As for those tailgate gaps; get a black pool noodle, cut it lengthwise and you can make custom seals to match the irregular dimensions of the gaps, and they’re reusable.
I love the setup! When I was a kid we used to take camping trips down to the Florida keys. Of course we didn’t have 2 nickels to rub together so my dad took a Ford E350 van that was probably a church bus before we bought it. Anyways he made a bracket that screwed to one of the back doors & we were able to pop out one of the windows & boom instant hotel. Our family of 4 slept in that van many many weekends over a period of 3-4 seasons. Best years of my life. What times we had!!!
Brother thanks for the shoutout. Definitely not necessary but I appreciate it and I’m glad others have found my random ideas useful. Safe travels and best wishes 👌
Hello and greetings from Georgia, USA. What an amazing build! Thank you very much for sharing this. Hopefully, I can construct something similar to this for my 2006 Dodge RAM. As you mentioned, the heat is already on! I’m in my mid-40’s and will tough it out from time to time, but it seems that the heat has certainly made those trips few and far between lately. That being said, this modification gives us the opportunity to get plenty of good rest, so we can enjoy any other outdoor activities to the fullest! Also, that’s really cool that you mentioned the other content creator’s who helped inspire your build. Take care Brian, - Chris from Georgia🇺🇸 (New subscriber here)👍🏻
@@BrianWatersOutdoors I got a buddy an Electrician that works for Nagel sign company, you know those big advertising billboards on the side of the interstate? I guess he went out there on a service-call to see why the electric bill was so high. You guessed it, a homeless guy had set up a comoflauge tent & was stealing electricity off the meter plug getting free electricity for his K-Mart air conditioner just like yours. He laughed about it & just told the guy not to do it anymore. He took the service plug out & put a blank cover over it.
If you get to camp with no shade to park in, consider putting a tarp over the truck or at least the part being AC'd, be sure to leave a gap and not resting the tarp on the truck. This will eliminate the direct sun and greatly reduce the work the AC has to do to keep it cool.
Very cool. Looks like it will work out well. I feel like it is not really possible to eliminate absolutely all of the gaps and make it air tight but it will still work perfectly. I know you and I knew how you were going to do it and make it look like it is actually part of the truck. Great work!
I’ve watched several of your camper shell vids and this is the best one I’ve seen, for me at least. I’ll be living out of my truck over summer when we’re at our home unit, and I’m buying a 5000 BTU window unit to keep me cool at night. Those Mississippi summer nights can be brutal. This is genius. I was planning on building out an entire back enclosure for the AC and leaving the window up and getting a little camper shell tent, tent but I love how much simpler this is. This and the angled bed platform KayakUSA1 did are the best videos I’ve seen.
Really nice design Brian. You are right camping is a great way to relax from the city day to day grind during the week. You really need AC during the hot humid nights to sleep I can deal with the heat during the day but need to sleep in cool air at night. Love the tail gate board looks original to the truck, nice job enjoy the summer with this. Ottawa Ontario Canada.
One thing, I like about your channel is that you finish things out like they were supposed to be there initially, with the carpeting and painting the wood black and adding your logo it really looks nice. The only problem I hate with this setup is having to crawl over the partition. I’m really surprised nobody makes like a 1 or 2k btu window unit that would fit into the sliding window space and somehow vent between cab and bed. Or maybe like a cap manufacturer that would have a dividing rear glass. Half aluminum half glass to accommodate a smaller a/c unit in the aluminum section cut to fit the unit by the customer. Idk just brain storming. The person who does invent something like that will be a rich person.
@@messagesystem333 I think if anybody will come up with something like that it will be ecoflow, they already have the wave and from what I’ve seen the wave 2 is smaller
That's an awesome setup, I have a bed platform in the back of my Tacoma and been thinking of something like that, I seen the same video link you shared and that got me thinking I need to get it done now. I live in Indiana and it gets hot here and humid but not like it does down where you are at but all the same it gets hot in the back of those trucks and mine is all black to so that doesn't help, lol. Good luck with your new setup, I love it, awesome work on your build.
@@BrianWatersOutdoors That is an awesome build. Can you drive down the road with it already in place? Im guessing not since the vibrations would be bad for a temp setup.
