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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
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"Loading up" a truck camper...... interior...
Started putting "stuff" inside the camper.....it is a pop-up so space is limited.....(but everybody has a limit as to what to take with them.....)
How about telling some secrets as to getting the right items in the right places....
How to hold things down so they don't spill/break....
Steps and ladders to get in and on top ....
Sleeping in comfort in hot /cold weather......( keep it "G" rated)
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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heavy stuff on the bottom and to the front. fragile things rolled up in the bedding and on the beds. Ice chests covered with sleeping bags. potato
chips on top. Gps ,camera and binoculars in a ditty bag in the front next to me.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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Tomas Tierra
Super Nomad
Posts: 1281
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: oxnard, ca
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Mood: Tengo Flojera
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shortboards hanging from inside roof, longboards on top..
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9006
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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You are about to enter......
the Rubbermaid and/or Sterilite zone.
Head to a Walmart or such and check out the bins and cupboard organizers these companies now have. We prefer pulling out small organizing bins to
digging through the depths of the cupboards or storage compartments.
Bubblepack is your friend.
Delicate glassware can be put in old socks and stored laying down in bins. I dont like drinking good wine from plastic, if possible.
Stackable bins with lids can be put in corners and bungeed in place if you're willing to put screw eyes into your interior walls. Probably should
anchor them with an epoxy or 5200 as the interior walls are usually thin veneer or fiberboard. Cant really thru-bolt most locations.
I am also using a Hidden Hitch receiver up front and a Hitch Haul carrier for "dirty" items like a gas can, an outboard motor, firewood, Weber,
briquets, extra propane tank, etc. A head on collision will probably put me in the Gringo Gazette. But it makes for better offroading with it upfront
and still allows you to tow something in a pinch. It also keeps some heavy/dirty stuff out of the walkway in the camper itself and makes unloading
much quicker.
I have even gone on trips where I placed my entire truckbed box up there and lashed it down with tiedowns and lcablelocked it to the hitch. Lockable
outside storage.
Have you tested your fridge in really hot conditions yet, Jim? Some popups dont allow for good exhausting of the freon coils and can be greatly helped
by installing 12v exhaust fans at the top of the "chimney". You want good airflow through there. You want to achieve at least a 50 degree drop from
outside ambient temps. If it aint doing that, yet the coils are nice and warm, this could be the problem.
Also, make damn sure your fridge door has a good working lock. You sound like you will be doing some offroading. Its no fun getting to a remote place
and finding the contents of your fridge rolling around in the back. 
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A-OK
Nomad
Posts: 162
Registered: 9-11-2004
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: faded
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Lets see some pictures of what you are using. | Quote: | Originally posted by surfer jim
Started putting "stuff" inside the camper.....it is a pop-up so space is limited.....(but everybody has a limit as to what to take with them.....)
How about telling some secrets as to getting the right items in the right places....
How to hold things down so they don't spill/break....
Steps and ladders to get in and on top ....
Sleeping in comfort in hot /cold weather......( keep it "G" rated)
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Also, make damn sure your fridge door has a good working lock. You sound like you will be doing some offroading. Its no fun getting to a remote place
and finding the contents of your fridge rolling around in the back.
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Hook, lots of good info in your post. You are "right ON" about the fridge door. It ONCE happened to me and never again. It was no fun opening up
the door to see 20 bottles of Pacifico all broken but one all over the floor among all the other contents - what a mess is was. Never again! A strip
or two of duct tape when off roading is in order.
Bob H
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Tomas Tierra
Super Nomad
Posts: 1281
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: oxnard, ca
Member Is Offline
Mood: Tengo Flojera
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"Delicate glassware can be put in old socks and stored laying down in bins. I dont like drinking good wine from plastic, if possible."
Thats why it comes in bottles Hook!!
[Edited on 6-8-2006 by Tomas Tierra]
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rob
Senior Nomad
Posts: 509
Registered: 10-19-2004
Location: Pacific Coast, BCS
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Senor Hook - you are totally on regarding the poptop fridges - my beloved RC Willett Northstar camper had a Dometic 3-way fridge that never worked
worth a damn ( admittedly my idea of ideal camping is San Basilio in July/Aug max temp 116F).
Finally bought a large ARB (a.k.a. Norcold) 12v portable fridge/freezer that worked off 2x6v golf cart batteries and the 3 Siemens solar panels on the
roof. Sunnier it got, the better it worked - and no propane worries.
