The Beginning
Just to get it out of the way, yes, my Suburban is old, rusty, and has various things which are wrong with it. But it's never failed to get me home and the interior is in pretty good shape. I bought it with the intention that it would fill multiple roles for me: winter transportation (my hatchback is very bad at this), hauling people, hauling stuff, and BOV. So far, it's done pretty much everything that I've asked of it. Not bad for a 2004 Suburban Z71 with nearly 200k miles on it. (this picture is when it was new-to-me and freshly detailed)
01_Suburban_Before.jpg
The only significant upgrades that I've made to the truck were a set of General Grabber ATx tires (which are hands-down the best tires I've ever had) and replacing all the lights. The interior lights were all switched over to LED and the headlights, turn signals, and tail lights were all upgraded. The headlights were switched over to projector beams with HID low and LED high, plus a 4-way headlight conversion (https://www.silveradosierra.com/threads/how-to-do-the-headlight-all-on-mod-for-03-and-up.2381/). The turn signal housings were replaced and the bulbs upgraded to LEDs. The tail lights were replaced with LED light pipe assemblies. Overall, these upgrades greatly improved the look of the truck.
01.5_Headlight_Taillight.jpg
A few years ago I decided to do some "car camping" in Northern Michigan. To prepare for this, I bought a nice air mattress, an Exped Megamat Duo M (https://www.exped.com/en/products/sleeping-mats/megamat-duo-10?sku=7640171993393), and a few other items. Thus, I could outfit the interior of the truck to make it into a comfortable place to spend a week. I cut out pieces of foil-wrapped bubble paper (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009XCJA2) to fit each of the windows which I then painted the outside black and the inside light tan to give me some privacy and insulation. Some of the window blocks had notches cut into the top so that I could leave the windows down a bit and get some airflow. To keep bugs out, I bought screens which pull down over the doors (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HYXZYMN). Pardon the mess, this was taken mid-trip.
02_Interior_Camping_2019.jpg
I put up a clothes rod in the back, then used it for a battery-operated fan (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F12KML5) and a flexible LED clamp light (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRU9SP0). Between that light and an Onite hanging light (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09JVV2SCY), the back was very well illuminated. They all ran off of USB or battery and I had several power banks which I used for them. Despite my trip being in October in N. Michigan, I was very glad to have the fan as it ended up being over 80 degrees for the latter part of my trip!
03_Interior_light_fan.JPG
So how did it all work out? Really well!
I can't say enough about the mattress. I slept as well, if not better, than I do at home on my expensive memory foam hybrid mattress. Because I was late in the season, most of the campgrounds were only sparsely populated. Since it wasn't an issue to get them, I picked sites which had power at them and ran an extension cord so that I could use my laptop without having to worry about the battery running down.
Of course, there are always things which could be improved. That's for the other posts!
Solar Panel
I started thinking about ways to make the truck into a bit more of a camper, but I still wanted to retain the ability to use it for other tasks. Plus, anything that I did couldn't interfere with being able to park it in the garage at my house, so no big builds on the roof which would make it too tall to fit.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a bit obsessed with lights and power, so that seemed like an obvious place to start. My house is heavily shaded and not well-suited for solar, but I've wanted to experiment with it for quite some time and this seemed like a good way to get into it. I took a look at the existing roof rack and determined that there was plenty of room to mount a solar panel on it. I had picked out a few candidates when I was lucky enough to find that one of my top choices, a Renogy 100w monocrystalline (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B3TEM1E) panel was on sale. I snapped one up and set about figuring how to mount it.
What I came up with was to use a set of door bars (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09282TP19), which would support the panel and which were the perfect depth to then come up and over the crossbars on the roof rack. I drilled out the four existing holes to fit 5/16-inch bolts and then drilled three more holes on the other side to match up with the existing mounting holes on the solar panels.
The next step was to make some plates to go on the other side of the crossbars for me to bolt everything together. I'd already purchased 10-gauge extension cables for the MC4 connectors on the panel, and I zip-tied those in place to keep it all tidy and to eliminate noise. Everything fits into place and the panel is slightly lower than the crossbars on the rack, which should help to protect it from any errant branches or road debris while driving.
04_Solar_Mounted.jpg
05_Solar_cables.jpg
Right now the cables just drape down along the side of the rear hatch and then I tuck them up and run them inside at the bottom (to prevent water coming in). I'm not sure if I'll do much other than to possibly tape them in place as I may take all of this back off the truck before winter and I'm trying to avoid making any permanent changes / holes, if at all possible. There's plenty of crush space on the gasket, so it's not hurting either the cables or the gasket to do it this way.
06_Solar cables_hatch.jpg
Inside the truck, the cables plug into a BigBlue CP500 (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DCBM5X9) power station which I purchased a few months ago while it was on sale (you may be noticing a theme here). This gives me 110v, along with 12v, and USB, with it being charged via solar. Plus, I can always plug into the cigarette lighter in the truck to charge it if I run into cloudy weather.
