camping tent in bed? Two man configuration

[McSpeed]

In all honesty, I think if you do not secure the front of this properly to your vehicle, it will blow off and potentially hurt someone when you are driving at the speed. Good luck.

Already planning for it. Tonight I am on all backroads to get it home and don’t have to go over 20 mph if I don’t want. I will strap it down. It comes with some heavy duty mounts that I will modify to the truck if I decide this is even worth the trouble. For $600 and a few hours time. If I just resold it finding it won’t work, really not out much.

 

[TOBASH]

Please consider posting a picture in front of all this while wearing cut off jeans, an old thread bare Lynard Skynyrd T-shirt cut down into a "wife-beat-r", with a banjo in yer hands. Pretty please.

Maybe 22 inch spinning rims on the HMMWV too.

LOL

(Just joshing)

 

[McSpeed]

Please consider posting a picture in front of all this while wearing cut off jeans, an old thread bare Lynard Skynyrd T-shirt cut down into a "wife-beat-r", with a banjo in yer hands. Pretty please.

Maybe 22 inch spinning rims on the HMMWV too.

LOL

(Just joshing)

i would love to but I traded all that stuff to get the Humvee in the first place

 

[Wire Fox]

i would love to but I traded all that stuff to get the Humvee in the first place

Now he's just a naked hillbilly. That's alright. I'm a naked HMMWV hillbilly myself with a really comfy hammock I use on my back porch.

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[TOBASH]

Now he's just a naked hillbilly. That's alright. I'm a naked HMMWV hillbilly myself with a really comfy hammock I use on my back porch.

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Nah, but yer close. He needs to put the hammock ON TOP of that camper, so he can watch a live NASCAR race in comfort.

Anyway, I hope this works out for him, but I'm worried that the space above the HMMWV roof-line will catch enough air at 50 MPH to lift the camper and make the HMMWV unstable at speed.

IMHO.

Ciao,

T

 

[McSpeed]

Sorry I haven't posted in a bit on this. I was busy shopping craigslist for some cut off jean shorts, a rebel flag, Nascar #3 flag...and some Billy Bob beer. But, I digress.

Picked up the camper Friday night for $600. Was tricky. Had I not removed the Humvee canvas top brackets it wouldn't have worked. At that, I was a baby's breath from getting the truck between the front camper jacks. Not to mention, the camper left rear jack is broken and the seller had it propped on a bumper/farm jack.

The unit weighs about 1,500 lbs dry - and just over $1,700 loaded. The truck handled it well. I used ratchet straps to hold it down to get home - and ran it up to 55 on the back roads. Surprisingly , due to the weight it settled the truck down really nice and it rode super smooth. This is a pop up slide in, so the total roof profile is nearly 2' lower than the other hard top units.

I'm posting the ROUGH pics here...you'll have plenty of fun laughing at them. I call it...GI Joe meets the Beverly Hillbillies!

This unit has been sitting for a LONG time and was totally neglected. Saturday morning I bleached and scrubbed the heck out of it. The canvas is in great shape, but there was water damage to the rear floor where Redneck Billy Bob last installed a window a/c unit incorrectly.

(I can't get the pics to rotate correctly)

 

[McSpeed]

I've already cut out the bad floor wood and back wall and replaced it. I've got dozens of boxes on the way to me now with new brackets, handles, bezels, and trim. I have to build or buy a swing out bracket to clear the humvee with ease when backing under. I'm putting some nice plank floor inside and updating the cabinets and trim. This unit new from Northstar starts at $25,000. This is a 1997 unit and other than basic colors and trim, the floor plan hasn't changed. Fridge, furnace, water, lights, fans, all function. We have several State Parks within 25 miles on back roads from me. I'm hoping to use this for some winter camping which I was never able to do with my travel trailers for various reasons. I will build some filler panels under the sides and make more storage there. Right now, using the two post lift it comes on and off the truck in a matter of minutes - much faster than the jack system - so I removed the jacks for now. The unit will also store on the rolling dolly under my pole barn porch, which will be nice to keep it out of the weather when not in use.

