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

[wes473]

Thanks man, got 'er for 1k, new 440 put in 50,000 miles ago, dualies on the back, should be a beast on gas!

I'll be using the bathtub to store my skis, so if i just put some kind of bootmatt down small amounts of snow are bound to get on the plywood.
Think I'll be safe aslong as I'm careful not to get the plywood really soaked?

Depending on how much needs covering I would keep an eye out for any extra linoleum flooring....
But in the meantime paint and seal the floor w/ kilz and caulking, then find a large enough piece of linoleum to work, glue it in and seal that baby!

I just picked up an 85' 4runner that im currently rebuilding to go snow wheel'n and ski'n this season. She's a lil banged up but i'll prob be in lots within reach of butte, MT.

[fixiewrek]

This guy will be kicking it around the Washington locales this winter. 1992 Mini Toyota Itasca Spirit.

[Z]

The last couple days have been awesome. We were on our way to Bozeman to upgrade the battery system and the batteries died at the conoco (thankfully not in the canyon). I turned on the lights and the engine just quit. We brought the batteries into town and swapped them for a nice starting battery and an Optima for the coach. Now I have enough power to run my guitar amp and furnace at the same time without starting the rig. yesssssssssAttachment 105561

yeah mike!

[grinch]

That looks like a REALLY sensible size. Big enough to provide all you need, but small enough to fit pretty much anywhere.

big enough (21 ft). it has the bigger engine you don't often find in this size (460 ci), so i can pull my old yota. i picked up a car dolly on the cheap from a real estate developer in cowtown in the process of liquidating and chain smoking. the plan is to visit different areas over the next few yrs for skiing/biking. park the rv for homebase and use the yota as the daily driver. model 80 THD http://www.mastertow.com/tow_dollies.html. for some reason i can't load pics or vids on here now

[philth]

I am not a picture guy but here is what I have been up to the last month. Packed up the truck camper and left Vt just after Tgiving. First stop was Abasin then, Copper, Snowmass, Alta,Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin, Powder mtn, Wolf creek (utah), Beaver Mtn ( not open yet), Jackson hole, Siverton, Durango, Wolf creek (co), Crested Butte and Monarch. Everybody is hurting for snow cept for Wolfe Creek CO. Some I just spent the night in the lot and moved on the next day looking for snow. I would have been better off If I threw in a flyrod a mtn bike and a ww boat as well. I left the camper in Denver and flew home yesterday for the Holidays. Back to the camper Jan 4th for 2 more weeks then drive back to Vt end of Jan just in time to jump a plane to Switzerland for a week....haaaa I threw that in just to be a prick. Its a free trip so I couldnt say no. It was colder then hell out west and my hard sided camper was an icebox even with a new Wave 3 heater installed. Every 3 days or so I would take a couple of hours to scrape out a layer of frost in the sleeping area from the condensation. A total pain in the ass. Looks like I will have to come up with better insulation solution for part 2 of the trip. Any ideas would be appreciated. Cheers, Philth

[haydukelives]

just get a 0deg bag for the cold and let the moisture escape thru the windows or fan or get absorbent particles.if you needed your bike and flyrod,just how cold was it?

[grinch]

great start Philth. i plugged in an electric 1500w heater when ever i could, especially the -20 to -40c days in canmore. it ate up alot of condensation

[philth]

Hayduke...it was cold cold cold at night but while chasing snow I passed some great parts out west I had never seen before. Moab, the Green river below Flaming Gorge Dam, Logan canyon, Provo canyon, Gunnison river, Upper Rio Grand, Lake City and Salida to name a few. Warm enough during the day and no snow at the lower elevations to ride and fish for sure. I have my winter bag, its the condensation/frost thats the pain in the ass.
Grinch...thanks I may go that route if my rv bat will support it.

[NWskibum]

the jealousy is high over here guys... I'd love to live in an RV for a few years, bike and fish when I can't ski and jump around the top ski spots chasing snow during the winter.

until I can afford an RV, I still sleep in my Honda Civic coupe with the back seats folded down when I can't count on her (or the roads being open) before a prospective powder day. can't go more than 2-3 days though and even that sucks big time.

