Want to remodel my Eagle, advice needed!

[Mamba]

Howdy folks! I also posted this in the Expedition portal forums, sorry if some of you have to see it twice but I figured maybe I could get a bigger variety of replies by posting it in both.

About a year ago I purchased a 2000 Tacoma with a Four Wheel pop up camper on it. It has served me very well and I lived in it for about eight months last year, travelling around the desert on climbing and boating trips, and working in the Tetons in the summer.



It's an older model (eagle?), maybe mid 90's and is in great shape, but there are things that I would like to change.

First: the fridge. The propane fridge is finicky at best and blows out in a strong wind (common occurrence in the desert and Wyoming), is difficult to maintain temperature, and doesnt work on the 12v while driving. I would like to replace it with something that I can afford (ummm... I live in this thing out of necessity, not just for fun!). Right now it's just taking up space. i own a very nice 65 quart Yeti-like cooler that I don't currently have room for inside, but if I rebuild the cabinets i could incorporate it. I really don't think that buying ice is any more of a pain in the ass than the current fridge situation, but I think I would lose a lot of counter space with something that opens from the top instead of the side. I would just put it in the back seat of the truck, but I don't have the suicide doors on the old taco, so that seems even worse.

Second: another thing that's taking up space: the Water tank. Can I just rip it out and have more storage, and carry around a 5 gallon jug for drinking water and dishes?

Third: Roof rack: I commonly am carrying two whitewater kayaks around with me- a creek boat which goes on my super ghetto homemade 2x4 roof rack, and a play boat that fits inside. This makes stealth camping in parking lots somewhat difficult, since I can't fit inside with the playboat and occasionally a bike. Also, I can't easily lift or lower the roof with one kayak on there, much less two (or future solar panels, etc), so I have to always take the boat off while camping. One time it also snowed 5" of wet heavy snow and trying to lower the roof resulted in a pretty good knock to the head and a sore neck (it pretty much collapsed as soon as I touched the knob on the panels). I see that the newer models have hydraulic lifters on the roof. Can mine be retrofitted with these?

Fourth: the cushions on the bed are thin and uncomfortable. They are the older 1.5-2" thick version. It's a pain to carry around an extra Paco pad, so when I'm alone I just keep the two cushions together and they are comfortable but a little short (I'm 5'8" and they're about 5'4"). Then when another person sleeps in there with me, it's back the the very uncomfortable cushions. I can't make them thicker because I won't be able to fold the camper down. I have thought about having Jacks Plastic Welding make me some custom Paco pads which would be awesome, especially to take them out and sleep under the stars, but then there's still the problem that they would be too short. Probably not a cheap solution either, since the stock pacos cost around $250 each new. I would love some suggestions for a relatively cheap, durable, and supportive solution.

I would also love some suggestions for lightweight materials to build new cabinets out of.

Thanks!

 

[ski3pin]

We remodeled our first camper - a FWC about the same vintage as yours. The refrigerator was the first to go. We used an ice chest on the floor under the front window. That worked well. You can find information on our remodel at this link -

Our First Camper

We were comfortable on the old thin cushions, probably from bodies well accustomed to the ground. Air mattresses are probably the easiest solution.

Best of luck with your project and welcome to Wander the West.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

With respect to your roof rack, boats and snow load. Consider making a roof crank out of a speaker lift. They're under $100, and do a good job of lifting and lowering the roof. Guitar Center is where most people order them. There are several threads on them. You could also make/buy a roof rake to pull fresh snow off the top and avoid that broken neck syndrome.

I do recommend gas lifting struts as well.

Congrats on the camper, and welcome to the group.

Edit: if you're removing both the 3 way fridge and your water tank, you might look at a small chest style compressor refer to go where the water tank is now, then use the empty refer cabinet area for storage.

 

[billharr]

As to your bed cushions. The 2" cushion can not be slept on. I build a side dinette on my 2002 Hawk. First trip we could not sleep on the 2" bed. Wife said let stack the 2" cushions and fill in the space with the 4" cushions from the side dinette. This worked. however we found using REI XL self inflating pads worked the best for us. Ours was the short cabover so the bed needed to be pulled out to sleep two. On our 2013 Hawk we have the larger cabover and still use a self inflating pad over the thicker 4WC foam.

 

[Seth]

About the refrigerator - lots of good info in this recent thread:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/13844-Absorption-vs-Compressor-refrigerator

I have a 97 Eagle; the refer propane blows out on the road and sometimes in camp. As it turns out, this is probably a maintenance issue - more info in the thread. The burner assembly needs service every few years, and for my 97 it may need some replacement parts.

The 12v supply wiring in many trucks isn't up to running the refer on DC. They just don't pass enough power. That includes mine, where I'm using Nissan's 10ga wiring to the 7-way trailer connector. There are a few threads detailing 6ga, 4ga, even 2ga, and new DC/DC chargers in some cases to replace the stock FWC charge controller.

Many desert-bound campers go for compressor refers, and upgraded house battery systems and lots of solar.

Here in the PNW my goal is to get the existing 3-way working better on propane. It just sips at the tank, and I'm not usually camping in the sun. I used to own a Coleman tent trailer, we usually ran the refer on propane, with no problems for freeway driving.


