I think we have owned just about every kind of RV ever built. And none of them have been able to live up to the rigors of where we go and what we do. The traditional RV manufactures use staples, braid nails and wood construction slapped around some aluminum and steel, but I don’t think the guys building these things have never driven off the American interstate system let alone outside the US.
Anyway, about the best all around camper I ever owned was one built by Callen Camper located in San Diego, CA. They built a strong sturdy frame that far outlasted most of the rest, but the truck bed eventually broke apart and so that was not a good option either.
We began using utility beds for the ease of use and organization of our equipment and they’ve been a huge hit for a long time.
No traditional camper manufacturers build anything for use with a Utility/Service body bed and so along with my good friend LJ Kennedy and our shop buddy Ol’ Randy we set out to create something special and that we did.
We combined the idea of the building a 1″ square tube frame using the Utility/Service body bed as the strong base along with insulated walls and ceiling and well, we hit pay dirt and created this amazing lightweight camper that has been fantastic to date.
As most may know, XploreBaja is a Cummins powered truck fan and our trucks continue to provide amazing service and longevity under extreme abuse and for that reason we stuck with what we know in using a Dodge RAM 4WD Cummins powered truck as the base for this camper project.
This camper has everything a person needs to live a comfortable existence anywhere in the world.
The project is powered by 2-200 watt Kyocera Solar panels to an Interstate 4D battery.
We always have lots of inquiries about our trucks and what makes them tick so here we have outlined the truck specs in this post for those avid spec lovers.
Throughout the next couple months we will discuss the build and the specific systems built into the project and why we chose what we did.
-3rd Gen Dodge RAM Cummins 4WD
-Harbor 8.5′ Utility Body
-3.0 FOX Racing Shox
-AeroTanks 70 Gallon Replacement Diesel tank
-Carli 3.0 Dominator Suspension System
-Edge CST Digital Tuner
-Action Turbo prepped Single HX 35 turbo
-6 17″ Method NV Wheels
-6 37″-12.50 x 17 Cooper Tire DISCOVERER ST MAXX
-Body Guys Custom Aluminum Center Console
-Kenwood PowerSource 150 watt 2M radio
-Lowrance 10″ ColorHD GPS
-Baja Designs 42″ lightbar
-400 Watt Inverter w/chargers
-4 MAXXTRAX Recovery mats
-Body Guys Custom Rear seat Deck
-60 Liter & 35 Liter 12 Volt FridgeFreeze refrigerator / freezer
-Therapeutic Dog Bed inside rear backseat deck area
-Body Guys Front Radius bumper
-Walter Transmission & Gears & Transfer Case
-Rancho Drivetrain Engineering Transmission internals
-Inland Driveline Full 2 piece driveshaft with Spicer U-joints
-Rear Dual Tire Swingers
-RAVELCO Security System
As with the Truck Spec list the XB Camper Spec List is extensive as well and is listed below.
XploreBaja Custom Camper Specs
-XploreBaja CUSTOM Smooth Sided 10′ Camper
-1 inch square tube construction frame w/2″x 1″ reinforcements
– 40″tall (on top of the Utility Bed/Service body) x 120″long x 80″ wide
– 42″ wide Single rear door w/deadbolt
– Baltic Birch interior wood walls and moulding
– 1 inch Foam Insulation throughout walls and ceiling
– Stainless Handrails
– 3 SEITZ S4 Acrylic Windows (sides and rear door)
– Custom Sunbrella Q41 Bed Mattress
– Partner Steel King of Thrones Stainless Steel Toilet system
– Partner Steel 22-inch Propane stove w/windscreen
– SnowPeak Baja Burner Stove
– FOXWING 270 Awning
– AquaCube Hot Shower System – (Propane)
– 25 Gallon Water Tank mounted underneath where spare stock tire was mounted.
– Pergo Bamboo Flooring
– Marine Lighting throughout
– 2 Kyocera 200 watt Solar Panels (roof top mounted)
– PWM Solar Charge Controller
– Interstate 4D Deep Cycle Battery
– 1000 Watt Inverter
– 35L & 60L 12volt FridgeFreeze unit
Xplore The Wild 