I did something like this and installed 2 air conditioning units. When one of them is taking a break,,,the other is starting up and pumping out cool air. A con when dealing with window units. Both air-conditioning units are running off from 6000 watt hours of batteries stacked up in the back. Also put two 400watt solar panels draped across the top of camper shelI and truck roof. also used pool noodles sliced down the middle to slide on the window and the plywood to create the barrier this guy made. Works incredibly well
If that’s all you have then kudos to you for creating it. I abandoned trucks years ago and started running vans. Right now I’m running a 2019 Ford Transit 350 HD w/the ecoboost. I’ll never go back to trucks.
Some great hillbilly inginuity! And as we edge toward the home foreclosure epidemic, a lot of folks living out of their trucks will need this rig! lol.
Nice work! 👍 One issue I think you may have is that rear support. Window A/C units are supposed to tilt away from the interior so that the moisture can drain, if keep it lvl you may end up with water inside campershell. I would suggest using a thinner support AND adding a drain hose or plastic sheet so that your bed rug doesn’t get wet. Just my thoughts
Not so on newer ones made after 2001 because now they go into a 1" drip pan so as to allow the splash of condensate to better cool the unit through both convection & evaporation. Hence the slinger ring on the evaporator fan making the swish noise. Lastly I'd imagine he'd just park slightly up hill because the unit only needs a 1/4" slope. Petty.
Nice job Brian. Definitely streamlines your ac set-up when you get to your camping spot. Looks like at least 1-2 banquets of saved time per trip! Cheers my friend
you did a great job on that instalation, i have been thinking about doing something like that but really didnt know how to began it gets hot down here in Alabama too. # brianwatersoutdoors #truckcamping #camping
Its a great idea. I think Id insulate the windows and maybe even another layer on the roof. Use the klix together floor mats from Harbor Freight on the floor... the more you insulate the easier the ac unit can keep the temps down. Depending on where you are camping a large causality blanket/tarp with the reflective side towards the sun can also help
@@BrianWatersOutdoors Hi Brian..great video..but where does the water goes??..from your A/C?.and you mentioned you had a "Zero brezze"?..so it didn't keep you kool at night to get a decent sleep?..just curious on the information you can share before I make any money decisions..thank you sir for your time..much appreciated 🙏
@@BrianWatersOutdoorsI would get some duct bubble wrap insulation and Velcro it to the windows will help drop the need to cool a lot. And be a privacy screen too. My question is what do you do about it draining? Does it come into the cab?
If any of you are deer hunters save a few hides and sew them together so you can throw it over your camper shell and you will have easily removable insulation, I've never tested it with AC because I've never had AC in my shell but works great for heating so I bet it would work for AC to
He doesn't have to do all of that because he's NOT living in it. It's just for getaway comfort when he's out with his buddies with the beer cooler next to it & nothing more but a temporary 24 hour thing. It's like asking yourself if you need a 10'x10' piece of plush carpet for a tent. Me & I've done it before by putting the ac unit on a milk crate then a painter's drop cloth draped over the back. Petty.
Another good video Brian. I would have never thought about something like that but it works. I always wonder what your neighbors think about you when you are filming but I can imagine they are used to it now.
I'm in NW Louisiana. Doesn't matter the season to me although I prefer fall and spring but as long as the temperature is above 50 during the night and below 80 during the day, I don't care what time of year it is. I'm going camping and I tent camp.
I guess the next step will be rain-proofing this setup. A couple of shop rags or if you can get ahold of some of that basic gray package insulation (the kind made out of recycled rags, safe to handle with bare hands), those would be good for filling the side gaps. Neat looking build.
Very good job. I am impressed. I thought you had 4 A,C unit that set in the back seat and came through the window. Thank you for sharing. Jake McClellan The Oregon Boy 👦
Nice build, man. I’d like to share a tip with you if you’re interested. I did a similar build, but added a hinged door to pass through. Here’s the tip. Build a “box” or a “sleeve” to slide over the back of AC unit when it isn’t being used. I used 3/8” luan to build sleeve. It will protect your cooling fins on the back. Use a bungee or some other way to keep sleeve from falling off. Cheers!
