Thanks! I'll have to think about that. It's been many years since I lived in the Honda, I do remember what I liked and didn't like but I've also seen some newer really interesting build ideas in other Elements on KZfaq and other websites and blogs. If I were looking into design ideas today I'd probably check into some of the current owners and see what they think, cheers!

Thank you! Yeah, the Portuguese Way was definitely a great experience, I'll check it out! Buen Camino!

It was the FEIRAS NOVAS festival in September and it was in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. We were told it's the largest folk festival in Portugal, and that rooms were going to be hard to book last minute as we were walking through the area. They were, it was busy, but it was fun to experience the festival for one night! It looks like the 2024 festival is September 4-9.

Nice! Yeah, it was quite a project, but I'm super happy with it now and have definitely enjoyed exploring from Alaska down to Baja. There are always small projects that keep me busy, but I love the freedom of a home on wheels! Cheers!

Thanks! I used my Sony camera to film the video during Tyler's race, then I used Adobe Premiere Pro to put the clips together for the video. Good luck, it's a beautiful and brutal course out there!

Awesome, thank you! Ha, yeah, it was definitely a lot of riding, for sure not for everyone, but I enjoyed it! Cheers!

It was actually in Montrose, Colorado. A pretty fun day for sure!

Yeah!!! The Camino was a fantastic experience. Cheers on the pop-up camper! I've definitely enjoyed using my all over North America!

Thank you! I had a good mix of small side roads and highway, it kinda depended on the day, the distance I was feeling I could do, and the options of accommodations that I could find on Google Maps. Honestly riding along the highway wasn't too bad and helped cover distance, but the side roads were definitely more interesting! Cheers!

It's from AT Overland Equipment. They are great and I see lots of people with the same setup. Cheers!

@@ChrisTarzanClemens Thanks Chris. I appreciate your time.

Thank you! Cheers!!

Thank you! I searched for quite a long time to find an older slide in that was built for a mid-sized pickup like the Tacoma vs. a full size truck. Whenever I saw one for sale I asked the seller to measure the bottom section of the camper to make sure it fit between a pickup's wheel wells. This one fits perfect. Cheers!

That sounds awesome! Would totally love to have a bathroom, maybe on the next rig. Cheerss!

Hahaha, it'll always be Countdown to me! Cheers!

Hmmmm, I never really got too much into my furnace, mine wasn't restarting on the cycle so I ended up taking it to an RV shop and had them service it. Fixed it for awhile but now it's back to the same. I did try to look up some KZfaq videos about people fixing them but didn't find much. Maybe try the Pop Up Truck Campers group on facebook (facebook.com/groups/148799105503630). Good luck!

Yeah! It was a bit of work but once everything came together it's been super nice. Good luck, cheers!

That's awesome! Bhutan really is such an incredible place, hope to get back again soon. Cheers!

Haha, thank you! Cheers!

Yup, 2002 Xtracab. Thank you, cheers!

Thank you! I started with a Bilstein lift on it, around 2.5", but that was before I put the camper on the truck. Once I added all that weight I switched to Load Range E tires for more support. I the put a set of Firestone Ride-Rite airbags on the rear, but the camper was so heavy I bent the brackets. I took the truck to a custom suspension shop in Phoenix, AZ and they arched and fitted custom leaf packs on the truck to balance it and make it stiff. That was about $1,000 and was weeeeelllll worth it! I have more specific notes on my blog post here: www.christarzanclemens.com/2020/04/living-full-time-in-a-slide-in-pop-up-truck-camper/

Cheers! Thank you!!!

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you! Yup, it was a good one! Cheers!

It's a 1980's SunLite Skyhawk. It's good on the Tacoma, but I did get a custom rear suspension put on. Cheers!

Thanks! Is it about 1,000 lbs?

@@bruceberg3574 sounds about right for the factory weight, but I added a bunch of stuff like solar panels, accessories inside, cabinets and such. It's pretty heavy once on the truck with everything I own, plus 22 gal of water and propane. Heavier than I wanted, but made it to the top of Alaska and back, so the truck can do it!

Thank you for your reply, I do appreciate it. I rode a Suzuki V-Strom from Seattle to Watson Lake in 2017 but now I’m almost 70 so those trips are for a 4 wheel vehicle now. Cheers from Montana.

Thank you!!!

Thank you! That's awesome, I started out living in a DIY Honda Element camper, I loved having the small simple space! Over the years I've lived in various vans and truck setups, I like what I have now but any vehicle that allows simple living is perfect! Cheers!

Yup, haha, no matter the angle they always said 8%, haha!

