Camper tour, build update & road trip + vehicle recovery

In this video we do a walk around tour and update of our DIY truck camper build, go on a road trip and pull 2 stuck vehicles out of a river. We tackle a roadside repair, make camp for the night and drive across a ridiculously high logging bridge. Featuring Yorkshire Terriers, a Cummins powered Dodge and Olympic Overland!

[@largemarge1603]

09:02 re -- insulation After a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs, we insulated our ExpeditionVehicle with: * acoustic adhesive-backed against the inside wall, a gap, then * half-inch pink-board, another air-gap, then * two-inch foil-side poly. . Our windows are 3010 (three feet wide by a foot tall) dual-pane sliders designed for a stand-still house. We mounted our windows at our eye-level standing inside, about eight feet above pavement. . We heat with a Wave 3 catalytic heater on 'LOW'. We always open two windows on opposite walls. "But but but LM!, windows open in winter!" Escaping warm air carries humidity and odors.

[@OlympicOverland]

We have a 2kw diesel heater in the Kei truck mini camper and a 5kw in the Dodge. I agree 100% with venting while heating, keeping moisture that evaporates from wet gear moving out of the vehicle is a must for a dry environment. The diesel heaters are more powerful than we actually need for our interior space so it’s easy to heat even with a considerable amount of ventilation. Cheers! 👍

[@Mikefestiva]

Good camper walk around tour 👍 That Dodge is like a Road Train pulling those vehicles out of the river bar 😂 Thanks for posting!

[@OlympicOverland]

Ha ha, it was so soft that I wasn’t sure we would be able to even get one out but it got them both! Glad I fixed the low range…

[@sandysolheim6373]

That is so funny a Hummer and a Pontiac

[@alphatruckhouse8223]

Thanks for the walk thru ~peace~

[@OlympicOverland]

👍

[@Paintbl99]

You killed it with this build. So sick. Well done!

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man! The next video will have a few truck mod updates, plus footage from our last 2000 mile trip into Northern Nevada. 👍

[@racebanning6390]

ADDING THAT TOP WAS MONEY!!!. REALLY DIG THE WINDOWS, GOOD CALL. , I WISH MINE HAD THE CABOVER PART. THERES NO WAY IM PUTTIN A SHELL ON EVER AGAIN. I CAN STAND IN MY CALLEN CAMPER AND ITS WORTH THE LITTLE LOSS OF MILEAGE. I ADDED A SPOILER OVER THE CAB AND RETRIEVED ABOUT 3-4 MPG. ITS ALL ABOUT HAVING HEADROOM IN YUR LIGHTWEIGHT CAMPER. WELL DONE,

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man! It’s worked out really well and has taken us to some great places, my favorite camper setup so far. We are working on the stove and finishing interior stuff, I should have another video up soon. 👍

[@obageegee]

Watch out for Bigfoot! Lol

[@designfabrication512]

I have a 24V and a couple 12V Dodges. Bad ass trucks. If I’m transparent I subscribed half for the truck and half for your wife. Maybe throw in more vids of her not knowing anything about the truck haha. Trying to get my girlfriend more into expedition travels

[@jd6052]

Your living the dream man! This is similar to my goal for my 2nd gen. Always looking forward to your videos, thanks for keeping us updated🤙🏻

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks Jeff! I just got started on the rear bumper and tire carrier, hoping to get that finished up this week and included in the next video. We will be on the road for a couple of weeks soon so more trip footage is on the way 👌

[@flexin81]

Such a cool build! Love what your doing with the military box. Inspiring for sure!

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man!

[@MinnesotaisRust]

Thanks for showing us around!

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks for watching! 👍

[@alexscottthompson812]

That H2 thought that it was an actual Hummer lol. I watched a Doug DeMuro video on the H2 and it turns out that the air-lift hooks are like aluminum tubing and not actually mounted to anything except the hood, for "style."

[@OlympicOverland]

😂 it was pretty wedged in there and her transmission took a beating on that one, you could smell how hot it was! The other car was like an anchor ha ha

[@brentjones5227]

I have a 97 12 valve had the thing for dang near 20 years, mine has an afc live as well so nice for towing. Achilles heel transmission but I routinely tow 16-17k so to be expected. My favorite part of the vid included my least favorite part of the trucks you trusted the cup holder 😳. Doing a great job on the build always look forward to camper updates

[@OlympicOverland]

Ha ha thanks Brent! I should have some more videos up soon. We are currently working our way north from Nevada and saw some pretty awesome stuff on this trip. So far that cup holder is still intact but is running on borrowed time! 😂

[@midnite-chowboy]

Love your videos Andy!