You might already do something like this but when I was a kid my parents got an inflatable boot that sealed the space between the sliding windows and hooked a plastic dryer hose to an a/c vent and ran it through the windows. That and a 12 volt fan kept us kids cool. Maybe you could use that on the drive to give the window unit a head start.
I only added 2 receptacles on my camper. One for the shore power and one SAE for my solar power. That way I don't have any cables hanging out from my tail gate. Inside I put a power strip so when shore power is available I don't have to use my battery power.
You can’t beat window units, best cooling out there hands down, challenge is finding the lowest size and btu you can, 5000 btu seems to be the smallest. Always wondered why they didn’t make 3000 btu size units which would be even more ideal for small spaces. Btw did you see Shark Tank this week, Lavabox was on there and all the investors were interested. Seems to have great sales, I made my own for about $80, using harbor freight ammo can and sweating copper pipe. love those small form factor fire pits.
I'm on the Texas Gulf Coast, I think about this come hurricane season every year. Would be cool for evacuation. I could just plug in where I end up. Looking forward to see how it works for you.
I like the setup with one exception. I think I'd set it up with a split "false tailgate". The window shaker in one section and make the other section easy to move to get in and out. Maybe have the A/C side braced to the siderail for sturdiness and hinge the moving side off the A/C side. Just a thought.
It is probable youve already considered it, but fixing solar panels on the roof will provide off grid power and also block a lot of the heat from the sun that causes it to heat up in there to begin with.
Nice work. I built something similar a few years ago for the 10-14 nights we need it here in WI. Kudos to you that live in that environment. I’d never last.
What about the condensation drip onto your tailgate ? 😂 lol There is a company I deal with in China that makes 2200 & 2800 BTU - 12volt A/C Systems. About $350 total to install with controller panel. I have been installing them in Nomad Vans and smaller type sailboats & yachts My Ford E350 Hi-Top Van gets cold enough inside to wear fleece PJ's when it's 98* outside. And in a 36' Sailboat I installed a double setup ( front cabin + rear cabin ) and plumbed it in , wired it up for about $900. They love it. The compressor units are tiny too. I got the original idea from a fellow boater who took the guts out of a small ac/dc fridge and adapted it with a fan to cool his 24' Cuddy cruiser fishing boat. Cheers & Beers & BBQ Steers !!
Hey Chris👍🏻 I’ve never had an issue with condensation drip on this unit. I had it in my DIY camper all last summer and never saw a drip,of water. Doing some research I found that most newer ac window units don’t even have drain holes anymore. They have a “spinner ring” that basically scoops up the condensation and throws it back onto the condenser to keep the unit cool during operation.
If you drill a hole in the tray you cannrun a hose to a small igloo and collect cold water off the condensation. You would be suprised how much you would get.
I just got my ARE cap installed yesterday and will be working on this AC project this week when the rain stops tonight. I'm thinking of adding a vent fan [I have one extra from another project that I decided against]. The fan will be great on those nights when just a little air flow is all I need. I'll make the AC hole so that I can close it up with a piece of plywood when I don't need AC and will just store the AC unit inside the truck bed [8 foot bed] or on the campsite picnic table. I'm looking for ideas on a double bed setup since there will be 2 of us camping - hoping to make a long trip out West from NM/AZ up to Montana.
Another great idea! I wouldn't even bother plugging those gaps, unless you just want to, but I would put reflectics in your windows. Well, you usually just overnight, so it shouldn't be much of a problem, but if you did multiple days reflectics would save your bacon. You usually arrive at camp as the day starts cooling off (if ever), so set it up first thing, and take it down last thing. As my grandpa used to say," you are a fart smeller, I mean a smart feller". Lol
@@BrianWatersOutdoors sorry, I had a senior moment, totally forgot about skeeters. I may need a check up, I'm from Alabama and have been being eaten on the past two months by skeeters. Carry on, you obviously know what you're doing. BTW, I think your Texas wind escaped, come get it before my trash can relocates to Tennessee. Lol
Good on you thanks,the AC compressor will freeze up and be less effective set on max cold , crack it down to about 7o percent cooling just for a test ,I'd get some foil n foam insulation thin stuff n make inside window coverings,I've got similar on my boat it makes a huge difference , because U lose the green house effect off glass ,neat install though good effort thankyou
Very impressive! You will be very comfortable in your truck bed during hot Texas summers. My thought is that you will spend most of your time inside your truck while out camping...
