Big Booty Judy - 2014 w OVRLND Camper and other goodies
- Thread starter Fergie
- Start date
Got my awning installed yesterday. I had some questions about the bracket install and after calling Jay, he had me come over to the shop to discuss options, and this was the solution we came up with.
This sucker made it a lot easier!
Also installed the PPW...cutting a large hole in a new camper is always fun. I located it here so I can access it via the side hatch.
This sucker made it a lot easier!
Also installed the PPW...cutting a large hole in a new camper is always fun. I located it here so I can access it via the side hatch.
Got the 200W Renogy panel mounted this weekend. I tried lots of different ways to mount it...yakima bars, aluminum L angle in different configs, and then came up w a very low-profile mount using some old aluminum signs and riveting the mounts to the panel, and then bolting it to the Yakima tracks.
The other project was the Bedrug...holy hell! I didnt know crawling around in the back of the truck could be so damn comfy. This thing is great. I installed the Mountain Hatch tailgate cover over the bed rug. Used an old screwdriver awl that I heated up to make the holes through the rug. Had to buy some longer lag screws, but it worked out just fine.
Still need to get the interior build going and get my second battery back in so I can mount the fridge and have it ready for a Steelhead fishing trip in a few weeks.
The other project was the Bedrug...holy hell! I didnt know crawling around in the back of the truck could be so damn comfy. This thing is great. I installed the Mountain Hatch tailgate cover over the bed rug. Used an old screwdriver awl that I heated up to make the holes through the rug. Had to buy some longer lag screws, but it worked out just fine.
Still need to get the interior build going and get my second battery back in so I can mount the fridge and have it ready for a Steelhead fishing trip in a few weeks.
The girlfriend and I took a trip to Yosemite and Redding this past week, and the first camping trip in the camper...it was sofa king cold...mid 20s overnight, but the park was clear of most visitors, so we enjoyed not having crowds. Gas prices in CA sucked, and so did the extra weight of the camper, so 4.88s or 5.29s are in the near future.
We stopped near Boron for a lunch spot....aero style to stay out of the wind.
Yosemite needs to fix this...
Breakfast was solid after the cold night....Mr. Buddy didnt do the trick.
And of course; a pic in front of the NP sign for proof:
We left after a few days and made breakfast on the road:
Then it was on to Redding for some Steelhead fishing. I caught a dozen or so fish total...mostly small ones, two chunks, and then this big male...24" or so. Thought the line had caught the bottom initial, but then it took off towards the main channel and the fight was on.
For the actual quick build out I did, this was just V1.0...beta at that...lots of improvements and tweaks needed.
The curtains are just old flannel sheets w a layer of reflectix sewn in between, w some hook and loop to attach to the windows.
Thats all for now.
We stopped near Boron for a lunch spot....aero style to stay out of the wind.
Yosemite needs to fix this...
Breakfast was solid after the cold night....Mr. Buddy didnt do the trick.
And of course; a pic in front of the NP sign for proof:
We left after a few days and made breakfast on the road:
Then it was on to Redding for some Steelhead fishing. I caught a dozen or so fish total...mostly small ones, two chunks, and then this big male...24" or so. Thought the line had caught the bottom initial, but then it took off towards the main channel and the fight was on.
For the actual quick build out I did, this was just V1.0...beta at that...lots of improvements and tweaks needed.
The curtains are just old flannel sheets w a layer of reflectix sewn in between, w some hook and loop to attach to the windows.
Thats all for now.
I see Jerry, Louis(still hang out w him & Lindsay), Richard(?), The "Gear Bros"(sorry, you guys helped bail me from that trip and I cant remember your names), Adam and Trisha(...Adam is a literal rocket scientist...last name Steltzner....google the Mars Rovers), Trevor, ViaTierra(cant recall your name, but I know you are Mark's bro), and then Doc and the Mrs.
Shout out to Doc for his encouragement too...after these pics, I went on to grad school a few years later, and always appreciated his kind words of wisdom to chase being a PA...oddly, the man that planted the idea for me to be a PA, became a PA in 1972 after his time as a Corpsman in Vietnam, and practiced w his best friend and surgeon from their service in Vietnam until he passed in 2014. My old man serve from 66-72, so I figure there is a connection, not believing in coincidences and all.
