Art Deco
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- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
a warm bed and shower stuff
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Art Deco
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I've never used the hot water bottle b/c I have a furnace in my van, but it might stave off hypothermia if in the wild at night. Maybe. I ha e spent the night warm and dry at 20 below 0 F in Ithaca NY IN January.
Here's a shot of the van in a more reasonable climate . Last week in Virgina.
Here's a shot of the van in a more reasonable climate . Last week in Virgina.
Prairie Dog
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That’s a nice-looking rig. Mind if I ask what make, model and specs? I’ve been perusing online for a sound used camper van for overnight bike trips. Nothing really fancy, just roomy enough for a couple and perhaps enough space inside to transport our road bikes.
Art Deco
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It is badged as an 11 year old Dodge, but it's all Mercedes Sprinter: body, turbo diesel engine, and all running gear.
Built when Chrysler Daimler was a company, shipped over here without the doors on so they could meet the "Assembled in USA" specification for taxes, I guess..
Interior work all done by Winnebago, they call it an ERA model. They are still made, but stupidly expensive new.
Seats 2 in front on swivel seats, sleeps 2 in back, galley and navy shower in the middle. The bikes ride on the couch/bed/dinnete on a heavy tarp that covers them at night.
They are out there used with low miles, try RVTrader.com.
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Gionnirocket
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- Y. O.
Pick me up!
Prairie Dog
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Thanks for the advice AD. I’ll continue my search. A WB Solis 59PX would be ideal but even the price point on a used model would pay for many a night at roadside lodgings.
Art Deco
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Not familiar with a Solis, but you definitely must use it a lot to save anything over even medium priced motels. I save more on restaurants and air fare than on motels, but then, I am a better cook than most restaurants. And flying is completely out for me.
Edit private campgrounds are often more expensive than cheap motels today .
Edit private campgrounds are often more expensive than cheap motels today .
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ChezCheese:)
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- Kitsap Co, WA
Purty van! Here's ours:
And a look at the galley:
My husband doesn't like the idea of carrying our bikes inside, but I'd feel they were safer than tacked on a rack in the back, not to mention we'd need to have a full swing out so we can access the galley.
And a look at the galley:
My husband doesn't like the idea of carrying our bikes inside, but I'd feel they were safer than tacked on a rack in the back, not to mention we'd need to have a full swing out so we can access the galley.
Art Deco
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Our galley and the bed/dinnete/bike garage. I removed the TV and some other stuff, but it's still tight back there.
Art Deco
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As far as looks go it's OK, but I'd like to have a word with the marketing geniuses that made dark exteriors the only choice. All vans, at least the roofs, should be white b/c of heat .
ChezCheese:)
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There is a long tale about the color of the van. It was originally just your bog-standard tradesmen's Chevy Express white with the peeling paint disease that a lot of GM vehicles had. My husband was doing a trade out with a guy named Eric who owns a bodyshop in the Mercer St area of Seattle (not that I'm naming names...) Eric took forever to do his side of the bargain. I wanted it to be a matte, carpenter's chalkline blue, close to a French blue, because it is quite bright against vegetation green. Actually, originally I wanted it to be schoolbus yellow (hence "Chez Cheese"), but my husband wouldn't go for it. So chalkline blue was a compromise. I personally delivered a bottle of carpenter's chalk to his shop. And the delays went on and on. Until finally, finally, he had the spare time to bother to do our job. And he did it in the wrong color. He matched it, he said, to the color of the cap of the bottle I had given him. My husband saw it first and said, "You're not going to like it." And the black rhinoliner stuff was just supposed to by about 14" high and eyebrow over the wheel wells.
Anyway, it's not that it's a bad blue, but it is dark and not as safe as the French blue would have been. But I wasn't about to wait years for him to get it right, so it is what it is.
Anyway, it's not that it's a bad blue, but it is dark and not as safe as the French blue would have been. But I wasn't about to wait years for him to get it right, so it is what it is.
ChezCheese:)
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Very elegant, but I never liked the idea of cooking inside a van. Also, we don't have the head space - - we can't stand up in ours.
Art Deco
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I only cook inside in bad weather and when stopped at a rest stop or park long enough to make lunch. No exhaust fan inside, so don't burn the fish ... phew....
I have an exterior 110 outlet and folding table along with an induction plate and pizza oven to make breakfast and supper under the awning.
Art Deco
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Cross post from Mr.Coffee's cooking on the trail thread.
Dallant
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Having just gotten back from a long road trip, wifey is now very interested in one of the tall/long travel vans vs a “normal” van. We saw hundreds of them similar the Ford Transit, MB Sprint, etc. etc. We are mostly wanting a basic model with AWD, to do our own thing so we could set it up to hold 3 or 4 ebikes inside. If we could find a good used one, I’d like to design/build one for another run at the Mickelson Trail, etc.
Art Deco
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Never had one before and wouldn't give it up for much more than what I paid. No AWD on mine though, and it would be very handy. I'm the biggest thing on the parking lot and the smallest thing in the campground...and it will carry 4 x 8 sheets of plywood inside when I'm home.
BlackHand
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- Western WA
We see a fair number of these cruising around Seattle. My wife calls them 'prepper vans'. Usually blacked out or at most charcoal and black.
I know we're less than an hour drive from where they might serve a purpose, but I still wonder about the folks just commuting to work in one complete with shovel and jerry can mounted on the back.
I know we're less than an hour drive from where they might serve a purpose, but I still wonder about the folks just commuting to work in one complete with shovel and jerry can mounted on the back.
Art Deco
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I'll stop derailing this thread soon, I promise.
I saw many big vans like mine in London used by contractors and delivery companies. With no sofabed and the barn doors open a full pallet of pipes or 8 foot lumber or such fits easily. Same uses as a king cab pickup with a trailer in the states, but much more secure and easier to park. But for urban/suburban preppers, probably not much use.
Art Deco
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Well, maybe. But the largest RV show in the US was last weekend in Hershey, Pennsylvania and it broke attendence records in the first two days, so #Vanlife builders may snap them up to become future YouTube stars. BLEAH.
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