Thanks! Yeah, that was a best of a push...not much riding, mostly walking! But man, that was a beautiful loop! Cheers!

That's great!!! I'm guessing it's around 20-25 minutes long, for me I used a lot of photos and stories from life on the trail. A lot of it was things I didn't really know or understand before hiking and my Club members found interesting too. Things like how much food you eat a a thru-hiker, what kind of food, where to buy it and resupply, what the shelter areas are like (shelter, water, privy) and how many hikers congregate around them each evening. The weather, the challenges, the successes and stories about the different people you met. In my experience just talking about trail life was a big hit! Good luck!!!

I think fully loaded I'm getting around 16 MPG average. Not too bad for me!

Yup! Some people say if you have an electric fan you can turn it on, close all the windows and door, and as you lower the top the canvas will be pulled in. I've found it doesn't work that great with mine so I bought a long bungee line and a few carabiners and I ran the line around the canvas. When the top is up I loosen the bungee and when I'm ready to lower the roof I clip the carabiners tighter together so there is pressure pulling in. As the roof goes down it's all pulled inside. I do get some wear on the canvas and will be adding some patches to make it more durable where the bungee rubs on it, but so far it works really well! Cheers!

@@ChrisTarzanClemens I use the fan technic so far it works okay. As you probably noticed, some part of the canvas still hangs out. The thing with my canvas is that it has an overlay at the bottom. It's the overlay part that is not totally in sometimes. I have to take my time so the fan can push the air out as I slowly lower the top. Thank you for the reply!

Yesss! Kinda hard to believe it's been more than a decade!

Nice! It was quite the project but I'm super happy with the result. Good luck and cheers!!!!

Thanks for watching! Cheers!!

Thank you for watching! Cheers!

So the payload is still the same as stock, from what I understand you can't actually change the stock payload capacity, but I did go to Load Range E tires and had custom rear leaf springs installed. The rig is heavy, the camper is probably 2,000lbs+ with everything I own in it, but it drives well and made it all the way up to the top of Alaska and back.

That's great! Good luck and have awesome adventures!!!

Thank you! Yup, I love living on 4 wheels. It can have challenges, but it's a pretty good life! Cheers!

That's awesome! Yeah, I also was into the FWCs, still am really. My Sunlite ended up so heavy that the Tacoma feels a bit slow on the uphills and I don't do quite as much reall offroad driving. But to be fair, even with a FWC it'd probably still be a heavy setup to live in, so I like my home on wheels! Cheers!

Thank you! My trips to Bhutan last year were incredible, so thankful for the opportunity. Also, Bhutan kinda makes getting good shots pretty easy, haha, the place is gorgeous!!!

Yeah man, I got pretty lucky with those trips last year. I love Bhutan and can't wait to go back!!!

Thanks for watching! We spent the entire summer up there and I'd have to say that as awesome as Alaska was, I truly enjoyed exploring BC. Much of Alaska felt busy and populated compared to the vast open space and nature in BC. I hadn't known that before and I think if I ever head back up that way I'll spend more time in BC. That being said, what we saw during our trip was pretty epic! Cheers!

Yes, riding in Thailand was amazing! Thank you for watching!

@@ChrisTarzanClemens I like your video. Look forward to viewing more.

Thank you! Yup, it took a long time to build out but I'm definitely glad I did it! Cheers!

I talk specifically about the suspension upgrades in this video at 2:09 - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a6iHlplmspmRpGw.html

Thank you! I used an old Ultimate Direction Wasp running pack, I don't think they still make them. For the overnight section I strapped a dry bag to it so I could carry the extra layers and such. Cheers!

Nice! So with that HECO lift system.... My driver's side back corner was so bad that we took apart that entire back corner and added a metal "L" bracket inside to extend beyond the corner and secure the lift system to good wood. It was a pain and there wasn't a lot of information online but I did find some good videos here: - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eM6di6mL0JqZg58.html - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pdmde7l0p7q5d40.html - Also, feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you have questions, happy to try to help!

@@ChrisTarzanClemens Too kind! Thank you. I'll email you as I'd love to see an interior photo of what that corner looks like from the inside. I also can send you a photo of the roof mounted cabinets that came with my camper (I think from the dealer), they are great for pantry storage if you are looking for more space ideas.

Hey! When I did it Thailand was pretty quiet, but it made it easy to wake up and cycle each day and find a hotel room wherever I wanted each night. I never felt in too much danger on the roads and highways, there seem to be scooters and mopeds everywhere so I feel like the drivers were always aware of people on two wheels. Good luck and have fun!!!

Nice! Good luck, they are good little campers!