My girlfriend Anne and I have been living out of our Fleet Flatbed since late June. We've traveled nearly 8,000 miles, starting in Los Angeles and visiting rock climbing and backpacking destinations across the U.S. and Canada along the way.
This forum continues to provide helpful insight as things come up with our rig. As such, I thought it might help some folks to post some of my thoughts after so much time spent in our FWC. Many of the below questions are asked along the road.
Some info about the rig can be found at this link: http://expeditionportal.com/road-life-adventures-flatbed-tacoma/
How has everything held up? Any issues?
A few weeks in, our furnace blower spontaneously started clicking on and off. I pulled the fuse and reset, and opened up the exterior vent and performed a hard reset on the furnace. Working with FWC service, it was determined that the digital thermostat was broken. Upon replacement, there hasn't been an issue.
The first time we used the indoor shower everything seemed fine until we checked under the dinette seat and all of our clothes were soaked! I pulled off the screws (remember the square drive) and noticed the fitting was loose. I tightened, and all was well. I'd check this if you have an indoor shower that has a fitting in its route to the exterior.
Leak behind indoor shower port. When we fill the water tank, pressurize the system (pump on), and turn on the hot water heater, small drips begin to leak at the fittings connected to the interior shower port. If I put a dinner plate under the drips it collects them-maybe 1/4 cup of water over several hours. When some water in the tank is used and the heater is turned off, it stops leaking. I'm guessing increased heat and pressure (linked) lead to a leak in the fittings here? Anyone else have this problem?
The rig has performed flawlessly besides these minor issues.
How do you manage in such a small space?
I posted on WTW a year or so ago and asked what the community thought of living in a FWC for a year or so. The consensus was generally that it was WAY to small. Maybe a Grandby, a few said.
I agree, EXCEPT if you have a flatbed model. The storage and layout (seating then kitchen then bedroom-all separate) provide just enough of a space to be acceptable and comfy for us. We come from a car camping and backpacking background, but nonetheless the rig provides everything we need. We cook 90% of our meals inside, do dishes inside, and eat inside. Anne showers daily outdoors, I shower less than daily but this allows us to conserve water
.
We have no bins to remove and relocate after getting to camp. No shuffle-when we open the door there is nothing out of place, no large items to remove or store. Having the large under-dinette storage and underbed storage is fundamental and we believe it would be quite unenjoyable to have to live out of bins/have external storage beyond what is partitioned in the camper build itself.
The 130 liter Isotherm is silent and provides plenty of space to go for at least a week without visiting a grocery store. Anne and I are very particular about what we eat-sustainably/ethically raised meats, organic and locally sourced vegetables/fruits, and a large amount of fresh, unprocessed foods. We eat well on the road-and believe that having a good fridge and a fully-working kitchen that doesn't require exterior setup is needed to achieve this for an extended period on the road.
Favorite modifications to the rig?
There are two mods I always bring up: grey water tank and solar addition. I would never build a FWC, flatbed or otherwise, without some kind of permanent grey water tank. This was a late addition to the build, and Mario at AT Overland helped design the perfect solution. The plastic-welded approx. 5-6 gallon tank matches the wheel well taper on the other side of the vehicle. We use the grey water tank exclusively-I've never switched the Y-valve and placed a container and hose outside the vehicle. The notion of having to go through that extra step and finding a place to store the container seems like it would deter our everyday usage of our sink. We let very little food waste go down the drain-plates and dishes are wiped carefully before being washed. Combined with the use of biodegradable soap, the grey water is clean and doesn't smell.
Solar. Ah, the ever-constant discussion on WTW. I have a GoPower setup-switched from the factory ZAMP when building out the rig because Carmanah (GoPower) is simply top-notch and builds arguably the most reliable panels. We have a 30-amp controller and started with a rigid 160-Watt panel. We have a 225 aH battery bank composed on twin 6V batteries wired in series. This proved not to be sufficient for an entirely off-grid solution. We often park for a week or so at a time at a climbing destination and use the rig as a basecamp, hiking or grabbing rides with friends to get around. With 160w and a few days of cloud cover, we would slowly drain down into the upper 40%'s on our battery bank. The problem isn't that the 160w can't run the fridge and charge the battery-sure it can, in full sunlight. But as we started to get into the NE and now in the SE, the sun is getting lower and there is more cloud and tree cover. As such, we decided to upgrade our solar to maximize input over short exposure periods. We added 2-100w GoPower flexible modules to our roof. We chose flexible for weight considerations. Having 360w of solar on the roof has been a game changer. It's hard to get the battery into the 60%'s, and with full sunlight I see over 15amps input (at this time of year too!). It's a PWM controller, and the wiring is 12 gauge, yes. Maybe a bit of efficiency loss. But we're talking 2-3-4%. I believe the solar solution is often more wattage and not worrying as much about wiring losses or MPPT controllers. The quality of the panels and the wattage are king in my opinion.
