The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Jeff Wanamog]

You're right, that 10" is alot. But are you going to use your rear bumper as a tire carrier or anything else? That is the only reason I would go with the Finch. Also, Eagle needs a set of steps and the Finch you can use the bumper. Finch less weight, less weight towards the rear. Eagle more room, more weight and must carry some sort of step.
I dual purpose my truck so a bumper was out of the question. The added length and weight means nothing to me. But remember, I have air bags and you like Timbrens!

My .02
Jeff

PS, you can easily run the motion detector light with no switch.

[washington taco]

Next step, get some cardboard and duct tape and build it! You could even buy some 1" x 2" to frame it.

[Overland Hadley]

The Eagle shell looks to weigh about 50lbs more, and the weight would be hanging off the back of the rig. Just where I do not want to add weight on the lightweight Tacoma platform. And for some reason not having to carry a step is a nice thing, one less thing to deal with.

But I do not plan on carrying my spare on the bumper, as my 32's fit in the stock location, and I have decided against an additional fuel tank. The Aluminess bumper with storage boxes looks nice, but again it is hanging the weight off the back, just where I do not want it.

I definitely do not like having the camper extend past the rear bumper. If I bump something (or something bumps me) I want the strength of the bumper, not the lightweight camper to take the hit.

With the weight saving of the Finch I could carry my Thule box. While it would not provide more elbow room in the camper, I feel the storage space would be more usable than the 10" in the Eagle. And it might provide the feel of more space as there would be less stuff floating in the camper, and that might be most important. Of course weight up high is not ideal either, but my COG will be so much better than it is with my current set up.

One other consideration is what my next truck will be, as I would like to keep the camper through multiple trucks. If I would go to a larger truck then the Eagle would fit better, but with fuel prices on the climb a smaller truck might be in the future.

I guess I can not really go wrong, but until I can order the camper I have time to think about it.

Thanks for the info on the light.

You're right, that 10" is alot. But are you going to use your rear bumper as a tire carrier or anything else? That is the only reason I would go with the Finch. Also, Eagle needs a set of steps and the Finch you can use the bumper. Finch less weight, less weight towards the rear. Eagle more room, more weight and must carry some sort of step.
I dual purpose my truck so a bumper was out of the question. The added length and weight means nothing to me. But remember, I have air bags and you like Timbrens!

My .02
Jeff

PS, you can easily run the motion detector light with no switch.

[Overland Hadley]

The FWC campers come with a four inch thick foam mattress. For most people, and anybody who is traveling with more than one person, this is fine. But I have been looking at it as wasted space, as I am building the camper for one, with an occasional two person use.

Note:
I plan to use my Therm-a-Rest (Dreamtime XL) instead of the mattress, this will give me enough room to store my sleeping bag system (Wiggy's) on top of the bed when the camper is closed.


The inside cab-over area is 48x66, so I can build a storage area 4x48x34 and still have plenty of room to sleep. (The downside is that the bed will be at two levels, so I will just leave the cab-over storage unit at home when camping with my girl.) The storage unit in place of an unused mattress will give me 6,500 cubic inches of additional storage space. Not bad, and very helpful in these little campers.

[Overland Hadley]

Froli Sleep Systems

This is an interesting product, and if I did not have such a comfortable Therm-a-Rest (the Dreamtime XL) I would consider trying this setup.

Edit:

This might be a good alternative to the Froli, at a fraction of the cost.

Here's a picture of the slatted bed spring base from Ikea:

And a link to their page: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40125970/

Edit edit:

I liked it, until I saw the weight. 50 pounds for the Full size, 30 pounds for a twin. Ouch.

[Overland Hadley]

SMEV 3 burner glass top hob, model number 8023US. Link

Key Features

JetFlow
Unparalleled gas burner technology covered by worldwide patents. SMEV’s ranges are 30% faster and consume 33% less gas than competitor models while delivering much higher temperatures….up to 480 degrees. JetFlow burners also hold the record for the lowest Co2 and Co emission.

Easier to Clean
Because the cooktop burners are sealed, made of stainless steel, and feature small separate grates, they are very easy to clean. This unit also has a thermocouple safety device on each burner.

This is the SMEV Hob that I bought for the camper while it was still available in North America. I went with 3 burners because sometimes I just need three, and the size seemed like it would work in the camper.


There is a SMEV glass top 2 burner model that is currently available in North America from Panther RV.


Below are noted the reasons I went with the glass top units.

SMEV glass top sink with drainer. Link



I went with the glass top units for the utility, not for the looks, although the clean look is a good byproduct. With the glass tops I will have a large flat surface to work on when loading film and looking at maps. A chart table of sorts.

The drainer part of the sink will be in the corner of the countertop, while I will be losing countertop space with the drainer design, I feel the drainer will be more useful when cooking, and when not cooking the glass top makes it a moot point.

[Overland Hadley]

The nerd in me will want a weather station on the camper. Nothing fancy, just a little unit like this.

Link

[washington taco]

Yep WE are nerds! I was thinking the same thing!

[Jeff Wanamog]

I have almost that same unit. I put the exterior sensor inside the propane storage door. It is nice to be able to see hold cold it is outside and what the coldest it got last night.Jeff

The nerd in me will want a weather station on the camper. Nothing fancy, just a little unit like this.

Link

[Overland Hadley]

I have almost that same unit. I put the exterior sensor inside the propane storage door. It is nice to be able to see hold cold it is outside and what the coldest it got last night.Jeff

Yep WE are nerds! I was thinking the same thing!

Nerds with FWC's unite!