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

[BCMtnHound]

Yup. And even if your tanks are heated, if the drains are exposed good luck opening to dump. A skirt and small heater helps down to about -10C with full hook-ups, but once you hit the highway, they'll become solid within 10km. Composting toilet is the only way if boondocking in the winter, and you still have to have a place to either store or dispose of the compost cause it goes kinda inactive during winter.

[Micol]

^^^blue is the champa chem additive to prevent smell treatment. i was in my class c from jan-aug...and i quit using my in-house bathroom and switched to #1 in 5 gal with blue and pink antifreeze once i got to colder temps and highelevation. prior to that i had picked it up in tx. pretty sure i was running pink in the gray water and a light bulb with my fresh water which was under the bed anyway. but think i was only using bottled water and not the system from feb-april..... truck stops for deuce but that was pre covid...now i dont have that rig and dont go near trucker bathrooms...

[powdrhound]

One of the joys of Sierra skiing is we don’t have to manage for sub-zero temperatures, much.
And for short trips, who cares if the shit freezes. Give it a couple of days after getting home before dumping, it is thawed.

[b0ardski]

One of the joys of Sierra skiing is we don’t have to manage for sub-zero temperatures, much.
And for short trips, who cares if the shit freezes. Give it a couple of days after getting home before dumping, it is thawed.

That's how we do it. a garden sprayer full of rv antifreeze flushes great using minimal liquid and keeps the water system dry

[apex dave]

All these plumbing/heating issues is why we have a Triple E class C made in Manitoba.

[Tryingtostaywarm]

Well, I bit the bullet about a month ago and bought an absolute project of a 2005 E350 4x4 Quigley 6.0 with 200k on it, already built out(not well done at all), Colorado CamperVan high top installed, solar + AGM's + wiring is there.
I'll post some pics sooner or later(not on the phone right now)
The Good:
-Bulletproofed 6.0 with receipts
-New Transfer Case
-Rebuilt rear diff
-CCV High Top
-Quality solar + dual AGM setup
-Already converted 4x4
The Bad:
Just about everything. The thing has been neglected seriously the last few years. Things on the horizon....
-Gonna replace basically entire suspension, new leafs, rebuild front steering + new steering box + Agile RIP, new rotors(custom Quigley's up front) and pads all around
-Already put brand new aluminum radiator in it
-Need new FICM, new radiator, new injectors, new glow plugs, coolant filter yada yada yada standard 6.0 reliability stuff
-Gonna build brand new frame mounted battery box(dual factory setup is garbage, gonna put them together with angle iron) + need to build new battery wiring harness up to relay/starter as it is 100% corroded..oh yeah and two new batteries
-Every coolant/filter rear to front
-Rebuild entire interior, new stereo, swivel seats
-Oh yeah did I mention I need to cut out every quarter, fender and rocker panel at some point to replace/patch rust.
-Lots of junkyard trips in my future
.....East coast vehicle
You get the idea.

[SirVicSmasher]

My friend had an eastcoast Ford van and the steering box sheered off the frame rail rendering the van useless. As far as patch panels go I've seen miracles with expanding foam and steel wool

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[Tryingtostaywarm]

My friend had an eastcoast Ford van and the steering box sheered off the frame rail rendering the van useless. As far as patch panels go I've seen miracles with expanding foam and steel wool

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I actually love that you mentioned expanding foam.
Yesterday, I took apart the battery boxes to see what exactly was going on up there.
On my passenger rear quarter towards the front, I started digging around in some rust. Pulled out a T-shirt + expanding foam. Classic.

[snowaddict91]

Haha. There is an f350 in my neighborhood with Ohio plates, a newer flat bed and cab corners that appear to be 100% expanding foam. Never heard that trick in my midwest childhood. I'm a little jealous, been lusting after a 4x4 van lately.

[Tryingtostaywarm]

Haha. There is an f350 in my neighborhood with Ohio plates, a newer flat bed and cab corners that appear to be 100% expanding foam. Never heard that trick in my midwest childhood. I'm a little jealous, been lusting after a 4x4 van lately.

So, I've been looking literally for a couple years now at vans just wasn't in the rush to buy one. I've had truck campers to my current 2012 4runner that I built the back out and have been using(still am).
I didn't want to spend say $30k+ minimum on a 4x4 van, let alone a 15+ year E-series vehicle. I see 1998 7.3 E-series 4x4 sell for $35k in Colorado all day long that still have original parts on them. It may be nice, but you are still getting a 1998 E-series van that is loud as heck. Insanity.
That gave me two options:
Build one myself from scratch
Buy one that is already converted but still needs lots of work. I opted for the latter, and should be $25k(I say this now until I want more goodies) total into a 4x4 diesel van that has all new components/interior. My own work of course, so I save thousands there alone in labor costs. I am in no rush to do anything with it, planning on it being a two year project for the most part.

