Builds The Drifter - 2019 Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[Kooparillo]

Love the setup, I can't wait to eventually get Kings on ours. So now that it's been a year, how do you like that tent? Been wanting to get a wedge. We have two FSR tents which have been great, but want something with faster setup.

Thanks! For ease of setup, nothing beats a wedge. Setup literally takes less than a minute. And since all bedding & pillows stay inside, there's nothing else to it. Take-down is the same. Pull the top down, make sure the canvas is inside the seal, lock it shut.

I chose the Camp King for a few reasons: the aluminum shell, the size of the door openings, the quality of the canvas, the oversized door awning and robust supports, the opening angle, the interior room, the comfort, and the ability to run 2-300 watts of solar on top.

It's by no means perfect, and (with my architect hat on) there are several ways they could improve the design. But for us, I'd say it's pretty darn good.

Aside from ease of setup, comfort is a biggie. We run an anti condensation mat, the stock mattress, a 3-4" tempurpedic topper, and there's still room for bedding and pillows despite only being ~8" thick. It's not as svelte as the super thin products out there, but it's no Bundutec. And there is virtually no compromise over sleeping at home. If you suffer from back issues, it's a godsend to be able to get your camping bedding setup right.

If you're cross-shopping the Alu-cab and Camp King as we did, there are a couple of differences that made us choose the CK. The extra width is a big one, the steep opening angle, the oversized windows and awning, the ability to fully vent during a downpour, and the fit/finish (no concern about the finish flaking). I have and love the Alu-cab awning, and it's hard-mounted directly to the CK shell, just like on the Alucab tent. I'm running 200 watts of flexible low-pro solar on top, and the interior of the tent has dimmable lighting and accessory plugs. The steep opening angle is really nice -- we sleep with our heads at the front of the tent, which isn't possible or comfortable on a lot of other wedge designs. The Alu-cab is a great and proven tent, but for us the Camp King was a better fit for our use. I spent a couple years looking at everything in this pretty niche market -- Eezi-Awn, Bundutec, iKamper and others have great products too.

Hope that helps.

 

[CruiserReady]

Great info! That brought up a few points I hadn't considered about a wedge. I just built a bed platform in the back of the cruiser for a short notice trip and it's been great so far, but the head room has been a bit tight.

 

[AZLC200]

We made the reverse light by hand. It's the OEM reflector Dremel'd out and filled-in to fit the Rigid D-Series Pro Midnight Edition diffused light. We are working with a local company to make and sell these. Anyone interested can sign up for updates here. Probably 3-4 weeks from first run.

I signed up for updates at the link provided, but haven't heard anything. Do you know if they still have these in process and if so what the timeline looks like?

 

[Kooparillo]

Siblings!