As wooden boat guy, I can say you made a good choice in protecting all that fine work with Interlux coatings. very good stuff. The wood sealer is almost as good as thinned epoxy, and I have left surfaces unpainted in full exposure for three years before it started to degrade. Well worth the investment.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I should have a new episode out in a few weeks. I just need to edit, I have a ton of footage. Stay safe out there. TbT
Thank you for sharing all of this! I saw your videos as you were publishing them and now I am getting ready to start my own DIY pop up camper (mine will be a wedge style with tent sides). I initially thought I would use the kind of fiberglass sheeting that is used to replace camper siding but at $1000+ for the amount I need, this paint is a much better option!
I just found your build this morning and am blown away! You are a great builder and obviously have some experience in many trades. You are a craftsman, sir!
Thanks. Much appreciated. I’ve built a few things over the years lol, mostly houses. Thanks for watching, commenting and I hope you continue to follow along. Stay safe out there. TbT
Thanks for watching and commenting. I’ll do a full inside build and walk through in a video soon. Still have some other footage to edit in the exterior and install of the camper. Cheers. TbT
Nice. I want to do a non overhead bed. Have a twin bed turn into a dinette. Counter and burner, other side closet. Refrigerator . Under bed large storing area.
Watching videos and learning as you go is the key. I've built 2 so far and still screw up figuring out the fix is the challenging fun part. If you want to build one just try it ya just might find a skill you didn't know you had and fear of screwing up holds you back
Would you consider using aluminum outer skin next time on the sides? It would seem to last longer and all those coats to protect the wood is not needed.
Yeah, it would be a good alternative for sure. I went with what I knew (carpentry stuff) but aluminum like I used on the roof would be good too. It would too. The paints I used are pretty rugged so I think I’ll be good. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT.
Yeah Vulkem really works, messy and hard to tool but once it's on it's done. The paint and finish looks great and no extra parts when putting it all back together? Were you able to get 2 coats out of one gallon for the finish? Parts of your shop looks as nice as some living rooms. The camper is turning out fantastic, lots of work no doubt, but it will be worth it. How's the weight, still within what you want? Great work👍
Hahaha Yes, part of my shop was my living room ... too much rain here lately holding me back had to move inside lol. Yes, the gallon easily did 2 coats, could have done 3. I have about a quart left for touchups and fixes down the road. I just weighed my truck empty (no tailgate, bed mat, etc.) and I'm hoping to put the camper on this weekend do the math and get a total weight as is. This will help me determine where I am and how minimalist or bougie I can build out the inside. I'll show the weights in episode 11. Thank for watching and commenting. TbT
Looking Awesome my friend. The color is perfect! Wow !! 99 dollars for a gallon !! And thats the cheaper stuff ! lol It would be cool if you did a video on total cost to this point. Any thought of putting solar on the Roof ?
Thanks! Yeah, anything boat related (like this paint) is crazy high cost, but quality stuff for sure. I will do a basic cost review at some point, but right now I'd guess I have spent about $2500. I also try to repurpose anything I can, buy off the scrap pile at the metal supply, etc., so I save a bit here and there. I'll go into more details on that in later episodes. I'm actually trying to figure out what my power situation will be right now. A solar roof skin/sheet would be cool for sure. I have seen a few other channels add those and they look pretty slick. I'm going to partner with a entry level fridge company soon and incorporate it into my set up (see older fridge slide video I made) and do the whole review/promo code thing soon. We've been cooler campers for so long, having a fridge will be super cool... I just need to figure out the power side of it. More video content I guess. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
I really like your design! I watched hundreds of build videos, but this one comes closest to what I want to build! My only fear would be rain. Now after 7 months, do you have any problems with water leaking into the camper? Is it ridget enough? I was thinking stealing your design, but add fiberglass + epoxy. ..again congratulations!
