"HolaTerra" 2024 RAM 3500 + Overland Adventure Truck hard-sided flatbed camper build

[janders]

Hey y'all! We're starting out our new build in time for a cross-country trip this summer. The build is a 2024 RAM 3500 Crew Cab Long Bed bought new for this build.



Before we start the build thread with the new truck, let's give a tip of the hat to the truck that it's replacing. This 2000 Ford F-250 has been really phenomenal for us. For weekends or a week at a time, this platform has been everything we've wanted. The 7.3L diesel is probably the most reliable engine I'll ever own. We've had this truck for 12 years and it's taken us to the coolest places and never let us down. Love this truck. It also made it really clear to us how well suited a full-size heavy duty pickup is to the kind of travel we like to do. It's still for sale if anyone's interested but that isn't what this thread is about. But this truck is just not comfortable enough to sleep in the back for months and months like the trips we want to do.

 

[janders]

First task - wheels, tires and air bags:

We had Les Schwab install:

• 37" Falken Wildpeaks AT3 (the AT4 wasn't out yet in this size)
• AEV Katla 17" wheels
• Airbags in the rear

Here's a fun fact. You can fit 37" tires on a stock 2024 RAM 3500 with no suspension alteration. It requires using AEV's Katla wheels which are designed specifically for this truck. I get a little bit of inconsequential rubbing on a plastic piece of the fender well.

We're gonna wait until all the way at the end of the build when we have all the shit bolted on and load up into the truck before we make any decisions on suspension modifications. I really don't want a lift, this thing is high enough as it is.

 

[janders]

Actually, before I start posting everything we've done to date, let me post our design parameters. Everyone cares about different things and we made deliberate choices and tradeoffs based on the things we care about:

• We want to be on the road for at least 3 months at a time and around 6 months out of the year.
• We want to be able to cook inside when the skeeters chase us inside.
• We want to be able to cook outside when the conditions are good.
• We've camped in enough 40 knot windstorms in the desert to convince us that we don't want any fabric on the exterior of the rig. So no pop-up campers or RTTs for us.
• Setting up camp should be as easy as: put the truck into park. Chock the wheels.
• We both work part time and remote, so we need space for both of us to setup laptops. We also need an electrical system that'll run computers and Starlink for a solid 7 days of cloudy weather and not moving anywhere.
• We didn't want a dedicated camping rig. This rig should be useful when we're home and not out on the trail.
• We want to take paddleboards with us.
• We want to take eMTBs with us.
• Payload is king. I think GVWR is actually a really important consideration, especially in order to keep the rig running and in good condition. Overloading a rig is hard on its components.

We live in the PNW (US) but we love the southwest. We love not being in the PNW in the winter. We've spent a few Christmas' in Death Valley. We want to spend winters on the beach in Baja.

As much as we love the hard-core trails, we're not doing stuff like the Rubicon. That's not why we're out here and doing this. We like to go out and see the wild places and live there, even for a short time.

 

[janders]

We looked at slide-in campers. There's a lot of really great ones out there. But all of them have one thing in common: they waste a lot of space. There's just no good way to maximize the space around factory truck bed. So you end up with these narrow footprints in the camper that don't really maximize available storage and make it tight for two people to move around. But they're hella convenient and a great solution for a lot of people.

We wanted to go with a flatbed camper. Flatbeds in general can haul more crap than a factory pickup bed. And when you design a camper for a flatbed, you can get so much more space in the footprint of the camper. Flatbeds also offer significantly more external storage in the form of under-deck boxes. We also got an under-deck drawer that's 5' long.

We lived in Australia for a spell and those people have offroading and overlanding dialed in. And flatbed trays are super commonplace there. They've figured out how useful they are and they're easily available. The US has not been so quick to catch on.

Couple downsides to flatbeds:

• Jesus, they are expensive. You can get the agricultural flatbeds made of steel but they're heavy and almost always take away some departure angle. Aluminum flatbeds that are fit for purpose are expensive. Really expensive.
• They are really high off the ground. The deck of our flatbed is probably 12" higher than the deck of the factory bed.
• They are a pain-in-the-ass to acquire. I talked to one upfitter here in the PNW and the vibe I got from them is that I was inconveniencing them by trying to give them $20,000 for a flatbed. They couldn't really be fucked to work with me. I finally had to drive all the way to Edmonton, Alberta to source a flatbed.

We talked with a few vendors but ended up settling on Summit Expedition Trucks. Working with Ralf at SET was a pleasure. He was accomodating, pleasant, and his team does great work. We're just really happy with the results. We have a couple issues with the fuel fill next that SET had to relocate. But when I text Ralf about it, I get a reply in minutes. He's just really on top of things and they're customer service has been great so far.





The under-deck drawer has a massive amount of storage in it.




We had a tunnel box built in place of a headache rack. Partly, because we didn't have anywhere else to put the full-size spare tire. Partly because we want to carry inflatable stand-up paddle boards and this was the best way to make that work.


We had to haul our own factory bed all the way back from Edmonton, Alberta. It was a big ass pain. I tried to leave it at SET but he's already got a whole shop full of truck beds he can't get rid of...