Our build plan

Our goal in purchasing the Hawk Shell from Four Wheel Campers was to make something that maximizes the indoor space while providing flexibility to seat and sleep two adults and up to three kids. In addition we wanted minimal "kitchen" counter space because we do most of our cooking outdoors. We looked at other campers and pop-up campers and found that all the built-out campers just seemed too cramped (even Four Wheel Campers!) often with a full length "kitchen" countertop and no more than a narrow alley to walk in the middle between the "dinette" and the counter top. And they were often too heavy for the F-150 we planned to get. Here are some rough sketches (not to scale!) with our design plan. It was all fairly minimal and easy for a non-carpenter type to put together.

Our Design Plan

Our build was very minimal because we wanted to maximize the living space. The Front Storage Cabinet was designed to house two clothes storage bins, to support the 31 liter refrigerator and to provide a very strong support structure for mounting the Lagun Table. It also has 1 x 2 cleats on its outer edge to support the lower bed plywood boards. The expanded driver side bench was needed to make a wider, more comfortable place to sit and to expand the narrow storage compartment enough to hold a 7 liter fresh water tank and a 120 v panel and battery charger.

The final piece that involved a little carpentry (very little) was to expand the top of the furnace cabinet to accomodate a stove/sink combo unit on a minimal countertop.

Seating

We sit, to dine or lounge on the expanded bench. There are a maximum of 4 other spots where the kids (or a couple of adults) can sit, on the front cabinet, the opposite passenger side bench, and on a "Huskey" box (brown) that serves as our kitchen pantry (It is wheeled and can be moved outside or used as an extra seat. It also supports the lower bed boards as it is the exact same height as the benches. ) The Lagun table is yellow in this plan.

Lower bed boards

3 plywood boards are set on 1" x 2" cleats along the edges of the benches to provide a platform for the lower bed. One board matches the standard cushions on the passenger side, while a slightly wider board matches the backrest cushion behind our seats on the expanded bench. A small board plugs the gap where the Lagun Table attaches, between the front cabinet and the expanded bench. We can leave the table in place for "Lounge Mode", when reclining with a tablet on the table, or we can remove the table and stow it under the bed boards for "Lower Bed Mode".

Lower Bed

The diagram shows the extent of the lower bed. It is larger than a "full" bed but a little narrower than a queen sized bed. For maximum lower bed space (e.g. for 3 kids) we can remove the refrigerator, however most of the time we use the lower bed as shown.

Sometimes, we use the lower bed for ourselves when we need to camp in "stealth mode" with the top down. This is a pretty rare event, but when needed, it is very handy and pretty comfortable. We also use the lower bed periodically when travelling if we both get sleepy at the same time-- we just pull over somewhere, climb in and take a short nap without popping the top!

Sagebrushers YouTube Channel

This video covers pretty much the same information on our plan, but listening may be easier than reading.

Sketch and dimensions

Dimensions are not provided by Four Wheel Camper so it is hard to design your build before you get your delivery. We put some of the dimensions of our 2019 Hawk Shell in the Data section , but please be aware that things change. One thing that changed is that the long narrow compartments are now accessed from side hatches rather than the long hinged hatch on top of the side benches. Another is that there appears to be no inset at the rear of the passenger side bench, but rather a small compartment. See some great videos by "DeanCamp for Fun" here at 3:00 and here at 7:45. This may have changed how we went about our build slightly, but we think we could have still made the same mods without any trouble.

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