07_Power_station.jpg
Awning
With the power addressed, I turned to some shelter. One of the drawbacks last time was that I didn't have anything set up for outside of the truck. I started looking at tents which fit over the tailgate, but they looked like a lot of work to set up. I've watched lots of videos about overlanding and many of those rigs use fold-out awnings, so I started to look into those. This looked like a much better solution for me and I stumbled across a Leaveshade awning (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0837MVVX7) which is a copy of one made by ARB, but for half the price. The mounts for it looked like they would work well on my truck and I decided to go for it.
As with the solar panel, this required me to fabricate some plates to complete the mounting, as the options which came with it didn't quite work with the oversized roof rack on my truck. I cut some plates, drilled holes in them, discovered that they interfered with the bolts on the awning, and ended up cutting a large u-shaped opening into the plates to get them to fit. There, that's better!
08_Awning_mounts.jpg
The opening allowed me to verrrry-sloooowly tighten the bolts to hold the awning in place (1/6 of a turn at a time for the lower bolt!). The big benefit of mounting the awning as low as I did was that I'm able to get into the garage with the awning mounted. The intent by the manufacturer was for the L-mount to stick up above the rack, which would have made it too tall to fit.
09_Awning_mounted.jpg
10_Awning_and_solar.jpg
And here it is set up. The awning is 2.5m x 2.5m, which works out to about 8ft 4in x 8ft 4in for those of us heathens here in the US! :D The table (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B088M4WK8X) folds up and fits into a carry bag (which is off on the left in the picture). When it's folded, the table is about the same size as that camp chair (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089YPSS8N) is when it's folded up.
11_Awning_opened.jpg
One person can set the awning up and take it down in just a few minutes. You unzip the bag, unclip the tie-downs inside, and then pull the awning out a foot or so. At that point, the side supports are exposed and you can swing them outward to get them ready. Once you've unrolled the entire awning, drop the outer legs down and use them to prop it up, while you fit the side support bars into place. Then extend the legs and use the Velcro loops which are built onto the canopy to secure it to the side supports. The kit even comes with some nice high-viz / reflective tie-down ropes and aluminum pegs (I didn't bother to set them up in the picture, as I was just checking to make sure that the awning worked).
Awning Lights
Since I had the awning, it made sense to have some lights for using it at night. I considered using some string lights, but that would be one more thing to have to put up and take down each time. Instead, I went with some outdoor-rated LED strip lights (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076RR19B7) (I also purchased a kit (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076RR19B7) to split / splice them). I'd already determined that, because the legs are round and the opening they fit into when folded is square, there was probably enough room in there for me to tuck the LED string up into the opening. That way it would screen the lights from shining directly into my eyes when they're on.
I ended up installing the lights at night, which turned out to be a great choice as it let me get some instant gratification when they were working! They have 3M tape on the back, so once I'd cut it to length and added the power connector, I just peeled and stuck it in place. The outer strip of lights illuminates the area very well, plus it doesn't shine in my eyes.
12_Awning_lights_one_side.jpg
Having used just under 8ft of lights for one side (out of 16.4ft total) I had plenty to do another strip of them on the main awning frame as well. This one isn't shaded like the first, but it helps to add even more light under the awning. The whole setup is quite bright – the pictures aren't exaggerating how bright it is! There was a dimmer which came along with it, so I can turn the lights down if they're too much; or if I just want the ambiance!
13_Awning_lights_both_sides.jpg
LED strip lights frequently use 5.5x2.1mm plugs for 12v power, which is standard enough that all of my power stations have plugs for this. However, I decided to pick up a dedicated power bank (made by Marbero (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PP7N8KS), which I got on sale) to use just for these lights so that I wouldn't have to worry about running down my main power station. It fits quite nicely down next to the folded 2nd row seat and I can use the on/off button on it to control the lights from inside the truck.
14_Awning_power.jpg
Entertaining side note: This was the first time that I'd ever worked with plate steel to fabricate something, even things as simple as the mounts that I made for this project. That meant I needed to buy a cheap angle grinder, along with cutting and flap discs. I only set myself on fire once, which I consider to be a win!
15_Flaming_Eric.jpg
Hatch Release
Something which bothered me before is that my truck doesn't have an interior release for the hatch. While I can manually pop it, that requires taking the trim panels off and then grabbing the latch mechanism to release it by hand. This has been an issue for me long enough that the parts I purchased to do this fix have been sitting around for several years now. I've found a couple of videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilNshOgwkhY) online where other people had done this modification, so I knew that it would work.
However, when I pulled everything apart this afternoon, it immediately turned into a bigger effort than I'd anticipated, at least if I wanted to do it the "right" way. Mostly, the issue was that mounting the eye hooks to use as guides for the cable was going to be a lot of work. Since this isn't a critical thing, I just did a quick and dirty version instead.
