It looks like have put a lot of thought into using your blazer for a camper. Also it looks like it is in really good shape for its age. How long does your second battery last with the heater, fan or DVD player running?

 

I knew there were others out there using their Blazer's like I was! I like the idea of the storage space under the mattress.

 

My wife and I have been camping like this for years and I keep making changes and improvements every year. Just this year I added a new shelf in the back for the bucket that holds our shower flip-flops and we finally purchased a new tent that doesn't require separate poles. It pops up automatically when we pull it out of the bag. Much quicker than our old umbrella tent that we had been using for the last 43 years. The second battery lasts for everything we need because we usually are driving during the day and recharging it. It does not run the heater as that is purely a 110 volt unit, so we do need an electrical hookup if we are camping where we will need heat at night. Otherwise it is sleeping in sweat pants, sweat shirts, and the additional sleeping bag we carry. I keep the old 1990 Blazer in as perfect a condition as I can. It usually doesn't get driven in the winter time to keep it salt free (which it is) but it does get used in the summertime a lot.

 

This thing is awesome!! I wish I could convince my wife to do something like this but her idea of camping is staying at the Hilton Owell I shouldn't complain she lets me do what I want to!

 

A 20 year old blonde and a 20 year old redhead, but my wife tells me that I'm not wired for 220.

 

In case it rains, I have a blue tarp with some extra poles that I bought at a camp supply store. I put eye bolt lag screws into my gray wood box on top and tie the tarp to them with strips of rubber cut from an old car tire tube. It would sag in the middle if too much rain accummulated so I build a wooden umbrella frame that I could put in the center hole of my folding picnic table to support the blue tarp. Also added a couple pieces of metal to the umbrella frame so I could stick my magnetic LED lights to it for light outside. For a pole, I used one from those flags you hang outside your house, because it was in several pieces that screwed together making it more collapsible to store (along with the blue tarp and ropes) in my overhead gray box.



Next installment: the boxes on the back

 

I use a hitch tray on the back with several boxes to carry the majority of our camping equipment. I found a large black box that fit very nicely on the tray. In that we carry our water (in a collapsible jug), our food, and all cooking and eating utinsels. We also carry our folding camp chairs and our folding picnic table - the small green one in other pictures. I also attached a spare tire holder from a camping store to the back of the tray. A backup camera on the license plate was added for safety. The boxes are held in place with four bungie cords connected together with a metal ring. Now you can see why I added the Air Lift suspension system.



I found two green boxes at our local Alco store to fit in the remaining space on the tray. They have removable trays for more organization. In one of the green boxes I carry my fire starters, firewood, campfire equipment, and leveling blocks. In the other one I carry my 4-cup coffee maker, spare water bottles, and soda. There is also room for me to bring home rocks we collect and other souvenirs.



Just got back from a two day camping trip with this rig to the annual buffalo round-up in Custer State Park in South Dakota. Next trip is to Scotts Bluff in Nebraska.

 

A few other modifications I have made to my Blazer:
1-installed a backup camera on the back with the monitor located in the rear view mirror. It makes backing up a lot safer
2-hot wired the electric windows so that they would work whether the ignition key was off or on
3-installed 4-5 under dash 12 volt outlets for my various accessory use
4-installed an external transmission cooler (I also tow a trailer camper with it) and a transmission temperature gauge
5-installed an FM converter that plugs into the antenna connection for my MP3 player with a mini-plug connection under the dash
and finally 6-I developed an Excel spreadsheet with a check off for everything we take with us on our camping trips and the location we pack it in the Blazer. Since then we have never forgotten anything.

This is my last installment, but I would be happy to answer any specific questions or show more close-up pictures if anyone is interested. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing what others have done along this line too.

 

Any chance you can post a link to where you found that spare tire carrier? Looks like you can pull up on the handle and the tire drops down?

 

Awesome rig! My wife and kids use my Blazer for camping, we tent camp though. We use the Cargo Carrier the same way you do, and have plenty of room for all our personals in the cab. Would like more info on that roof compartment, though. That looks extremely handy, and I'm always looking for more cargo space.