Monday, March 26, 2018

Transforming the Tundra to CONKSO

Our Toyota Tundra has undergone so many transformations in the last four years.  We have had many adventures in this Tundra transformed to CONKSO.

This is the Tundra in its original form.  

We needed the 4x4 to take us off-road so traditional campers weren't a consideration.

We were able to carry everything we needed, including surfboards, food, water, clothes and a place to sleep.
Previously we carried that huge cooler for food and beer, constantly having to purchase ice every other day.

We loved our Tundra but it was a lot of work packing and unpacking daily because we
had to store some of our things on top of our sleeping quarters.

This gives you a good perspective on where we slept.  John created a bed with a piece of plywood and a foam mattress.
It was a cozy place to sleep, even on a cold night but it was tough not being able to sit up.  We had to shimmy in and out.

The birth of CONKSO.
The Callen Camper changed our life!

John and I got so excited with the potential for this new camper that
we obsessed with learning about what we could do to it.
One of our first and best discoveries was the ARB refrigerator.  John hooked it up to an additional large car battery that was charged by a solar panel-- no more floating food or having to do ice runs!  


The Callen camper had shelves and such that the original owner installed but we gutted it and made it our own.
John installed a plywood that sat on top of the entire bed like before with a full-sized memory foam that sat on top.  John made it foldable with hinges so that it would be easier to reach down under it to grab the stuff we had stored.  He also included the instant hot water heater and 30-gallon tank that was in the Tundra.  We were also able to store both of our 8'-9' paddle boards inside to keep them safe and were still able to sleep with them hanging from the roof.        


The best part was that the camper was tall enough to stand in.  And most people are amazed when I tell them that John, myself and Dakotah slept comfortably side-by-side (literally) on the bed each winter
during our 3-week adventures in Baja.


Other transformations include the aluminum rack that we were able to sit on top of to watch the sunset or sunrise.  We installed a roll-out canopy shade on the passenger side and the rear side for those hot days in Baja.  The ladder was made and installed by John and his friend.

The last addition to CONKSO was the James Baroud pop-up bed.  We always wanted one but didn't want to pay MSRP.  As luck would have it, we found an amazing deal on Craigslist.  


This is how it looks on the inside.  It sleeps two people comfortably.  Plus, you wake up to amazing views.


So as life goes, things change... and we move on.  CONKSO was retired to John's dad because we found a 4x4 camper that we had to get!

Stay tuned for the Adventures of ELMUCHO.

3 comments:

  1. So cool to see the changes! Elmucho looks so epic!!

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    1. Thanks! We've definitely paid our dues to finally get to camp in comfort and style! I'm so excited for the adventures that we'll have in ELMUCHO!

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