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Messages - Camper_Dan

#481
Van Conversion / Re: Progress on my conversion
April 12, 2017, 05:48:24 AM
Very interesting picture...  Reminded me of a guy I know who has a single bunk set up underneath his regular bunk, and behind similar doors, that he uses when he wants to park in places that don't allow camping.

I saw him parked directly under a no camping sign one time at the beach. hehe
#482
Maybe you're in luck...  I found a floorplan that just might work for you.



It's a tall order, but I can see how it could be made to work.

Good Luck!
#483
Common Room / Re: Hello to all
April 11, 2017, 09:12:39 AM
Greetings and Welcome!

Thanks for posting, it's looking very good, and I am very much in favor of low budget builds.  Expensive builds might be great for rich people, but cheaper options help out us poor folks a lot more.

Your skills actually look pretty darned good to me!

Cheers!
#484
Boy, this  is a tough one.  If your figures are correct, it looks like you're going to need at least 600ah of battery capacity, which is both huge and heavy.

I'm not in love with my solutions, but here is what I would do...

A) Only stay in campgrounds which offer electricity.

B) Work only during the day when you can charge your battery & work at the same time with a generator running.  If your main draws are only for your computers & monitor, you may only need a single house battery, which could get charged via the generator, and also while driving via an isolator.

C) Charge up all of your electronics at a coffee shop or library, maybe work while they are charging too, then once charged, return to your van to continue working later.

I wouldn't call any of these ideal, but they are workable and affordable.  If you only charge your house battery while driving, and forego either solar or a generator, the savings could pay for a lot of camping in campgrounds where power is included, and you wouldn't need to spend as much up front, but could pay as you go instead.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers!
#485
Van Conversion / Re: How much power do I need?
April 11, 2017, 08:21:33 AM
You might want to include the wind shield along with that stove:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/outwell-windshield-camping-stove-p106401

Fridges can be very expensive, and huge energy hogs as the weather warms up.  I've switched back to simple ice chest style.  Cheap, no power required, and nothing to break down either.

Hopefully your laptop will have a car cord available.  Not sure about the printer or the light box.  They may require an inverter.  Everything else should be doable without one.

If an inverter is necessary, you will need to determine the total wattage needed to run all the items needed, add 25% for efficiency losses, and get an appropriate sized inverter to handle the load.  Since we are talking about electronics, a pure sine wave inverter would be advisable.

#486
There's simply nothing better than the feeling of coming home to the most comfortable place on earth, no matter where you're at. 

I used to dread the thought of returning to a motel, now, returning to my van/home is always something to look forward too.  Head home, cook a great meal, kick back and enjoy the scenery in total warmth and comfort no matter where I am.  No need to leave home for any reason, until I'm good and ready. 

It's cold out, pouring down rain, with the wind is howling, and I'm enjoying it to the max, all warm and cozy inside my van.  I've never enjoyed foul weather as much as I do in my van.  A part of it, while being in my own protected bubble.  Such a different feeling from being in a building, and looking out at it.
#487
Greetings & Welcome!

Sounds like a good start, but did you find and fix the leak?  Very important!

I am a firm believer in having your own toilet and shower in a camper van.  Once filled up with  supplies, I don't want to be dependent on anyone else for my total comfort and self sufficiency.

3 adults and 3 kids seems like it might be pretty tight, are you supplementing with a tent?

Cheers!
#488
Sounds like you're making it work and you're happy.  That's all that counts.

Keep us posted!
#489
Common Room / Re: hello all
April 07, 2017, 03:47:15 AM
I have to disagree a little bit, I love my shower, and use under a gallon of water per shower.  I use a weed sprayer, painted black, for free solar hot water, and have a kitchen sink type sprayer attached to it.  If you get wet, turn it off, soap up, then rinse off and turn  it off again, you'll use very little water. 

Long showers are a little more difficult of course.

I use a camp stove, and dishpans with spray bottles for sinks, rather than built ins, so I can use them outside in good weather too. 
#490
Van Conversion / Re: Progress on my conversion
April 07, 2017, 01:45:55 AM
To hang my shower curtain hula hoop from a clothes bar that runs the width of my van, I was lucky enough to already have clothes hooks on each side in just the right places.  Short of that, perhaps a spring tension shower curtain rod could do the same thing, or maybe insert a couple of S hooks where the headliner meets the walls.  An upside down L made of conduit or PVC could come up from the base too.

I only have a single house battery, also from a junkyard.  I don't use an inverter, because everything I need I have the car cords for.  I've just been charging my house batttery with a jumper cable that has ciggy lighter plugs on both ends.  Here's some pictures to give you an idea of what I'm doing.  It's been working good for me for 5+ years now, I also have a generator but rarely use it.



I keep a variety of hand powered pumps and siphon pumps, they come in handy for so many things.



I do use a few battery powered items though, even though I try to keep mostly manually powered stuff, so I got a solar battery charger that I can simply sit in a window and always have fresh battteries when I need them. Then I also have solar lanterns, a solar radio, and a solar bug zapper.  I LOVE my solar bug zapper!