Great looking, been thinking about doing this and almost bought the unit Tuesday, gonna have to do this now, awesome job well built. #BrianWatersOutdoors
Great idea boss man… I was gonna say you can just stuff it with rags or a tshirt or whater you have available… I like it Imagine this cooler blowing from the back and your portable one blowing from the front of the cab it will be 50 degrees in there hahahahah
Развлечения
![[adult swim] - Smiling Friends Season 2 Episode 5 Promo](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uStNEeR8LT4/mqdefault.jpg)
Find a used tailgate in the junkyard and install the A/C in the used tailgate. Add and remove when needed.
Now that’s a good idea
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Seriously yea, great idea. Seems obvious once you’ve said it, but I wouldn’t have thought of that. Bravo sir!
I bow down!
As for those tailgate gaps; get a black pool noodle, cut it lengthwise and you can make custom seals to match the irregular dimensions of the gaps, and they’re reusable.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I love the setup! When I was a kid we used to take camping trips down to the Florida keys. Of course we didn’t have 2 nickels to rub together so my dad took a Ford E350 van that was probably a church bus before we bought it. Anyways he made a bracket that screwed to one of the back doors & we were able to pop out one of the windows & boom instant hotel. Our family of 4 slept in that van many many weekends over a period of 3-4 seasons. Best years of my life. What times we had!!!
Sounds awesome! That’s what memories are all about👍🏻
Brother thanks for the shoutout. Definitely not necessary but I appreciate it and I’m glad others have found my random ideas useful.
Safe travels and best wishes 👌
Thanks for the inspiration bud👍🏻👍🏻
I built a tiny camper on a 4x 8 trailer. I have the same size ac and it gets very cold in the middle of summer. Nice build! Love it! Enjoy!
Thanks Eric👍🏻
Hello and greetings from Georgia, USA. What an amazing build! Thank you very much for sharing this. Hopefully, I can construct something similar to this for my 2006 Dodge RAM.
As you mentioned, the heat is already on! I’m in my mid-40’s and will tough it out from time to time, but it seems that the heat has certainly made those trips few and far between lately. That being said, this modification gives us the opportunity to get plenty of good rest, so we can enjoy any other outdoor activities to the fullest! Also, that’s really cool that you mentioned the other content creator’s who helped inspire your build.
Take care Brian,
- Chris from Georgia🇺🇸
(New subscriber here)👍🏻
Thanks👍🏻👍🏻
Dude, I recognized those wood shims right off the bat, you took those Lincoln Logs out of your kids playset toys!
😂
@@BrianWatersOutdoors I got a buddy an Electrician that works for Nagel sign company, you know those big advertising billboards on the side of the interstate? I guess he went out there on a service-call to see why the electric bill was so high. You guessed it, a homeless guy had set up a comoflauge tent & was stealing electricity off the meter plug getting free electricity for his K-Mart air conditioner just like yours. He laughed about it & just told the guy not to do it anymore. He took the service plug out & put a blank cover over it.
Brian, that is one sweet set up. Your gears are always turning and making something that betters your outdoor adventures. Good job!
Thank you sir👍🏻
@@BrianWatersOutdoors also I want to thank you for sharing your ideas with us. Thanks Brian.
Never seen this before. What a smart way to extend the camping season. Thanks for sharing!
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If you get to camp with no shade to park in, consider putting a tarp over the truck or at least the part being AC'd, be sure to leave a gap and not resting the tarp on the truck. This will eliminate the direct sun and greatly reduce the work the AC has to do to keep it cool.
Good tip, thanks👍🏻
@BrianWatersOutdoors
The guy on RUclips channel "5 bites" installed an RV ceiling in his truck camper shell. You should check it out.
Awesome Brian. Always great ideas + some fun.
Thanks👍🏻
Fantastic Brian! What a great idea and great execution. Well done.