Anything you'd change about the rig? How does the Tacoma handle the load?
I would love to carry a small motorcycle to get around after setting up camp somewhere. Probably a small crossover, but there aren't super light ones. Even a small street bike, say a Honda Grom, weighs in at 200# dry. You can probably see where I'm going-it's a tacoma...Even with a robust spring pack and airbags, it would probably overload the truck.
The Ram is the most common platform now for Flatbed builds. It has a greater payload capacity and definitely more power. The Tacoma is a 6 speed which allows me to control where it sits in the power band, but nonetheless-it isn't super easy on the truck. If I re-geared it would perform better-looking into this as my next modification.
Would I go for a Ram next time? Maybe. My fuel economy is 12-14 at best, closer to 12 full-time. I have to downshift to 3rd if not 2nd going up steep hills, even at nearly highway speeds. It's a large load for the Tacoma. But we love the size of the platform. It gets in everywhere. I parallel park it in cities. It's narrow and can go down small trails in the NE. It is also 'seen' as a small truck. A flatbed build is inherently a large rig, but the Tacoma is recognized immediately as a small truck and this offsets the size of the camper/somewhat flashy look of an 'expedition rig'. There are some camping situations where I have felt that anything bigger, say a Ram flatbed or a even a large Sprinter would be labeled an RV and not allowed-I've always been seen as a Tacoma with a popup.
In terms of FWC options, I didn't get a second roof vent. I'd do this next time-more ventilation is always better. FWC mounted my floodlights on the side of the camper at my request, and this has been an excellent choice.
Please let me know if you have specific questions about the rig/living on the road for 3 months/the truck/how we do certain tasks on the road. I'd love to give back to the community and help those deciding on a Flatbed model or a long trip in a FWC.
Cheers,
Kipp
Check us out on Instagram @roadlifeadventures
This forum continues to provide helpful insight as things come up with our rig. As such, I thought it might help some folks to post some of my thoughts after so much time spent in our FWC. Many of the below questions are asked along the road.
Some info about the rig can be found at this link: http://expeditionportal.com/road-life-adventures-flatbed-tacoma/
How has everything held up? Any issues?
A few weeks in, our furnace blower spontaneously started clicking on and off. I pulled the fuse and reset, and opened up the exterior vent and performed a hard reset on the furnace. Working with FWC service, it was determined that the digital thermostat was broken. Upon replacement, there hasn't been an issue.
The first time we used the indoor shower everything seemed fine until we checked under the dinette seat and all of our clothes were soaked! I pulled off the screws (remember the square drive) and noticed the fitting was loose. I tightened, and all was well. I'd check this if you have an indoor shower that has a fitting in its route to the exterior.
Leak behind indoor shower port. When we fill the water tank, pressurize the system (pump on), and turn on the hot water heater, small drips begin to leak at the fittings connected to the interior shower port. If I put a dinner plate under the drips it collects them-maybe 1/4 cup of water over several hours. When some water in the tank is used and the heater is turned off, it stops leaking. I'm guessing increased heat and pressure (linked) lead to a leak in the fittings here? Anyone else have this problem?
The rig has performed flawlessly besides these minor issues.
How do you manage in such a small space?
I posted on WTW a year or so ago and asked what the community thought of living in a FWC for a year or so. The consensus was generally that it was WAY to small. Maybe a Grandby, a few said.
I agree, EXCEPT if you have a flatbed model. The storage and layout (seating then kitchen then bedroom-all separate) provide just enough of a space to be acceptable and comfy for us. We come from a car camping and backpacking background, but nonetheless the rig provides everything we need. We cook 90% of our meals inside, do dishes inside, and eat inside. Anne showers daily outdoors, I shower less than daily but this allows us to conserve water
. We have no bins to remove and relocate after getting to camp. No shuffle-when we open the door there is nothing out of place, no large items to remove or store. Having the large under-dinette storage and underbed storage is fundamental and we believe it would be quite unenjoyable to have to live out of bins/have external storage beyond what is partitioned in the camper build itself.