Thanks! So far over the last 7 months I’ve had zero water leaks even when we had the tropical storm roll through SoCal a while back. It’s been to Oregon and back already and it’s been to Anza-Borrego several trips and almost no dust inside at all. The outside is holding up really well. Though, I have not been in a heavy rain with it popped up yet so I’ll cross that bridge at some point, but I tried to make all the weather sealing as closed off and tight as possible. The hard side upper walls are great in wind too. We had a really really windy night AB a few weeks back and it was so much better than our RTT. We would have went home if we were in the RTT and that wind hit at 2am. If I was to do it over, I may skin the outside with aluminum sheets like I did my roof instead of the sealed wood and marine grade paints I used. Maybe on the next one. 😂 Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
@@TravelingbyTacoma what I am considering as well is to do a solid camper maybe 5ft on the inside and then have a section in the roof that you can lift up, only where you actually need the standing height. Google Qek Junior. It’s a German camper produced in the GDR that weighted 350kg. Check the roof! Thanks for your reply!!
Thanks. I’m still working on it so it’s not done yet lol. So far it’s almost a year, but I have a full time job and only work on it when I have time. I’ll be done by end of May. I’ll cover the costs in a future video, but overall its about 1/8th of the cost of a 4wheel camper. Tons of hours though. Thanks for watching and commenting TbT.
Awesome build! I'm doing something similar. I need to add a surfboard rack, car box and a small solar panel to the roof. I would think I would need to beef up the roof with blocking and perhaps some thicker ply, no? What would you recommend?
Thanks. I may do a roof rack too down the road for my longboard. I will probably just make my own and use aluminum plate through the side of the roof and a crossbar rather than penetrate through the top. Seem like it would be stronger that way for my build. I think you could add some backing (like a few 1x8’s) in the roof where your rack would go and bolt it all the way through using a good plate or large washer on the inside. I think you can make it strong enough for a rack without adding too much weight of a full sheet of ply. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. TbT
Yea he's right, avoid holes thru the roof at all costs it's a recipe for disaster. Beef up sides so there's something to mount to then use butyl tape behind the side mount as a sealantwhich prevents screws in side wall from leaking
Hi! Your videos gave me an inspiration to build one and I'm in the process of building for my Tacoma. I have a question. How much lbs were the struts that you used for the roof? Thanks!
I used 40lb struts for my roof. The link is in my video description of the later videos towards the end of the series if you want to check them out on Amazon. Thanks for watching and commenting. Good luck with your build. 🤙🏼
I basically figured out how tall I water the pop up and then bought struts that fit that best. I went with 35”. amzn.to/463TaPF Through bolted at least 2 of the 3 attachment bolts and upgraded to metal ball sockets. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
hello. I'm Leonardo from Argentina. I want to copy your camper design. Do you have plans with dimensions? it is a beautiful project. I want to make one like it. thank you so much
Hello. Thank you and thanks for watching and commenting. I don’t have any plans to send, but I would suggest using the videos and build to the dimensions of your truck. Let me Know if you have any questions and I can try to help. TbT
Yeah I was having a little spacing issues and it gave me more space having them upside down. After reading they would dry out and fail if I left them that way, I made some spacers and got different (metal) ball joint connectors. Hope that explains the difference.
Haha. It have a roof vent now. We wanted to test it out first and I was a little worried cutting a hole in the roof a week before the maiden voyage. I’ll show all the stuff I’ve done since the last video in a full walk around soon -ish. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
I started with 60lb but they were way too strong. Ended up using 40 and they’re perfect for my roof (not 100% sure my roof weight though) here’s a link. amzn.to/3TN9q4j
No. I bought a 4x8 sheet of aluminum thin aluminum. I think I could have found a bigger piece somewhere, but that’s what I could find at the time and within my budget.
@@TravelingbyTacoma Ya, That it a challenge to find suitable parts, on a one off build within budget and timeline. Frustrating sometimes too, when you know that such a thing does exist - just not obtainable by the lowly homebuilder. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
@@TravelingbyTacoma I hoped my timestamp of 23:37 would be helpful. Seems you use a black sealant/adhesive for most, but for the roof you switched to a white polyurathane at 23:20 Vulkem 116. Why not use one kind for the entire camper?
