We're Gutting The Camper // Tacoma Truck Camper Reno #1

This is the first video of our journey in renovating a 2003 Sun-Lite Skyhawk SB truck camper. Our plan is to build this into a solid overlanding rig out of which we can adventure and explore the wilderness. In this first episode I kick off the process by removing all the propane appliances and giving the interior a deep cleaning.
__ ESSENTIALS FOR CAMPER CLEANING __
303 Multi Surface Cleaner: amzn.to/30X6Mw6
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers: amzn.to/30bbh6M
Elbow Grease: (FREE)
__ MY CAMERA GEAR __
~ Main Camera - Sony RX100 VII: amzn.to/34kR0hR
~ Wide Angles/Timelapses - GoPro Hero 7 Black: amzn.to/31j1jkI
~ Lightweight Full Tripod - Zomei M6: amzn.to/2ElC3kL
~ Tiny Tripod: Manfrotto Pixi: amzn.to/3gfBUfX
__ MY BACKPACKING GEAR __
lighterpack.co...
A Few Of My Favorite Gear Choices:
~ The BEST UL Headlamp: amzn.to/35Xwzof
~ The Only Stakes You Need: amzn.to/2QX5M7o
~ Ultralight/Cheap Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles: amzn.to/2TsBvPh
~ My Shoes: amzn.to/38a71pq
~ My Ultralight Jacket: amzn.to/30pfGl8
__ KEEP THE TRIP GOING __
Become a patron and add your name to the video credits here: / joebrewer
Check out some of our favorite backpacking gear here: amzn.to/34QK7mt
Contribute to our "Gas for roadtripping" fund here: paypal.me/Back...
__ OUR LINKS __
My Instagram: / backcountrybanter
Tara's Instagram: / full.swoon
__ MUSIC __
The songs in this video are by Kabbalistic Village: / kabbalisticvillage
Some of these links are affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through them you'll be supporting this channel at no additional cost to you. Thanks! *

[@notquiteultralight1701]

Good to see you two together again!!

[@pleasantfiction]

Great video. Inside the fridge shot was genius! 🤩

[@TravelTourTaste]

Hello we hope all is well . we are so glad we found your channel. you really have the personality to bring people in and make them want to watch . we would love to own our own camper one day . it looks pretty awesome . Welcome to our youtube family my friend . I am now on a binge of watching your channel lol oh dear i may be here for some time . Love and Light Sarah and Glenn

[@BackcountryBanter]

Welcome aboard, glad to have you watching! Thanks so much for the kind words.

[@renniesmith8073]

I completely lost track of your channel a few years ago after your CDT videos. And this video just showed up in my suggestions! Glad to see your still out there! Now I got a lot of catching up to do!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Welcome back!

[@TheEdelKampers]

Great job, gutting out your camper. We are binge watching your playlist today. Mary💕Fred

[@Jobrewerful1]

So interesting to watch it come apart. Love your music mix and sneaky video shots. Can’t wait for the next one. Yeah! Tara’s back. Sure don’t like the water damage.🥴

[@papajeff5486]

Joe, analyzing each appliance and it’s space is such a good idea. Remodeling and making it yours will absolutely make it a good fit. You know what you want and how you will use it. Good on you. Texas

[@rainschris]

Loved this video... Didn't want it to end there! Can't wait for the next (un)installment...

[@NeemorsWorld]

Looking forward to seeing your suspension upgrade.

[@asiam7436]

Congratulations on your camper! I’m sure it will be fantastic once you’re done.

[@jhonyermo]

Great interesting video Usually vids like this bore my fanny OFF . But this was interesting and so great to see y'all doing such smart things . Actually looking so forward to the next installment. Thanks!

[@nomadismileseeker6611]

Man I still remember buying my Feral hat from you on my way out of Denver. Good to see things progressing.

[@damark376]

really looking forward to seeing more of this build. Best of luck moving forward dude

[@BackcountryBanter]

Appreciate it!

[@jeffr3787]

Awesome. This is going to be a great project!

