AStone
Member
It's my day off, so I've just spent the last two hours looking through three search pages from the archives for answers to this issue.
I found a couple of older threads about "Bug-out" and camping vehicles - one here and another one here (both of which I participated in), but nothing that relates directly to this particular challenge.
For the record, the unit I'm seeking is not intended to be primarily a "bug-out vehicle" for a "SHTF" scenario (though it could serve as one). It's main utility is as a hunting and camping "camper".
I currently own an F-250 diesel. I use it to pull a 24' fifth-wheel cargo trailer (not an RV) retrofitted as a camp trailer. At 10,000 lb GVWR, it carries a camp kitchen (with propane stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, etc), folding table & chairs, a small library, tents, sleeping bags, climbing gear and other camp gear for several people (including guns, of course). It's wired for 110V and 12V. We even designed a canopy system for it. It has no built in toilet (we use a latrine in the woods
), and no built-in sink (we wash dishes outside using a primitive portable kitchen sink complete with waste water drain).
That rig has worked really well in the past. But these days, it's feeling a bit large, especially with fuel prices what they are, and given my minimalist tendencies. So, I'm starting to think about an alternative: something that will fit in the back of the F-250 that's not a trailer.
I do NOT want a traditional pickup camper (i.e., one of those rigs with a kitchen, refrigerator, toilet, table, etc). That's not what I'm after. I'm very minimalist, and handy enough with tools, so I want to design my own and furnish it with more "primitive" gear like is in my current trailer (in fact, I'll use most of what I've got already).
But I want something more than just a fiberglass or metal "shell".
What I'd like is a "shell" that is the size of a traditional pickup camper "slide-in-the-bed" rig, that can be well insulated (say for northern Idaho during winter), but without all the "stuff" in it. (Stove, fridge, etc).
I'm well equiped for camping gear (see my current trailer), so I want to find - or maybe have custom built - a shell (wood? metal? fiberglass?) that's big enough to stand up in, will have a sleeping quarters for two (probably over the cab, but mabe more like a fold-down arrangement), can be wired for 110V/12V, that will carry clothing, the kitchen box, sleeping bags, books, and a built in gun safe.
If anyone knows of a source of such a "customizable" shell, or knows of anyone who has built one (or had one built), I'd appreciate some information about it, maybe even some photos.
I know that Jim March is building an interesting rig (see post 20 in this thread), and it looks great, but is a little different and more elaborate than what I'm looking for.
Thanks for any advice.
Nem
I found a couple of older threads about "Bug-out" and camping vehicles - one here and another one here (both of which I participated in), but nothing that relates directly to this particular challenge.
For the record, the unit I'm seeking is not intended to be primarily a "bug-out vehicle" for a "SHTF" scenario (though it could serve as one). It's main utility is as a hunting and camping "camper".
I currently own an F-250 diesel. I use it to pull a 24' fifth-wheel cargo trailer (not an RV) retrofitted as a camp trailer. At 10,000 lb GVWR, it carries a camp kitchen (with propane stove, pots, pans, plates, utensils, etc), folding table & chairs, a small library, tents, sleeping bags, climbing gear and other camp gear for several people (including guns, of course). It's wired for 110V and 12V. We even designed a canopy system for it. It has no built in toilet (we use a latrine in the woods
), and no built-in sink (we wash dishes outside using a primitive portable kitchen sink complete with waste water drain). That rig has worked really well in the past. But these days, it's feeling a bit large, especially with fuel prices what they are, and given my minimalist tendencies. So, I'm starting to think about an alternative: something that will fit in the back of the F-250 that's not a trailer.
I do NOT want a traditional pickup camper (i.e., one of those rigs with a kitchen, refrigerator, toilet, table, etc). That's not what I'm after. I'm very minimalist, and handy enough with tools, so I want to design my own and furnish it with more "primitive" gear like is in my current trailer (in fact, I'll use most of what I've got already).
But I want something more than just a fiberglass or metal "shell".
What I'd like is a "shell" that is the size of a traditional pickup camper "slide-in-the-bed" rig, that can be well insulated (say for northern Idaho during winter), but without all the "stuff" in it. (Stove, fridge, etc).
I'm well equiped for camping gear (see my current trailer), so I want to find - or maybe have custom built - a shell (wood? metal? fiberglass?) that's big enough to stand up in, will have a sleeping quarters for two (probably over the cab, but mabe more like a fold-down arrangement), can be wired for 110V/12V, that will carry clothing, the kitchen box, sleeping bags, books, and a built in gun safe.
If anyone knows of a source of such a "customizable" shell, or knows of anyone who has built one (or had one built), I'd appreciate some information about it, maybe even some photos.
I know that Jim March is building an interesting rig (see post 20 in this thread), and it looks great, but is a little different and more elaborate than what I'm looking for.
Thanks for any advice.
Nem