[lifelinksplit]

My friend had an eastcoast Ford van and the steering box sheered off the frame rail rendering the van useless. As far as patch panels go I've seen miracles with expanding foam and steel wool

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I mean "sheering" a PS box of the frame isn't really gonna render a van useless....

Shit buy a fucking suitcase welder and box the frame and re-drill/re-mount.


Or just pay 120k for a sprinter...




*yes I get that an east coast frame might just turn to dust.

[SirVicSmasher]

I mean "sheering" a PS box of the frame isn't really gonna render a van useless....

Shit buy a fucking suitcase welder and box the frame and re-drill/re-mount.


Or just pay 120k for a sprinter...




*yes I get that an east coast frame might just turn to dust.

I agree that it could be fixed, hell I could rig it back together but no shop who knew the word liability in English would touch it effectively rendering it useless for my ski bum buddy.

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[jhyatt]

Ok so this thread is DEEP and I don't know where to really begin. Long story short I cannot afford to buy real estate where I live. I am selling a property in another state and am contemplating taking some of those proceeds and buying a camper for my Tundra 6.5' bed. Let the rest of the proceeds ride in investmens/Crypto. I am single. No pets. Don't plan to travel a ton with the camper. I'm not going full on #vanlife and just driving all over creation. I will stay around SWMT most of the time. I still have work to do.....hopefully more work than not so I can eventually afford to purchase a "tear down" here.

I have been against the idea of a pop up, mostly because I assume they are super cold and the insides of the pop up fabric get coated with ice? Even with a heater going?

Can you sleep in these things when it's -20* in the canyon somewhere or at the ski area "RV lot"?

Scout Camper vs. FWC vs ???

Tell me I am dumb and go buy a shed to live in in Harlowton?

Do you want an appreciating or depreciating asset? If you are not driving around with it then it's dumb. Rent and save. Or get a shitty trailer and park it semi permanent somewhere.

[lifelinksplit]

I agree that it could be fixed, hell I could rig it back together but no shop who knew the word liability in English would touch it effectively rendering it useless for my ski bum buddy.

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Ha. I know, I'm just giving ya shit. Could prob list that thing right now for 30k as a #introtovanlifebrah

[Tryingtostaywarm]

Ha. I know, I'm just giving ya shit. Could prob list that thing right now for 30k as a #introtovanlifebrah

Luckily, my frame is not rusted through but the body is indeed shot...and components for the most part have seen better days. That's gnarly it just fell off, crazy.

[SirVicSmasher]

Yeah while he was driving down the mountain

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[HHTELE]

Looking for info on thermostats-
Have a Promaster, installed a small suburban furnace with the standard thermostat, with a low setting of 50.
We would like a much lower setting- we sleep cold, and I may want to keep it a bit warm while we are out skiing. I would actually liek one that kicks in as low as 30.
Any thoughts?

[mackmgg]

Looking for info on thermostats-
Have a Promaster, installed a small suburban furnace with the standard thermostat, with a low setting of 50.
We would like a much lower setting- we sleep cold, and I may want to keep it a bit warm while we are out skiing. I would actually liek one that kicks in as low as 30.
Any thoughts?

At work we've got some fixed temp thermostats that kick on at 32. I can try and look up the model number at some point.

You could also look at greenhouse thermostats, those are usually set to 40 or 30.

[Eldo]

Looking for info on thermostats-
Have a Promaster, installed a small suburban furnace with the standard thermostat, with a low setting of 50.
We would like a much lower setting- we sleep cold, and I may want to keep it a bit warm while we are out skiing. I would actually liek one that kicks in as low as 30.
Any thoughts?

Ghetto solution but it worked for me. Move your thermostat so it’s right by the ceiling. 50 there will net you much cooler down lower.

[jackattack]

Looking for info on thermostats-
Have a Promaster, installed a small suburban furnace with the standard thermostat, with a low setting of 50.
We would like a much lower setting- we sleep cold, and I may want to keep it a bit warm while we are out skiing. I would actually liek one that kicks in as low as 30.
Any thoughts?

Look for a garage t-stat. I installed one in my camper. Mine goes down to 35.

Edit... here it is https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002Z...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[HHTELE]

Look for a garage t-stat. I installed one in my camper. Mine goes down to 35.

Edit... here it is https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002Z...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice. I knew such a thing must exist, didn't know the right search term.
Mine should arrive in a week- thanks.
Just to confirm- this requires no power?

[jackattack]

No power, no batteries required

[atree]

I would be surprised if this hasn't come up already somewhere in this thread, but I haven't found it. Can anyone recommend a small heater that a poor boy like me can use to heat the back (canopy) of a pickup truck for an hour or two at night and an hour in the morning? I just want something to stay warm when not sleeping without poisoning myself with CO. Seems like the heater buddy things could work, but not ideal. Nor is sleeping in the back of a truck in winter. Thanks.

[simple]

Get a dog. Lol

[Shredhead]

Three if it’s really cold.