Help me plan out an overlanding rig...

[campfire]

Branching this off from Big Blue's thread.

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Oh, your talking about a CAMPER camper. I've got a 1964 8 ft Alaskan that my dad restored and we took around Lake Superior twice, The guy we got it from said it was used in a 1966 stepside C20 for almost 10 years straight before he got it.

It's also part of the reason I want to find a K20, So I can put it in there, as right now I've got the Blazer (That wont work) the Silver Dodge (Short bed half ton) and the red Cummins (Flatbed)

Meh. Neither myself nor my wife are sure what we want. Ideas range from having just a simple stuff hauler to building a platform bed to doing a full slide-in camper (we've even thought about using a Chalet). Really not sure which idea to follow next. It's not going to be Big Blue, for multiple reasons. Too narrow, no bed access from the cab, spare tire in the way, etc.

Here are some of the different combinations we've run in the last few years...

And the ever popular DD. Cramped and not great offroad. But it is cheap and reliable.

All of these have had good and bad aspects. And all of them had room for improvement.

I also have this '93 K2500 6.5/NV4500 rig that my dad keeps trying to pawn off on me. Not in great shape, but nearly free, and certainly up to camper duty.

 

[campfire]

If I ran a truck camper I'd want to remove the back cab wall to allow access. Not willing to chop up Big Blue, but the '93 is in rough enough shape that nobody would cry if I did a camping conversion. If I just rock the Suburban, the lack of height makes it harder to do things inside the vehicle besides sleeping (I'm thinking of cooking and bathroom duties). Last year this didn't bother me at all, but this year I realized that having a portable toilet would make potty training a whole lot easier.

Not much interested in a trailer, that would be a liability when overlanding. And I can't use it while moving. Given that I run primarily through woods, I'm starting to wonder how much vertical height I want to add to a branch-scraping vehicle. Suburban is just about perfect. But slide-in is more useful and more comfy. Both trucks are broken at this moment.

Thoughts? What would YOU put in an overlanding rig if it was intended to support a family on long-haul camping trips across the country and through the woods & the Rockies?

 

[The Griff]

I cant help but think that a Chalet would be the perfect thing for you. It's a slide in camper, but it's a Blazer, not a pickup, so theres no rear cab wall.

I know my dad was kicking himself for years after letting the Chalet that one of our old neighbors ended up with around 2005-2006 get away from him.
Neighbor guy got it in an auction, had no idea what it was, wanted to rip the camper off and make it a mud truck. My dad tried to get it from him for months, until he up and sold it to someone else.

 

[Bent77]

If I ran a truck camper I'd want to remove the back cab wall to allow access. Not willing to chop up Big Blue, but the '93 is in rough enough shape that nobody would cry if I did a camping conversion. If I just rock the Suburban, the lack of height makes it harder to do things inside the vehicle besides sleeping (I'm thinking of cooking and bathroom duties). Last year this didn't bother me at all, but this year I realized that having a portable toilet would make potty training a whole lot easier.

Not much interested in a trailer, that would be a liability when overlanding. And I can't use it while moving. Given that I run primarily through woods, I'm starting to wonder how much vertical height I want to add to a branch-scraping vehicle. Suburban is just about perfect. But slide-in is more useful and more comfy. Both trucks are broken at this moment.

Thoughts? What would YOU put in an overlanding rig if it was intended to support a family on long-haul camping trips across the country and through the woods & the Rockies?

Now is this all highway overland, or crazy Larry overland?

A pop up would work well, and with the little one, extra cab pretty important

 

[diesel4me]

This is what I'd want to go cross country,and still have off road 4x4 ability..the Quigley conversion van,it can do it all--plow,travel highways,off road,and you can (almost) stand up in it ..

Shown below are a few examples--also one photo of the strange "V drive" low profile 4x4 van conversions some had,to keep center of gravity low..

 

[Bent77]

Odd looking contraption, never saw that before.

 

[Phil513]

Longbed 4X4 with a pop top slide in camper. At least that is my dream overlander.

 

[The Griff]

Also, on a serious note, you've got that M1009, Why not take a short bed slide in camper, cut the front of it out, and slap it into that thing?



But for what It's worth, 90% of the camping I've done has been with either a 94 2wd 3/4 ton reg. cab 12 Valve 5 speed with a pop-up slide in, Or with a 94 reg.cab 7.3 F-250 with that Alaskan pop-up in it.

 

[Blue85]

Everything is a compromise. You kind of have to decide what the minimum you need is and rock it. Every square foot and amenity is one more place you can't fit or make it.

A chalet is retro cool and would make a decent overland rig as long as you keep the height low. I would probably have one if I thought I would be satisfied cruising around at stock height and small tires. A 4-wheel camper is much more trail friendly, but I've never seen one for sale East of the Mississippi. Of course the size is always the best and worst thing about any off-road/camping rig. My gut feel is that most places you want to go are reachable by stockers. Remember that a Chalet wheels WAY WORSE than a regular K5/10 because of the weight and size, so a stock Chalet is less capable than a regular stock truck. You would think something like an Earthroamer or a newer Revcon is the ultimate vehicle until you see them offroad. They start out at like twice the weight of a regular truck. Every find a load range E off-road tire? Of course not. When you're 12k-17k you just can't climb or wheel, no matter what the shiny brochures say. You get mired in stuff a stock Jeep with 100hp walks right through. Those 4WD motorhomes are good in open deserts, but don't always fit in the North woods or make it through the mud.

Have you explored expedition portal?

