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

[MakersTeleMark]

Alvord Hot Springs over that way. Good memories!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

This review on their website is priceless:

“Yo it was the most unreal outdoor experience I've ever had, and I've been in many remote places around the country. This place really gives you such a sense of freedom to experience a wide variety of thrilling activities. From speeding full throttle in the playa, to hiking the beautiful mountain ranges across the road. And of course tripping under the stars while sitting in an outdoor natural hot tub.”

—Facebook Reviewer

[Micol]

im not a regular in this thread so i have two important questions.....


1. Give me the cliff notes version.....for heat , NO genny straight up empty van... electric, solar, battery, propane set up would be ok
(no wood burners)


2. anybody bidding on any police vehicles soon anywhere? dont want to run each other up on price.....

[Micol]

and i deadicate this pic from micky d's parking lot in bozone yesterday to the cause....
yep like a town n country on the roof option

Attachment 336436

[North]

im not a regular in this thread so i have two important questions.....


1. Give me the cliff notes version.....for heat , NO genny straight up empty van... electric, solar, battery, propane set up would be ok
(no wood burners)

Your direct vent options are Diesel or Gas (Webasto or Chinese knockoff) or Propane (Propex). All will have similar BTU specs. The Webasto types can be finicky at altitude unless adjusted correctly (I have been told - no direct experience). Propane will require a refilling the tank, the Webasto types can run off of your vehicle tank. All will need power to run the circulation fans, thermostat etc. Power requirements are dependent on use and insulation but generally a 100Ah bank and alternator charging should be sufficient for weekend outings, 200Ah + alternator should cover you for longer usage. Solar is generally less effective in winter but surprisingly effective in sunny CO.

Ignore blanket statements about all propane systems introducing "wet" heat into the vehicle. These statements come from #vanlife freshman who are parroting things they read on the internet from other #vanlife freshman. Direct vent introduces no combustion byproducts (like water) into your vehicle.

[alpinevibes]

This review on their website is priceless:

Crazy, I didn’t know it was a commercial deal now, but it’s been 15yrs. We stumbled upon it by accident, having taken a wrong turn near the NV/OR border and finding ourselves very lost, and blowing a tire, on the gravel road next to the Steens in late winter. The hot springs were not commercial and appeared to be minimally maintained. I guess times change!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[thommy21]

A friend has one -- they are nice. The only issue is the side wings (behind the rear wheels) will rot because there's nothing protecting the plywood on the inner surface.

Thanks for the heads up. Will have to check that out and see if there is something that can be done to seal or protect that spot.

[nickbokhoven]

im not a regular in this thread so i have two important questions.....


1. Give me the cliff notes version.....for heat , NO genny straight up empty van... electric, solar, battery, propane set up would be ok
(no wood burners)


2. anybody bidding on any police vehicles soon anywhere? dont want to run each other up on price.....

For heat, if possible get automotive thinsulate from Hein at DIYvan and do your walls and ceiling. I have a Espar heater in my van with well insulated walls. Espar is a competitor to Webastp. Any of the diesel or gas heaters will use 20-30 amps a day in power.
You shouldn’t rely on your starter battery for power. Lithium ion batteries are nice but expensive and most don’t take a charge below 32F. It isn’t such a big constraint if you can keep the battery inside the van. AGM battery can be under the hood of vehicle. Good insulation, good window coverings and your heater won’t be working too hard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[splat]

Picked this up a couple weeks ago. Doing some shake down trips on the weekends to make sure things are working ok. Little bouncy on the ride but working on that as we go. Pretty stable on the road side to side even in a cross wind. Looking to storm chase since we don’t have a desire to fly any time soon Attachment 336162

Fuck. That's nice, thommy21. Couple questions. What truck is it on?
Does it have a generator? Is that a/c unit also a heater? I assume it has a gas furnace.

[greasyslope]

https://rockies.craigslist.org/rvs/d...172003699.html

No affiliation

[frorider]

Good cliff notes from North and Nick, not much to add. I just replaced my 100 amp hr AGM with 2 lithium batteries...effectively increased my capacity by 3.8X since you can take Li batteries down to 10% with no issues. Bought the heating jackets from Battleborn which ensures plenty of charging on a cold but sunny winter day. Victron is making the best controls and DC to DC chargers these days. On a stormy winter day (snow covered panels) I need to drive at least 30 mins per day to replace the amp hrs used up by winter van living.

