more from my main camera. My coner of the campsite. View attachment 307171
The creek.
View attachment 307172 Storm cruising. View attachment 307173
Cooking dinner.
View attachment 307174
That's Shane protecting camp with his BB gun.
View attachment 307175
The creek that was by our camp further down the trail where it crosses it.
View attachment 307176
Getting back to the valley.
View attachment 307177
On the way back we stopped at the section of the Arkansas river known as 5 points. Pretty hairy white water right now. Max flow is happening. Like 2500-3000 cubic feet per second.
View attachment 307178 View attachment 307179

Pretty good weekend out. Temps were 20 degrees cooler than back home and overnight it never dropped below 50. The furnace was not put into use last night.
I have nothing to add to your trip. Awesome stuff. But I want to say I rafted the Arkansas at 4300... Fu©king wild.
 
I've Rafted it at where it is now. Never again! My sense of self-preservation has increased ten fold since I did it.
I wanted to do big water once in my life. Just so happened my buddy was coming into Denver and we had a bunch of rain. It also happened it was recorded setting water when we went. Glad I did it. But I wouldn't do it again.
 
Last edited:
Do you experience any sway from the suspension of the truck while you're in your camper section? I just know when I have my camper loaded in my crew cab at a campsite, if I don't lower the jacks down, it's pretty noticeable when hanging out in the camper, but after I drop the jacks down, it's solid as a rock.

Cool pictures. Makes me miss some parts of CO. Those pics of the Arkansas river bring me back as we used to deer/elk hunt over in that area off Hwy 50 when I was growing up
 
Do you experience any sway from the suspension of the truck while you're in your camper section? I just know when I have my camper loaded in my crew cab at a campsite, if I don't lower the jacks down, it's pretty noticeable when hanging out in the camper, but after I drop the jacks down, it's solid as a rock.

Cool pictures. Makes me miss some parts of CO. Those pics of the Arkansas river bring me back as we used to deer/elk hunt over in that area off Hwy 50 when I was growing up

My truck moves some when I'm inside it for sure. It's not extreme, but if I shift around in the upper bunk it moves the whole truck. Movement is expected in my case. I'm not willing to sacrifice another inch of width to keep Jack's attached at each corner. I'd prune those babies off in the trees for sure.

But in your case I'd use them if you got them.
 
My truck moves some when I'm inside it for sure. It's not extreme, but if I shift around in the upper bunk it moves the whole truck. Movement is expected in my case. I'm not willing to sacrifice another inch of width to keep Jack's attached at each corner. I'd prune those babies off in the trees for sure.

But in your case I'd use them if you got them.

Yeah, I totally get that, was just wondering if the sway was excessive or not. Sounds like it's not bad enough to care, which is good.

And I totally understand that adding jacks to the ends would most likely get ripped off on even mild Colorado trails.

Truck looks sick man. One of the coolest Overlanding rig I've seen :waytogo:
 
Yeah, I totally get that, was just wondering if the sway was excessive or not. Sounds like it's not bad enough to care, which is good.

And I totally understand that adding jacks to the ends would most likely get ripped off on even mild Colorado trails.

Truck looks sick man. One of the coolest Overlanding rig I've seen :waytogo:
Yeah it's not a big enough deal on mine to worry about. In high winds that might be a different story. Larry told me the day after he got back from the Desert trip his daughter wanted to spend a night out camping with Daddy. So he pulled it out of the garage and popped the top and got set up for the night. The winds picked up big time to the point the whole truck was swaying in the wind and making him nervous. He does have 4-corner jacks for his but pulled them as soon as he brought the camper home for the same reason I wouldn't put them on mine. So he dropped the top and backed into the garage and popped it up in there and camped inside the garage. I think besides the sway he was worried about the wind blowing the roof and supports to one side. Something yours won't have a problem being a hard side worrying about the pop top lift bending in the wind.

Thanks for the compliment dude! Totally appreciated for sure.
 
Top Bottom