2003 Eagle on 03 Tundra lots of Mods

[The Next Adventures]

What heater do you plug into that connection?

Camco Olympian Wave 3 heater. The heater than sits on the counter on top of the fridge or it mounts to the back wall and is out of the way. Its worked out good so far.

 

[idahoron]

I have been thinking about that same heater. How does it do?

 

[The Next Adventures]

I have been thinking about that same heater. How does it do?

The heater is way more than I need to heat my fwc eagle. Has kept us warm in freezing temperatures in the desert.

 

[idahoron]

Very good to know. I am using a Buddy heater now and I have never had to use it above low so far. The wave heater looks like a great heater.

 

[The Next Adventures]

Let me explain where all the power comes from:
In the original house battery location sits a die hard 31m platinum
on the roof is two unisolar 65 watt solar mats


these are run in parallel to a fuse box and


then to a morningstar mppt controller

 

[The Next Adventures]

I have a morningstar 300w inverter


blue sea fuse panel wired directly to the battery for added auxiliary terminals


This all fits snug, very snug next to the battery. A lot of patience and time to get it all in to such a small footprint. Here is a picture of the entire project:

 

[The Next Adventures]

I manage the entire system with a morning star remote meter:

 

[Taku]

A pool noodle... Who woulda thunk? Thanks for the great idea! I have the marine hatch bookmarked from an older post and am looking forward to figuring out my own. I like accessing the space in this manner. Many thanks!

 

[The Next Adventures]

No problem Taku, I have 4,500 miles on the pool noodle air dam so far. I have had an increase of between 1-2 miles per a gallon with it. I'll keep updating on how everything performs as I continue to head south.

 

[The Next Adventures]

At the base of all this is a fairly stock 2003 Toyota Tundra. I have E rated Michelin tires that I already had before purchasing my camper. I just recently got a new set in San Diego before crossing the border into Mexico. These are the only tires I know of that you can get over 50,000 miles out of on a Tundra in Colorado ( I drive a lot of unpaved roads).
Air bags over the rear axle did not appeal to me because of blow outs. I have a Timbren kit in the back which held the wait perfectly even and the truck drives tight. Just before I left I added helper springs for some insurance but I do not notice any difference driving with them added.

 

[The Next Adventures]

I had some space between the overhang of the camper and the rear bumper that was bugging me to be used. 20mm ammo cans fit perfect, 6 of them!

 

[buckland]

Very impressed with the mods... I have a 2011 eagle on a 2001 Tacoma. I am obsessed with using every space as well. I used to live in South America and would love to do what you are doing... the coast of Ecuador and Chile are breathtaking. So much to see.
Be careful too... it can be a "rough road" at times. I will follow your adventures.

 

[The Next Adventures]

Very impressed with the mods... I have a 2011 eagle on a 2001 Tacoma. I am obsessed with using every space as well. I used to live in South America and would love to do what you are doing... the coast of Ecuador and Chile are breathtaking. So much to see.
Be careful too... it can be a "rough road" at times. I will follow your adventures.

Hi buckland,
if you have any recommendations for places to visit or camping we would love to hear them. Thanks, Josh, Shannon & Kaleb

 

[The Next Adventures]

Speaking of being obsessed with using every space available I'll post some pictures of mods I have done and let them do the talking; as always message me or post here if you want more info for how I did it:

Spice rack holder



I keep my sunglasses in here

 

[The Next Adventures]

Storage for hanging shirts and clothing below the bed


Storage for shoes and sandals below the bench seat.

 

[Lighthawk]

Cool storage ideas. I like the Zodi skulking in the background, ready to deliver a fresh water shower.
And, using a rum box for storage? priceless

 

[The Next Adventures]

Cool storage ideas. I like the Zodi skulking in the background, ready to deliver a fresh water shower.
And, using a rum box for storage? priceless

Good eye! I modified my blaster stove from my river gear to use with the Zodi. It connects via a quick connect I installed coming off the main propane for the camper. The Zodi got a lot of use when we were boondocking for weeks on the beaches of Baja Mexico. Here is a look at the propane quick connect, I also hook up a stove here for outdoor cooking.

 

[The Next Adventures]

Modifications inside the Tundra cab were minimal. I replaced all interior lights with leds and removed the back seat. After removing the seat I put 1" thick closed cell foam across the area where the seat use to be for sound deading. Then finished it over the top with carpet. On one side of this space houses a stack of drawers that holds the majority of our clothing. This has worked out very solid and is very convenient over having bins stacked that have to be removed or shuffled around to open.


The other side is where the majority of my tools are stored and a 14' inflatable kayak. The Dog rides on top of the kayak.

 

[The Next Adventures]

The duffle bag you see in the picture above besides the drawers has our carefree colorado weekender tent in it that attaches to our awning. It's been great to set up on our longer stops or we sometimes just put up one wall for wind or sun protection.

 

[The Next Adventures]

I can't beleive I have taken this long to add this one to the list of mods here. I know there is a long post out there some where on wtw that someone started about "what to do with the space between the kitchen counter and bed" I put in a set of drawers. Behind the drawers we have room to store our bedding when traveling. Some other randon stuff is behind there as well. If someone knows the link to that other post let me know so I can add this one.