[@JiTiKeRo]

You are so creative Joe. I'm excited to see what you're going to come up with for a renovated interior. I'm sure Tara will have input.

[@auswalker7865]

Joe, we had a small camper trailer (A'van) a few years back and loved it. The fridge had 3-way power - AC, DC, and gas which was handy on an extened trip. We also had a 50 watt solar panel on the roof and DC charging from the car while we were in motion. I look forward to seeing the finished job, I think it will be great, given your smart approach to the task.

[@bicknb]

Great video! For the power unit, if all it is doing is rectifying AC to run the appliances and you are ditching most of the appliances, It might be worth running new AC appliances and just rewiring the lights. You could run the lights off your battery system directly (with fuses of course) and use a solar charge controller to charge the batteries. Then just get an inverter to run all the AC appliances off the battery. When you switch to shore power, just have a switch from the battery to a 120VAC to 12VDC power supply for the lighting and plug the appliances in directly, bypassing the inverter.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Makes sense! My hope is to just have a DC fridge as my only real electrical appliance and run that off the battery. Beyond that we'll likely just be charging phones/computers and running the DC lights.

[@kaylabelgiano4053]

Hey! I have been renovating a very similar camper and have been leaving the power as the last piece because I'm kind of lost! It sounds like you know what you're talking about. The set up you explained is what I'm planning on. Do you by any chance have any good resources - videos/ tutorials demonstrating how to do this?! :) Please and thank you!

[@ChristopherBoyer]

Keep the power distribution. You just need to get a solar charge controller (mppt is more efficient), which hooks to battery only. On my camper I just put a port out to exterior wall from the charge controller, and can hook up my folding portable solar panel into that port when needed. I didn't mount the panel, so I can move it around or angle it for best direct sun. That way, you don't need to mess with any factory wiring for shore power or DC circuits. Your solar panel only ever charges your battery anyway.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Great info, thanks! Does your battery charge when you're plugged into shore power?

[@ChristopherBoyer]

@@BackcountryBanter yes, on shore it charges from my power distributor, boondocking I throw on the panel. It's enough to run the pump, lights, 3-way fridge, and fan for a couple days. About a 100ah battery.

[@JosiahCilladi]

Hey Joe, we were really surprised to see DC34 made an appearance @2:47! Miss sucking up things with that little rascal! Looks like you’re treating them fine. I probably would have emptied their bin a little more frequently and probably replaced the filter before requiring them to preform such an argues task! But it looks like y’all are having fun at least. I’m sure you’re letting them get the appropriate amount of exercise and bringing them out on the lake every once in a while, they always enjoyed being on the water. I mean at least letting them get some fresh air everyday… its probably to humid there for them now that I think about it! DC34 isn’t rusting are they? you should be checking everyday for rust! Definitely wouldn’t rust at home… You should drive them back to Colorado to see the mountains sometime! Anyways… Great Video, Miss you three!

[@mikemignon5823]

Any issues on weight with the Air conditioner and cranking the top up? I have the exact same TC you have and am considering adding one. Thanks!

[@BackcountryBanter]

It is definitely noticeable but doesn't seem to be an issue. I don't know how your camper behaves, but as I'm lowering the top down the final 1/3 of the way it does want to come down fast so I have to ease it down carefully.

[@Gambeli02]

Hey, it's bigger than the Nemo! 😉

[@BackcountryBanter]

It's the biggest tent I've ever had!

[@scottfarrar3441]

The Plastic Air Conditioner cover...if that is "yellow" due to age then you can make it "white" again. There are several videos out there on the internet but the "8-Bit Guy" KZbin Channel has several videos where he has restored old Computer cases. KZbin/Google search "whiting plastic 8 bit guy retrobrite" to find his videos. Enjoying your videos - keep em coming!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Woah! I had no idea that could be done. Thanks so much for the info. Definitely going to see if I can do that.

[@Twobarpsi]

Not used to seeing you not on a trail!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Same! My hope is that we'll be able to hike more trails out of this camper.