Another item that I use regularly is a water bandit:



It allows you to hook up a hose to virtually any faucet, threaded or not.

Your rig looks like it's coming along nicely!

Cheers!





#491
Van Conversion / Re: Progress on my conversion
April 06, 2017, 05:44:00 AM
Having your own toilet & shower is definitely a life changing experience for the better!

I used a hula hoop for my shower curtain rod, along with the curtains and hooks all from a dollar store.  I suspended the hula hoop from a clothes bar that runs the width of the van.  When not in use, I simply unhook it and collapse it onto the toilet, so as not to impede my view.  I use a weed sprayer for my shower, that I switched out the original wand for a kitchen sink sprayer nozzle, plus I lengthened the hose.  I like this because it requires no power, and can also be set up outside hung from a tree.

Most of my interior came from thrift stores, craigslist, and yard sales too...  $5 each for my kitchen cabinet and my nightstand.  $7 for my Lazyboy swivel rocker/recliner.  Low budget building is a favorite hobby of mine.  Doing more with less, is just a thrill for me.

For weekend trips just freeze a couple of 1 gallon milk jugs or water containers, and you should be fine.  I buy my ice in the big blocks, and they'll last me about a week, even in the summer.  In the long run, ice is a LOT cheaper than those 12 volt  powered fridges.  The last several I had only lasted a little over a year, cheap chinese junk, and power hungry too.

Have you figured out your house battery set up yet.  If not, I can post what I've done.  Simple, cheap, and no tools or skills needed, and it works perfectly for me.

I'm kind of against plumbing, just something else to maintain or freeze.  Grey water is pretty easy to dispose of almost anywhere.  I go to city parks and park in the end spot, where there are bushes right outside my side doors, and I water the bushes with it.  My bushes are lush and green while the surrounding grass is brown and dry. A win/win for both me and the bushes...

Cheers!
#492
Van Conversion / Re: Progress on my conversion
April 05, 2017, 11:46:41 PM
Very Nice!!!  By far one of nicest looking and more sensible builds I've seen.  Very similar to mine actually, except that my kitchen is only half the length, but a little deeper.  Mine doesn't flip up, I just add my campstove, or dishpan sinks on top to use them, then my toilet/shower sits next to that, and then my ice chest sits on top of my 12v ice chest style A/C next to the bed and doubles as a nightstand.  The only thing I would do differently next time is to have sliding doors on the kitchen cabinet rather than swinging, because I have a swivel rocker/recliner between my kitchen and my side doors, and the swinging doors can be a challenge.

So I'm curious about the bin between the side doors and the bed?  Toilet/shower? Storage or  ???  I have a house style night stand there, and then store my 2x 7 gallon water jugs next to it, just inside the side doors, on a little shelf, and my stove & sinks stow away just under them.

My passenger seat swivels, and then I have a folding wood TV tray to use for a table between the front seat and my recliner if I have company.  When alone, it is just my personal table/desk, that I'm typing this from right now.

I'm here for anything you need, just ask, and I'll do my best.  I've got over 20 years experience now, so I've learned a few things... hehe.

Looking forward to updates as you progress too!

Cheers!
#493
Van Conversion / Re: How much power do I need?
April 05, 2017, 05:01:15 AM
Anything related to heating or cooking is best accomplished with fuel, not electricity.

Here are the components I use for my house battery setup:



I also no longer buy new batteries, but buy cheap ones from auto wreckers instead.

Put your deep cycle battery in the battery box, and connect the adapter to the terminals.  Attach the 4 port adapter to the side of the box and plug that into the adapter you just connected to the battery, and put the lid on the battery box.  Secure the battery box to a convenient location.

When driving, connect the jumper cable between your ciggy outlet, and one of the four ports on the battery box to keep your house battery charged.

Get the car adapters for all your goodies so everything runs off 12 volts, eliminating the need for an inverter. If you absolutely can't live without shore power, then a generator is your best bet.

Use a kerosene/alcohol/propane camp stove for your cooking needs.  A portable stove top oven can be added if desired.




I really like using  simple dishpans for sinks, and spray bottles for the water delivery.  No power required, and I painted my hot water bottle black, and sit  it in a window for free solar hot water.  No plumbing necessary, and works both inside or outside.  It's nice  to be able to set up your kitchen outside if the weather's nice.

Always remember that you are camping.  Leave the house mentality behind.  You can still have your own toilet and shower, but when it comes to electrical, if it won't run on 12 volts, you probably don't really need it anyway.  I didn't see it on your list, but a 12 volt or battery powered fan can be really nice in hot weather.

Good luck, and let me know if you have more questions.   :)




#494
Common Room / Re: Noob
April 02, 2017, 02:36:29 AM
Congrats & Great Choice!

Window vans make sooooo much better campers than cargo vans.  Free heat in the winter, better ventilation in the summer, and there's nothing better than having a good view.
#495
Sounds good, always glad to help.