I don't have pictures of the inside of the door, but I made a cable (using vinyl-coated cable (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZF3NPY)) with a small loop on one end, which I secured to the latch release. Then I strung the cable as straight as I could up and out the top of the trim panel on the hatch and put another loop there for me to pull on.
16_Hatch_Release.jpg
It works, but it's not ideal. Because it's just running through all of the stuff inside of the door, it drags on some of the mechanisms inside. It requires quite a firm pull to get it to open, but it's good enough for now.
Next Steps
I'm still trying to decide on a few additional things for the build. Namely, some semi-permanent lighting for inside, a 12v fridge/freezer, and possibly even an eBike on a trailer mount for use when I don't feel like taking everything down.
For the lighting, I've got some fairy lights which I had previously tried to attach using gaffer's tape. It stuck for a bit, but then fell down a week or so later (picture is from right after I finished putting them up). I may just try pinning it to the headliner to see if that will work instead. I have toyed with the idea of taking the headliner down and poking holes in it for each light to stick through, but that seems like a lot of work!
17_Interior_Lights.jpg
From doing some research, it appears that I should be able to run a 12v fridge/freezer for about 3 days on my CP500 power bank, since it doesn't have to run continuously to keep cool. Of course, this will also depend on the temperature and how many other items I plug into the power bank (phone, laptop, speakers, lights, etc.). I do have several other, smaller power banks which I could use for the other items if needed, but they shouldn't be necessary if I've got enough sun for the solar panel, as that should keep the power bank fairly well topped off.
The eBike idea is something I just came up with recently. It might be something useful to have anyway, as it could be charged off of solar at home as well, which would allow some type of motorized transport, even in an SHTF situation. I'm still trying to decide if this is worth it, since it would be an expensive purchase, even if I picked up one which is at the low end.
So that's where I am right now. Overall, I think it's going well and I'm hoping to do a shake-down / trial-run weekend camping trip in the next month. Haven't figured out where yet, so if you have any suggestions for somewhere to do rustic / dispersed camping in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, let me know!
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More updates as events warrant!
Do yourself a favor and pick up some of the stainless steel cable ties that Harbor Freight sells and use them to replace those exposed nylon ones. Nylon breaks down when exposed to UV, even the "UV stabilized" ones and they will just crack and break off eventually, probably when it's least convenient for you. I used the SS ones on my big white radio truck to secure coax and other wiring to the mirrors and at other exposed points. Never had a single one fail in the ten years I owned the truck and it was never garaged indoors, it always stayed on my driveway year-round.
Quote from: NT2C on April 30, 2022, 10:27:23 PMDo yourself a favor and pick up some of the stainless steel cable ties that Harbor Freight sells and use them to replace those exposed nylon ones. Nylon breaks down when exposed to UV, even the "UV stabilized" ones and they will just crack and break off eventually, probably when it's least convenient for you. I used the SS ones on my big white radio truck to secure coax and other wiring to the mirrors and at other exposed points. Never had a single one fail in the ten years I owned the truck and it was never garaged indoors, it always stayed on my driveway year-round.
Probably not worth it as I'm planning to remove everything before winter and then reinstall it in the spring. If it were going to live there permanently then I'd probably have picked something a bit more robust, but these should be good enough for the next 6-7 months. Given the amount of salt that is used on the roads here in the winter, I'd rather that the panel/cables and awning make it through more than just one year, which means taking them off the truck before MDOT does their thing!
TL;DR
Just kidding, great post, but did your ham/GMRS/CB antenna fall off? :) Rust..., same problem here, not too bad on my 2012 yet but once it starts it doesn't take long to rust out so thinking I'll have the lower third and the bumpers painted with bed liner this year. Looks better than rust anyway, and should get a couple extra years of life out of it as the primary BOV before it becomes the work truck.
I've got a Midland CB radio (https://midlandusa.com/products/75-822cb-radio) and a magnetic antenna base for it, but the CB isn't one that you can really install, since it's meant to convert to a hand-held. It is in my list of things to bring along, but I don't leave it on/in either of my vehicles. I recognize that comms is an area that I'm pretty weak in, mainly due to lack of interest. None of my friends/family members have or use radios of any type, so any communications would either be with strangers, or to listen in on stuff.
On that solar panel mount hardware- Get some button head cap screws and flip the nuts/lock washer to the bottom side. Would help with not getting anything snagged on those bolts sticking up. If that's a concern.
Looks good otherwise. I work with a guy that has about the same vintage Yukon. His rear lower quarter panels and rockers are non existent and I think his has around 180k on the odometer.
As for setting yourself on fire with an angle grinder... Been there, done that more than once until I got a leather apron to protect my chest/belly from that now. :D
The bolts took quite a bit of experimentation and skinned knuckles to work out which way was better. I ended up with the nuts on top because there wasn't enough room to use a ratchet on the bottom, and holding a moving nut in place with a wrench is no fun! I'm not really planning to do anything too gnarly with the truck, so bolts which stick up an inch into the air shouldn't cause any issues.