Webasto diesel heater has been reliable for 5 yrs now. Since most of my use is 5,000-10,000 ft, I had a Webasto tech tune it at 6,000 ft (I think the factory tune is at sea level).

Careful insulation is key. I was able to use a lot of rigid iso board foam insulation from any lumber/hardware store for roof and most of the walls...inch or 1.5”. I used closed cell EVA foam on the various non flat surfaces. Steel exterior means there WILL be condensation in air gaps between insulation and steel body, so make sure there are drainage paths between roof and upper walls. People sometimes overlook the fact that the Ford or Mercedes engineers already designed drainage into the body shell design (eg behind wheel wells) so when doing the camping conversion, just don’t screw up that capability.

[Micol]

thanks for the heat 411

[thommy21]

Fuck. That's nice, thommy21. Couple questions. What truck is it on?
Does it have a generator? Is that a/c unit also a heater? I assume it has a gas furnace.

Thanks Splat. We were going to take it to BM and give it a true break it in but obviously those plans have changed. It’s a GMC 3500 dually diesel. Went that route because it’s a heavy camper as Snow Dog mentioned. We put Timbrens on it to help with squat and cornering.

Has a LP generator. AC 11k unfortunately is not also a heater. 20k furnace. Has 2- 30lb LP tanks.

[Snow Dog]

Your direct vent options are Diesel or Gas (Webasto or Chinese knockoff) or Propane (Propex). All will have similar BTU specs. The Webasto types can be finicky at altitude unless adjusted correctly (I have been told - no direct experience). Propane will require a refilling the tank, the Webasto types can run off of your vehicle tank. All will need power to run the circulation fans, thermostat etc. Power requirements are dependent on use and insulation but generally a 100Ah bank and alternator charging should be sufficient for weekend outings, 200Ah + alternator should cover you for longer usage. Solar is generally less effective in winter but surprisingly effective in sunny CO.

Ignore blanket statements about all propane systems introducing "wet" heat into the vehicle. These statements come from #vanlife freshman who are parroting things they read on the internet from other #vanlife freshman. Direct vent introduces no combustion byproducts (like water) into your vehicle.

You can use a catalytic heater like MrBuddy. It has a few issues since it vents into your living space emitting CO2 and water vapour. It needs fresh air since it's competing with you for oxygen. It will take the edge off a cold van and don't leave it running overnight.

A modern RV furnace is power-vented which means a blower motor, lots of noise and will draw down a battery in 3 or 4 days.

A better option for small spaces is an old school rv radiant heater. It's vented and doesn't use electricity. You can a 12V fan to move air around the space. Some modern versions even have a window to watch the flame like a residential gas fireplace but smaller.

[snowaddict91]

https://rockies.craigslist.org/rvs/d...172003699.html

No affiliation

Intriguing. I have to wonder if that shuttle bus body is falling apart with 297k on it though? That would concern me more than the drivetrain.

[apex dave]

You can use a catalytic heater like MrBuddy. It has a few issues since it vents into your living space emitting CO2 and water vapour. It needs fresh air since it's competing with you for oxygen. It will take the edge off a cold van and don't leave it running overnight.

A modern RV furnace is power-vented which means a blower motor, lots of noise and will draw down a battery in 3 or 4 days.

A better option for small spaces is an old school rv radiant heater. It's vented and doesn't use electricity. You can a 12V fan to move air around the space. Some modern versions even have a window to watch the flame like a residential gas fireplace but smaller.

For the record Mr Buddy heaters are not catalytic. Nonpowered heaters/furnaces are called 'gravity heaters' (Don't know why) If you have the money these Dickinson units are fantastic and made for the marine market so lots of stainless, some brass and a window.
http://dickinsonmarine.com/product_c...place-heaters/. I'm not certain but believe they are made here in BC.
Prices are Canadian so US$ goes a long way.

[chaka]

https://www.outsidevan.com/zeus-2020-08-07/

fire away
(actually some pretty cool engineering... heated floors?!)