👍🏻👍🏻 thank you
Very cool. Looks like it will work out well. I feel like it is not really possible to eliminate absolutely all of the gaps and make it air tight but it will still work perfectly. I know you and I knew how you were going to do it and make it look like it is actually part of the truck. Great work!
Thanks bud👍🏻
Wow, really clean install! Wish I had your skills! lol thanks for sharing Brian. Cheers from Michigan.
Thanks👍🏻
Ha! Love your shows man. Incidentally I was just looking at AC solutions for my own truck. Perfect timing.
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I’ve watched several of your camper shell vids and this is the best one I’ve seen, for me at least. I’ll be living out of my truck over summer when we’re at our home unit, and I’m buying a 5000 BTU window unit to keep me cool at night. Those Mississippi summer nights can be brutal. This is genius. I was planning on building out an entire back enclosure for the AC and leaving the window up and getting a little camper shell tent, tent but I love how much simpler this is. This and the angled bed platform KayakUSA1 did are the best videos I’ve seen.
Thanks bud👍🏻
Awesome design Brian! Very clean and functional. Glad you won’t be in an oven this camping season!
Thanks Brandy👍🏻
Looks awesome. Great idea. Thanks for the video.
Thanks👍🏻
Great job Brian it looks like it will work out well for you.
Thanks👍🏻
Very neat and clean!! Can't wait to see your summer adventures. #brianwatersoutdoors
Thanks👍🏻
"Double your pleasure, double your fun" with two window units. (...or just one larger window unit). 🌬️🌬️. Super cool.
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Good engineering on design. Like the way it fits in and locks in place
Thank you👍🏻
Very Nice work Brian, looks like she will work well!!
Thanks👍🏻
Really nice design Brian. You are right camping is a great way to relax from the city day to day grind during the week. You really need AC during the hot humid nights to sleep I can deal with the heat during the day but need to sleep in cool air at night. Love the tail gate board looks original to the truck, nice job enjoy the summer with this. Ottawa Ontario Canada.
Thanks Tom👍🏻
Clean looking install, looks like it will work great.
Thank you sir👍🏻
One thing, I like about your channel is that you finish things out like they were supposed to be there initially, with the carpeting and painting the wood black and adding your logo it really looks nice. The only problem I hate with this setup is having to crawl over the partition. I’m really surprised nobody makes like a 1 or 2k btu window unit that would fit into the sliding window space and somehow vent between cab and bed. Or maybe like a cap manufacturer that would have a dividing rear glass. Half aluminum half glass to accommodate a smaller a/c unit in the aluminum section cut to fit the unit by the customer. Idk just brain storming. The person who does invent something like that will be a rich person.
Thanks Ross👍🏻
Wish Dometic or some other company would make micro roof mounted AC's!
@@messagesystem333 I think if anybody will come up with something like that it will be ecoflow, they already have the wave and from what I’ve seen the wave 2 is smaller
Could likely add a partial door in their to get into the aisle?
Good information. Thanks Brian!
Thank you👍🏻
Great workmanship !
Thank you
That setup is awesome! Good video 👍🏻
Thanks👍🏻
Very interesting. Now you just need a small Honda generator and your good for boondocking. Great video!
Thanks👍🏻👍🏻
I read a few comments before I wrote this. You like it? I love it. Great work man ! Enjoy using it. I couldn’t camp without an AC either.
Thanks bud👍🏻
Looks good, good eye for details
Thank you👍🏻
Well done Brian!
Thank you👍🏻
Very innovative pal. Nice job. I know you happy.
Thanks👍🏻
That's an awesome setup, I have a bed platform in the back of my Tacoma and been thinking of something like that, I seen the same video link you shared and that got me thinking I need to get it done now. I live in Indiana and it gets hot here and humid but not like it does down where you are at but all the same it gets hot in the back of those trucks and mine is all black to so that doesn't help, lol. Good luck with your new setup, I love it, awesome work on your build.
Thanks Jerry👍🏻
Nicely done.
Love it
Thanks Ken👍🏻
@@BrianWatersOutdoors That is an awesome build. Can you drive down the road with it already in place?
Im guessing not since the vibrations would be bad for a temp setup.
Nice job and it looks great!
Thank you Keith👍🏻
Nice job, love this idea.