I was prepared for the whole setting-myself-on-fire aspect, which is why I was wearing a ratty old sweatshirt, a fairly densely-woven shirt under it, and an undershirt beneath that (plus there's a fire extinguisher a few feet away and a utility sink with a hose adapted onto the faucet on the other side of the room). As soon as it happened, I started laughing, took the picture, and immediately texted it to a friend who is a welder. She texted back that she's destroyed far more clothing while cutting steel than she ever has welding! :D
The next time I take my truck to the mechanic, I'm planning to ask him if he knows anyone who does cheap bodywork, just to see if I can get the truck patched up a little. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it would be nice to have it not leaving chunks around when I slam the doors!
Open end/box wrench for use on the bottom side and an allen wrench to hold the button top. Just as a thought.
Agreed, I've caught more things on fire besides myself by using a grinder than ever have while welding.
Wow, thanks to everyone who voted for this thread in the contest! I really wish that I had been able to provide a real-world update, but Mother Nature rained out my camping weekend last month. (actually she did more than that, given that I had planned to go up to northern Michigan where there ended up being a really severe storm which went through, including an EF3 tornado!)
Other than cleaning the truck out and organizing it in preparation for my cancelled trip, today I went out and adjusted the solar panel on top. I'd been hearing some light knocking sounds from up there which I had figured was likely the cords tapping on the roof. It turned out that the roof crossbars were flexing just enough on bumps in the road that the bolts on the underside of the solar panel were tapping on one of the raised ridges on the roof. I got out the ladder, loosened up the mounting bolts, and slid the panel over about an inch to get the bolts away from the ridge. Now the noise is gone and it doesn't look like it did too much damage to the roof. Just some minor chipping/scratches which will be easy enough to touch up.
I will definitely keep you up to date as I continue the build. I'm still researching dual-zone fridge/freezers, but haven't decided which one to get yet. I think I've got some friends convinced to go up north this summer, but that will be to stay at an off-grid cabin owned by the family of one of them. I may stay in my truck up there anyway, just to be contrary!
Thanks again to everyone who voted for this topic!
The fridge update!
One of the things which I didn't have yet for my build was a means of keeping things cool. Sure, I could use my old Rubbermaid cooler, but that requires draining and refilling it with ice every day. Since I've got a power station and solar panel, how about a 12v fridge?
After some research, I decided to get a dual-zone fridge/freezer for maximum flexibility. I narrowed the list down and was happy that out of my top 5 picks, 4 of them were on sale during Amazon Prime Days. After some consideration, I went with the BougeRV E35 (https://smile.amazon.com/BougeRV-Refrigerator-Portable-Freezer-110-240V/dp/B09L17WYR5). It doesn't have wheels or big handles, like some of the others I'd seen, but I'm not intending to lug it around all that much and it's only 38.5lbs anyway.
Testing the fridge
To test it, I cooled the fridge down using 110v, then switched over to a power bank to test the run-time. The temps were set to 38F for the fridge and -4F for the freezer. It was an indoor test, where the temperature differential isn't that bad (mid-70s). If it were in a hotter environment, the draw would be a lot higher.
I tested it in both 'Eco' and 'Max' modes and it turned out that 'Eco' mode is anything but. It actually pulled about 10% MORE power than 'Max' mode, which makes no sense to me at all. So I went back to 'Max' and filled the fridge up with water bottles and other drinks. I put four of the (20oz) water bottles in the freezer side and it took almost a full day for them to finally freeze solid. While it stayed below freezing, even set to -4F that side was still more like 15-25F. The fridge side was within a few degrees of the setting, which makes me wonder if I need to add some type of weatherstripping on the divider between them to better seal off the freezer side. The only gasket is around the edge of the entire lid, rather than having another at the divider.
I have three power stations where the 12v power socket stays active even without a load (the fridge cycles on/off, so this is a requirement) and I tested it with all of them. For each of them I ran The 298Wh station will run it for about 16hrs, the 537Wh station about 25 hrs, and the 614Wh station around 32hrs. That's right around 18-20w per hour on average. Despite a claimed 65w max draw, I never saw anything more than about 42w indicated on any of them when the fridge was running. Maybe that would've gone up if it was outdoors in the heat.
Last night I finished up my testing and left it unplugged, but still full of cooled / frozen water bottles. This morning I moved most of them over to the fridge and noticed that the frozen bottles were still frozen and that the chilled ones were still cold. Nice!
The impressive part was a few minutes ago though. I finally got around to emptying the rest of them out and found that the frozen bottles were STILL mostly frozen, despite it having been unplugged now for about 20 hours! I used a laser thermometer and found that the freezer compartment was at 38F and the fridge was at 55F. Not bad for nearly a day unplugged and mostly empty!
Fitting it in the truck
When I was deciding which fridge to get, one of the major considerations was the physical size. The BougeRV fridge turned out to be perfect for where I wanted to put it. When I have the Suburban configured to sleep in, I fold the driver's side 2nd row seat down so that the air mattress can extend to full length. Previously, I'd just put my cooler on the passenger side 2nd row seat. The fridge is larger, but it will fit perfectly if I flip the seat bottom forward. To keep it level, I'll need a little platform built out of some scrap 2x4. Here is a test-fit of what it will look like.