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man!!!

[@CrazyTurbo-cx8ye]

I'm looking to paint my second gen Cummins

[@jasminejean1533]

The bridge looks Impressive from that angle!

[@OlympicOverland]

Yeah, always a fun spot to see. I’ve always wanted to get to those waterfalls too but it’s so steep!

[@allanperryman388]

Nice job. Great family getaway rig.

[@OlympicOverland]

It’s been in steady use and has taken us too some great places!

[@largemarge1603]

That woman is adorable! . And nice RV...

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks!

[@OvensGarage]

It amazes me what some people take into the woods. What the heck was that Pontiac doing out there. Just asking for trouble. Good job showing them the right way to do things. Can't beat the old 12 valve! Subscribed.

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man! I was pretty surprised to see the Pontiac made it back that far 😂

[@OlympicOverland]

Just checked your channel, that red and white Dodge is nice! We are just across the water from you. Cheers!

[@OvensGarage]

@@OlympicOverland Yes, I noticed you guys are in the pacific northwest. I'm sure there are many logging roads to explore just like up here in BC. Looking forward to seeing the progress on your camper rig. I am also into the off grid camping. I've got an old bigfoot camper that we use to get out there.

[@paulie12345ish]

Love the rain hate the wet part. Hey wheres the candy at? AMAZING!! Gages😵‍💫. You saved their bacon . That could have cost up to 5,000.00 for two.

[@OlympicOverland]

Yeah that could’ve been a spendy towing bill!

[@largemarge1603]

09:20 We have zero cabinets above waist-level. We prefer the visual and visceral sense of openness.

[@OlympicOverland]

It’s crazy how different every camper interior can feel with just minor differences. We are still working on the Dodge bit by bit but it has gotten us to some great places!

[@paulie12345ish]

I heard it 🧐 great job man

[@MiscDotGeek]

Enjoyed the video! I've got an old Suburban and love checking out all the dirt roads in the Olympic National Forest. I always get nervous exploring the side roads though. A Suburban doesn't turn around too easy ;-)

[@OlympicOverland]

I’ve always liked Suburban’s, so much room but way better engine access than a van! Hopefully we see you on the dirt roads sometime 👍

[@MiscDotGeek]

@@OlympicOverland indeed, this is the third I've owned. My only misgiving is the low ceiling height in back. Someday I might do something about it. Will test it out on a parts rig first though!

[@OlympicOverland]

@@MiscDotGeek I saw a fiberglass extended van roof grafted on to a Suburban and it looked awesome! It was the Falcon/Okanogan style that has the upper bunk area. If I come across pics of it or remember where I saw it I will send you a link 👍

[@MiscDotGeek]

@@OlympicOverland Hey I just saw a van an extended roof on it and thought "I wonder if..." and here's your comment. I'll appreciate a link if you find it. Thanks :)

[@stacyhodgson1051]

Those yorkies !

[@OlympicOverland]

Bobo’s 👌

[@harryfritter8266]

That bug is called a cicada. They live as a larve underground for 17 years and then surface and climb a tree and make a cacoon. Then they turn into that giant ugly bug for a short while until they meet a cute girl and lay eggs and start over. When they come up, they leave round holes the size of a dime. Sometimes only a few come and sometimes, thousands

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks! I have heard Cicada’s buzzing occasionally in the summer but along the coast we don’t have as many as eastern Washington. I have only heard them stationary in trees and didn’t think about them flying around like that! 😂

[@harryfritter8266]

@@OlympicOverland I hit one going about 40 miles an hour on my mountain bike and it gave me a black eye. They weigh a couple ounces

[@OlympicOverland]

@@harryfritter8266 thats gnarly! They are a pretty hefty bug. Along the coast we rarely see them, just hear the buzzing on warmer days in the summer but I’m sure they are more active in warmer areas.

[@sammiskie1127]

Badass! I'm currently rebuilding my 97 Cclb 2500 from the frame up. I'm thinking the M1031 n extension is the cats ass way to go.

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man! Good luck on your build 👍

[@largemarge1603]

09:25 We are founding members of the No! Holes! In! The! Roof! society. No obstructions allows photovoltaic to cover the entire roof. "But but but LM!, how can you live in such a tiny space!" We do not live in our rig. We live out of it.

[@OlympicOverland]

Exactly! Our cabin is small as well but we are outside hiking and enjoying being outside most of the time. Having a cozy place to sleep and stay dry during a rain/snow storm is great for us! 👍

[@kellstat]

Nice rig. I like seeing people thinking outside the box. Pun intended. How do you like the boat hatch window? I'm think'n of do'n this for all my windows.

