Vs Ute Camper?

[3.8LBEAST]

Hey there,
I own a 1998 vs v6 ute and have had it for a little over a year now. I am currently wanting to go camping and get a little out doors more. I've thought of trading in the ute for something such as a van allowing me the option to deck it out, though i'd miss the mighty v6's power.

I have been thinking about getting a canopy and making up a set of draws out of marine ply which will sit in the tray along with a double sized mattress on top, obviously this will take up all of the space the tray has to offer. Along with this i'd like to install a dual battery setup and maybe have a slide out table incorporated in the draw system that will come out of the back of the ute and allow space for cooking etc.

Anyone on here experimented with turning their ute into a weekend camper? Would love to hear ideas and see photos!

 

[UTE042_NZ]

Google search results for "ute tray tent images"

 

[losh1971]

I pimped out my old Jeep with dual batts, compressor with tank, drawer units etc. Same principles apply. I could offer some help around dual batts if you want. The go is probably to fit a false floor. That way the drawers can fit underneath. You need a big AGM battery at least 200ah anything less will be not enough running time. Ideally you would have a step up charger to charge the aux batt. 0 BS cable with an override switch to the cranking batt is really good idea. This means that if the main battery dies out in the middle of no where you have your own inbuilt jump start. Fridge/freezers IMHO are a waste. They chew up a lot of battery power unless you have solar panels. A really good cooler box is cheaper and space wise you can carry a lot more. To me fridges are for Grey Nomads who want wank value.... I had two of them in the Jeep. In the end I sold them as they were too small to have enough cold beer to even get me tipsy; unless I ditched the food.