The 116 is for permanent bond sealer on the roof. Have used it many time before and love the stuff. The black is more of a weather sealer and if I had to take it apart it wouldn’t tear the wood apart it was bonded to. The roof skin I tried the foam glue to bond the aluminum to the foam and wood. Vulkem117 probably would have been fine there as well though. Hope that helps.
I don't get it your camper prodject is flawless you are an amazing craftsman but it looks as though that last sealant you applied on the roof is your final finish looks like a a big zit on the face of a beauty queen, never the less looking forward to the finishing of inside.
Haha. Yeah that stuff is ugly, but unless you’re 7’ tall you’ll never see it. It cleans up much better when I paint the top edge and aluminum…I’ll show that in the next video. It won’t leak though so that’s worth it to me. That’s the main thing. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
Your going to max out your vehicle water rating quick be careful. You will also wear mechanical components much faster. I have a large 20ft slide in camper. Your truck takes abuse moving them around the country.
Thanks, but I’m not even close. I have 1400 lbs of payload capacity based on my current weight of 4220lbs -just weighed it empty 3 days ago. My camper is about 350lbs estimated currently. A 4wheelcamper brand weighs closer to 1500lbs kitted out for a Tacoma so I have zero concern with my weight hoping it will be under 550 dry once completely built. I bought this truck for adventure and wearing out parts is part of the fun and trade off. I’ll show all the weights in future episodes. Thanks for watching and commenting. Stay safe out there and have fun. TbT.
@Traveling by Tacoma Just keep an eye out. It's usually you your occupants and you property that add the most weight , battery's fuel ect. I'm giving you my experience. I love the build . Keep it up. Air bags and those cheap Chinese heaters are my best purchases
For sure. Thanks. I know my occupant, gear and water weight from my rooftop tent set up. I should be under GVWR whe I’m done here …that’s the plan anyways. I’m going to weigh it before I build out the inside so I know where I’m at with it.it will tell me if I need to go minimalist or not. The inside will be built as light as possible. Stay safe out there. TbT
You've really done an amazing job on this camper build! I'm definitely going to use yours as a pattern of sorts, when I build mine.
Thank you . Good luck on your build. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
As wooden boat guy, I can say you made a good choice in protecting all that fine work with Interlux coatings. very good stuff. The wood sealer is almost as good as thinned epoxy, and I have left surfaces unpainted in full exposure for three years before it started to degrade. Well worth the investment.
I agree. I used all Interlux products on my boat as well and the stuff is well worth the price. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT.
Awesome work! I'm on here daily waiting for your next upload. Can't wait to see you wrap it all up. Thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks for watching and commenting. I should have a new episode out in a few weeks. I just need to edit, I have a ton of footage. Stay safe out there. TbT
Thank you for sharing all of this! I saw your videos as you were publishing them and now I am getting ready to start my own DIY pop up camper (mine will be a wedge style with tent sides). I initially thought I would use the kind of fiberglass sheeting that is used to replace camper siding but at $1000+ for the amount I need, this paint is a much better option!
Thanks for watching and following along. Good luck with your build. TbT.
I just found your build this morning and am blown away! You are a great builder and obviously have some experience in many trades. You are a craftsman, sir!
Thanks. Much appreciated. I’ve built a few things over the years lol, mostly houses. Thanks for watching, commenting and I hope you continue to follow along. Stay safe out there. TbT
Looks beautiful……pride in manufacturing.
Thank you. Getting there. Should be testing this thing out in about a month. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
That is looking really good. I've been following your build to make one for my Tacoma.
Thanks! Good luck on your build. I hope my videos help. TbT
What a transformation!
Thanks. It’s coming together well.
Wow nice job, taking a lot of patience to go through all the steps to do it right
Thanks. 🤙🏼
Keep the content coming 👊 Camper is looking proper
Thanks! Much appreciated. TbT
This is looking great! Anxiously awaiting the end result, thanks for sharing ☺
Thanks! 😘.
