Visiting the 1st Camp Nation Expo in Hollister, CA I saw 3 sharp looking Ford Transit camper vans half-encircling an exhibit area, so I decided to take a closer look. I’ve seen many Mercedes Sprinter camper conversions, but this was my first time getting up close and personal to the new all-wheel drive Ford Transit vans. With the the pop-up tops on these vans and the impressive custom camper interiors, I definitely wanted to get the details. Luckily, PJ Tezza, CEO of ModVans was on-hand and gave me a very detailed tour of their 3 models on display, the CV1, CV1/M and MH1, offered in both all-w ..read more

Browsing Instagram one day, I came across the account @hellaroadtrippin and found the couple who owned this awesome 1974 Chevy C20 with a vintage Four Wheel Camper (Keystone model) to also live in the Bay Area. I immediately reached out to see if they’d be interested in meeting up to do a video tour of their rig. Fidel and Rachel who I found to be extremely kind, were all in for meeting up to give a tour of their square body/camper setup. I am especially fond of this setup because it reminds me of my childhood, where we had a camper mounted to my 1974 Chevy C10 stepside for numerous family vac ..read more

Throughout my life, I had always wanted to drive across the USA. While I had traveled to a handful of different states, it was almost exclusively via flying which was exciting in itself to see changing landscapes from high altitude. However, driving was always on the bucket list experiencing it all up close and personal down to individual, small towns and local residents. Since I had no previous experience traveling anywhere near such a vast distance on 4 wheels, I had no idea what to expect. This article is just about the 1st leg of my journey, but the entire U.S road trip agenda consisted of ..read more

A good portable stove has become a necessity for heading into the backcountry. When fire restrictions are in effect or building a fire to cook with is difficult, a reliable camp stove can make a meal in minutes. Lightweight and compact freeze dried foods have come a long way in recent years and I will go so far as to say instant modern meals like jambalaya, pot roast and chicken teriyaki from Mountain House kitchens are delicious and a perfect way to refuel when hiking far from home.  But, boiling water should be a super easy task at home or on a rock face at 10,000 feet. Gas One Stoves o ..read more

If you plan on camping in cold weather with a Project M camper, you’re going to have to come up with some sort of heating solution.  I spent a mild winter sleeping at night in mine and despite having the insulation pack option, insulated walls and coming up with a way to insulate the metal truck bed floor with my own DIY modular camper floor solution, it’s too much volume inside to just rely on body heat for any measurable warmth in cold weather. For a solution to at least sleep comfortably through cold nights, I added a 1” memory foam mattress on top of the vinyl bed pads that were an op ..read more

While completing the first project on #BigRedK10 of maintenance and restoring the rear Dana 60 axle, I started taking a closer look at the chassis and undercarriage of the truck, which appeared to be all in good shape structurally. Still about 10 months away until a Project M Camper, built by Four Wheel Campers was to be installed on this vintage 1983 Chevy K10 4×4 by Four Wheel Campers at their factory. I figured I might as well address the truck bed in preparation. It ended up being a 1 month journey to restore the bed and ultimately refinish it with Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating Since the Pro ..read more

The first project I tackled after installation of the Project M Camper on #BigRedK10 (a 1983 Chevy K10 6.2 diesel with a 6” lift, 37” tires and Dana 44/60 axles) was coming up with a solution for the floor of the camper. The base floor is actually just the truck bed since the Project M is a topper camper.  In fact, I previously restored the squarebody truck bed in preparation for the camper, under the assumption I’d come up with some sort of flooring solution that would help protect it. Since this is a camper, I definitely wanted to also add a level of comfort and functionality with the f ..read more

If you’ve followed Savage Camper, it’s no secret I’m a fan of Four Wheel Campers. Over the last few years, I’ve attended some of their events for blogging/vlogging. I’ve gotten to know some FWC owners, and have worked collaboratively with FWC in other ways. The employees at FWC are a fantastic group of skilled, nice people that are really down to earth. The #BigRedK10 build, using a 1983 Chevy K10 6.2 diesel long bed as the platform, received FWC sponsorship as a unique idea to promote their Project M camper that heralds back to nostalgic roots via the Savage Camper brand. I’m also a fan becau ..read more

7 months away from the Project M install date at the Four Wheel Camper factory, I took a closer look at visible rust creeping out from the rear window on my 1983 Chevy K10, nicknamed #BigRedK10.  Owning the truck at this point for about 4 months, I had just completed previous projects like adding new 37” tires to the old square body Chevy, servicing the rear Dana 60 axle and restoring the truck bed. While I was finishing up the bed, I started poking around the rear window. Curiosity grew to just pull the window entirely. What I found was completely overwhelming. Removing the rear window a ..read more

With nights getting significantly colder here at home base, the only thing I had accomplished thus far in the build-out for the interior of the Project M camper on #BigRedK10 is installing modular camper flooring. Coming up with a simple, cost-effective heat camper bed solution for sleeping in the camper became a top priority. Bed cushions are an option from Four Wheel Campers, which I selected.  They are made with a very durable upholstery and are a good base to work from for the bed.  I went ahead and purchased a 1.5 inch memory foam topper to add cushion, and some air circulation ..read more