 

[riderdan]

You should totally put the window AC back in

 

[CARNAC]

You could always be like me more than a few years back. Lean forward in the passenger set with the helmet on the radio shelf. Next bump shift to kinda leaning back with your helmet on the B pillar until the driver hits the brakes. Then lean forward with arm on the defroster outlet until it gets too hot or the next bump. Pile a bunch of stuff up in the center until the pressure of leaning on it and the bumps moves it to the left too far. Then it's back to the radio shelf and repeat. Also hope the driver doesn't fall asleep or something bad happens or the commander or SGM catch you asleep.

At halts we had the foam sleeping pads taped to the troop seats in the back. Flip those down, grab a blanket or if lucky a sleeping bag. That was great sleeping if you got that luxury. I actually slept most of the night through outgoing artillery missions from M109s and MLRS.

Wirefox has the right idea with the litters. Ours didn't have the retracting handles back then.

 

[Wire Fox]

You could always be like me more than a few years back. Lean forward in the passenger set with the helmet on the radio shelf. Next bump shift to kinda leaning back with your helmet on the B pillar until the driver hits the brakes. Then lean forward with arm on the defroster outlet until it gets too hot or the next bump. Pile a bunch of stuff up in the center until the pressure of leaning on it and the bumps moves it to the left too far. Then it's back to the radio shelf and repeat. Also hope the driver doesn't fall asleep or something bad happens or the commander or SGM catch you asleep.

At halts we had the foam sleeping pads taped to the troop seats in the back. Flip those down, grab a blanket or if lucky a sleeping bag. That was great sleeping if you got that luxury. I actually slept most of the night through outgoing artillery missions from M109s and MLRS.

Wirefox has the right idea with the litters. Ours didn't have the retracting handles back then.

Your mention of the foam in the troop seats is also 10/10. I did exactly that on the night before my wedding. Rolled into the park where I was getting married some time between 3-4 AM. Unrolled my sleeping bag onto a troop seat, and slept under the cargo cover until I needed to be up around 9 AM. Rained all night, too, so I took the chance to note where all the leaks were-one happened to be on my face.

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[McSpeed]

You should totally put the window AC back in

actually....I already have. But, I have it installed properly now. That's upscale redneck! If I hang onto this, I'll put a roof mount a/c on it later.

Making good progress on the camper. Been busy putting all new fixtures and painting the outer doors and trim. It really looks fresh now. Got the LP tank re-certified and filled yesterday so I'll be pressurizing the system this weekend and looking for leaks before lighting up the furnace, stove, water heater.

Looking at doing a portable toilet in the back and not hooking up a black tank.

The good fun will come in when I get the camper back on the truck and work on some mounts and close out panels over the rear fenders and back door openings. Lots of storage there.

I've got to buy new tires for the truck before I seriously haul this - they are simply too old. Still on the hunt there.

Hoping to get some late fall and winter camping out of this.

 

[McSpeed]

Worst case...I sell it and get at least my money and some time back out of it. Best case...it works - middle case....I get a regular long bed 2500 or 3500 truck and just haul it normal much longer distances.

 

[TOBASH]

Please consider a box or something to fill in the space between your roof and the camper. At speed the wind pressure will build there and might pull the top apart.

Make sure your cooling system is up to snuff because the aerodynamics will really cause a lot of drag, and the engine and tranny will work extra hard on warm days.

Not sure why would get a grey and black water tank when alls you need is a hole in the floor.

 

[obijohn]

I plan to run a 4-door soft top with canvas cargo cover. I'm sure an expedient 'camper' would just involve a sleeping pad and sleeping bag... perhaps a bivvy bag if there is some leakage of rain water at the seam between the 4-person top and cargo cover. This would be as good as any tent in the same weather/temperature. I think with the soft doors you're getting sufficient ventilation to prevent any moisture buildup. I also have one of those ultralight camping cots I've used when motorcycle camping... it would also be good to throw in the vehicle, but you'd still want a sleeping pad for insulation. Something I've considered but would wait until I get my HMMWV through the EIC process is whether I could string one of my ultralight camping hammocks inside, perhaps diagonally. I plan to use my HMMWV as a base to run a dual-sport motorcycle out of, among other things, and want the flexibility of being able to carry a motorcycle or ATV in the back and also camp in the truck (or in a tent or hammock).