Very nice job looks nice🎉👍👍👍
Thanks !
very good your videos. I'm building a camper and the information is very important.
Thanks. Glad you’re enjoying the videos. TbT
Nice project
Thanks!
Hi! I love your job! Congrats! Im still waiting for the camper tour, i would like to see inside the camper greetings and a big hug from mexico 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting. I’ll do a full inside build and walk through in a video soon. Still have some other footage to edit in the exterior and install of the camper. Cheers. TbT
Amazing build 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼!
Thanks! 🤙🏼🍻
Nice. I want to do a non overhead bed. Have a twin bed turn into a dinette. Counter and burner, other side closet. Refrigerator . Under bed large storing area.
So many options, good luck with your build. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT.
I am planning on building a new roof mine is all tore up lol. Thanks for the info
No problem. Good luck. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT. ✌🏼
I wish I had your skills & knowledge
Thanks and thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
Watching videos and learning as you go is the key. I've built 2 so far and still screw up figuring out the fix is the challenging fun part. If you want to build one just try it ya just might find a skill you didn't know you had and fear of screwing up holds you back
👍🏻
Sweet
Thanks ! Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT. ✌🏼
Excelente
Thanks!
My 2 cents , when doing the inside make cabinet carcasses out of 2x2 so that they increase your sheer strength
I’ll show the interior build in coming videos. Thanks for watching and commenting, it’s appreciated. Tbt
@Traveling by Tacoma I'm impatient get to work lol. I look forward to seeing it I'm getting ideas for my tundra build
Yeah I hear ya, give yourself plenty of time you’ll be doing a lot of head scratching and gorilla engineering. Good luck
Would you consider using aluminum outer skin next time on the sides? It would seem to last longer and all those coats to protect the wood is not needed.
Yeah, it would be a good alternative for sure. I went with what I knew (carpentry stuff) but aluminum like I used on the roof would be good too. It would too. The paints I used are pretty rugged so I think I’ll be good. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT.
Ugh I want that Interlux brightside in seattle gray and yep no 1 gallon anywhere, will have to spend extra for quarts :/
Same here. I am super happy with the Bilgecoat grey I used though. Its super durable and easy to clean. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
Yeah Vulkem really works, messy and hard to tool but once it's on it's done. The paint and finish looks great and no extra parts when putting it all back together? Were you able to get 2 coats out of one gallon for the finish? Parts of your shop looks as nice as some living rooms. The camper is turning out fantastic, lots of work no doubt, but it will be worth it. How's the weight, still within what you want? Great work👍
Hahaha Yes, part of my shop was my living room ... too much rain here lately holding me back had to move inside lol. Yes, the gallon easily did 2 coats, could have done 3. I have about a quart left for touchups and fixes down the road. I just weighed my truck empty (no tailgate, bed mat, etc.) and I'm hoping to put the camper on this weekend do the math and get a total weight as is. This will help me determine where I am and how minimalist or bougie I can build out the inside. I'll show the weights in episode 11. Thank for watching and commenting. TbT
Looking Awesome my friend. The color is perfect!
Wow !! 99 dollars for a gallon !! And thats the cheaper stuff ! lol
It would be cool if you did a video on total cost to this point.
Any thought of putting solar on the Roof ?
Thanks! Yeah, anything boat related (like this paint) is crazy high cost, but quality stuff for sure. I will do a basic cost review at some point, but right now I'd guess I have spent about $2500. I also try to repurpose anything I can, buy off the scrap pile at the metal supply, etc., so I save a bit here and there. I'll go into more details on that in later episodes. I'm actually trying to figure out what my power situation will be right now. A solar roof skin/sheet would be cool for sure. I have seen a few other channels add those and they look pretty slick. I'm going to partner with a entry level fridge company soon and incorporate it into my set up (see older fridge slide video I made) and do the whole review/promo code thing soon. We've been cooler campers for so long, having a fridge will be super cool... I just need to figure out the power side of it. More video content I guess. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
$2500 not bad!! Hey nothing wrong with repurposing.