Thanks👍🏻
That is WAY cool. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks Guy👍🏻
I did something like this and installed 2 air conditioning units. When one of them is taking a break,,,the other is starting up and pumping out cool air. A con when dealing with window units. Both air-conditioning units are running off from 6000 watt hours of batteries stacked up in the back. Also put two 400watt solar panels draped across the top of camper shelI and truck roof. also used pool noodles sliced down the middle to slide on the window and the plywood to create the barrier this guy made. Works incredibly well
Sounds awesome👍🏻👍🏻
Nice Brian!! Yea that’s a lot easier than your old AC setup for sure👍
So much easier👍🏻👍🏻
Good deal that's going to help out alot thanks for sharing take care
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That is absolutely awesome dude!!!
Thanks bud👍🏻👍🏻
Nice job Brian now you can extend the camping season in comfort!
Yessir👍🏻👍🏻
That’s genius! Now we know what to do to be able to camp this summer!
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These Texas summers usually stop us from camping too.
If that’s all you have then kudos to you for creating it. I abandoned trucks years ago and started running vans. Right now I’m running a 2019 Ford Transit 350 HD w/the ecoboost. I’ll never go back to trucks.
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Some great hillbilly inginuity! And as we edge toward the home foreclosure epidemic, a lot of folks living out of their trucks will need this rig! lol.
😂👍🏻👍🏻
Great job looks great 👍
Thanks👍🏻
Nice work! 👍
One issue I think you may have is that rear support.
Window A/C units are supposed to tilt away from the interior so that the moisture can drain, if keep it lvl you may end up with water inside campershell.
I would suggest using a thinner support AND adding a drain hose or plastic sheet so that your bed rug doesn’t get wet.
Just my thoughts
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Yes enough tilt to drain condensate out. . Is that a 5000 ? That is all you need I need one for my very small Toyota motor home
I had the same thought. However, I believe many of the newer units are actually using retained condensate for additional cooling to gain efficiency.
Not so on newer ones made after 2001 because now they go into a 1" drip pan so as to allow the splash of condensate to better cool the unit through both convection & evaporation. Hence the slinger ring on the evaporator fan making the swish noise. Lastly I'd imagine he'd just park slightly up hill because the unit only needs a 1/4" slope. Petty.
Really cool brother, nice job
Thanks🍻👍🏻
Nice job Brian. Definitely streamlines your ac set-up when you get to your camping spot. Looks like at least 1-2 banquets of saved time per trip! Cheers my friend
Exactly👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This would be perfect for my Powerboost. Very good idea, thank you.
Thanks!
Very clever. Thanks for the video. :)
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you did a great job on that instalation, i have been thinking about doing something like that but really didnt know how to began it gets hot down here in Alabama too. # brianwatersoutdoors #truckcamping #camping
Thanks Pete👍🏻
Great job. Thanks
Thanks David👍🏻
Great job. Gives me an idea on how to rig something for my tailgate.
Thanks👍🏻
That was great thanks for all the info.
Thanks👍🏻
Its a great idea. I think Id insulate the windows and maybe even another layer on the roof. Use the klix together floor mats from Harbor Freight on the floor... the more you insulate the easier the ac unit can keep the temps down. Depending on where you are camping a large causality blanket/tarp with the reflective side towards the sun can also help
👍🏻👍🏻
@@BrianWatersOutdoors Hi Brian..great video..but where does the water goes??..from your A/C?.and you mentioned you had a "Zero brezze"?..so it didn't keep you kool at night to get a decent sleep?..just curious on the information you can share before I make any money decisions..thank you sir for your time..much appreciated 🙏
@@BrianWatersOutdoorsI would get some duct bubble wrap insulation and Velcro it to the windows will help drop the need to cool a lot. And be a privacy screen too. My question is what do you do about it draining? Does it come into the cab?
If any of you are deer hunters save a few hides and sew them together so you can throw it over your camper shell and you will have easily removable insulation, I've never tested it with AC because I've never had AC in my shell but works great for heating so I bet it would work for AC to
He doesn't have to do all of that because he's NOT living in it. It's just for getaway comfort when he's out with his buddies with the beer cooler next to it & nothing more but a temporary 24 hour thing. It's like asking yourself if you need a 10'x10' piece of plush carpet for a tent. Me & I've done it before by putting the ac unit on a milk crate then a painter's drop cloth draped over the back. Petty.
