Ski RV's, who's sleeping in parking lots?

[davjr96]

I did some searching but came up with nothing, I must suck because I am sure this had been discussed before...

Anyway, any suggestions for a dehumidifier to use in the back of a 4runner? Doing 5 nights at Bachelor so assume an unfriendly humid environment. Will be leaving snowy skis in a roof box and sunroof cracked for ventilation but wondering if I'll need more.

Thanks!

[El Chupacabra]

I did some searching but came up with nothing, I must suck because I am sure this had been discussed before...

Anyway, any suggestions for a dehumidifier to use in the back of a 4runner? Doing 5 nights at Bachelor so assume an unfriendly humid environment. Will be leaving snowy skis in a roof box and sunroof cracked for ventilation but wondering if I'll need more.

Thanks!

If you have a safe way to do it, leaving a candle burning can help reduce moisture. Old style candle lanterns can be hung and should be less likely to burn yourself down.

[nickbokhoven]

I did some searching but came up with nothing, I must suck because I am sure this had been discussed before...

Anyway, any suggestions for a dehumidifier to use in the back of a 4runner? Doing 5 nights at Bachelor so assume an unfriendly humid environment. Will be leaving snowy skis in a roof box and sunroof cracked for ventilation but wondering if I'll need more.

Thanks!

You might pick up something like this
It is surprising how much it can pick up
I use it in my van and can notice a reduction in condensation

DampRid Fragrance Free Disposable... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBLW3EW...p_mob_ap_share


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[toast2266]

I did some searching but came up with nothing, I must suck because I am sure this had been discussed before...

Anyway, any suggestions for a dehumidifier to use in the back of a 4runner? Doing 5 nights at Bachelor so assume an unfriendly humid environment. Will be leaving snowy skis in a roof box and sunroof cracked for ventilation but wondering if I'll need more.

Thanks!

We keep a couple of the reusable silica dehumidifiers in our camper. Leave them in there until they change colors, them take them into the house and plug them in (which heats them up / dries out the water).

They're not going to make an exceedingly damp space dry, but they help a little bit and they're easy / cheap.

[chaka]

Similar to Toast's option... We used a couple of these in our class B during the winter. Nice to be able to just toss them in the oven and recharge.
https://www.amazon.com/SnapSafe-Safe.../dp/B06XQ75GW9

[sklar]

what do you mags think about something like this?

https://www.mountainproject.com/foru...000-miles-6500

i started looking into those tigers, seems like a decent deal. basically a chevy astrovan converted into a camper.

curious what the collective wisdom on those is

I've had an Astro for about 6 months, and it's been pretty awesome. 2000 AWD cargo, 197k miles. Definitely some quirks and issues, but I knew that's what I was getting into. It's perfect for me for a weekend warrior rig. I live in the city and drive it around town with no issues, it's nice and small.
The Tigers are very cool looking. That one isn't AWD? not sure if that's a dealbreaker. The AWD versions typically go for big $.

[nickbokhoven]

Similar to Toast's option... We used a couple of these in our class B during the winter. Nice to be able to just toss them in the oven and recharge.
https://www.amazon.com/SnapSafe-Safe.../dp/B06XQ75GW9

Appreciate the heads up
Think I might go this direction


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[toastybroski]

Anyone familiar with palamino backpack ss500 campers? There's a 2018 near me that seems decently priced. This would be going on a 2006 regular bed tundra 6'3''. Is my bed too long? I haven't found many other options with such a low payload on my tundra. (I think it's 1300lbs). I haven't had any luck finding a big foot or northern lite.

It would be a mix of sleeping at ski areas and summer camping.

https://www.palominorv.com/truck-cam...er/SS-500/3159

[m2711c]

b-box looks better than a standard sprinter.... square walls makes building and insulating much easier.





a more detailed look at construction -





still not sold on the recycled shower water though....

[grinch]

B box is the shit!! So dialed

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[apex dave]

b-box looks better than a standard sprinter.... square walls makes building and insulating much easier.



a more detailed look at construction -



still not sold on the recycled shower water though....

So basically a class C or maybe a B+. I like the new technology and wonder if a lot of it could be retrofitted to something used and cheaper.

[m2711c]

yeah, it seems like that radiant floor heat could be a good retrofit option. nice dry heat.

[shirk]

Looks like they have been studying the more euro expedition type builds and applying it to the American RV. Would make a much better winter ski rig than most rv on the market.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Wait...so what's cool is transitioning from Eurovans to box trucks? So confusing.

[frorider]

So basically a class C or maybe a B+. I like the new technology and wonder if a lot of it could be retrofitted to something used and cheaper.

$300,000+ for that B Box rig. I watched the entire video and generally the engineering comments are sound. I’ve sometimes thought about a composite box with an air exchanger....their design is clean. I can report that the biggest obstacle to regular showers with my van is it wastes so much water, so having the grey water purification/recycling is an attractive option if I ever get to the point that I’m living on the road for months at a time rather than taking 2 week road trips.

The Sprinter and Transit vans have a curved rather than boxed design for a reason...a vertical box fucking sucks in the 50 mph side winds I encounter frequently in E Sierra, Nevada etc. Not surprisingly, they didn’t comment on this particular trade off.

[Huskier]

The Sprinter and Transit vans have a curved rather than boxed design for a reason...a vertical box fucking sucks in the 50 mph side winds I encounter frequently in E Sierra, Nevada etc. Not surprisingly, they didn’t comment on this particular trade off.