Looking forward to your next video!!@@TravelingbyTacoma
I really like your design! I watched hundreds of build videos, but this one comes closest to what I want to build!
My only fear would be rain.
Now after 7 months, do you have any problems with water leaking into the camper?
Is it ridget enough?
I was thinking stealing your design, but add fiberglass + epoxy.
..again congratulations!
Thanks! So far over the last 7 months I’ve had zero water leaks even when we had the tropical storm roll through SoCal a while back. It’s been to Oregon and back already and it’s been to Anza-Borrego several trips and almost no dust inside at all. The outside is holding up really well. Though, I have not been in a heavy rain with it popped up yet so I’ll cross that bridge at some point, but I tried to make all the weather sealing as closed off and tight as possible. The hard side upper walls are great in wind too. We had a really really windy night AB a few weeks back and it was so much better than our RTT. We would have went home if we were in the RTT and that wind hit at 2am. If I was to do it over, I may skin the outside with aluminum sheets like I did my roof instead of the sealed wood and marine grade paints I used. Maybe on the next one. 😂 Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
@@TravelingbyTacoma what I am considering as well is to do a solid camper maybe 5ft on the inside and then have a section in the roof that you can lift up, only where you actually need the standing height.
Google Qek Junior. It’s a German camper produced in the GDR that weighted 350kg. Check the roof!
Thanks for your reply!!
I’ll check it out. Good luck
Great job and great video! How long did it take and how much did it cost? Thank you
Thanks. I’m still working on it so it’s not done yet lol. So far it’s almost a year, but I have a full time job and only work on it when I have time. I’ll be done by end of May. I’ll cover the costs in a future video, but overall its about 1/8th of the cost of a 4wheel camper. Tons of hours though. Thanks for watching and commenting TbT.
Awesome build! I'm doing something similar. I need to add a surfboard rack, car box and a small solar panel to the roof. I would think I would need to beef up the roof with blocking and perhaps some thicker ply, no? What would you recommend?
Thanks. I may do a roof rack too down the road for my longboard. I will probably just make my own and use aluminum plate through the side of the roof and a crossbar rather than penetrate through the top. Seem like it would be stronger that way for my build. I think you could add some backing (like a few 1x8’s) in the roof where your rack would go and bolt it all the way through using a good plate or large washer on the inside. I think you can make it strong enough for a rack without adding too much weight of a full sheet of ply. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. TbT
Yea he's right, avoid holes thru the roof at all costs it's a recipe for disaster. Beef up sides so there's something to mount to then use butyl tape behind the side mount as a sealantwhich prevents screws in side wall from leaking
👍🏻
@@brentsharp8234 Awesome, thanks!
Hi! Your videos gave me an inspiration to build one and I'm in the process of building for my Tacoma. I have a question. How much lbs were the struts that you used for the roof? Thanks!
I used 40lb struts for my roof. The link is in my video description of the later videos towards the end of the series if you want to check them out on Amazon. Thanks for watching and commenting. Good luck with your build. 🤙🏼
@@TravelingbyTacoma Thank you! That's a big help. I'll wait for your new videos.
Check the video disruption in episode 14… I think the links are in there. Scroll down for links. 🤙🏼
Nice project! Do you have any information on how you installed the struts?
I basically figured out how tall I water the pop up and then bought struts that fit that best. I went with 35”. amzn.to/463TaPF
Through bolted at least 2 of the 3 attachment bolts and upgraded to metal ball sockets. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
I appreciate the response! How tall are you pop up walls?
About 24”.
hello. I'm Leonardo from Argentina. I want to copy your camper design.
Do you have plans with dimensions? it is a beautiful project. I want to make one like it. thank you so much
Hello. Thank you and thanks for watching and commenting. I don’t have any plans to send, but I would suggest using the videos and build to the dimensions of your truck. Let me
Know if you have any questions and I can try to help. TbT
Why did you switch your struts. They are mounted opposite the way originally. I thought piston should be pointing down.