Sent from my iPad using Wander The West

 

[buckland]

I suggest the Isotherm 65 (2 way) fridge... if you are going to add solar. Install in the space would be fast. I took off the aluminum roof racks (they broke carrying canoes) and installed Yakima tracks and 2 bars. I then used the aluminum rack and remade a small rack at the rear across the yakima tracks for three 2 gallon fuel cans that lay below the Yakima bars. (We carry 2 canoes). I installed 40" 30 pound lift assists front and back external (we have a 2011 Eagle) and that was the best mod to date(solar is also very nice). Having water is nice for the long trips but yes you can rip out and use the space for storage. Just bringing multiple suitcase waters. There is a lot of info and build threads here and you should find help in doing all of theses things. I found this site an incredible resource.

 

[kmcintyre]

I did something similar to my 2001 Eagle although I kept the water tank and refrig as mine works great. To get the water tank you, you have to get the counter top off. Not bad but there are a lot of screws to get out. While you do that, put a new counter on. I used 1/2" corian that I found on craigslist. A bit heavier but my counter (orig) had delaminated from water. Didn't want to mess with that again.

Refrig will be easy to get out.

We put a 3.5 or 4" memory foam cushion in ours with no issues. A lot of people don't like them as they get hard in really cold weather. We've not any serious cold (a few nights below freezing) so no problems. We got it at Costco, cut it to size and made new covers. Did the seating area too.

It's all pretty easy to do and there's a lot you could do while removing the cabinets, etc. (floor, reseal roof, etc.).

Kevin

 

[Old Crow]

It's an older model (eagle?), maybe mid 90's and is in great shape, but there are things that I would like to change.

If you'd like to figure out model and year, here's How to find your camper's serial number from a 2007 post.

Note that it not only tells you where to look for a serial number but also offers to find your serial number by original owner's name or to identify the model from photos.

If you figure it out, please let us know.

 

[JaSAn]

First: the fridge. The propane fridge is finicky at best and blows out in a strong wind (common occurrence in the desert and Wyoming), is difficult to maintain temperature, and doesnt work on the 12v while driving. I would like to replace it with something that I can afford (ummm... I live in this thing out of necessity, not just for fun!). Right now it's just taking up space. i own a very nice 65 quart Yeti-like cooler that I don't currently have room for inside, but if I rebuild the cabinets i could incorporate it. I really don't think that buying ice is any more of a pain in the ass than the current fridge situation, but I think I would lose a lot of counter space with something that opens from the top instead of the side. I would just put it in the back seat of the truck, but I don't have the suicide doors on the old taco, so that seems even worse.

IMO you should try to make the 3 way frig work first. There are a number of threads here where guys have made a wind screen for the pilot light to eliminate its blowing out. Ice can be made to work but a refrigerator is a lot less hassle. I could not make a top loading refrigerator work in my build (in my signature).

Second: another thing that's taking up space: the Water tank. Can I just rip it out and have more storage, and carry around a 5 gallon jug for drinking water and dishes?

I don't have one and I don't have a sink. I use 1 gallon water jugs as they are easier to use, store and you can fill them in more places. For a sink I use the small plastic bin that I store my dishes in.

Third: Roof rack: I commonly am carrying two whitewater kayaks around with me- a creek boat which goes on my super ghetto homemade 2x4 roof rack, and a play boat that fits inside. This makes stealth camping in parking lots somewhat difficult, since I can't fit inside with the playboat and occasionally a bike. Also, I can't easily lift or lower the roof with one kayak on there, much less two (or future solar panels, etc), so I have to always take the boat off while camping. One time it also snowed 5" of wet heavy snow and trying to lower the roof resulted in a pretty good knock to the head and a sore neck (it pretty much collapsed as soon as I touched the knob on the panels). I see that the newer models have hydraulic lifters on the roof. Can mine be retrofitted with these?

+1 on the speaker lift. Your back will thank you. The air springs help but I still use the speaker lift:
https://www.amazon.com/Rockville-Sp...8&qid=1485027293&sr=8-1&keywords=speaker+lift

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/2974-roof-lifting-helper-shocks-thingys/


Fourth: the cushions on the bed are thin and uncomfortable. They are the older 1.5-2" thick version. It's a pain to carry around an extra Paco pad, so when I'm alone I just keep the two cushions together and they are comfortable but a little short (I'm 5'8" and they're about 5'4"). Then when another person sleeps in there with me, it's back the the very uncomfortable cushions. I can't make them thicker because I won't be able to fold the camper down. I have thought about having Jacks Plastic Welding make me some custom Paco pads which would be awesome, especially to take them out and sleep under the stars, but then there's still the problem that they would be too short. Probably not a cheap solution either, since the stock pacos cost around $250 each new. I would love some suggestions for a relatively cheap, durable, and supportive solution.

+1 on inflatable camping mattress.

I would also love some suggestions for lightweight materials to build new cabinets out of.

How to build cabinets out of ultralight foam:

jim

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Mamba,welcome to the group.
There is a lot if info through this site and some great members.
Just ask a lot of questions and someone will have some answers for you.
Frank

 

[Mark G]

I suggest a search on the individual issues on this and other forums.

Regarding cabinets, if you are a good woodworker with a tablesaw, router, etc. you can design your own custom cabinet(s) and build a solid but light cabinet out of 1/2" Baltic birch.

I think it's wise to take a hard look at what you use and don't use; what you need and don't need. It's also useful to see what features are in the latest FWC models that you may want.