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks man! The boat hatch has been awesome. We salvaged it out of a wrecked Bayliner. No leaks, easy to install and works great to access the roof. It’s a Bomar hatch, I’ve seen a few good used ones on eBay. One of my favorite mods so far 👌

[@kellstat]

@@OlympicOverland yeah, I used to live out there, and there is plenty in the salvage yards. Usually there made from lexan, and if you van walk on them, then as far as safety & durability it seems like it fits my style. I want to so a few skylights/emergency egress hatches too. Those welding utility beds are sweet!

[@kalebstout7673]

Any idea how to construct this in a pop up version? I love this idea and have been looking at getting a pop up truck camper and utility bed for my 97 Dodge Ram 2500 but seeing this makes me think otherwise!

[@OlympicOverland]

The Alaskan Camper/service bed combo is always a great way to go or you could fab up a pop top for a service bed with aluminum or wood with a fiberglass layer. We considered building a pop top but it’s almost always raining here and we do a lot of snow camping so decided to stick with hard sided. But being low profile with the pop top is definitely nice on the trails. 👍

[@D.P.MorrisConstruction]

Hey cool video where is that bridge located? Planning my road trip for next season in my 7.3 F350 with my Alaskan would like to check that out?

[@OlympicOverland]

Thanks for watching! It’s kind of hard to describe the bridge location because it’s so far back on dirt roads. It’s part of an old railroad grade for logging that eventually got turned into a truck bridge off of the Hood Canal in Washington. Probably the easiest route in would be south of Lake Cushman.

[@cathy4800]

What good samaritans you are! Just wondering, you were mentioning accessing a fridge from inside or out..how would that work, just curious? Fun video!

[@OlympicOverland]

Hi! The fridge would be a top access ARB style on slides so it could be slid outward then locked back into place. I’ve seen some interesting slides over the years that not only move side to side but also have a cantilever so they drop as well. 👍

[@hoffinshnizle3670]

DUDE where are you? I wanna go I live in the San Juan Islands. You've earned my subscribe man those look like killer roads.

[@OlympicOverland]

Hi, thanks for subscribing! We are on the Olympic Peninsula just west of Port Angeles. Lots of spots to explore around here. We just got back from south eastern Oregon and northern Nevada so I should have another video of that trip up soon. Lots of great landscapes on the west coast, we are pretty lucky! I love the San Juan’s, that Orcas skatepark is one of my favorites 👌

[@hoffinshnizle3670]

Cool cool we'll have to take another trip over there we frequent crescent lake quite a bit. Beautiful and yes we are some happy lucky residents. Orcas is great great hiking after you skate haha Looking forward to the new vids!

[@outdoormountainman]

Were did you purchase the military box from? Awesome build

[@OlympicOverland]

Hi, I found the M1031 Military box on Craigslist and lucked out because it was only a 1 day drive away. At the time I had also found an aluminum Reading utility bed for sale locally but the military box was cheaper and had the largest compartments so I went with it over the Reading service box. I have another video posted of driving down to pick up the box and installing it, then welding the new high top. Thanks for watching! 👌

[@outdoormountainman]

@@OlympicOverland Well that was a good score then, we are doing a custom camper build as well and love your ideas. Our build is with a Tufport Camper shell in fibreglass which I will be cutting the top off and raising it and reglassing it.

[@OlympicOverland]

@@outdoormountainman the Tufport stuff is cool! I remember looking into that company awhile ago after seeing some stout looking smaller camper shells that they made. Cutting and glassing will be a great opportunity to add some extra wood stickers for shelving or extra attachment points. Going custom is rad! 👍

[@largemarge1603]

07:35 Would the fridge slide-out be on the street-side?

[@OlympicOverland]

Yes, but we would probably just access it from inside if parked on a road. That leaves the non street side door as a second entrance with a set of fold down aluminum stairs.

[@Mike-li7et]

What's your lift and tire set up?

[@OlympicOverland]

It’s just a 6” lift with 35” KO2’s, this has been a great setup but I’m interested in trying out some Carli or Thuren suspension eventually.

[@CrazyTurbo-cx8ye]

Do you know what kind of paint is on the cab

[@CrazyTurbo-cx8ye]

Did you paint the cab yourself

[@OlympicOverland]

Hi, the truck Cab was painted by the previous owner with Raptor Liner. They sell kits with the spray gun included and have a large selection of tints available. It’s a super tuff finish and has held up great to all of the brushed in logging roads that we drive on here in the Pacific Northwest.