Shout out to Doc for his encouragement too...after these pics, I went on to grad school a few years later, and always appreciated his kind words of wisdom to chase being a PA...oddly, the man that planted the idea for me to be a PA, became a PA in 1972 after his time as a Corpsman in Vietnam, and practiced w his best friend and surgeon from their service in Vietnam until he passed in 2014. My old man serve from 66-72, so I figure there is a connection, not believing in coincidences and all.
I see @Stuart and @Gear… MuddyMudSkipper… GreenGanesha…
This Death Valley trip, and a similar one to Baja about the same time, was what really hooked me on the whole “overland” thing. This was WAY before any of this stuff was even remotely mainstream like it is today.
We froze our asses off with crappy gear and I remember struggling to cook a tri-tip on a small propane grill at Furnace Creek. Damn it was cold. And the coyotes circled our camp just beyond the campfire light, robbing everyone blind.
This Death Valley trip, and a similar one to Baja about the same time, was what really hooked me on the whole “overland” thing. This was WAY before any of this stuff was even remotely mainstream like it is today.
We froze our asses off with crappy gear and I remember struggling to cook a tri-tip on a small propane grill at Furnace Creek. Damn it was cold. And the coyotes circled our camp just beyond the campfire light, robbing everyone blind.
Not really any new changes on the truck, but yesterday, I covered a clinic of mine in Payson, and was able to get some time on the water for the first native trout species I caught...the Gila! Got my first one last year, and then the piggy today. Always good to be on the water, and the 10 miles of hiking was a welcome change from nutty psych pts.
Caught this beast of a Gila at the base of a waterfall on an ant pattern....second cast put the fly(ant) right in to the waterfall, and that's when it hit and hard!
This was the Gila from last year:
And of course, the Tundra making it all comfy:
Caught this beast of a Gila at the base of a waterfall on an ant pattern....second cast put the fly(ant) right in to the waterfall, and that's when it hit and hard!
This was the Gila from last year:
And of course, the Tundra making it all comfy:
Figured I'd post some outdated updates....if that's a thing...These start in Summer of 2023, but it serves to remind me of where I was a year ago, and where I am now. The seven year itch. Seven years of addiction medicine and psychiatry...my well runneth dry w the burden of that job, so I'm moving on to Infectious Disease and HCV/HIV treatment. Change is good....and inevitable.
From the archives....Well, I've been on a work sabbatical from my clinic since August, and use that month to build out the camper a bit more, and then the wife and I hit the road for most of September. We did a few days at a friends house, but primarily camped in dispersed areas in UT, ID, MT, WY, WA, OR and NV.
Leading up to the trip, I removed the wooden platforms I had built and used some extruded aluminum to make a new structure, as well as wiring in new lights, a switch panel and some other random things. The time has finally come on the truck to make it more dedicated to traveling and trips, so other changes are on the docket, but here it is for now.
The start of the buildout; new NL fridge is freaking amazing.
Used the stock bed rails and some t-nuts to anchor everything to. No holes through the bed, and no weight bearing on the camper walls per the mfg recommendation.
I made a dedicated area for the water to be stored, and run a Dometic pump, which functioned well. Vacuum locked it once and it started working as soon as a let the pressure off. First recharge on the pump too and its been about a year of use.
Made a fold down ledge for the pump w some old scrap and a friction hinge:
Added external lights on both sides....have to send one back because it has water in the sense area already and was rated as waterproof.
Made an "electrical panel" out of a cutting board and then a j-box from HD for the switch panel. Pic was pre zip tie tidying up, so excuse the rats nest.
Made a propane mount for the RIGD too:
Partner stove on the RIGD tailgate table and propane runs to it quite easily. My wife loves to be able to cook this way, so it was a good build.
Final look after getting everything cleaned out from the truck:
From the archives....Well, I've been on a work sabbatical from my clinic since August, and use that month to build out the camper a bit more, and then the wife and I hit the road for most of September. We did a few days at a friends house, but primarily camped in dispersed areas in UT, ID, MT, WY, WA, OR and NV.
