New guy with a new mini home.

[snow hunter]

Hi there folks ,

I am the snow hunter and I am living in The Mt.Baker Area of Washington state.

Just thought I would share about my mini home.

I found her on the craigslist about 30 minutes from my house and the guy was selling her in a package deal but he sold me the camper by it self for $500. I really was happy, although I still needed to remodel it and modify my truck but hey you can't put a price on lifestyle.

The good

It came with two heaters,the standard and a non electric piezo ,a 3 way fridge,6 volt batteries,1200 watt inverter ,microwave,a dolly,and a complete new design inside.new couch with storage under it. a new lift system designed with metal device to lift the top.he had it made in a metal shop.They took out the over cab bed.Now it is a single or storage.It came with original 1986 Fleet manual and a ad from 4 wheel company with all the old school campers.very cool. Also a mounted yakima box, great for my snow board but won't fit my surfboard.oh well .The whole camper appears to be reinsulated with spacefoil.

The bad

camper not used for a while and had a robins nest inside the storage on the side,it even had eggs.sorry no picture.
The liner was funky,no skylight(had a old window covering it).
Looked like a bad day in the bathroom on the out side with four different colors of white green and brown.


The remodel.


I Ejected the previous tenents,and started.


First I installed a new skylight,charcoal.Then pressure wash.
Then new 6 volt batteries ,old ones were dead.
A solar panel for charging and a regular charger.
Then I made the camper one color except for the roof which I left white.
The new color A team black.I think It looks more mean.and therefore won't appeal to a theif in the city. I left the canadian sticker from previous owner for good luck.
Also cleaned then painted the inside liner.I ripped out the tent material and painted the tarp stuff a light green.
installed new water hand pump.
storage bins for food and books,ect.
Tint for windows.
Added a coleman water heater and popup shower set up.also ghetto inside shower with curtain and rubermaid.Hey it works in the cold.

I have had the mini home for a while and leave it on full time.I got air bags and drive slow and don't really feal a big difference in the way my yota drives.
Sure is nice to crash in my mini home after a good night out on the town,or in the wilderness in BFE.

Now I just need to decide on where to go. Baja,would be sweet.

This photo is a before the A team paint job and air bags.
In my back yard.
Near Mt.baker on canyon creek.
More to come.

Keep on Truckin

Snow Hunter

 

[Puffins]

Great find and welcome, sounds like you will fit right in with all the refurb you have already done.
Looking forward to the after shots

 

[ScottBailey]

Concur

Great find and welcome, sounds like you will fit right in with all the refurb you have already done.
Looking forward to the after shots

What he said.

 

[snow hunter]

A team paint job

This is before I added tinted windows and more paint to the trim.
Also airbags our now installed in this photo,no more sag,

 

[snow hunter]

inside the mini home

I like having the peizo heater ,it is quiet and efficient.I still use both at first then my place is warm real quick ,after awhile I will turn the stockheater off and keep the peizo on low for the evening. I like to turn every thing off before sleeping and crank it in the morning if needed.

 

[snow hunter]

extra storage

I put in some storage bins,these also hold the liner up when the shell is lowered.

 

[Marc]

Looks great and welcome to the forum.

Marc

 

[robbie]

Truck alterations

I will go to alaska next week to pick up a "fleet" camper. Were the air bags the only addition/alteration to your truck?
does your Tacoma have 3 or 4 leef springs?
Thanks
robbie

 

[snow hunter]

truck modification

The first mod. was attaching the thing.
Then I went to Les Swabe and got the airbags and some high perfomance tires rated for the weight.6ply I think.
I have 3 springs on my v6 and there bent the wrong way ,to much weight from landscaping work.The guy at LS said his were the same way.
Wish I would have got the bags before that, but no real difference from what I can tell now.
The next thing for me is wiring the battery to the alternator via a isolator,my truck does not have the plug in the bed,that some do.I would like to have my alternator charging my battery and my fridge as I drive.
Nothing else that I can think of, it fits good in the bed.
I wish the jacks were more sturdy,there is only 3 and the side with one is skechy .Maybe I will modify another leg for that side.

 

[DLN]

s-h,

I love the black stealth camper, definitely unique, and for $500 that's a deal too good to pass up. Best of Luck.

 

[snow hunter]

black ninja look

with everything painted and window tint

 

[robbie]

Our 08 Tacoma has 4 leef springs and with the stock tires is rated for 1250 lbs payload approx. I hauled 1200 pounds of lumber over dirt road for 150 miles and did not even know the lumber was there. So may not have to do much mods add ons.
The drive from Skagway Alaska back into Canada has some real testing hills to climb so will be a good first run next week.
robbie

 

[snow hunter]

Sounds like the new Tacoma's our a bit more built.My 1998 has a cargo weight rating of 1100lb. with 2 passengers.

My tires Our Toyo and our rated for 2200lb.The tire guy said you want heavy duty sidewalls for the weight and terrain.

You will be able to tell when the camper is on your truck what needs modifying by the way it looks and handles.

Good luck with your camper and the trip,that sounds like fun.

 

[snow hunter]

Trips near home

About 30 minutes from my home there our miles of old logging roads with great views.From this spot I saw the Twin Sisters and the San Juan Islands.

 

[snow hunter]

water in the distance

This from the same spot.
Bellingham Bay and the Georgia Strait.In the haze Lummi and San Juan island.

 

[snow hunter]

Mt Baker

Also Mt Baker with the Sisters.Before it was lost in the clouds.

 

[SunMan]

Sweet pics, glad you're getting out there in the "ninja". Any pics of the roads you're traveling on?

 

[snow hunter]

Shadows by Mt Shuksan

The roads our not bad. I put it in 4wheel on the side trails that I explore because there steep.I walk them first sometimes and check to make sure that it is safe and so I can turn around.I always find solitude in these spots during the week ,but on a weekend lots of guns and traffic at least when it is nice.
This is a untravelled road in the winter,I was here in June ,it is near the Mt.Baker Ski Area which holds the world record for snow at a ski area back in 1999.Great year!
That is my dog on the left ,she looks like a bear.

 

[snow hunter]

Time for a snack.

This is at a dead end, it had a fire pit already there and plenty of wood from the slash piles.Time for lunch.

 

[snow hunter]

Hot Springs

It took me a while to find this spot.The hot springs from Mt Baker.
There were no signs or even much of a trail,it's a great place with old growth tree's in the rainforest.