Some scrap pieces of wood for a temporary platform (I'll cut these to fit, add a 2nd cross piece, and screw it all together, hopefully this weekend).
Fridge_platform.jpg
Now with the fridge on top. You can't quite tell from this picture, but it's almost perfectly level, which is what I was hoping for.
Fridge_in_truck.jpg
By flipping the seat forward, it gives me some pretty good support on all four sides for the fridge, which will keep it fairly well wedged in place (I may need to tuck some towels around it to fill in some small gaps). The power cord is toward the back of the seat, right where there's a big opening to feed it through. And the vents are mostly exposed, so there shouldn't be any problem with it overheating. There's also plenty of space to open the lid and the controls face forward, away from where I'll be sleeping so that I won't have the lights shining right in my face all night. Perfect!
I'll show a bit more on my power stations later. In fact, I'll probably create a separate thread and give a bit of a review of each of them, just in case anyone is considering buying one. Needless to say, this wasn't my only purchase during Amazon Prime Day.
And the platform is finished. I had a partial roll of that rubber/foam tool box liner which I cut pieces off of and stapled onto the platform once it was assembled. That should keep things quieter and help to keep the fridge from moving. You can't really see it, but it's also on the bottom to keep it from shifting and to minimize any scraping on the metal and plastic of the seat frame.
Fridge_platform_finished.jpg
I did a 90% test-fit (I have a few more things which haven't arrived or been purchased yet) of all my stuff for camping last night, in part because my team from work was getting together today and I thought some of them might want to see my setup (one of them is considering doing something similar, so I showed her how I'd outfitted the truck).
The one thing I was very happy with was the solar / battery setup for running the fridge. The truck was parked in the sun, which is good for solar, but bad for keeping the fridge cool (mid-80s here today, which means the interior temp was well over 100F, even with the windows opened a bit). However, when I checked on it mid-afternoon, the fridge was easily handling the heat (cycling on/off like normal) and when I got home and checked the battery status it was at 100%!! The 100w solar panel was easily able to keep the battery topped up, even while the fridge was running. Obviously, if I'd been running the fridge overnight and had used up half of the battery, the solar would have a long way to go to catch up, but it's still great to see that the system is working as intended!
Still waiting on some items to arrive that I've ordered - mainly sanitation and cooking/kitchen. I'm planning to hit up the thrift store sometime soon to pick up some kitchen items too, but I'm fairly close to being all set to take a trip this month. The one thing that I haven't been able to get is a pop-up canopy, but that's just because I'm being picky about the one I want (either khaki or beige). It's not a necessity though, so I'm just going to wait until the one I want is back in stock.
Suburban Test Fit
I'm getting ready to take my first trip with the Suburban since my build this year. To get ready for that, I did a test-fit of the majority of what I'll be taking with me. Call it 80-90% of the gear that I'll be taking along, less things like food, clothes, backpack, etc. (as mentioned in the previous post). I had to take it all back out as the truck is going in for a few minor items to be fixed before the trip and I didn't want all that gear in the way. Nor did I want it to be sitting in plain sight while the truck was at the repair shop for several days, in case anyone was poking around for things to steal.
Front Seat – The Command Deck
Test Fit - Front.jpg
The truck is a 2004 and while there was a nav system available at the time, mine doesn't have it. So I've got a Garmin (https://smile.amazon.com/Garmin-DriveSmart-Traffic-Hands-Free-Information/dp/B07MN61RKT) on the windshield to find my way (even though I'm not going too far off the beaten path, cell coverage is still very iffy for a lot of the trip). There's also no built-in Bluetooth or way to plug in my phone for music, so I've got a Bluetooth FM transmitter (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D3S85FW) and a phone holder which fits into one of the cupholders.
I had a bank of 3 USB plugs installed in the center console earlier this year. They're linked to the ignition and turn off when the truck is off, unlike all of the cigarette lighters in the truck, which are always on. The Garmin and a rechargeable flashlight are both plugged in there, so that they'll run/charge when the vehicle is on, but won't drain the battery when it's off. I'll use the 3rd plug when I swap my dashcam (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V8LF0E6) over from the car to the truck for the trip so that it will do the same.
It's just me on this trip, so the passenger seat isn't in use. I'll use the passenger footwell area to stash the tool bag, jump box, recovery straps/soft shackles, rain gear, floodlight, first aid kit, and air compressor (that's the big pile of various black storage bags). It's all stuff that I want to have with me, but which I sincerely hope I won't need to use. I'll likely use the seat itself for notes, maps, food, etc. while I'm driving. I do have a handheld / convertible Midland CB radio (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000K2YR) which I don't have mounted that will also probably sit in the passenger seat, since the center console is going to be a bit full. Since I won't be going in/out of the passenger door much, running the antenna cable out the door to the magnetic roof mount won't get in the way of anything.
