Campergf23's MTB and Ski Basecamp Build - '21 DC TRD Sport

Hi all, I finally feel like I'm at the point to start a build thread. Mainly doing this to document what I've done, and to share with the community.

Back in November I purchased a 2021 Doublecab TRD Sport with 17k km's on it. I had debated a Tacoma, but after test driving the Tacoma and then the Tundra, the Tundra blew the Tacoma away, with the benefit of extra space. My first car was a 2008 Volvo XC70 station wagon

I do a lot of outdoor sports, mainly mountain biking and ski touring, but also a bit of whitewater kayak/canoe, and some fishing/hunting. I often spend weekends or 4-5 day trips living out of my car, and purchased the full sized truck with the intention of putting a cap on it and staying in the back. Picture of the Volvo in "camp mode" for reference.

 

Can’t wait to see the build progress.

 

Picture of the truck when I first brought it home. With a the skiing I do, I bought dedicated snow tires on a second set of Steel rims.

I got to work right away on the truck. With the colour matched front bumper I felt like there was too much white. I also had a lower bumper lightbar planned so I painted the front bumper valence black at the same time. I really like the look of it!


I also opted for the boost auto tow mirrors. They add a ton of visibility and allow me to see around the utility trailer I often use for work. At some point I also painted the steel rims black.


I debated on a topper for the back, I'm still haven't entirely made up my mind. I like the security and weather proof of a hard topper but the convenience and the price of a softtopper was appealing. I often have mountain bikes loaded over the tailgate, and the soft topper makes that a lot easier. I'm also potentially planning a gofast camper, or similar so a softopper is cheaper to swallow in case I do go through with one of those.

Also removed the step bars the truck came with. Eventually I'd like to get sliders, but can't stomach the price when I don't off-road.

With the topper installed, the actual "build" can take place.

 

Over the winter I threw together a quick build out of some leftover plywood. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done, and I spent ~15-20 nights in the back on ski trips. At one point we fit 3 guys in the back for a weekend trip. To stay warm, I used reflective bubble insulation to insulate the bed and the topper. I also used a mr.buddy heater. We have a diesel heater that we run in an enclosed trailer, for next winter I will integrate one of those into the truck camper. Here are a few pictures from this winter.

 

Over the winter I also racked up the km's on the truck. I've put over 20k on it since I bought it at the end of November, and I'm still loving every bit of it.

The last few weeks I've been working on rebuilding the bed of the truck. It's not entirely finished but functional for 1 person as of now. The "plan" I have in my head is based off of many truck bed campers I've seen online, combing features from ones I like. In the end there will be a pull out kitchen, and the option to sleep 1 person, or 2 with more limited space. Here's a photo as of now.



The second week of July I have a week long MTB trip planned, so I'm hoping to have it all wrapped up and tested before the end of June.

Also not pictured, but there's a 100ah lithium battery, inverter and multiple usb outputs. As of now there is no way to charge the "house battery" on the road. Once I get the roof rack I've ordered I'm potentially adding a solar panel, or wiring it up to charge off the alternator.

When the roof rack comes in, I'll also be adding an awning, and a DIY Solar shower.

 

This weekend I'm testing out the almost finished setup. It's been attracting a lot of attention in the parking lot from others in decked out sprinter vans and RVs.



This week I'll wrap up the bed "extension" allowing me to add a peice and make the sleeping platform wide enough for 2. Once that's done the build will essentially be finished. Just waiting for the roof rack and the accessories to go along with that.

Also debating on ordering the RAS HD suspension to help out with the constant weight in the bed.

 

Got my rack in. I'll do a more detailed write up in a bit, it's still a work in progress, but it's a custom rack from xtrusion overland. I wanted a cab over section so I had a lot of space up top to mount everything.

Also opted for the bike fork mounts.

 

love your build! I just sold my fiberglass topper and ordered the xtrusion overland rack, trying to source a used softopper local. How do you like your softopper so far? any pros and cons would be much appreciated!

 

is your 23 inch or 24 inch height ?

 

Sorry, I haven't been active recently on here. I like the soft topper. Its easy to take on and off, even with the rack. When I want to haul stuff in the bed, or use a tailgate pad to carry even more bikes it is fairly quick to take down. I also like the soft topper for summer camping as you can roll up the sides and get more ventilation.

Cons, its not as secure as the hard topper. If I go into the city I'm a bit worried about theft. I'm having a bit of difficulty with the front flap staying in place. I might have to attach it to the truck (I did not follow the instructions and drill the snap screw into my bed, I just left it loose).

The Xtrusion overland rack is their soft topper specific rack. I can't recall the height having an option for the height, but if there was I would definitely have gone for the tallest option.

 

I'm in the process of "winterizing" the bed for ski season. I've added insulation, and am building a diesel heater to mount on the roof rack and heat the camper. I'll post some updates here soon.

The truck with the camper was phenomenal this summer / fall. I likely have over 60 nights in it and couldn't be happier.

 

Very nice build! Can’t wait to see your diesel heater setup. Are you planning on installing it in a pelican-style case?

Have a good friend from St. George and spent a good part of my twenties partying in Quebec. Where do you ski? Sainte Anne/Tremblant or do you head elsewhere?

keep up the good work I’ll be following along

 

For the diesel heater I'm undecided. I'm not sure if I want to use a pelican style case, or a Milwaukee packout system or similar. I've also debated putting it in a ski box on the roof. Ideally I'd like it to be mounted on the roof, and then just connect the ducts into the topper when in use. But I'm not sure if that is possible as water would still be able to get in the fan intake and hot air output. Maybe a PVC clean out cap or similar while in transit to keep it sealed up.

I could also build it in packout, and have the mounting plate permanently fastened to the roof rack, and then just click the whole unit into place when needed. I wouldn't need to worry about it being as weather proof as I wouldn't drive or store it on the roof. This way would take longer to setup but as I write this out, I'm thinking it would be the best way to go.

I also want to re-do my "house battery" which is currently in a plywood box. That will be in a tool box style case, hence why I'm thinking the packouts.


We don't really ski resorts, mainly just touring. There's a few places close to Tremblant we ski at on the weekends, and then we often make a trip or two out to Gaspésie and ski in the Chic Choc's (real mountains).

 

I’d definitely suggest going the Packout route. I debated (had everything in my shopping cart at Home Depot standing in the checkout line) switching my entire battery system over to Packouts with mounting plates bolted to the bed. Ended up giving up on the idea because I didn’t feel like doing all the re-wiring. But packouts with Anderson connectors to connect all the different pieces is the way to go and how I wish I did it originally. Good luck with the build

 

Ended up going with the Pelican style case (Amazon knock off) for the diesel heater. If I was going to be putting it on and off all the time packout would have been the move, but I'm planning on leaving it mounted to my roof rack all winter. The packout would have been a little harder to put together with all the ridges and uneven surfaces in the plastic.

All my parts showed up this past week and I've spent the last few days putting it together. Here is the almost end result. Just need a flush mount waterproof connector to complete the build.

The heater itself is a 5kw vevor "all in one" that we used heavily last winter. I wanted it to be permanently mounted to the truck and in a more waterproof container. I'll be camping out the truck this weekend, and they're calling for -15c tonight so it'll be a good test for the system.

 

I'm just waiting for some end caps to seal everything off and then I'll be able to permanently mount the heater.

It worked wonderfully the last few weekends.