[alpinevibes]

X-Post from the FIFTY thread:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PirDktqxmeg

Bjarne’s ProMaster build is pretty sick and well thought out. Good use of space and accessibility, besides the 57lbs of Yeti Silo water to shlep under the bed.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[byates1]

Try a winter in canmore with 8 weeks of -35 to -40C and a $300 truck camper with too many holes and a thin layer of ice on every wall and ceiling apart from the cabover walls/ceiling,2 bikes and cat all on a 91 yota. Once you move up to an insulated c class with auto heat, fridge/freezer, capt chairs and storage theres no going back. Heat and and lounge area isnt that hard to get together and its a world of difference. A home needs that shit

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

Oh for sure. I'm not needing all the water lines, electrical and shower stuff. High roof well insulated van works for me. Class c definitely harder to poach park wherever as well.. but agreed..

[gw815]

so make sure there are drainage paths between roof and upper walls. People sometimes overlook the fact that the Ford or Mercedes engineers already designed drainage into the body shell design (eg behind wheel wells) so when doing the camping conversion, just don’t screw up that capability.

Could you elaborate on this a little? Like a channel from the roof that goes out the bottom or something? How would you do this?

[grinch]

Oh for sure. I'm not needing all the water lines, electrical and shower stuff. High roof well insulated van works for me. Class c definitely harder to poach park wherever as well.. but agreed..

Ya i didnt use the water or shower. Bathroom was for storage. Just bought a monthly gym pass at a hotel to shower, fill water. Pass was less than $1/day and it was nice to use their towels rather than bring a wet towel into the rv nightly. It was a 21' rv so parking wasnt bad but i had paid parking/power/cable/wifi at a friends and just drove my yota. Super cheap rent more paid off the rv in 3 years and it was cush. Saved me about $600/month and still sild the rv for 8k after 4years

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

[frorider]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...a-chinook-4x4/



Sweet

[frorider]

Could you elaborate on this a little? Like a channel from the roof that goes out the bottom or something? How would you do this?

It’s nothing complicated, just something to keep in mind as you attach insulation. For example if you have a rigid iso foam board running from roof crest down toward the top of the van wall, you probably are using double sided 3M auto exterior tape (like auto industry uses to attach molding etc to metal)....so rather than running a continuous piece of tape, instead run 6” lengths of tape with an inch open in between. That way you’re not creating any water dams.

Just use the ‘where would water go?’ question regularly as you build things out. Assume gravity and a van that is vertical

[byates1]

my shit books out at about 9k, i think i'm taking her into deep waters.

could prob get 20+, but i cant rip ppl off.

[shafty85]

Looking for a little input from this wealth of infallible knowledge this forum always produces. With a mini-me now in our world we’re exploring how to keep skiing accessible for us - especially with the uncertainty of the resorts for the upcoming winter. We’re looking at getting a truck camper. Some of the points it would need to hit for us:
- insulated. Can this be post-installed on a camper?
- fits an 8’ bed and preferably doesn’t overhang as we’ll need to get a trailer for the sleds. Ideally we’ll be able to have camper loaded and haul the sleds.
- <2500# dry weight with preference around 2000#. Truck is a 1 ton swr with a payload of about 3600#.
- I don’t have much experience but am not a big camper washroom guy so not having one isn’t a big deal and a shower is not at all needed. I’d prefer the space to be used for storage and/or countertop space.
- prefer it to have a basement for storage of skis, etc

Am I looking for something that doesn’t exist? Been reading this forum and googling but haven’t yet found one that would meet these criteria. Any that come close that I could choose on what to compromise?

Despite being on this forum for skiing dentists neither I nor the wife are dentists and therefore budget matters.

We’re in Canada, in case that makes a difference (it certainly effects availability).


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Snow Dog]

Sorry, doesn't quite exist. I have a Northern-Lite 9.6Q. It has a basement but not big enough to hold more than [maybe] two pairs of skis. It is insulated with heated tanks and double pane windows. The dry weight is around 2,600# and fully loaded with water and stuff it weighs in at 3,500#. I bought a dually specifically to carry a camper. My '02 Dodge Diesel has a payload of 3,500# (it's that heavy Cummins) so I'm at my GVW before I hook up a trailer. I use an 18" extension so my trailer clears the camper.

I never use the shower but having a bathroom is nice.

A used Northern-Lite from a rental place like Canadream is around $30K but you might find one or a Bigfoot on craigslist for a lot less. They don't come up very often.