I dunno man I'm pretty sure a round box sucks just as bad in a 50 mph crosswind as a box-box. Total surface area, and height (giving the wind a longer 'lever') have to be the main factors at play.

The B- box looks like a different breast entirely though, no way would I cart around the eastern Sierra in it. I braved 50-60 gusts out of Susanville once in a Tacoma, never been more gripped driving in my life.

[frorider]

I dunno man I'm pretty sure a round box sucks just as bad in a 50 mph crosswind as a box-box. Total surface area, and height (giving the wind a longer 'lever') have to be the main factors at play.
.

These are cargo vans, with usable interior space as a key goal. Ford and Mercedes would love to get away with a simple box design if it didn’t impact mpg and wind stability noticeably.

With upgraded shocks and no stupid #Instagram roof rack, my Transit does surprisingly well in gnarly crosswinds. When you do the interior buildout, the heavy tapering (vertical and toward the rear) becomes very apparent.

[muted]

I've got some reeealllllll basic van questions, I feel like I should apologize in advance for them but hey it would be great to be 100% on what I have and how it works.




Here are my batteries and how I charge them. They do not have the option to trickle charge through the van's main battery, it's a separate 12v system. My charger does not tell me how much juice I have left, it always starts at 25% and slowly goes to 100% no matter how drained or full my batteries are.

First off, many of my questions could be answered if I knew what charging state each battery was it at any time, so:

1) What is recommended to see what each battery status is, preferably something mounted on a wall? And I presume I can get a charging + batt status device mounted somewhere and eliminate the need for attaching alligator clips?
2) As of now, If I charge one, they both charge together right? I don't have to move the alligator clips to each one. If they drain together they charge together I presume?
3) When I plug the van into house power (not the charger pictured, the van itself) what device do I look for to tell it's charging the battery? I have no idea if it charges the batteries or not, all I know it automatically powers the 12v system without flipping a switch. I don't think it charges the batteries, yet I don't know how this all works.
4) Should I have the charger plugged in anytime I'm not using it to keep the batteries in good condition?

[El Chupacabra]

Is that battery compartment vented to outside air?

And it looks like those are connected in series, so you're using 6V batteries? (assuming this is a typical 12V system) - so yes, you charge them together, but you need attach your charger to the correct terminals when in series. If I am seeing this correctly: Those alligator clamps in the pic are only on one 6V battery, so they will only charge that one 6V battery. If you are charging using those clamps, you are putting way too much voltage into one battery - assuming you are charging using a 12V charger.

You need to move the black alligator clamp to the terminal on the right side battery in the picture - the one that has the black cable bolted to it.

See:

https://www.rvtechlibrary.com/images/batts1.gif

(edited in hopes of more clarity)

[simple]

You can get a battery monitor that is as simple as plugging into the cigarette lighter.

Or just wire it in. It is just going to show voltage. Nothing like amp draw, % available, etc.

Probably 40 billion of them for sale on Amazon.

Keeping house battery on trickle charger is a good idea if you have a constant draw.

[apex dave]

[QUOTE=El Chupacabra;6187061]Is that battery compartment vented to outside air?

/QUOTE]
They look like AGM batteries. Do they have to be vented?

[El Chupacabra]

[QUOTE=apex dave;6187066]

Is that battery compartment vented to outside air?

/QUOTE]
They look like AGM batteries. Do they have to be vented?

AGM batteries shouldn't offgas during charging. OTOH, they do have emergency vents in case they build up enough pressure internally. A totally sealed battery box is not a great idea.

[muted]

You can get a battery monitor that is as simple as plugging into the cigarette lighter.

Or just wire it in. It is just going to show voltage. Nothing like amp draw, % available, etc.

Probably 40 billion of them for sale on Amazon.

Keeping house battery on trickle charger is a good idea if you have a constant draw.

There isn't a simple device out there that tells you a percentage of battery left? I have a cigarette lighter that shows voltage, it doesn't solve my problem of not ever knowing how much battery I have left. (I have not used it on this new van, maybe I'm being stupid and i'll research what they can do for me)

Is that battery compartment vented to outside air?

And it looks like those are connected in series, so you're using 6V batteries? (assuming this is a typical 12V system) - so yes, you charge them together, but you need attach your charger to the correct terminals when in series. If I am seeing this correctly: Those alligator clamps in the pic are only on one 6V battery, so they will only charge that one 6V battery. If you are charging using those clamps, you are putting way too much voltage into one battery - assuming you are charging using a 12V charger.

You need to move the black alligator clamp to the terminal on the right side battery in the picture - the one that has the black cable bolted to it.

See:

https://www.rvtechlibrary.com/images/batts1.gif

(edited in hopes of more clarity)

Errrr, good catch thanks very very much. I will look into that more tonight. I had no idea 2 6v combined existed in this world.

[QUOTE=apex dave;6187066]

Is that battery compartment vented to outside air?

/QUOTE]
They look like AGM batteries. Do they have to be vented?

They are AGM and I don't think there is a vent, I'll check tonight.

[snowaddict91]

This is probably oversimplified, but voltage correlates to usable battery percentage.

https://www.rvtechlibrary.com/battery/bat_volts.php

[simple]

Yes if you wire it in you can buy a battery monitor that has % on the screen. Again there are a million of them on Amazon.

You should look into fuses, shunts, etc once you go down the rabbit hole. Protecting your system is a good idea.