No-Drill Mounting in Your Adventure Vehicle
Using the right adhesive mounting solution can hold almost anything even in the roughest conditions
There's a particular kind of dread that comes with holding a drill up to the wall of your adventure vehicle for the first time. Val and I felt it the first time we wanted to mount something inside our truck camper — that small hesitation before committing to a hole you can't take back. But our Hallmark Guanella is a small space, just over 100 square feet. Every wall, every cabinet face, every little strip of real estate matters and we want to use every bit of it.
Thankfully, that hesitation turned out to be a gift. It pushed us toward adhesive mounting solutions instead, and along the way we discovered something we didn't expect: no-drill fasteners are often better than screws for camper and overland use. They let you rearrange as your systems evolve, they don't create new points for water intrusion, and they're easier to install especially when traveling.
Living for days or weeks in a small truck camper means organization isn't optional. Everything needs a home, or it becomes a projectile on a rough offroad trails or lost and forgotten. That need is what got me into designing our own organizational 3D printed solutions for the perfect fit. We still use one of my first designs, our Klip Keeper Clip Organizer. Long ago I started using binder clips for everything — chip clips, clothesline pins, even makeshift clamps for glue-ups — but a clip you can't find doesn't help. I'd put one in a door, another in my pocket, and soon I couldn't find a clip when I needed one. So I designed a small mount to keep them organized by the stove and on the dash. It's mounted using heavy duty 3M DualLock hook and loop with a VHB adhesive backing at securely sticks to almost any surface and is easily removed using the hook and loop for cleaning, maintenance, and repositioning. It's a simple solution, but it's a good example of improving organization without drilling.
Over the years, we've design over 50 different solutions for our rig to help keep it organized and enjoyable while traveling and camping. And after trying many fastening solutions, we've narrowed our go-to list down to three: two versions of 3M Dual Lock and Command Strips. Here's why.
3M Dual Lock SJ3560
Dual Lock isn't traditional hook-and-loop — it's a field of interlocking mushroom-shaped stems that snap together, which is why it holds so much better than Velcro-style products over time and vibration. SJ3560 is the standard-profile version, and it's our default choice for anything that needs a genuinely secure hold but that we still might want to remove someday: brackets, panels, small fixtures, mounts for our own 3D-printed accessories.
It bonds well to metals, glass, painted / sealed wood, and most plastics, and because it's mechanically interlocking rather than purely adhesive, it holds up to the kind of vibration and temperature swings a truck camper deals with on washboard roads. The trade-off for that strength is thickness — it adds a bit more bulk than a low-profile option, adding ~0.2 inches to the part being mounted. And while Dual Lock is removable, it take a bit more work than Command Strips to remove - requiring a bit of patience with slow gradual peeling at a low angle and the need to remove remaining adhesive with isopropyl alcohol or a citrus-based adhesive remover. While it normally comes off clean, it's more likely to damage some surfaces when removing due to its strong adhesion.
We've mounted most of our 3D printed solutions with SJ3560 on everything from vertical walls and cabinets to the outside of our truck camper and haven't had a single piece detached or wear out after 8 years of blazing sun, frigid cold, and countless miles of rough off-roading. In fact, we've even used it to mount our Vehicle Awning Guard which designed to take the impact of tree branches and anything else I might try to drive our awning into. Oh yes, I've hit many things with it (hey, it's the wide point).
3M Dual Lock SJ4570
This is the low-profile version of Dual Lock, and it's our go-to when clearance is tight — mounting something flush against a panel, behind a cabinet face, or anywhere a thicker fastener just won't fit. It uses the same interlocking stem design as SJ3560, just shorter and thinner, which does mean somewhat less holding strength.
One thing worth knowing: SJ4570 is rated for indoor use and moderate temperatures, not the kind of heat you'll find on a dashboard or behind a window in direct sun. We keep it for interior mounts out of direct sun exposure that doesn't have a heavy load.
Command Medium Strips
For low to moderate-duty items, or anything we genuinely expect to reposition, Command Medium Strips are also a common solution. They're designed to come off cleanly without damaging paint or finishes, which matters when you're not 100% sure yet where something belongs in your layout. We use these for lighter organizational pieces and anything still in the "figuring out where this lives" phase of camper life.
The trade-off compared to Dual Lock is lower strength and less vibration resistance, so we treat these as the right tool for smaller, lighter items rather than anything structural. That said, we haven't had any Command Strips detached either. We normally use Command Medium Strips which are each rated for 3lbs.
Putting it to use
If you're looking for options to mount one of our 3D-printed accessories and wondering how to actually attach it without adding new holes to your rig, this is our short list:
- SJ3560 for a strong hold with a bit of clearance to spare (or SJ4570 when you need to stay low-profile out of direct heat)
- Command Medium Strips for lighter items you might reposition
No drill required.
-Adam