Second Row – Entry, Furniture, and Food
Test Fit - 2nd Row.jpg
Most of the time I get in/out of the back of the truck via the driver's side rear door. The plastic foot scraper/rug is to put on the ground outside the truck to clean off my feet before entering – something which I didn't have before and by the end of my trip that area was pretty dirty! The seat back bag has all the cables / connectors / dimmer / tie-downs for the canopy and canopy lights. You can see the battery for the canopy lights hiding at the left side of the picture in front of the fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher is strapped to the seat frame using Velcro straps, so it can quickly be removed if I need it.
The two bags are a KingCamp folding camp table (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B088M4WK8X) and a Homcosan camp chair (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089YPSS8N) (which is one of the most comfortable fold-up camp chairs I've ever used). The tote bin isn't the actual one I'll use, but it's where the food and kitchen items will be. The fridge is right behind it.
What's not pictured are the Coleman propane stove (https://smile.amazon.com/Coleman-Stove-Triton-Portable-Propane/dp/B00QMVEG8S) (which fits inside the bin that I'll be using) and the sanitation setup. This trip is going to mainly be touristy sort of stuff, so right now I'm leaning toward leaving those behind as I'll be staying in campgrounds with regular bathrooms and will probably be eating out most of the time. I will take along drinks and snacks, but that's probably it for this trip.
There is a small amount of storage space under the folded 2nd row seats, but that's where I have just everyday sort of things – a tarp, magnetic work light, repair manual, etc. The space under the fridge has things like the 120v power cord, other connectors for the power stations, etc.
Cargo Area – The Bedroom
Test Fit - Cargo.jpg
For sleeping I have an Exped Megamat Duo M, which is hands-down the most comfortable air mattress I've ever used. I'll actually make this up like a full bed, rather than use a sleeping bag. I have a fitted sheet (which I'll tighten up to fit this mattress using elastic corner keepers (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072XJTV7V)), flat sheet, blankets, and pillows that I'll use. I'll probably bring several pillows, so that I can also use them to prop myself up for reading or watching movies.
The clothes rod (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NI7KE2) is to clamp on a fan (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08866RDYK) and task light (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BHW8SWL). There is also an Onite USB light (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JV9TGYJ) hooked onto one of the ceiling vents which I use for general lighting. The water jug is obvious and you can see one of the two power stations that I'm bringing.
The empty space between the power station and water jug is where I'll have my carry-on, which I use for clothes and toiletries. I'll also have a backpack there for any short hikes that I might go on, or for any other times where I might want to carry more items with me than what will fit into my pockets. And probably a bag for flashlights / batteries / chargers / cords / etc. The bag on the back of the seat is for garbage (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DZ3CJT) (there's a 2nd one in the front seat).
There is also space where the 3rd row footwell is. There are drop-down panels (you can see one of them folded up behind the garbage container) which cover up this area when the seats are folded. One of the power stations will be down in there on the passenger side. The driver's side is where I stash my computer bag to keep it out of sight.
The Power! (and lights)
Right now I'm planning a four-way power setup (five if you count the cigarette lighter 12v ports in the truck). This will consist of two power stations for the fridge / larger items, the smaller power station for the canopy lights, and several smaller USB power banks.
Test Fit - Power.jpg
The largest power station is my Oukitel CN505 (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P42RCTY) (614wh), which will sit in the 3rd row footwell space, right behind the fridge (sort of hard to see here, but it's down in with all those power cords). It fits into the space perfectly and that puts it right next to the fridge. When I'm driving, I can move the fridge plug from the power station and connect it to the rear 12v port in the truck to give the station time to recharge from the solar panel.
The BigBlue CP500 (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DCBM5X9) (537wh) is for general use and is a backup for the Oukitel if it runs low. This will be for my laptop, Bluetooth speakers, recharging the fan, tablet, lights, etc.
The Marbero power station (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PP7N8KS) is for the canopy lights. I did run into an issue with it, in that it delivers too much voltage from the 12v connections – almost 16v when it's fully charged. Rather than use a dimmer switch to reduce the voltage, I picked up a USB-C to 5521 12v (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N3LQKDR) adapter cord which is chipped to automatically request 12v from USB-C PD ports. I ran a test on it recently and it worked perfectly! Problem solved!
Finally, I usually bring along several smaller USB power banks. These are the type that you use to recharge your phone, but I've found that they're quite useful for smaller items, like the USB lights that I have in the back of the truck. It also gives me something to take along to keep camera batteries or my phone charged up.
Finally, I usually have an extension cord and multi-strip which is sort of under/beside the mattress as well. That lets me drop the cord out the rear hatch if I'm in a campsite with a power hookup and plug in there. That can help to keep the power stations topped up if the sun doesn't cooperate during the trip.
Lights, lights, and more lights!
