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

[Dromond]

Could always design a RV fan, or even just a computer fan, into a custom fitting that you can put in the window and close the window tight on the custom fitting. That way you don't need to cut the roof, and only set up fan as needed.

I did a crappy version of this and it does work and ventilate. I don't have rain guards so cracking the window can let water in currently...

[Dromond]

My class C was like that, drove me nuts. Figured Vanlife would be less rattlecan, but maybe not?

I took a short ride in the back seat of a friend's self-converted Transit and I have to say it was rattley and lot AF back there. If I was going to make one, I would be doing everything possible to make it quiet.

[fleaches]

Do you have swivel seats in the front? That seems like it would make the inside of a tight minivan much more usable. Not sure if swivel mini van seats are even a thing yet (Ford just recently added OEM driver swivel seat for their full size Transits). But I assume it will be a thing if it isn't already.

I like the heater in a box that can be thrown in when needed, or put into other rigs as well. I also like your ghetto fan setup. Could always design a RV fan, or even just a computer fan, into a custom fitting that you can put in the window and close the window tight on the custom fitting. That way you don't need to cut the roof, and only set up fan as needed.

I looked into swivel seats a couple of years ago and couldn't really find an answer. There were some rumors that people had done it but it seemed like it might not be possible without some major work (not really enough room to rotate with the center console for example). I'm sure someone has done it but it's not as easy as in a transit. If you come across any info I'd love to see it though.

I like the idea of a computer fan setup that can be wedged in the window. This is what I made for the heater input and controls. Making a fan board will be a fun project for this summer, thanks for the idea.

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[fleaches]

You are the first person I've heard of using a heater in a vehicle that small that is not a RTT. In a PNW climate, any outside activities can become wet/cold activities which make the in/out rearranging gear a problem when the weather isn't great. Basically car camping is good 2-3 season but hard to stretch into other seasons unless you are camping solo or just hardy.

Yeah and setting up the heater is really only necessary if it's extremely cold (which doesn't happen that much in CA) or if you want to hang out in the van for a while. I have some window covers I'll put up and usually the interior stays above freezing without the heater, which is plenty comfortable in a sleeping bag. If I'm by myself I can usually manage getting set up without opening the van and just crawl in the back but with two people it's harder.

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[Dromond]

I've seen photos online from people who made a fan board to fit into their moon roof which is kind of cool. Assuming it's not pouring rain you could crack the moon roof and get ventilation.

Basically I think the minivan/SUV is great for occasional 2-3 season use and switching between normal passenger use and inside-car-camping for 2 people. Once you get to 2+ kid you are doing a lot of swapping stuff in and out (car seats, etc.) and have a higher need to be warm/dry so it's pretty hard to imagine doing it much in truly wet/cold conditions.

The other minimal setup I've consider is a truck with the pop up tent thing like AT Overland Atlas or whatever. Fabric seems less desirable than a metal car/van wall in a wet climate. I just don't really need a truck independent of a camper, nor do I need high clearance and full 4WD for off road - AWD is fine.

[SchralphMacchio]

I took a short ride in the back seat of a friend's self-converted Transit and I have to say it was rattley and lot AF back there. If I was going to make one, I would be doing everything possible to make it quiet.

Wow, I had no idea Class Bs and Cs were so rattly! Makes complete sense though … I’m sure you can do a lot but it would take a lot of work, padding and netting inside certain cupboards, better padding on cabinet doors and anything else with a hinge, puttying down PEX lines, zip tying all wiring runs to anchor points … yeah a lot of work if it isn’t all done during buildout.

Opening the cupboards in my TT after arriving at our destination was always a semi-treacherous activity, but then I replaced the blown Monroe shocks I had on there earlier this winter, put on brand new KYB gas shocks and my pots and pans stay right where I left them, which is amazing considering how bumpy and twisty our roads are (I tow up and down the McKenzie River canyon, which is steep, twisty, off camber at times, and after major fires/hazard tree clearing/reconstruction the road surface is rutted and potholed to shit).

On that point, I’m really pumped about the Curt independent axles that Ember is using in their trailers … coil spring, twin shock, short axle beam, high weight capacity, 6-bolt truck wheels plus LT tires. I think Ember is a few feature tweaks away from having a super rad 4 season all terrain TT setup, but in my opinion they still aren’t quite there yet as far as winter hardiness compared to Bigfoot, Nash/AF/ORV, etc.

[Huskier]

I took a short ride in the back seat of a friend's self-converted Transit and I have to say it was rattley and lot AF back there. If I was going to make one, I would be doing everything possible to make it quiet.

It is So. Effing. Hard. You think you're solid when you roll out the driveway but after logging a few thousand miles on our beat-up pockmarked interstates and things just find a way to work themselves loose. Keep in mind the rear springs on most vans are selected to accommodate a 3-5000# payload, if you're not carrying that load the ride can be punishing over expansion joints, etc., And those hits really take it out on whatever you've built. Loctite and lock washers help some, but there's always a new squeak, rattle, clunk, etc. I'd be curious to tour a professional outfitter sometime to see how they address the issue.

[SchralphMacchio]

I'm paywalled and would love to read it ... but the photo has a newer model Outdoors RV and a nice looking Class A in it. Both of those are $$$$$$$, neither of them are ski bum or van life!!!

A friend of mine emailed me the article. It's surprisingly low on inaccuracies, actually pretty good summary, just really just classic NYT poor editorial decision to have a misleading headline. There's no claim to ski bums being the ones camping out: the article features families with young kids and older folks.