[Teh Poacher]

Philth,

Sounds like you are having a great trip so far. Are you keeping a vent open in the roof? It doesn't need to be open that much, just a full turn or so on the handle. In addition to that, try to keep another side window open if cooking for cross ventilation and use all exhaust fans (bathroom too) on high until you finish meal prep.

My solution was heavy sheets of clear plastic cut to 3 inches more than the shape/size of all interior windows, including the one in the door. With some self-adhesive velcro stuck so the hook-side is attached to the plastic, hang your new storm windows around the existing window frames. Press all the way around the perimeter and you can now remove them anytime you want, leaving the fuzzy side of the velcro on the wall.

You will not believe the difference this will make, 10x better than those silver 'window shades' they sell for a similar application. Even at zero degrees outside, the back of your hand up against the plastic will not feel cold. Your windows will stay clear, so long as you have a good seal all the way around with the velcro, no gaps where air can leak.

This will also help with your overall condensation problem as you will maintain a higher temperature inside which will make it easier to vent the moisture vapor outside.

[grinch]

i did the plastic on all the windows as well. i don't have double payne windows so i cut to fit all the windows with styrofoam first. all the vents as well. no plastic on one vent so i can pop out the styrofoam and nothing on the window over the sink/stove. i cut styro for the front windshiejd(held up with r view mirror) and styro for driver and passenger door. 2 minutes to just throw it in the washroom/storageroom when i want to move. morning coffee in winter is coffee shop half the time and limit boil times

[El Chupacabra]

Saw this on Reno's craigslist, for anyone looking for a cheap 4x4 van:

http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/2772313108.html

[ACH]

Here's another except for the fact that the thing gets retarded gas mileage...

[philth]

Back on the road for part 2. Ripping groomers at Abasin then Steamboat. Groomers are getting old but have met some great locals and crushed 1000 beers in a couple o months . Tried to find a great "locals" pub in every town and and I have been far mor successful at that then finding pow. Chilling at the Double Z bar in Steamboat now.. Sweet spot. PSA.... ABasin serves kick ass BACON bloody mary's. Back to Jackson Hole tomorrow.

[anemic]

We've been hitting the Michigan Nordic scene & learning winter RVing, want to share some notes in the hopes that it might help somebody else's journey;

*we have a propane furnace that vents to the exterior (I wish I could harvest those lost BTUs!) but when we cook on the stove top or burn the oven flames, that is also a huge source of moisture. I read that 7 volumes of LPG will produce 5 volumes of H20 when combusted. I added maxxair vents to all 5 hatches & we crack open a couple when we are burning the stovetop or oven. Those work great because the ice snow & frost wont crust or cover your vent hatches

*the shower has a drain trap. I figured that out standing in ankle deep extremely cold water. Must pour pink stuff down it each time. I winterize the rig every Sunday nite. pink stuff in all the drain traps. I use a handy doodad called the sewer solution I use to dump tanks into my home citysewer (with permission from the authoritays) with a custom 50 foot length and it works perfectly. I use my "cleanout" as the port, which is on my basement floor, accessed via a basement window next to my new RV parking spot right next to the house.

*I invested heavily in ultraheat tank blankets for the fresh water and the holding tanks. I heat the black dump valve and I added a cable actuated valve to keep the contents in grey tank so I can keep the long run across to the dump valve dry. The valve heaters are 12 vdc and the tank blankets are dual voltage. I run them at all times under 40f. Combined with the furnace fan I draw 20 amps regularly. Terrible. I might replumb the entire freshwater system this summer for easy blowdown, which I cannot accomplish as configured.

* I am up to four group 29 batteries for ~440 aH (diagonal install w/equal length cables). Sounds like a lot however, at only 0C battery capacity is reduced by 20%! At -20 you are around 50%. since you can only draw down ~50% anyway, I need more aH than I thought I would; so I've learned that being able to plug into the grid is great. Cold weather also apparently reduces the ability of a battery to accept the charge, as this takes a lot more time in the cold even on the grid

* Drawing 20a makes it tough to get bunch more than that into the battery so charge times are long with my 55 amp charger. I have not crossed "solar panels" off the list yet. That will help a lot. I'm planning two large ones that should result in 30 amps capability via the Rogue mppt charger