ROb
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
Member Is Offline
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Mine has an "icebox".....just like the good old days!.....
That idea of the door opening and all the stuff spilling out caught my eye....I can see it happening already....now to stop it.
Went to WAL-MART and saw some of the orgainzers....
Was thinking about how to "lash" down containers for travel also....you are right about nothing strong to mount to....
(A-OK...no camera...yet)
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Tomas Tierra
Super Nomad
Posts: 1281
Registered: 3-23-2005
Location: oxnard, ca
Member Is Offline
Mood: Tengo Flojera
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I screwed eye hooks directly into the frame for lashing things down...my camper is older and a bit rough inside..
used the cabinets that came in the camper for a long time to store stuff..just recently tore that whole side of the camper out and am running with the
storage containers idea..did most of the cooking outside anyway so don't miss the stove and counter..my ice box was always used for dry food storage
so don't miss that either...now once i get there, the space is incredible once you unload the plastic bins..
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A-OK
Nomad
Posts: 162
Registered: 9-11-2004
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: faded
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I use cargo bars similar to thesehttp://www.truckxpressions.com/productsearch.cgi?subcategory=18 and hook HD bungees to each other to keep the light
stuff from geting airborne. An old Pre-runner or Gator net works to keep the goods up in the cabover area. On the ceiling I hang up to 4 surfboards
and 4 rods strapped to their own secure racks that are close to flush. The full-roof rack handles everything else.
[Edited on 6-9-2006 by A-OK]
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
Member Is Offline
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Actually, you want to have a little bit of stuff coming loose and getting right to the edge of closets, etc., so that when the kid at the checkpoints
opens the cupboard, he gets beaned by a can of pork and beans. Kinda speeds up the process. We are in Canada right now and the roads up here are as
bad as some of the old baja roads. It sure was fun when the border patrol nasty opened the cupboard and got beaned (literally)
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
Member Is Offline
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Come on... I get a hard time on here when I try to save old batteries to give out at checkpoints ....and now you want cans of beans to bonk them....
Still doing details...got a am/fm/cd player and speakers wired up today....and more cooking items and kitchen things......
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
Member Is Offline
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Saturday noon...did a trial run up to BIG BEAR on fire roads....maybe 20 miles of graded road....this would be like one of the easiest runs on dirt
that BAJA would have.....all the pots, pans, cups, plastic glasses.... came out of the cabinet and onto the floor...even thoughed packed good and
padded with two small blankets.....
and....the camper turnbuckles had all come loose ....camper shifted and now must be centered again.....not good.....but shows what must be improved
next.....
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15937
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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| Quote: |
the camper turnbuckles had all come loose
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may be a dumb question, but can you put something like teflon/duct tape on the threads to keep them from loosening? if you needed to you could easily
remove the tape and make adjustments....?
[Edited on 6-11-2006 by woody in ob]
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jimgrms
Senior Nomad
Posts: 664
Registered: 9-30-2005
Location: oceanside ca
Member Is Offline
Mood: its always good
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jim lock tite every thing you can and double nut it also you can buy velcro straps and that at home depot that can be used for cupboards it has
a adhesive backing on it
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
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At RV supply stores, get cupboard latches that are really positive - have to push a button to open. Use ny-lock nuts whenever possible with loctite.
See if you can run a lock-nut (ny-lock) on the right hand thread side of the turn-buckle (inside the turn-buckle)
And if you still have trouble with the nuts, I have some decals to remind you to "Tighten Your Nuts"
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
Member Is Offline
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Looks like I will be back to the store.....thanks
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
Member Is Offline
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With my old pick-up camper, I installed a smaller eye hook near each turnbuckle mounts and then connected the center of the turnbuckle to this eye
hook with a small wire. This way, the turnbuckle couldn't spin loose.
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TacoFeliz
Nomad
Posts: 265
Registered: 7-22-2005
Location: Here
Member Is Offline
Mood: Exploratory
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Turnbuckles
After trashing several of the worthless aluminum turnbuckles that came with my 4 Wheeler poptop I pulled them, put in some 1/4" stainless backing
plates and got some good bronze turnbuckles (used) from a ship chandlery. The threads are tighter, strength rating is WAY better and they have
pre-drilled cotter pin holes so when you get them adjusted the way you want they can be locked in position and not back out.
Have had no problems since switching, been all over Baja backroads, the east Mojave and the Sierras on washboard and rockcrawler roads. Cabinet doors
have blown out and the interior looked like a yard sale a couple of times, but the hold downs haven't budged.
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