Yeah I was having a little spacing issues and it gave me more space having them upside down. After reading they would dry out and fail if I left them that way, I made some spacers and got different (metal) ball joint connectors. Hope that explains the difference.
Okay. Second question. How come no roof vent/fan/skylight? Gotta have. Thanks for sharing.
Haha. It have a roof vent now. We wanted to test it out first and I was a little worried cutting a hole in the roof a week before the maiden voyage. I’ll show all the stuff I’ve done since the last video in a full walk around soon -ish. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
@@TravelingbyTacoma You do astonishing work. What's your day job?
Thanks. I used to build/remodel houses,now I’m a commercial construction project manager and Facility management.
@@TravelingbyTacoma You have an inspiring attention to detail. Your day-job projects must be amazing as well.
What weight did you do on the struts
I started with 60lb but they were way too strong. Ended up using 40 and they’re perfect for my roof (not 100% sure my roof weight though) here’s a link. amzn.to/3TN9q4j
Very lightweight. What is the weight so far?
Thanks for watching and commenting. I cover the current weight in the next episode. It should be out in about a week. TbT
18:48 Was is not possible to get full width RV roof skin?
No. I bought a 4x8 sheet of aluminum thin aluminum. I think I could have found a bigger piece somewhere, but that’s what I could find at the time and within my budget.
@@TravelingbyTacoma Ya, That it a challenge to find suitable parts, on a one off build within budget and timeline. Frustrating sometimes too, when you know that such a thing does exist - just not obtainable by the lowly homebuilder.
Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
Haha true. I built my house too. It all comes down to time and money …which are basically the same thing. Glad you’re enjoying the build series.
23:37 Why use two types of sealant adhesive?
More detail in your question- so I don’t have to go back and rewatch lol
@@TravelingbyTacoma I hoped my timestamp of 23:37 would be helpful. Seems you use a black sealant/adhesive for most, but for the roof you switched to a white polyurathane at 23:20 Vulkem 116. Why not use one kind for the entire camper?
The 116 is for permanent bond sealer on the roof. Have used it many time before and love the stuff. The black is more of a weather sealer and if I had to take it apart it wouldn’t tear the wood apart it was bonded to. The roof skin I tried the foam glue to bond the aluminum to the foam and wood. Vulkem117 probably would have been fine there as well though. Hope that helps.
I don't get it your camper prodject is flawless you are an amazing craftsman but it looks as though that last sealant you applied on the roof is your final finish looks like a a big zit on the face of a beauty queen, never the less looking forward to the finishing of inside.
Haha. Yeah that stuff is ugly, but unless you’re 7’ tall you’ll never see it. It cleans up much better when I paint the top edge and aluminum…I’ll show that in the next video. It won’t leak though so that’s worth it to me. That’s the main thing. Thanks for watching and commenting. TbT
Yeah sure!
Hahaha
Your going to max out your vehicle water rating quick be careful. You will also wear mechanical components much faster. I have a large 20ft slide in camper. Your truck takes abuse moving them around the country.
Thanks, but I’m not even close. I have 1400 lbs of payload capacity based on my current weight of 4220lbs -just weighed it empty 3 days ago. My camper is about 350lbs estimated currently. A 4wheelcamper brand weighs closer to 1500lbs kitted out for a Tacoma so I have zero concern with my weight hoping it will be under 550 dry once completely built. I bought this truck for adventure and wearing out parts is part of the fun and trade off. I’ll show all the weights in future episodes. Thanks for watching and commenting. Stay safe out there and have fun. TbT.
@Traveling by Tacoma Just keep an eye out. It's usually you your occupants and you property that add the most weight , battery's fuel ect. I'm giving you my experience. I love the build . Keep it up. Air bags and those cheap Chinese heaters are my best purchases
For sure. Thanks. I know my occupant, gear and water weight from my rooftop tent set up. I should be under GVWR whe I’m done here …that’s the plan anyways. I’m going to weigh it before I build out the inside so I know where I’m at with it.it will tell me if I need to go minimalist or not. The inside will be built as light as possible. Stay safe out there. TbT