“Home on Wheels”

First, I sold the car and bought a truck! Second, I found a used camper top on eBay. Third, I put it all together. ABC, easy as 1,2,3. Or not.

A lot of time, energy and research was invested in finding a suitable vehicle and outfitting it to meet my needs/wants. Accomplishing those goals on some sort of a budget was also a challenge (Note to self: Pinterest does not help with maintaining realistic expectations or a budget). As with any project, there were many challenges I didn’t expect and things I would have done differently. I do expect that new challenges will arise as I travel and I will adapt. I’m learning as I go through trial and error. The crazy weather has been a bit difficult and it definitely impacted my timeline. But, I adjusted and it will work out just as well!

I’m sure I will eventually write a separate post that outlines, bumper to bumper (pun intended), the process of finding a camper top that fits perfectly, weatherproofing the truck bed once the camper top is on, building a functional sleep platform, maximizing storage space, and figuring out how to efficiently incorporate gear/equipment into that design.

For now, this is a post for those less interested in the process and more interested in the product (I wont say final product because I know there will be additions and changes as needed). Here are some pictures and a video tour. Forgive the unscripted and unedited nature of the videos. Who’s got time for editing right now?! I didn’t include images or details regarding the additional security features I added to the truck (because that wouldn’t be a very secure thing to do). Also, “Home on Wheels” is too long to be a permanent name for my truck, but I haven’t come up with a suitable name yet. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them by commenting on this post.

The majority of the materials I used to build the platform were repurposed. I will also be making “curtains” for the windows. These will basically just be pieces of fabric that I can hang/remove easily with Velcro. The green/red webbing is a handle I made and attached to the inside of the tailgate. It allows me to easily close the tailgate while I’m inside the truck bed. I cut an outdoor rug/mat in half and attached it to the tailgate to minimize the amount of dirt/mud I track inside when climbing in and out. I also have a little bucket to stick my muddy shoes in. It fits perfectly in the middle storage compartment.

In my browser, as a preview, the videos look like they are rotated. But, when I click on them, they play correctly. Hopefully it works for everyone else too!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for viewing!