*Bridgestone M279 19.5" tires work great in ice & snow but required a lot more airbag pressure

*we are planning a trip for spring break last of march first of april to fulfill a lifelong dream tour: Taos Wolf Creek CB Telluride DMR (& possibly Steamboat as a 1st stop)

* Its more fun than I thought it was going to be

[Dfrank]

Here's my new acquisition:

[Teh Poacher]

* I am up to four group 29 batteries for ~440 aH (diagonal install w/equal length cables). Sounds like a lot however, at only 0C battery capacity is reduced by 20%! At -20 you are around 50%. since you can only draw down ~50% anyway, I need more aH than I thought I would; so I've learned that being able to plug into the grid is great. Cold weather also apparently reduces the ability of a battery to accept the charge, as this takes a lot more time in the cold even on the grid

* Drawing 20a makes it tough to get bunch more than that into the battery so charge times are long with my 55 amp charger. I have not crossed "solar panels" off the list yet. That will help a lot. I'm planning two large ones that should result in 30 amps capability via the Rogue mppt charger

Replace those worthless Group 29's with 6-volt batteries and TRIPLE your aH.

Solar panels are great, in the summer. Low angles result in limited efficiency and snow takes care of the rest in the winter.

[MakersTeleMark]

Here's my new acquisition:

I can tell you from looking at that camper that the PO knew what they were doing and took care of it and stayed on top of things. Good luck with it.

[Dfrank]

At some point it must have had a decent home, 'cause the interior a lot of it is OK, but i acquired it with NO ROOF.

[anemic]

dear poacher, the 29s are more beefy per unit than 6V and 4 of them have twice the aH capacity of 6V's ! they are like super group 27s. aka group 31s. you may have been thinking of the worthless group 27s?

thanks the tip on the pv panels. Its a lot of ski money to throw up top & catch snow.

[Teh Poacher]

dear poacher, the 29s are more beefy per unit than 6V and 4 of them have twice the aH capacity of 6V's ! they are like super group 27s. aka group 31s. you may have been thinking of the worthless group 27s?

thanks the tip on the pv panels. Its a lot of ski money to throw up top & catch snow.

Actually I was thinking of the available aH per battery when comparing 12 vs. 6 volt batteries in an RV application.

Based on this chart, generalized for simplicity:

Group 24 70-85 Amp hours 12 volts
Group 27 85-105 Amp hours 12 volts
Group 29 110-125 Amp hours 12 volts
Group 31 95-125 Amp hours 12 volts
4-D 180-215 Amp hours 12 volts
8-D 225-255 Amp hours 12 volts
Golf Cart & T-105 180 to 225 Amp hours 6 volts
L-16, L16HC etc. 340 to 415 Amp hours 6 volts

4 T-105's, wired series/parallel will provide upwards of 900aH @ 12 volts, with roughly the same battery tray footprint. There are some options out there now in that footprint range rated at 300aH each or more, if you have the height clearance.

[Sparwood Dave]

Here is your high tech charging system for maximizing battery efficiency
http://progressivedyn.com/prod_detai...pd9160a_2.html
Buy a reconditioned unit and add the Charge Wizard and cut your charge times hugely and safely.

[anemic]

i do have a 55 amp charge wizard upgrade - thanks sparwood dave.

No mr poacher, four 6V batteries have about ~400 aH. To double the volts you dont get to double the aH. That bank would have about 800 maybe 900 aH in 6V mode.

[El Chupacabra]

anemic is correct on the 6V vs. 12V batteries.

I went with two 6V golf cart batteries from Costco (about $90 apiece) for my truck camper; very pleased with this setup. From what I could find when looking into this, the biggest advantage of the golf cart battery is that it's cheap and is a true deep cycle battery. Many of the 12V batteries used in RVs are sold as "marine/ deep cycle," and apparently are not as beefy internally as true deep cycle batteries. All 6V golf cart batteries are true deep cycle batteries.

Downside: size + weight. If you can fit them, they're not a bad way to go.

[Teh Poacher]

Well fuck me running.....

I thought you didn't lose any aH when you wired in series.

Sweet, my battery bank has half what I thought it did!

I stand corrected.