Awesome job.
Thanks Gary
Looks great man good job !! 🤙🤙
Thank you Justin👍🏻
Brian I must admit that you did a great job.
Thank you
Another good video Brian. I would have never thought about something like that but it works. I always wonder what your neighbors think about you when you are filming but I can imagine they are used to it now.
Lol. I’m sure my neighbors think I’m special
I'm in NW Louisiana. Doesn't matter the season to me although I prefer fall and spring but as long as the temperature is above 50 during the night and below 80 during the day, I don't care what time of year it is. I'm going camping and I tent camp.
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I guess the next step will be rain-proofing this setup. A couple of shop rags or if you can get ahold of some of that basic gray package insulation (the kind made out of recycled rags, safe to handle with bare hands), those would be good for filling the side gaps. Neat looking build.
👍🏻👍🏻
Nice job, thanks!
Thank you Rod👍🏻
Looks good. I need to finish mine. All I've done is make a bed frame. I really like your setup.
Thanks👍🏻
This is simple but awesome set up! I might copy your set up since i have only one truck to use for work and for camping.
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Great idea.!
Thanks Denise👍🏻
Very good job. I am impressed. I thought you had 4 A,C unit that set in the back seat and came through the window. Thank you for sharing. Jake McClellan The Oregon Boy 👦
I did last summer Jake. I used a Zero Breeze unit, but it was quite a pain to get setup
Nice build, man. I’d like to share a tip with you if you’re interested. I did a similar build, but added a hinged door to pass through. Here’s the tip. Build a “box” or a “sleeve” to slide over the back of AC unit when it isn’t being used. I used 3/8” luan to build sleeve. It will protect your cooling fins on the back. Use a bungee or some other way to keep sleeve from falling off. Cheers!
Thanks! I did notice I bent a few of the fins just moving it around. I’m assuming you’re just talking about the box for transport to protect them?
@@BrianWatersOutdoors exactly! Just for transport and storage. 👍
You might already do something like this but when I was a kid my parents got an inflatable boot that sealed the space between the sliding windows and hooked a plastic dryer hose to an a/c vent and ran it through the windows. That and a 12 volt fan kept us kids cool. Maybe you could use that on the drive to give the window unit a head start.
I ended up using a bicycle tube👍🏻👍🏻
Yes, nice setup there ! Me too did it like Idakota, almost exactly 👍
I only added 2 receptacles on my camper. One for the shore power and one SAE for my solar power. That way I don't have any cables hanging out from my tail gate. Inside I put a power strip so when shore power is available I don't have to use my battery power.
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Awsome just found your channel good stuff keep it up
Thank you Grady👍🏻
Sweet idea!
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I'd add a Reflectix roof cover so I could hide under it from the sun! Nice addition!!
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Nice work.
Cut it in half and add hinges in the middle. then you can store it, and open it into place easily from both sides.
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Excellent!
Thank you👍🏻
You can’t beat window units, best cooling out there hands down, challenge is finding the lowest size and btu you can, 5000 btu seems to be the smallest. Always wondered why they didn’t make 3000 btu size units which would be even more ideal for small spaces. Btw did you see Shark Tank this week, Lavabox was on there and all the investors were interested. Seems to have great sales, I made my own for about $80, using harbor freight ammo can and sweating copper pipe. love those small form factor fire pits.
I didn’t see that! That’s awesome. I talked to the owner several times and he seemed pretty cool👍🏻
I'm on the Texas Gulf Coast, I think about this come hurricane season every year. Would be cool for evacuation. I could just plug in where I end up. Looking forward to see how it works for you.
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you can also DIY a stove jack for the cold weather and put a small stove for hot tents in there. i would put it right next to the door of bed
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I like the setup with one exception. I think I'd set it up with a split "false tailgate". The window shaker in one section and make the other section easy to move to get in and out. Maybe have the A/C side braced to the siderail for sturdiness and hinge the moving side off the A/C side. Just a thought.