I've already shown pictures of the strip lights that I installed in the canopy and even the fairy lights that I taped to the ceiling in the truck. The task light in the back is just a ring light that you can use with a camera. It's clipped onto the clothes bar and I can adjust it as needed. The main area light is an Onite USB light that is dimmable for when I might not want all 640 lumens.
The USB fairy lights turned out to be a bit of a pain. It turns out that tape doesn't work very well on headliner and shortly after taking that picture from earlier in the thread, they all fell down. I tried to think of other ways to hang them and after some testing, found that the headliner backing acts much like corkboard, and that I could just use thumbtacks!
Now having had experience with the difficulties of Christmas tree lights over the years, I tested the string before hanging it (it worked), I tested it again halfway through (still working), and tested it again when I was done... Nope, not working. Lots of prodding and poking at it didn't get me anywhere, so I took it all back down. While I was removing it, I kept testing the string and it remained dark the whole time... until I'd removed it. Seriously. I'd tested the damned thing when I only had about five tacks left and it still wasn't working, but once those were out, it was fine again!
Well, I'd already noticed that the USB power bank that I was using was a bit finicky, so I switched to a better one and left the lights turned on the whole time I was reinstalling them. THIS time it worked!
Test Fit - fairy lights.jpg
There is a remote for them, as well as a mode button which I can use on the base to click through the different blinky settings. Generally I just use the full-on setting and then may dim it some if needed. I didn't have the camera settings quite right, so it's not really this dim, but they make for nice mood lighting, or background lights when I'm watching a movie.
Flashlights and Other Lights
I'm not even sure where to start with these. I have an older Olight R50 Pro Seeker (https://www.olightstore.com/r50-pro-seeker-2.html) which I keep in the truck all the time. There are also several magnetic work lights (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B083RCTHHP) and an area light (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074QL8GGJ). Not to mention the 20,000 lumen 12v floodlight (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PFMSZY8) that fits into a surprisingly small case (about the size of a hardcover book). Those are all normally in the truck and will be along for the trip.
I'll also probably bring along a number of other flashlights, just because that's the kind of guy that I am! There are dozens of them to choose from and I'll probably pick a few larger ones, just for security purposes. And if I'm bringing flashlights, I'll also need to bring batteries for them. And if I have batteries, I should probably bring a charger. And maybe a USB power meter. And maybe some USB string lights...
Okay, I might have a problem!
Usually I will just put all of these into a small tote, which I'll keep in the back of the truck. This picture is the bag that I'll use and shows some USB battery packs, and the black bags have USB lights in them. It's not the setup that I'll bring along, but I will repurpose the bag.
Test Fit - Light Bag.jpg
The Things I Leave Behind
This trip will be less than a week long and I'm planning to stay in regular campgrounds, probably just one night at a time as I proceed through all of the stops that I have planned. Because of this, I'm not going to bother bringing along the camp stove (and cooking items) or the sanitation station. The campgrounds will all have restroom facilities, which negates the need to carry the toilet and tent along. And I'll probably be eating out for the majority of my meals, which means I really don't need to bring along the stove and kitchen gear.
Sanitation
As I stated earlier, I'm not planning to bring along the sanitation items on this trip, well, other than a folding shovel (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GVGN3C4) and some TP, just in case!
But I have a toilet chair (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NKJ5H47), waste bags, and a privacy pop-up tent (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0838S8LLX) which can be used if I'm boondocking somewhere without restrooms. Side note: they can also be used in an emergency at home if the water isn't working and I need to set something up out in the yard.
The tent and seat both fold up and are fairly narrow / thin, which would allow me to put them between the fridge and the door. There is a gap there which is about 4-5 inches wide which should be sufficient. If I use a bungee cord, I can secure them so that they won't fall out when the door is opened, but they'll be easy to get to in order to set up my own facilities.
The Portable Kitchen
Honestly, I'm not much of a cook, but I can manage breakfast items, burgers, and the like. If I were staying in-place for more than one overnight at a time, it might make more sense to have the stove and cooking items with me, but this trip won't require them.
But I do have them for future use. I've actually got two propane stoves - one of them is an old single-burner propane stove (sort of like this (https://smile.amazon.com/Texsport-Compact-Propane-Outdoor-Backpacking/dp/B000P9GZSM)); the other is a Coleman Triton 2 burner (https://smile.amazon.com/Coleman-Stove-Triton-Portable-Propane/dp/B00QMVEG8S) propane stove. The Coleman fits perfectly in the bottom of the kitchen items tote and I managed to find an old organizer bag which is just the right size as well. For safety, and to protect the table, I also picked up a fire-resistant mat (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B096SNDDQ3) to go under the stove.
(https://i.imgflip.com/6tps65.jpg)
Freakin' awesome car camping/BOV setup and a great write up EBuff! Still going through the gear links but already have a few upgrades for mine in mind. Looking forward to the after-action trip report too.
It's getting closer! I had to tweak my plans a bit, due to some other things going on, but the trip is coming! Here are few more updates to the setup, now that I've gotten the truck back from the repair shop.