[@stevenews5910]

It would be dope if you could mount a large solar panel to the top that won't block the AC. It should be adjustable on all 4 corners so you can tilt it toward the sun regardless of where you are parked.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Agreed! Though someone did mention that they use portable panels so that they can park in the shade but place their panels in the sun and adjust them accordingly. That also seemed like a great idea.

[@AndyOnTheMountain]

Wow, you are putting some serious work into this project. I'm excited to see the next videos! Side note- In my van I have one stove which I can disconnect and use outside (like you are wanting to do). I would say I cook outside the most, it's just nice to not smell up your space but also do be outdoors. What are you going to do for heating in the winter or will you chase t-shirt weather? -Andy

[@BackcountryBanter]

Sweet! For heat I'm looking into the Olympic wave 3 propane heater (It seems that electric heat is just far too inefficient.) The plan is to have a propane "outlet" near the floor of the camper and mount the Wave to the sidewall in cold weather conditions. While I imagine we'll chase warmer weather a bit there will definitely be times and places where we want to be in the cold or snow. Are you still using the portable propane heater / do you like that setup?

[@AndyOnTheMountain]

@@BackcountryBanter The Olympic Wave heaters are pretty amazing. I went with the Wave 6 about a year ago and would highly recommend it. In your large space I would recommend the 6. The 3 will take a long time to heat up your space. Honestly if you're going to be in the cold (below freezing temps) often I would say a heater with a thermostat. I know you're looking to save space but there's some small Chinese made diesel heaters that exhaust to the outside. That's what I would do if I was in my van for more Colorado winters. But honestly the Wave 6 heaters does the job and it's very simple. Also the Wave 6 is extremely efficient. I used a 20 pound propane tank and lasted 4-6 wks + used it for cooking in Feb up in the high country. Also for refrigerators I recently added a Dometic CFX 28, it's nice for lots of veggies and cold drinks but not too big taking up space in the van. We have it running off of 1 - 100 watt Renogy panel. Although I may add 1 more 100 or 50 watt panel. Just some insight for you. Andy

[@BackcountryBanter]

This is all great info, just what I need. Thanks! I'll look into the Wave 6 and diesel options, if I had a diesel truck I'd definitely be going that route. I've been looking into the knock-off dometic fridges and am leaning that way right now. It's crazy how efficient they are.

[@AndyOnTheMountain]

@@BackcountryBanter The diesel heaters actually have their own small tanks ( I think a gallon or so). Great for vehicles that use gas. Here's a link to a guy that's been using his for a year. kzbin.info/www/bejne/omGQkqRthc2IhLM&pbjreload=101 I do wish I went this route but the Wave 6 does work.. The diesel heater is also a knock off to a more expensive European brand. Like he says in his video the propane heaters put out some condensation into the air. Although I will say the Wave heaters don't put out as much as the Mr. Buddy heaters... I've used both. Yes, the small fridges they make now are amazing.. I wonder how they are compared to the more expensive ones.. Hopefully this helps a bit!

[@BackcountryBanter]

@@AndyOnTheMountain It helps a ton, thanks again! I'm going to look into the diesel heaters now too :)

[@relic6.339]

Nice series; willing to bet you are the first guy to clean the ceiling if the camper. From your first video I would have to guess that you are over the payload capacity for your truck. Got to calculate the passengers along with whatever "cargo" you have in the truck and in the bed. By removing the furnace, stove, and refrigerator (and potentially the 20LB propane) you are saving some of that payload capacity. You mention that you are from Denver, you could seriously consider swapping out the AC for a MaxxAir fan to save a little more weight; you would be surprised how much air that thing will move and expel the hot air. Not necessarily suited for North Carolina summers. Not sure if a rear seat delete is an option for you; you are saving a little more weight if you have removed your tailgate. You mentioned adding solar and a couple of batteries though which will add quite a bit of that weight back on (although lithium batteries are a bit lighter). Whatever add-ons you do with your truck you are only improving the ride and the way the truck handles being overloaded; and they will further take away from the payload capacity.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Great advice, thanks. I just released a video today which includes me putting some air suspension onto the truck to deal with the added weight 😁. That said, I'd still like to get the camper as light as possible. I'm planning on swapping to a MaxxAir fan as soon as I can find one I can afford haha. I hadn't thought about removing the rear seats but that would make sense and it would free up some space.