In short, I think there's a lot of practical solutions without going overboard. Now, the ultimate camper might be to get a helmet top and gut it, or better yet a shelter for the HMMWV bed. But, you wouldn't really be any warmer if it's very cold out.

 

[McSpeed]

Please consider a box or something to fill in the space between your roof and the camper. At speed the wind pressure will build there and might pull the top apart.

Make sure your cooling system is up to snuff because the aerodynamics will really cause a lot of drag, and the engine and tranny will work extra hard on warm days.

Not sure why would get a grey and black water tank when alls you need is a hole in the floor.

I ran up to 55 - 60 mph on the back road right after I picked it up using only ratchet straps. There was no noticeable wind push or drag. The camper weighs 1,500 lbs dry - I don't expect wind to shove it out of the bed. I suspect my overall drag is less than a regular troop carrier cover which would stand higher over the cab. The good thing is the space over the roof to the bottom of the sleeper bunk is an excellent area to store things like chairs, a table, or other outdoor supplies. I've seen that tip/trick on other truck campers.

The toilet is a must have...if I've already jumped the shark tank from just putting a tent in the back to this, not having heat, air, stove, fridge, and a functional toilet would not be cool. It currently has a long flat/slim grey tank that drops along and tucks under the whole rear ledge. The ONLY water that would be going in this is for the sink. A bit of overkill - but there are many places and times you would NOT run grey water out on the ground. I think I can use the same space and drop down to put a black and grey - but the cassette toilet does the job just as well and no black tank to mess with or worry about freezing. If I do some below freezing winter camping, I won't want to use the black tank anyway.

 

[JEB]

Painting the camper to match the HMMWV will prevent it from looking like Hooterville National Guard surplus.
Stencil "Command Post" or "Disaster Response " on it and people will get out of your way.
Back when I was in the AF, we had a Mobile Command Post truck painted up with the disaster response decal and it looked almost cool.

 

[McSpeed]

Painting the camper to match the HMMWV will prevent it from looking like Hooterville National Guard surplus.
Stencil "Command Post" or "Disaster Response " on it and people will get out of your way.
Back when I was in the AF, we had a Mobile Command Post truck painted up with the disaster response decal and it looked almost cool.

I like the way you think. For now we are getting it back operational so we can decide if we are keeping or selling it. I agree with my wife a woodland camouflage paint scheme will limit the resale of the camper.

Speaking of, got the propane system tested yesterday. Fridge works and stove. Water heater and furnace have issues. I ordered a new control valve for the water heater. Not sure what to do on the furnace yet.

The new flooring is in and I’m doing a custom back splash. I replaced all the cream colored power outlets with new white ones.

got water flowing in it and am bleaching out the lines. All new hoses to and from the tank to pump.
toilet will be here next week.

if the heater was working I planned on a test camp next weekend. But will have to delay that now.

 

[TOBASH]

Heaters have little gas expansion valves that ensure the pilot is on. When that valve goes bad the system goes dead. Cheap items. I would first check gas delivery and then check there second.

called a thermocoupler IIRC

 

[McSpeed]

Heaters have little gas expansion valves that ensure the pilot is on. When that valve goes bad the system goes dead. Cheap items. I would first check gas delivery and then check there second.

called a thermocoupler IIRC

Replaced that on both the water heater and furnace - thermocoupler IIRC. I ran into that on my house fireplace. The RV is essentially the same thing - just different sizes and shapes. My water heater is not DSI, but the furnace is.

Replaced the main regulator. Didn't do any good for the furnace. I called an RV appliance place that also has tech available. It is looking like the circuit board is dead and not making any spark for the ignition.

Once I get these two bugs ironed out and the new tires on the truck...we are off to give it a try. I was able to get the fast gun mounts hooked to the truck and camper. Those are nice...and came with the camper. We will know here VERY soon if this is going to be a thing or not...or just an add on Craigslist for a recently overhauled camper!

 

[nattieleather]

Maybe if this doesn't work our for you you could make something like this and use one of those roof pop-up tents they sell for cars and SUVs.
https://www.amazon.com/Tuff-Stuff-R...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6161691AQN3PGMR607DM

Just a thought if you decided to not keep the camper back.