Leading up to the trip, I removed the wooden platforms I had built and used some extruded aluminum to make a new structure, as well as wiring in new lights, a switch panel and some other random things. The time has finally come on the truck to make it more dedicated to traveling and trips, so other changes are on the docket, but here it is for now.
The start of the buildout; new NL fridge is freaking amazing.
Used the stock bed rails and some t-nuts to anchor everything to. No holes through the bed, and no weight bearing on the camper walls per the mfg recommendation.
I made a dedicated area for the water to be stored, and run a Dometic pump, which functioned well. Vacuum locked it once and it started working as soon as a let the pressure off. First recharge on the pump too and its been about a year of use.
Made a fold down ledge for the pump w some old scrap and a friction hinge:
Added external lights on both sides....have to send one back because it has water in the sense area already and was rated as waterproof.
Made an "electrical panel" out of a cutting board and then a j-box from HD for the switch panel. Pic was pre zip tie tidying up, so excuse the rats nest.
Made a propane mount for the RIGD too:
Partner stove on the RIGD tailgate table and propane runs to it quite easily. My wife loves to be able to cook this way, so it was a good build.
Final look after getting everything cleaned out from the truck:
I bought a shitbox 2003 accord late last year, gets 30mpg vs the 10mpg in the truck around town, so the truck has just seen snowstorm duty this winter.
The other day, I picked up a practically brand new set of CaliRaised bed stiffeners and installed them....such an easy install, and didnt have to modify the existing extruded aluminum build. Had to notch the bed rug a bit, and glued the portion down w some 3M.
I also finally finished the insulation in the roof; Jay/Maggie and crew are going to be installing the headliner in a few weeks:
The other day, I picked up a practically brand new set of CaliRaised bed stiffeners and installed them....such an easy install, and didnt have to modify the existing extruded aluminum build. Had to notch the bed rug a bit, and glued the portion down w some 3M.
I also finally finished the insulation in the roof; Jay/Maggie and crew are going to be installing the headliner in a few weeks:
I bought a shitbox 2003 accord late last year, gets 30mpg vs the 10mpg in the truck around town, so the truck has just seen snowstorm duty this winter.
The other day, I picked up a practically brand new set of CaliRaised bed stiffeners and installed them....such an easy install, and didnt have to modify the existing extruded aluminum build. Had to notch the bed rug a bit, and glued the portion down w some 3M.
I also finally finished the insulation in the roof; Jay/Maggie and crew are going to be installing the headliner in a few weeks:
The other day, I picked up a practically brand new set of CaliRaised bed stiffeners and installed them....such an easy install, and didnt have to modify the existing extruded aluminum build. Had to notch the bed rug a bit, and glued the portion down w some 3M.
I also finally finished the insulation in the roof; Jay/Maggie and crew are going to be installing the headliner in a few weeks:
For everyone asking about wind noise...it really isn't bad. A few years back in the White Mountains, the Hab was terrible, but with wind gusts at +40, working in the camper was mellow.
I had OvrLnd add the headliner a bit back, and it was incredibly easy to add the daisy chain loops in since I can't loop anything over the struts like before. Used the trusted Harbor Freight rivet installer, and called it good.
I had OvrLnd add the headliner a bit back, and it was incredibly easy to add the daisy chain loops in since I can't loop anything over the struts like before. Used the trusted Harbor Freight rivet installer, and called it good.
And this one made me happy...I built the table the first or second year the American Adventurist was thing, and love that the emblem is always there.
I finally got around to making a drop down table for the camper. On Jay's advice, I VHB'd the aluminum unistrut to the skin and through-bolted the assembly.
Should work well for a prep table for lunch; I'll build a 8020 box on the inside to hold utensils and things like that. I think it came out alright.
I finally got around to making a drop down table for the camper. On Jay's advice, I VHB'd the aluminum unistrut to the skin and through-bolted the assembly.
Should work well for a prep table for lunch; I'll build a 8020 box on the inside to hold utensils and things like that. I think it came out alright.