The 130 liter Isotherm is silent and provides plenty of space to go for at least a week without visiting a grocery store. Anne and I are very particular about what we eat-sustainably/ethically raised meats, organic and locally sourced vegetables/fruits, and a large amount of fresh, unprocessed foods. We eat well on the road-and believe that having a good fridge and a fully-working kitchen that doesn't require exterior setup is needed to achieve this for an extended period on the road.
Favorite modifications to the rig?
There are two mods I always bring up: grey water tank and solar addition. I would never build a FWC, flatbed or otherwise, without some kind of permanent grey water tank. This was a late addition to the build, and Mario at AT Overland helped design the perfect solution. The plastic-welded approx. 5-6 gallon tank matches the wheel well taper on the other side of the vehicle. We use the grey water tank exclusively-I've never switched the Y-valve and placed a container and hose outside the vehicle. The notion of having to go through that extra step and finding a place to store the container seems like it would deter our everyday usage of our sink. We let very little food waste go down the drain-plates and dishes are wiped carefully before being washed. Combined with the use of biodegradable soap, the grey water is clean and doesn't smell.
Solar. Ah, the ever-constant discussion on WTW. I have a GoPower setup-switched from the factory ZAMP when building out the rig because Carmanah (GoPower) is simply top-notch and builds arguably the most reliable panels. We have a 30-amp controller and started with a rigid 160-Watt panel. We have a 225 aH battery bank composed on twin 6V batteries wired in series. This proved not to be sufficient for an entirely off-grid solution. We often park for a week or so at a time at a climbing destination and use the rig as a basecamp, hiking or grabbing rides with friends to get around. With 160w and a few days of cloud cover, we would slowly drain down into the upper 40%'s on our battery bank. The problem isn't that the 160w can't run the fridge and charge the battery-sure it can, in full sunlight. But as we started to get into the NE and now in the SE, the sun is getting lower and there is more cloud and tree cover. As such, we decided to upgrade our solar to maximize input over short exposure periods. We added 2-100w GoPower flexible modules to our roof. We chose flexible for weight considerations. Having 360w of solar on the roof has been a game changer. It's hard to get the battery into the 60%'s, and with full sunlight I see over 15amps input (at this time of year too!). It's a PWM controller, and the wiring is 12 gauge, yes. Maybe a bit of efficiency loss. But we're talking 2-3-4%. I believe the solar solution is often more wattage and not worrying as much about wiring losses or MPPT controllers. The quality of the panels and the wattage are king in my opinion.
Anything you'd change about the rig? How does the Tacoma handle the load?
I would love to carry a small motorcycle to get around after setting up camp somewhere. Probably a small crossover, but there aren't super light ones. Even a small street bike, say a Honda Grom, weighs in at 200# dry. You can probably see where I'm going-it's a tacoma...Even with a robust spring pack and airbags, it would probably overload the truck.
The Ram is the most common platform now for Flatbed builds. It has a greater payload capacity and definitely more power. The Tacoma is a 6 speed which allows me to control where it sits in the power band, but nonetheless-it isn't super easy on the truck. If I re-geared it would perform better-looking into this as my next modification.
Would I go for a Ram next time? Maybe. My fuel economy is 12-14 at best, closer to 12 full-time. I have to downshift to 3rd if not 2nd going up steep hills, even at nearly highway speeds. It's a large load for the Tacoma. But we love the size of the platform. It gets in everywhere. I parallel park it in cities. It's narrow and can go down small trails in the NE. It is also 'seen' as a small truck. A flatbed build is inherently a large rig, but the Tacoma is recognized immediately as a small truck and this offsets the size of the camper/somewhat flashy look of an 'expedition rig'. There are some camping situations where I have felt that anything bigger, say a Ram flatbed or a even a large Sprinter would be labeled an RV and not allowed-I've always been seen as a Tacoma with a popup.
In terms of FWC options, I didn't get a second roof vent. I'd do this next time-more ventilation is always better. FWC mounted my floodlights on the side of the camper at my request, and this has been an excellent choice.
Please let me know if you have specific questions about the rig/living on the road for 3 months/the truck/how we do certain tasks on the road. I'd love to give back to the community and help those deciding on a Flatbed model or a long trip in a FWC.
Cheers,
Kipp
Check us out on Instagram @roadlifeadventures
