Dishes, Paint, Decals, Batteries, Wires, Covers

In addition to the installation of new PIAA Auxiliary Lights and AGM Batteries, we also completed the following improvements to the TC for this season ...
 
Camper Rooftop Dishes
... by WINEGARD and JACK

We don't watch TV while we travel and the 2 dishes that were on the roof were taking up valuable space. We may install additional solar panels in their place eventually. They also got in the way, when drawing a canoe or kayaks up to the roof for transport. I've located and marked the wiring rough-ins and retained the hardware. Any future owners will be able to reinstall the equipment if they choose to. 

Upholstery, Storage, Communication

WE completed several more upgrades to some components and systems in our TC recently. These are areas that we had identified for improvement after our 2014/2015 trip to the SE USA and wished to see finished prior to our next road trip.

CAMPER UPHOLSTERY
Here's what our dinette cushions looked like after about 200 days usage.

Transforming A Crew Seat Into A Gear Closet

Truck Campers are notoriously inadequate at providing storage ...

... and, any of us who owns one, knows that! Because of the locations we sometimes travel to, it's important we keep our vehicle as short as possible ... a utility gear trailer is not an option for us. We pursue and enjoy several outdoor activities and each of those needs to be supported with gear. Therefore, we look to the haul vehicle for our storage solutions and specificially to its' rear seat. 

Exterior Body and Equipment Protection

The Body and Equipment Protection phase of our rig build is now complete.

We'll sometimes be travelling in areas where roadways aren't always paved. The vehicles body and lighting and several important components like the radiator, transmission cooler, brake lines and various low mounted hoses need to be protected. We travelled the Yukon's Dempster Highway a number of years ago in our first truck camper setup. Flying gravel and small rocks from passing tractor trailers and other vehicle traffic resulted in a cracked windshield, a drivers side mirror and no draft window glass both smashed and the camper door's glass cracked. That truck had a full stone & bush guard across the front ... given the peppered markings on the guard's mesh, had we not had it, I know we would have probably lost headlights and possibly a rad or tranny cooler. The Dempster is remote, service is available but you could be stranded for several days waiting for a tow truck to haul you to Eagle Plains or Inuvik for repair. Getting a critical part like a transmission cooler delivered could takes upwards of a couple of weeks. I prefer to be proactive, to protect important gear in advance and hopefully avert extended downtime later on.

Storage, Paint, Reflectors, Rubber Protectors, Gaskets

I've been busy finishing a number of the projects that got started but were never finished, prior to our trip to Utah and in the process I've added a few new ones. All of these items address our on-going requirement to 'build' a travel vehicle that is comfortable and convenient on the inside for LIVING ... and also bulletproof, sturdy and comfortable to TRAVEL in. We also need to rely on the vehicle's durability and reliability under potentially adverse driving conditions.

Remember, this is the back of a pickup truck and we will be living here for extended periods of time. Of interest, we have approximately 134 sqft of liveable space in the Lance 855s Camper ... I believe that qualifies us for living in a small, environmentally friendly footprint and places us in the catagory of a 'Really - REALLY Tiny House'.

Stone & Brush Guard

The LATEST UPGRADE: Body Protection

Ranch Hand builds a good product. Their bumpers are available in the southern USA (Texas, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana), and also Alberta, Canada but, up here, you have to search around.

I had a custom built brush & stone guard made in Ontario just prior to an earlier trip north (1994) with an older 1994 Ford F350 diesel & a 1988 Maple Leaf camper. When we returned from that trip, after 20000 + kms and a lot of it on loose gravel roads, we had ....  a cracked windshield, the drivers side mirror and no-draft glass were both smashed and the campers rear entry door glass was cracked ... all from flying clouds of gravel. The face of that bumper was so badly marked with stone damage that, I know, had I not installed it, we would probably have lost an oil or transmission cooler, a radiator and possibly a headlight or two.

Storage Ideas

I don't have the resources to complete any major cargo or storage building projects while we're travelling, but I have been identifying areas in the camper where I can build proper cabinets and shelves once I have access to my shop and tools again. I have a Plan and a List.

For now I've been able to re-arrange or use some of the camper spaces more efficiently using off the shelf store bought items.