Troopy Build Part 1 - Teardown and Design Considerations

[@BenStinnett]

Let me know if you've got ideas for this interior build, or things I should be thinking about! I need all the help I can get 👍

[@rkbeall]

Great to see you posting again. Can't wait to see the end result of your build, as well as everything along the way. Keep up the good work!

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks for being here Kevin! I'm so excited to be sharing everything!

[@CraigG21]

When life deals you lemons - make lemonade! Love it 👊 Excited to see your progress.

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks so much Craig! Things are really picking up steam now, so much exciting progress to share soon 🙌

[@steve-deltasdad3906]

biggest thing I can say is take your time mate, keep evolving the design and speaking to others even if they don't know much about overlanding and/or Troopy's. I've just completed my troopy build - no I didn't do the actual build - I bit the bullet and got the experts to do the hard yards after a 6 month design period. no matter how much usable space you think you will have it's still a very small area to live in so keep thinking minimalist and weight saving wherever you can so that you can use that saving in the important areas like the 12v system (I recommend getting as big a system you can). Your design seems to show that you're tending towards internal cooking. Most people find it's easiest to do majority of their cooking outside at the rear or side of the truck so maybe think about access to kitchen items while standing with the doors open which is also good when you just want to do a quick stop and make a coffee or sandwich without opening the whole system. Think about putting your water storage under the truck - it will save you quite a bit of space and keeps the weight very low, Good luck with it - I will be very interested to see how it goes, Cheers

[@BenStinnett]

This is some excellent advice, I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave a comment! The more time I spend thinking about how little usable space there is, the more of a minimalist I’m becoming. I think focusing on ease of outdoor cooking is high on my list now!

[@gdayjambo]

We're slow to the party and just saw that we were tagged in this video but sick Troopy. Hope the Pan-Am trip goes smashingly for you 😁

[@BenStinnett]

Wow, you guys are such an inspiration for me and Bandit! Thank you so much 🙌

[@chadwickestey]

Such a great build out. Can't see how the interior comes together!

[@BenStinnett]

Thank you so much! 🙌

[@melodybentley2386]

It's so awesome to see this build, it makes me want to run out and start a build of my own in the back of my TJ! Would that I had money hahaha, looks like it's still throwing the ground tent and hammock in the backseat for now.

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks so much, Melody! The money is definitely a delicate balance here, every single dollar in my savings account is either going into this build, or into the gas tank when we hit the road. I'm definitely looking for all the ways to save some money on the build so that we can explore farther and longer! That ground tent is maybe not such a bad idea 😅

[@AllAmericanMaker]

Great video man! Always stoked when a new one pops up on my feed from you! Keep up the great work! Always awesome to see the process along the journey!

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks so much man 🙏

[@ScaleofTwo]

Hell yeah dude, can’t wait to see what you do with it!

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks so much man! We’re really making fast progress now. Lots more to come!

[@FiveAngelsOutdoor]

Looking forward to watching your build progress!!!

[@BenStinnett]

Thanks so much! I'm stoked to keep sharing the progress!

[@misskakadu]

I'm excited to see your post, as we are both in a similar situation. I just purchased a troopy myself. (I live in Australia.) I am having someone create a custom built layout. They are due to start in early June. My ideas and then they invite the 'how'! We will be working on ideas together. Just some advice about your layout - here in Australia the storage usual goes behind the driver's side on the right. That helps with visibility on the passenger side when driving. It also means that when you park on the curb, the awning will also be on the curb and not on the road etc. I'm sure there are other reasons, but I was just surprised that you would put your storage opposite the driver's side. You may have your reasons for doing it that way, which is fine. It took me a while to work that one out. The plan looks great though - similar to mine. Of course there is lots of tweaking to do yet!! I'm looking forward to seeing your videos as you progress!! Good luck to you mate. You can never give up on the dream!! Wendy

[@BenStinnett]

Wendy, thanks so much for the comment! Such an exciting time to find ourselves in this early stage of realizing the dream. Your driver vs passenger layout makes a lot of sense, and I definitely need to give it more thought. I think I ended up here by starting with Aussie design, but in a LHD troopy, and didn't even think about flipping things around. Back to the drawing board! 😂

[@misskakadu]

@@BenStinnett Some people do flip it in Australia the other way, but it's rare. Also, I go to pinterest for inspiration. There are lots of ideas with the Land Rover in Europe. Some great ideas there too.... and the troopy of course. You won't have to flip things around when checking those ones out!!

[@BenStinnett]

Oh I never even thought about Pinterest! Thanks so much Wendy! Cheers 🙌

[@michaelbradley3907]

I like that you took it to bare metal. I’d rather start fresh and see what I’m working with. Are you going to do anything for insulation or sound deadening?

[@BenStinnett]

Most definitely! Looking at doing a two part system up the walls to help with sound and thermal insulation!

[@richardweston9443]

Are you going to put in a diesel heater? If so, due to the limited places to locate these, your build needs to work around this.

[@BenStinnett]

Hey Richard, great point! I’m going to skip the heater for this initial build, as my plans largely rely on following the good weather. Thanks!

[@richardweston9443]

I used a product called 80/20 to make a frame for my cabinetry. It is super light and very strong. how do I send you pictures?

[@BenStinnett]

Hey Richard! 80/20 is great stuff, I just wish it were a bit cheaper haha. If you’re on Instagram you can send me a message there, I’d love to see what you built!

[@guadalcala3438]

ben its jose let me know if theres anything we can do for you. i see my house on the first video

[@BenStinnett]

Thank you Jose! Hope the new neighbors are treating you well!