Fridge Seal & Ice Cubes
I fixed a slight shortcoming with my fridge. While there is a rubber gasket around the edges of the lid, there is a gap between the freezer and fridge which is about 1/8 inch tall. I would have preferred to put the seal onto the lid, but because it can be swapped from side to side, I would've had to put two seals on it, as the divider isn't in the center.
Instead, I put some foam tape weatherstripping on the top of the divider between the sides of the fridge (you can just barely see it on the left side in the picture). This seems to have improved the accuracy of the temperature, particularly on the freezer side (which tended to stay warmer than what it was set to). I can now see about a 20F temperature difference on each side of the foam seal that I added, which would seem to indicate that it's working quite well!
One of the more difficult things to figure out was an ice cube tray for the freezer. While it can fit most full-sized trays, finding one which leaves room for other items turned out to be somewhat difficult. Adding to that, since the fridge is mobile, I wanted a tray with a lid to keep it from spilling while it freezes. After three tries, I found this one (https://a.co/8BL1KHX) on Amazon (the others were returned – one because it was broken when it arrived and the other because the dimensions didn't include the lid, which made it too large to fit side-to-side).
Test Fit - Fridge seal & ice cube tray.jpg
Mosquito Repeller & Hanger
I picked up a Thermacell rechargeable mosquito repeller (https://a.co/2oCCQZ7) which I've tested a few times in the past month. From my experience, it does seem to help, although I don't know how much it'll really be needed now that it's gotten cooler.
Just in case, I'm planning to take it along. I watched a couple of videos on how to make a macrame plant holder and then made one to fit the Thermacell, so that I can hang it on the awning (rather than having to sit it on a table or the ground). For storage, I've got it hanging on the 2nd row grab handle in the truck, right next to the bear spray (https://a.co/c6nezVP) which is in the seat back organizer.
Test Fit - Macrame.jpg
Ladder and Emergency Sanitation
As stated earlier, I'm not bringing the sanitation setup, but I am bringing along some emergency TP, wipes, and a mini-shovel. Those are all just getting tucked into available nooks and crannies on the passenger side near the fridge.
Since the solar panel and awning are potentially items which I'd need to tweak (tighten bolts, reset wiring, etc.) and it's hard to get up to the roof of a big truck, I bought a collapsible ladder (https://a.co/iMJSYxI). It's surprisingly beefy and has air dampening for when you collapse it. I tried it out on the side of the house and it works quite nicely! The one I got is 8.5 ft, which makes it tall enough that I could go all the way up onto the roof of the truck and still be able to get back onto the ladder safely to get down.
Test Fit - Ladder.jpg
What's the Weather Like Today?
The exterior temperature sensor on my truck has been broken since I bought it over six years ago. In the middle of summer it might read 35F and in February during a blizzard it might say that it's 135F!
I started looking at cheap indoor/outdoor weather stations and quickly discovered that those outdoor sensors aren't meant to really get wet. You're supposed to put them in a sheltered place on the outside of your house, something that a vehicle doesn't really have. I finally had a brainwave that the canopy bag has enough room in it that I could put the sensor in there and keep it out of most of the weather.
So I ordered a cheap weather station from Wittime (https://a.co/9xA2XWP) and went through all the configurations. It does allow you to adjust the barometer settings (not all of them do) and it agreed pretty well with my thermometer / hygrometer here at home. Nice clear display, with a backlight that comes on if you hit any of the buttons. The only feature it doesn't have is that there's no atomic clock time/date feed, you have to set it manually. I drilled a hole in the back of the frame for the awning and used a zip tie to strap the sensor in place (yes, it's sort of on the huge side - probably 4in x 2in and 3/4in thick).
I'll use this for a clock at night, plus it will let me know how cold it is outside whenever I get up to make a run to the bathroom. That way I can prepare mentally before I open the door! :D
Test Fit - Weather Station.jpg
I still owe everyone an after-action report from my trip. It was a very busy week and everything went really well. I managed to get through almost the whole week before I got some rain and I decided to stay in a hotel that night, rather than staying in a campground where I'd have to walk through the rain/mud to get to the restrooms. Maybe I'll get around to that next week (I'm off work the whole week).
Anyway, I finally got around to removing the awning tonight. With the winter storm which is on the way, I figured I should get the truck ready. The solar is still on it, but I'm not really worried about that. It can't hurt to have the option to toss a power bank into the truck when I go out and have the ability to charge it up if I get stuck somewhere.
I have a tire repair appointment for Friday morning. One of the tires is losing air, probably due to corrosion on the rim, but there could be a nail in there somewhere that I just didn't see. Now that I've got the awning removed, I also put all of my winter gear in the truck (sleeping bag, blankets, boots, tarp, shovel, recovery gear, food, water, etc.) and repacked the whole cargo area. I kept the carpet remnant that I use for camping in there for additional insulation, along with the window inserts. Should I get stuck somewhere and have to stay in the truck, I'll be in much better shape than the average traveller!