[@hike2bhuman110]

Really sound decision making here, your plans are really well thought out. Did I just see the beginnings of an Airbag system on the Taco?

[@BackcountryBanter]

Thanks Don! Yeah, I am installing an airbag system on the Taco. Though the truck camper was under the load capacity of the truck it was very obvious that it was overloading the suspension. The Firestone airbags came highly recommended by other truck camper owners.

[@thelonewolfspirit]

I'll have to recommend some of that 303 cleaner to my parents, it seems to remove dirt from every surface in the camper with the magic eraser!

[@BackcountryBanter]

I tried quite a few cleaners and none of them worked as well as the 303 did. I was surprised how much nicer the camper looked after a light cleaning!

[@Jmisslyn]

@@BackcountryBanter did you use it on the pop up fabric ?

[@BackcountryBanter]

@@Jmisslyn I did!

[@curtisdurham2145]

Dude, put a giant subwoofer where the fridge was. You've already got some insulation in there. ;)

[@BackcountryBanter]

Rolling into the campsite like WWUUBBBBuuwwwwubbbbwWWWUBBBBwwwuuuubbb. 😂😂😂

[@davidsixtwo]

It's helpful that someone left plastic cutlery behind the furnace. You know, for later.

[@fishntools]

If you're going solar that heater space and its exterior ventilation is going to be needed for batteries

[@ihikefar]

My question would be can the roof support solar panel weight or bracket placement? Might have to go with portable solar panels which is a royal PITA. Can’t wait to see how this re-vamp progresses.

[@Jmisslyn]

Are you going to use a "little buddy" type heater when it gets cold ?

[@BackcountryBanter]

I'm thinking of going the diesel heater route. Most people say the buddy style heaters are gas hogs and they put off a lot of moisture. There are slightly better propane options like the olympic wave, but they too put off moisture and require ventilation. The diesel heater don't require ventilation, are pretty efficient, and can be mounted outside the camper to save room. Plus at around $120 they are quite affordable. I don't like having to carry diesel around (especially on a gas truck lol) but it just seems to be the way to go.

[@Jmisslyn]

@@BackcountryBanter I considered that also, but since I am still running propane...havent decided if I want to ditch the fridge or heater in the camper, carrying a 2nd type of fuel (diesel) doesn't make sense for me. I have tons of storage in my truck, and its just me and my small dog. Thanks for your speedy reply's!!!!!

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

So, if you both only had a ultralight pack and stuff, what do you need extra camper stuff for? Curtains, propane, mattress, truck, electricity, comfort touches of home. All you need extra is the Tenkara. Really. 2 ultralight packs, Tenkara. Done.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Because as much as I love living out of a backpack after doing it for so long it's nice to have a few modest comforts and a way to travel to places that aren't trails. We plan to backpack out of this camper but have many other places we'd like to travel.

[@mars_hikes967]

Can't understand why Advanced RV isn't going to give you one of their builds. Tara and you would be the ideal ambassadors, like Sailing La Vagabonde, just land based. They always try to do awesome vans and they build in everything you can get for money but still focusing on usability and less on show.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Haha, I'd be all about that. Maybe if the channel grows a lot more :)

[@ihikefar]

mars_hikes Probably the reason is because they aren’t “hungry” anymore. RV and camper sales (new and used) are through the roof right now. Lots of folks getting gouged.

[@JustinMcKinneyhiker]

You'll need that air conditioner, I would leave it.

[@Wondering_Fireball]

Check out Adventurousway, they have a KZbin channel and have done a video on what your doing and have experience on what you want to do.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Cool, I'll check them out. Thanks!

[@Wondering_Fireball]

Backcountry Banter , I let them know you were going to contact them. They have a great setup, they like to camp off grid so they have their power and other utilities set up to be self sufficient for a time.