The author does talk about "Vandemic" and how hard it can be to get spots, but really downplayed exactly how hard that is. When White Pass's website released 50% of the season's RV spots on October 24, their website crashed immediately due to hundreds of people logging in. All of the season's advanced reservable spots for Fridays/Saturdays/Holidays were booked within hours, I'm sure it would have been all booked in minutes if their server was more robust. Hoodoo isn't as extreme but it's still challenging due to excessive demand, and Bachelor just charges outrageously high prices to manage their demand.

A couple of other things ignored by the author, how much effort it can take to properly manage cold/moisture/snow with your rig, and how RV prices have gone up 50% during the pandemic, both new and used.

[SchralphMacchio]

Keep in mind the rear springs on most vans are selected to accommodate a 3-5000# payload, if you're not carrying that load the ride can be punishing over expansion joints, etc.

Is your van's rear on coils or leafs? A couple of things that were game changers for my truck:
-I added RoadActive Suspension coils to my leaf springs on my truck. It's actually a coil under tension, not compression. The idea is that it helps the leaf spring maintain an arch shape and prevents flattening, which raises the sag point of the rear into a much more linear and much more active part of the suspension. It really helped my truck be a better unloaded daily driver and made movement off bumps way less harsh. For pure load handling purposes I think Sumo or Timbrens bump stop helpers, or airbags, are probably better in that they limit movement and increase stability, but for ride quality and daily driving purposes I think the RoadActive system is really nice, but then you have to combine it with more aggressive damping so that you don't get too much movement due to the increased linearity of the suspension at sag. On that note ...
-I'm using Rancho 9000XL adjustable damping shocks in the rear of my truck, it uses a dial just like a mountain bike shock's damper. When it's towing I have damping maxed out, when I'm driving unloaded I have it set kind of in a midpoint, and if I'm driving up a crappy forest road for whatever reason I can open up the damper to get less damping and more movement. I didn't want to deal with changing settings up front, so I'm using a Rancho RS7MT up front and I've been extremely happy with how that shock performs.

I can totally see how trying to keep all that rattle stuff locked down and in top shape would drive you nuts! Good luck!

[Trackhead]

I saw your rig in the parking lot that day. Thought about knocking on your door but I only brought one beer with me. Haha. Traffic may have looked bad from the parking lot but it really wasn’t. I pulled out of that parking lot at 439 and was down the canyon and home in less than 30 minutes.

.

Yeah, was just chilling with my kid talking to old friends..............and missing rush hour in the valley.

[fastfred]

#van life for the win

didn't realize how awesome it is but it really is better than you think

goto all the popular place and you fight for a place to camp
goto the off the beaten path places and you wish you'd see someone around

been seeing lots of vans for sale as usual asking high prices some are pro builds some are total shit diy builds lots with low miles
like alot of stuff in life people think they will go out and buy some piece of equipment or toy and use it like a pro but it just sits around and they don't use it for a million reasons

use mine 7-10 days a month and it's not enough but work seems to get in the way

[Dromond]

It is So. Effing. Hard. You think you're solid when you roll out the driveway but after logging a few thousand miles on our beat-up pockmarked interstates and things just find a way to work themselves loose. Keep in mind the rear springs on most vans are selected to accommodate a 3-5000# payload, if you're not carrying that load the ride can be punishing over expansion joints, etc., And those hits really take it out on whatever you've built. Loctite and lock washers help some, but there's always a new squeak, rattle, clunk, etc. I'd be curious to tour a professional outfitter sometime to see how they address the issue.

A friend built a super minimal Sprinter that he uses for travel and camping with wife and kids. They love it, but he said it was loud enough in the back that it was hard for the kids to hear them and enjoy the ride. He sold it, and is building a second one to be as quiet as possible - among other things.

[byates1]

I took a short ride in the back seat of a friend's self-converted Transit and I have to say it was rattley and lot AF back there. If I was going to make one, I would be doing everything possible to make it quiet.

Mine is dead quiet. Tons of insulation. No excessive cabinet and junk rattling around. I'm super minimal though. Add a woman to the equation and accumulation of junk rattling around (including your mind is bound to increase rapidly.

[Huskier]

Add a woman to the equation and accumulation of junk rattling around (including your mind is bound to increase rapidly.

This guy Vans

[riff]

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[Trackhead]

Great pic ^^

[SchralphMacchio]

It’s all about the epic backyard!

[Trackhead]

Nice bleacher seats for the kids!

[mcphee]

It’s all about the epic backyard!

This rules!

[Trackhead]

Built on Hilux, and of course, not available in US. $83,600.
https://uncrate.com/direct-cars-br75...enture-camper/

[DanoT]

Built on Hilux, and of course, not available in US. $83,600.
https://uncrate.com/direct-cars-br75...enture-camper/

One would think that they could easily adapt that camper to fit a Tacoma and with a beefed up suspension, an instant success, says this Taco owner.

[Trackhead]

One would think that they could easily adapt that camper to fit a Tacoma and with a beefed up suspension, an instant success, says this Taco owner.

Given a bare ass Transit costs only 10k less, I'd buy this Hilux in a heartbeat.

[Huskier]

Given a bare ass Transit costs only 10k less, I'd buy this Hilux in a heartbeat.

What?? A transit is 73 now?? No way. Worst I could do in their builder was 63. I guess if dealers are doing a 10k markup....

[byates1]

^ base AWD high roof is ~54k

[Trackhead]

^ base AWD high roof is ~54k

I was under the impression they were closer to 70 based on what you were saying?