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Thumbs up 👍 cool setup 😊
Thanks Clarence👍🏻
It is probable youve already considered it, but fixing solar panels on the roof will provide off grid power and also block a lot of the heat from the sun that causes it to heat up in there to begin with.
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Nice work. I built something similar a few years ago for the 10-14 nights we need it here in WI. Kudos to you that live in that environment. I’d never last.
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What about the condensation drip onto your tailgate ?
😂 lol
There is a company I deal with in China that makes 2200 & 2800 BTU - 12volt A/C Systems.
About $350 total to install with controller panel.
I have been installing them in Nomad Vans and smaller type sailboats & yachts
My Ford E350 Hi-Top Van gets cold enough inside to wear fleece PJ's when it's 98* outside.
And in a 36' Sailboat I installed a double setup
( front cabin + rear cabin )
and plumbed it in , wired it up for about $900.
They love it.
The compressor units are tiny too.
I got the original idea from a fellow boater who took the guts out of a small ac/dc fridge and adapted it with a fan to cool his 24' Cuddy cruiser fishing boat.
Cheers & Beers & BBQ Steers !!
Hey Chris👍🏻 I’ve never had an issue with condensation drip on this unit. I had it in my DIY camper all last summer and never saw a drip,of water. Doing some research I found that most newer ac window units don’t even have drain holes anymore. They have a “spinner ring” that basically scoops up the condensation and throws it back onto the condenser to keep the unit cool during operation.
If you drill a hole in the tray you cannrun a hose to a small igloo and collect cold water off the condensation.
You would be suprised how much you would get.
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Good job, engineering 😎👍
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Very nice!🙌
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I just got my ARE cap installed yesterday and will be working on this AC project this week when the rain stops tonight. I'm thinking of adding a vent fan [I have one extra from another project that I decided against]. The fan will be great on those nights when just a little air flow is all I need. I'll make the AC hole so that I can close it up with a piece of plywood when I don't need AC and will just store the AC unit inside the truck bed [8 foot bed] or on the campsite picnic table. I'm looking for ideas on a double bed setup since there will be 2 of us camping - hoping to make a long trip out West from NM/AZ up to Montana.
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Another great idea! I wouldn't even bother plugging those gaps, unless you just want to, but I would put reflectics in your windows. Well, you usually just overnight, so it shouldn't be much of a problem, but if you did multiple days reflectics would save your bacon. You usually arrive at camp as the day starts cooling off (if ever), so set it up first thing, and take it down last thing.
As my grandpa used to say," you are a fart smeller, I mean a smart feller". Lol
Only reason I’m going to work on the gaps is to try and stop easy access to my skin with these devilish Texas skeeters
@@BrianWatersOutdoors sorry, I had a senior moment, totally forgot about skeeters. I may need a check up, I'm from Alabama and have been being eaten on the past two months by skeeters. Carry on, you obviously know what you're doing.
BTW, I think your Texas wind escaped, come get it before my trash can relocates to Tennessee. Lol
Good on you thanks,the AC compressor will freeze up and be less effective set on max cold , crack it down to about 7o percent cooling just for a test ,I'd get some foil n foam insulation thin stuff n make inside window coverings,I've got similar on my boat it makes a huge difference , because U lose the green house effect off glass ,neat install though good effort thankyou
Thanks for the tip👍🏻👍🏻
Adding window covers will help even more
Yeah. I’ll be cutting out some reflectix for sure to keep in here for the windows.
A pop up canopy or umbrella (or park in the shade), and you’ll drop it another 5 to 10 degrees.
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Very nice!
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Very impressive! You will be very comfortable in your truck bed during hot Texas summers. My thought is that you will spend most of your time inside your truck while out camping...
It might be a good escape after out there slaying the fish😉👍🏻
now that's slick!
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Great looking, been thinking about doing this and almost bought the unit Tuesday, gonna have to do this now, awesome job well built. #BrianWatersOutdoors
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great setup. my dream is to live in on the road in something like this making videos
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Great idea boss man… I was gonna say you can just stuff it with rags or a tshirt or whater you have available… I like it
Imagine this cooler blowing from the back and your portable one blowing from the front of the cab it will be 50 degrees in there hahahahah
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Insulate the windows would make a huge difference on the really hot days
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