Our living guide to our build-out of a Four Wheel Camper Project M — gear, mods, and lessons learned. Set up for winter camping, ski trips, dog travel, summer camping, and 2-4 week road trips.
Why We Got a Project M
I grew up with two parents who love all forms of transportation: planes, trains, and automobiles – oh, and campers. When I was little, they had a vintage Project M from the 70s — one of the originals — mounted on the back of a Scout.
Sadly, that camper and the Scout were totaled shortly after my Dad finished fixing them up. On the way home from a car show, our whole family in the car, we were in a head-on collision. At the time I was six years old and that day truly changed our lives. My mom suffered a traumatic brain injury and the rest of us had minor injuries and emotional trauma.
It took years for my family to recover from that. But we persevered and my parents now own a successful car repair shop and I’ve moved on to restore/build out 3 camper vans and live full time in one of them!
Even after the accident, I still loved the idea of that camper. When I started building out vans and doing my own version of life on the road, I came across Bound for Nowhere on YouTube. And they reminded me how perfect Four Wheel campers could be. It was the perfect crossroads of reliability (can’t beat a Tacoma IMO), space (it pops up just like my old Westy did!), and stealth.
So, when Jon and I started talking seriously about getting a camper, there was really only one option I was ever going to land on – a Four Wheel Camper.
Jon met me when I was freshly off the vanlife train and we hoped a truck camper would help us keep the adventure alive while still having a stable home life.
And we also had practical problems a camper could actually solve: my family lives in New Hampshire, his in Massachusetts, and my parents and sister both live in tiny houses. Every visit meant we had to get a hotel room. Every ski trip meant a 2am alarm and a two-hour+ drive just to make it for 4 hours of skiing. We love skiing — including backcountry, which takes us even further out — and we were exhausted by the logistics of it.
We also have our dog, Luna. Having a climate-controlled space that's just hers, wherever we are, changes everything.
We had a different camper before this — a vintage Wildernest that came with our 2005 Tacoma. We loved it, but it wasn't a one-person setup, needed two parking spots to pop, and had zero insulation.
The Project M is the opposite of all of that. Simple, easy to set up as one (short) person, affordable, and built to actually keep you warm. Ours was built starting in November 2025 and we picked it up on April 24th. It's brand new and so are we, as truck camper people.
This page is where I'll document all of it — the build-out, the gear, the trips, the lessons. It'll grow as we do. We're planning on kids eventually, possibly a newer truck down the road, and a lot of miles in between. Consider this the living record of how that unfolds. We're starting small. First up: Memorial Day weekend at a campground. Then skiing. Then wherever this thing takes us.
Build Log
Last updated: April 2026 — We just picked up the Project M. Nothing's been modified yet — this is the baseline. Check back as we add things.
Here’s our current plan for “building out” our Project M (with as little modification as possible):
- Molle Panel
- Milwaukee Packout “kitchen” + Coleman Stove + fold out tables
- Cushions (my mom and I will make those)
- Jackery Explorer 1000
- Fridge
- We’ll use duffels for clothing under the benches with cargo nets to keep them in place
- Exped MegaMat Duo
- Lagun Table
Gear we already have in our Project M
We’re bringing gear from previous setups into the camper first. Then, working around what we have to round out our needs.
Jackery Explorer 1000
Added: 2025 I had a Jackery in all of my van builds and it was one of my favorite pieces of gear I’ve ever owned. We’ll use this to power our lights, fan, and fridge. We’re planning to order Renogy solar panels soon to go with it (so stoked for the new shade optimized panels!). I always recommend Jackery – they’ve got amazing customer service, they’re reliable, and they’re insanely durable. Cost: $450
Fridge
Added: 2025
We have a little camp fridge that Jon’s parents gave us back in 2025 that we used for camping in our previous rig. It’s not the most reliable model (it’s already broken twice) but we plan to use the heck out of it before we replace it. I had an old Dometic CF 35 in Marge, my Chevy Astro van that I built out back in 2021. It was amazing, reliable, with great customer service, and worked great as an extra bench. We’ll likely upgrade to “brand name” eventually but we’re using what we’ve got for now!
Cost: Free
“Kitchen” a.k.a. Milwaukee Packout + Coleman Stove
Added: 2025
For our previous rig, we got a Packout so it was easier to get our camp kitchen (formerly just in a big plastic bin) into our truck using the wheels and a ramp. We’re taking off the wheel base and mounting it to the “mounting shelf” that comes in the Project M. We’re also going to add flip up side “tables” to it and mount our coleman stove on top of it for a full “kitchen” setup. In the drawers, we keep dishes and utensils but nothing perishable or attractive to mice.
Cost: $300
Exped MegaMat Duo
Added: 2024
Jon bought this mattress for the Wildernest specifically and it fits perfectly on the bed platform in the Project M, too! Super comfy, warm, and well worth the money. We’ve also got the Exped Widget Pump to blow it up with ease. We just use our backpacking sleeping bags and regular old household pillows with it.
Cost: $665
Gear we plan to add to our Project M
Over the course of this year, we plan to also add:
- A Molle Panel specifically designed to go on the mounting bolts for our outside gear tracks and bags that buckle to that (I’ll likely sew the bags myself so they’re perfect for our needs).
- Cushions (me and my Mom will sew these from fabric we already have) and a Lagun table mount / table top for the “dinette” area.
- Flip up tables for our Packout “kitchen”
- Cargo Netting under the benches for better storage containment for our clothing, camp chairs, etc.
- A mount for our step ladder (we use it to get in and out of the truck and up into the bed loft at night).
- A deisel heater that we’ve already got on hand (with a jug mounted outside). We just need to install it.
- Solar panels and wiring to our car battery to keep our electronics charged up for longer trips.
Our First Trip in the Project M
We got our camper shipped to / installed in New Hampshire. Since it was already halfway to my family’s house, we decided to head up to North Conway and visit them for the weekend. We parked at my sister’s house (a caboose turned tiny house) and did a bare bones dry run her backyard. It was the perfect first night!
In the morning, we got brunch with my parents in North Conway. My sister, her boyfriend, Jon, and I all went mini golfing and were able to leave Tuna, our dog, in the truck and she slept while we played. And Luna even got to see her “cousins” my parents’ dog and my sisters’ dog.
If you ever need the beta on North Conway – don’t be afraid to contact me! I grew up there and I know all the good spots 😊
