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Adventure
Travel
- United States
  - Alabama
  - Arizona
  - Arkansas
  - California
  - Colorado
  - Idaho
  - Illinois
  - Kansas
  - Kentucky
  - Louisiana
  - Maryland
  - Michigan
  - Minnesota
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  - Vermont
  - Virginia
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  - West Virginia
  - Wisconsin
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DIY
- Truck Camper Renovation
- Truck Mod
  - Warn Bumper & Winch Install
About Us
- Lexi & Chris
- Our Rigs

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Category: Events

Man gesturing at an oncoming black Toyota on a rough dirt course at Overland Expo East 2021 in Arrington, Virginia.

Overland Expo East 2021 Recap

The Roam Lab crew chats up overland experts, vendors, and enthusiasts at Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia.

About Author

Lexi lives in a truck camper down by the river.

Where We Are Now

Moab, Utah

Instagram

Happy Thanksgiving! We wish you all a joyful and

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wish you all a joyful and fulfilling day. I have access to an oven so I’m baking one of my seasonal favorites: pumpkin bread!

I have the whole recipe posted on the blog. Check out our stories or the link in my bio!

#pumpkinbread #bakingfromscratch #thanksgiving #fallrecipes #breadbaking #yum

Mountains to climb.⁠ Ground to cover.⁠ ⁠ The

Mountains to climb.⁠
Ground to cover.⁠
⁠
There's a lot of challenges out there for us to overcome. But the rewards are oh, so sweet.⁠

Do you ever have that thing that keeps nagging at

Do you ever have that thing that keeps nagging at you? It’s just not quite right? Let me tell you about the trivial absentminded moment that has plagued me for years.⁠
⁠
Way back when we first started modifying our Avion, one early priority was to rewire the break and clearance lights for the camper. We bought new shiny amber clearance lights for the front, but we had to include a patch to cover the gaping holes left by the old lights. I blithely prepped the patches for riveting and only later considered that the side clearance lights should have moved a foot and a half-forward now that we had extended the cabover. ⁠
⁠
Years passed. We’ve crisscrossed the country. And those side clearance lights have continued to irritate me. But this fall is the moment of truth as we close off access to buck river the outer walls. I brought Chris over and suggested: “what if we extend the modular rail to cover the old clearance light location and move the amber clearance lights to mirror the red lights in the back?”⁠
⁠
Of course, it became a week-long project to put everything in order. But at least it’s done now!⁠

After “is that an Airstream?” and “What year

After “is that an Airstream?” and “What year was that made?” the most common question we get about our 1970 Avion C11 truck camper is “How much does that weight?” ⁠
⁠
It’s an understandable question. Weight in campers is a critical variable. Heavy campers need bigger trucks, consume more gas, and cause more problems on trails. Camper manufacturers list their campers with dry weight and estimated wet weight.⁠
⁠
But what about campers with after-market modifications? We gutted our Avion and have been rebuilding it from subfloor to roof. What it weighed in 1970 has very little to do with what it weighs today. ⁠
⁠
Fortunately, there are scales designed for vehicles our size and much larger. While there are some creative solutions that might save a bit of money, we prefer the CAT scales. Most truck stops across the US have a set of CAT scales that you can drive on and get an official weight of your front and back axels as well as trailer weight. These were installed for the trucking industry but anyone can pay to use them. ⁠
⁠
Throughout our build, we have been weighing our camper to keep a gauge on how the weight has changed. And its shift over the years has been expressive of the progress we have made in between each weigh-in.⁠
⁠
Check out the evolution of our truck camper build in our latest post, "RV Weight" linked in the bio and our stories.⁠

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Our Rigs

2015 Ram 3500 4x4 Truck in the Eastern Sierras

1970 Avion C11 truck camper overlanding in the Alabama Hills of California's Eastern Sierras.

From #vanlife to truck camper adventures, our travels are possible with our homes on wheels.

Activities

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See what products we use in our DIY renovation of this 1970 Avion C11 truck camper.

Latest Updates

Pumpkin Bread
RV Weight
The Spare Tire Conundrum
Overland Expo East 2021 Recap

where we are now

Moab, Utah

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