Ovrlnd Camper Upgrades! What I Learned in 5000 Miles on the Road

[@FreeRange4x4]

Man! I was hoping to see another one of your videos soon! Glad it came today. I don't remember if I commented on your rig walkaround video, but if I did, I'll say it again. I really respect your vibe bro. So many people out there especially on KZbin and even more so in the Overland community are not only obsessed with money and gadgets and looks but also come off as very prideful. You aren't that bro

[@Birddoggin69]

Dude thank you for saying all that. Comments like these really encourage me to keep up with videos. Really means a lot to me. So stoked! Just trying to keep it real and share stuff along the way

[@dtrees1867]

Good solution with the refrigerator slide out. Great utility when you are either inside or outside the camper.

[@Birddoggin69]

Thanks!

[@Giraffefistfight]

Man, such a sweet ass truck and an even sweeter hat. I really appreciate you posting updates and talking about the gripes you've got with your initial setup, it's giving me some ideas for how I'd want to build mine out. Should be finishing putting new floors in the Comanche in the next week or 2 and then comes the engine swap, so I'm hoping I can get one early next year. Keep enjoying that thing and getting out there

[@Birddoggin69]

Heck ya man good to hear from you! You should film some videos of your Comanche build. Seems like an awesome project. I didn't realize you're doing a ground up build from the floors to a whole engine swap. Good luck with it! And thanks, I'll keep you guys updated with any changes along the way

[@Giraffefistfight]

@Birddoggin69 yeah it's a labor of love at this point lol. I'm even replacing the firewall up to the wiper cowl on the driver's side bc of rust. But aside from the floors there's no rust on the truck which is nice. It's getting an engine swap bc it's got close to 400k on the original motor and I want to swap from the carb over to fuel injection. I'll also be tearing the 2wd auto on the donor motor all the way down so I can bolt on an adapter to run my transfer case on it and get rid of my manual. It's crazy how quick a $1500 truck can cost $6000 lol I thought about making a couple videos on it before, but like you said I wasn't really sure who would want to watch him aside from real life buddies

[@AgileWoodsman]

Dude, I just caught up with your channel and the two most recent videos. First of all, daily driver! That's epic. I've had a few old fords and broncos and they are tough rigs. I love your attitude and style and commitment to the vintage thing. I'm the same way I run a 92 4Runner and now I'm building more luxury on a 1989 F250 IDI long bed pickup. Then I plan to go full time for a while. Keep it up man, all of it. I have some rig stuff on my channel and some F250 stuff coming. You got a new follow, follow back if you like. Maybe we'll cross paths one day. ATB

[@Birddoggin69]

Hey there thanks for the kind words and the follow! I checked out your channel, I dig the mechanical videos on your 4runner. Looking forward to seeing your f250 videos. I subscribed back to you

[@AgileWoodsman]

​@Birddoggin69 Very cool, glad you like it. And thanks for the follow buddy!

[@TB-tj4tn]

You have plenty of room on top to mount two 100-watt panels. Those would keep your 100-AH LiPO4 battery charged and run your fridge nicely. Once the sun comes up you're charging. Much better than having to pull out a solar panel suitcase. Look at BattleBorn batteries. If you plan on camping during the winter BB offers a battery with a heating element. LiPO4 is definitely the best way to go. You can draw them down to near 0%, charge them back up and you're good to go. Once a lead-acid battery is drawn down to 50% it's toast. LiPO4 is expensive but you buy it once. Renogy has good kits. Just remember to get a inverter that's about 2x your max draw. I got a 1000W inverter and it's too small to run a 750 W microwave. I found 750 W is the output while the MW draws more than 1000 W. But I can run a toaster or coffee maker, just not at the same time. Love my Overland Camper. It's been to the Arctic Ocean, the Yukon, NWT, Alaska, and most of the western US. Have fun!!!

[@Birddoggin69]

Yes I totally agree, some solar on the roof will be an upgrade I'll do in the near future. You're right about the suitcase panel, I am already getting annoyed by having to take it out everytime to charge- although for now it does work. I'll be sure to look into Battleborn. And thanks for the advice on the inverter. How necessary is heating element for the LiPO4 batteries? I rarely am in prolonged temperatures below 32F. But maybe like you said, buy once cry once and just get the battery with all the capabilities just incase. That is awesome to hear you've taken your Ovrlnd so many places. So rad. That's my dream with this rig. What truck did you put the camper on?

[@dtrees1867]

Do you have plans to insulate the pick up bed? How do you plan to keep the lithium battery warm when the nights get cold? Thanks for making these videos, very cool build and concept for your older truck and new camper.

[@Birddoggin69]

I don’t have plans to insulate the pick up bed. The wood floor is enough to keep the feet off the metal floor, and I lose so much heat out of the pop up canvas sides of the camper- so I don’t think insulating the truck bed would help much. If I do more snow camping maybe adding the Arctic Insulation Pack from Ovrlnd for the canvas would be an upgrade. I honestly haven’t thought about keeping the lithium battery warm at night. What do you recommend or have any resources about it? I think the Smart Lithium Battery from Renogy has some sort of temperature protection

[@antigroundhogday]

Hey there! I was hoping to learn about the capabilities of your rig and how well it matched the terrain you desired to travel on. I'd love to know what % of the time you felt you needed a lifted 4WD vehicle? I'm trying to balance full timing, say 50% in cities and 50% in nature, and then, gas mileage, stealth, ground clearance, traction. We can't have it all for sure, but I'd love to get your take on "how much is enough" for overlanding abilities to get to 99% of places. On one end of the spectrum is a truck camper and lifted 4WD truck and at the other is a FWD RAM Promaster. Many thanks and continued luck with your channel and travels!

[@Birddoggin69]

That’s a great question. My truck set up has been great and gets me everywhere I’ve wanted to to go, and probably has more ability off-road than I’ve tried. I say I realistically spend 70% of the time on highways driving to wildlands and 30% of the time off road. When I am off road I usually drive in 2WD and only use 4WD when I need it. That being said, having high clearance is VERY useful. Being able to have larger tires to get over rocks and rough terrain is a must for me. And knowing that I have 4WD as an option in rough terrain is comforting. I know I can put it in 4WD if I need it get out of a stuck situation. Thinking about lifts and tires, I keep it moderate. I only have a 2 inch lift, and 33inch tires. And with that I can get most places other vehicles cannot. It’s great. I use 4WD in sand and snow, or mud, and it’s great peace of mind knowing you have that option. If I was buying a new truck I would forsure get a 4WD. Keep the lift and tires reasonable and not too big. You’ll be able to get anywhere

[@Birddoggin69]

I have seen good builds with Promasters, and they can be good camping vehicles. But honestly I feel like you would be limited to camping in designated campgrounds. Which is great if you like that, but if you want to go further off the beaten path, I would go for a 4WD truck with camper. Although if you sleep in cities truck campers aren’t stealthy, so you have to really think about what you want your vehicle to do for you

[@antigroundhogday]

@@Birddoggin69 Thanks for the detailed response. The stock ProMaster has 7 in of ground clearance and if I add a skid plate and then maybe a 1.5-in lift, I think I could live with those limitations. Like you said, ground clearance is King over things like four-wheel drive

[@Birddoggin69]

Sounds like an awesome build!

[@henryserrano5272]

Safe travels.. nice upgrade

[@Birddoggin69]

Thanks 👍