EDIT: I always wanted to try fitting a pop-up camper into a pickup bed, or instead of a pickup bed. Then it stays compact for the trails, but folds out to tons of space once you get to a campsite. Kind of like an RTT on steroids.

 

[campfire]

I cant help but think that a Chalet would be the perfect thing for you. It's a slide in camper, but it's a Blazer, not a pickup, so theres no rear cab wall.

I know my dad was kicking himself for years after letting the Chalet that one of our old neighbors ended up with around 2005-2006 get away from him.
Neighbor guy got it in an auction, had no idea what it was, wanted to rip the camper off and make it a mud truck. My dad tried to get it from him for months, until he up and sold it to someone else.

Not much space in a Chalet. It's taller, but I have significantly more room in my Suburban. At this point I'm pretty confident that if I go the slide-in route, I'll find a long-bed (like the freebie one) and chop the wall out. More space, more place, more happy.

Again, the reason I'm having this discussion is that introducing baby has changed the calculus. Instead of driving 500 miles at a stretch, I hafta stop every 200 miles for infant maintenance. Prior to this a platform bed in the back of the Suburban was exactly what I wanted (no more, no less). Having spent a lot of time on the side of the road tending baby, I've been reminded that a camper would allow a lot of the tending to be done on-the-go. With food and a toilet, the rig can pretty much keep trucking until the driver collapses.

I only have one kid (at least, at this point), but I am building with the assumption that the rig must be able to transport family + a few friends. Let's say 2 full benches (6 seatbelts) is minimum. The K5 just can't do that AND camp AND toilet without getting pretty cramped.

 

[Blue85]

Obviously what you need is something WITH the cab wall, and lots of soundproofing. Install a sweet sound system in the cab and have seats for everyone else in the back. Oh yeah, and as Homer Simpson stipulated "it should sound like the world is ending when you rev the engine".

 

[campfire]

Now is this all highway overland, or crazy Larry overland?

A pop up would work well, and with the little one, extra cab pretty important

The goal is to be comfortable driving across country and then spend a week off the road (self-contained) in the Rockies (or wherever). So pretty much what @Larry does. But my present lack of off road experience will keep me away from hardcore wheeling and being 10 hours away from the nearest paved road. This isn't about breaking stuff or conquering Moab, this is about getting out and seeing parts of the country that my Saturn can't reach. Think Mosesburb with his 33" tires.

 

[Babaganoosh]

When my truck is up and running and up to the task I want to create a can back camper style with a air mattress! My ultimate goal is to drive the truck camping and enjoying trails!

 

[Blue85]

Larry's rig is great in a lot of ways (one of my favorites). But buying the custom camper is a lot of coin. And it's not light, which is a factor if you travel on soft terrain. He's obviously weighed out all these pros and cons and ended up with a regular cab.

As for the cab wall, I almost feel like it's a benefit. Yes, if you pull into camp and it's raining you don't have to get wet. But it also eliminates more space from being useable, assuming you also want a regular rear door. Unless you want to keep your camper on full-time, you also have to devise a way to make it seal up to the cab in a non-permanent basis. This is one of the reasons Chalet came as "permanent" camper.

 

[Bent77]

Yeah hardcore with a camper aint happening, as mentioned above by Blue85.

If you are using a camper and doing much off road, you will find the xtra cab and wheelbase to be a bit unwieldy. Larry is using a K10 & a pop up.
Compromise is going to be everything.

I think a LWB and camper very diligently packed and organized will be best. Think modular storage that can be cleared from the living space upon arrival

 

[campfire]

A pop up would work well, and with the little one, extra cab pretty important

Yes, the thought with cutting the back out is to use the back area as part of the passenger seating. @GWeakland620 is trying to talk me into CCLB with a slide-in (like he's doing), but that would mean purchasing a new truck instead of using one of the paid-for ones. So it would hafta be a significant gain to be worth while. Plus, a CCLB is really long. Not sure I wanna take that on the winding road to Crisp Point.

 

[campfire]

This is what I'd want to go cross country,and still have off road 4x4 ability..the Quigley conversion van,it can do it all--plow,travel highways,off road,and you can (almost) stand up in it ..

Shown below are a few examples--also one photo of the strange "V drive" low profile 4x4 van conversions some had,to keep center of gravity low..

View attachment 209849

View attachment 209850

View attachment 209851

Van would solve most of the problems, and Wifey likes this option, but it would be a pretty extensive build (perhaps even expensive, too). Unless my priorities shift a bunch it would take me 10 years to get one done properly.

 

[campfire]

Also, on a serious note, you've got that M1009, Why not take a short bed slide in camper, cut the front of it out, and slap it into that thing?



But for what It's worth, 90% of the camping I've done has been with either a 94 2wd 3/4 ton reg. cab 12 Valve 5 speed with a pop-up slide in, Or with a 94 reg.cab 7.3 F-250 with that Alaskan pop-up in it.

The M1009 is really cramped on cargo space. I only have 5.5' worth of bed in the back of that. If you leave the seat in, I only have...3 feet? Something like that, it's not a useful amount of space. The extra foot that the Chalet offers is sorely needed.

 

[Bent77]

Van would solve most of the problems, and Wifey likes this option, but it would be a pretty extensive build (perhaps even expensive, too). Unless my priorities shift a bunch it would take me 10 years to get one done properly.

In 10 years, you'll have 6 kids. Start with the CCLB @GWeakland620 suggested and buy a 5th wheel

 

[blazinzuk]

I think a crew cab is in your future.

Or the burb.

I just don't see you guys not having more kids. That has to be a factor.

Other than that a pop up camper is what I would do.

Or start yoga so you can get dressed with ease in the suburban.