Anyone go with no built-in electricity?

[VanFan]

I use a couple of gallon sized jugs with screw on lids to store ice in my cooler.

Hey GypsyJan, dumb question here:  Do you use a funnel to "pour" the ice into the jugs?  Are the jugs wide-mouthed?

 

[Qxxx]

@QXXX.. I do a lot of reading at night too but use my Kindle or Audible app on my phone so no need for light to do that.

Like everything else, I do it the old fashioned way ... books, lol.

No kitchen, use a Coleman stove "outside".
No frig, use a cooler.
No sink, use a stainless steel doggie dish outside, with cold water. 
No heater, use a sleeping bag.
No air conditioner, park under a tree (although there is a small 12V fan).
No counters, use a computer desk.
No cabinets, use boxes under the bed. 
No dish washing, use boiling water followed by white vinegar.
No putt-putt, just hike.
No potty, use a cat hole.
No shower, oh well.
(it works for some).

 

[desert_sailing]

Sounds darn near utopian to me! :thumbsup:

 

[Qxxx]

My Alpicool 30 keeps things plenty cold, and sips power. I can and do leave it plugged into my cig plug/starter battery all night, and my van doesn't seem to notice the power drain at all. Of course, I only do this if I'm driving the van at least a couple hours the next day.

JQ, since you power the frig by the starter battery, you might think of getting a jump starter unit like ckelly mentioned in post #17. Cheap insurance, just in case.

https://tacklifetools.com/products/t8-max-jump-starter

 

[jacqueg]

Good grief. I presume there was no fuse in there. Besides all the fun stuff, electrons are good for electrocuting yerself too, but not at a measly 12V. There are people who advocate using only 12 VDC systems, possibly because 120 VAC is so dangerous, and too many rig setups are base D-I-Y.

Thanks for the feedback on the Alpicool. I remember that Slim Potatohead gave them a good review.

Don't think so. I just hooked up the alligator clips to the AGMs and started up the generator - and ran it for 2 hours...

As I said, I have decided I am a plug-and-play person, and not a competent DIYer., at least when it comes to electricity.

Thank the goddess of fools, I was standing right there when it happened. It was one of the more exciting 30-second periods of my life.

 

[jacqueg]

JQ, since you power the frig by the starter battery, you might think of getting a jump starter unit like ckelly mentioned in post #17. Cheap insurance, just in case.

https://tacklifetools.com/products/t8-max-jump-starter

 Yup, I have a Suaoki.

 

[jacqueg]

I am glad to see soo many people out here that are enjoying the lifestyle with out all the attachment to a major electrical system. I honestly thought I was the only one with a tiny system.

Mr Noodly, who posts here, has done some videos on "How I do it" that you might find interesting.

Here's a list - 

https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2019/04/something-new.html
https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2019/05/how-i-do-it-kitchen-sink.html
https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2019/05/beating-heater.html
https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-video-making-mood-again.html
https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2019/11/how-i-do-it-disposing-of-urine.html
https://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2020/01/new-year-new-video.html

 

[Qxxx]

Yeah, as I indicated a couple of times, plug'n'play has a lot to reccommend it in small size systems. For larger systems, I think you just have to bite the bullet and go to the expense of having it done right, similar to a qualified electrician wiring a house up to proper regulatory code. But that takes quite a bit of time and money (and has made jimindenver a millionaire, jk).

 

[Qxxx]

Thank the goddess of fools, I was standing right there when it happened. It was one of the more exciting 30-second periods of my life.

Here JQ, just for you. The great goddess definitely watches over you.



She used to have a name, but people forgot it over the millenia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninhursag

 

[GypsyJan]

Hey GypsyJan, dumb question here: Do you use a funnel to "pour" the ice into the jugs? Are the jugs wide-mouthed?

vanfan,

The jugs are extremely wide-mouthd (like huge pickle jars, but plastic, not glass. I got them at the dollar store.

 

[VanFan]

The jugs are extremely wide-mouthd (like huge pickle jars, but plastic, not glass. I got them at the dollar store.

Got it.  Thanks!  I have a couple of smallish, rectangular ones that should do the job, but I think I need the "real estate" in the cooler too much for this to work.  The bags squish pretty well.

 

[jacqueg]

Here JQ, just for you. The great goddess definitely watches over you.



She used to have a name, but people forgot it over the millenia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninhursag

Well, that's some serious juju there!

I wonder how hard it would be to find a decal of her...

And - it's JG, not JQ.

 

[Michael11]

Again, thanks to everyone for the informative posts. There is some great discussion here for me (and anyone else so inclined) to mentally sort and absorb. I really appreciate all of the helpful hints and tips. I do think I will stick with my minimalist plan for the first iteration of my build and expand from there depending on which needs/wants really hit a pain point.

 

[Qxxx]

Just for reference, I am up to version #3 of my van build. I realized after the first build there was too little open floor space (only 3'x3'). The 1st had the bed lengthwise along the wall, as I just tossed stuff in, so I could hit the road as quickly as possible. However, I did delay for a week as I built solar stuff in a small cabinet (12"x14"x19" tall). A lot of wires and sockets - far too many and which I never ended up using. Then in the 2nd build, I built a wooden platform for the bed crosswise at the far back, and that gave me more floor space, but still not enough.

Then in the 3rd build, I removed the solar cabinet and most of the original wiring, and built a small box on the wall for solar stuff (with just on-off switch, charger, and inverter), and moved the batteries under the bed. Now I have 4'x6' of open floor space, which I like a huge amount. To me, open floor space is the first criterion for comfortable living inside the van.

So, an evolutionary approach worked well, since my requirements changed as I used the rig over 3 years, and whereas I did not build a "permanent" setup from the start. So mods were incremental and easy to do.

 

[Bliss149]

Bagged ice sits on top of food.  Less than an inch of water accumulates in the sump at the bottom; the rest trickles out as ice melts.

Is the ice somehow separated from the food - like on a tray or something? Seems like you still would have food ruined by water or am i missing something? 

I love the idea of it draining itself. Did you ever try draining it to a bucket or something to be used for bathing? Maybe problematic due to spills?

 

[VanFan]

Is the ice somehow separated from the food - like on a tray or something? Seems like you still would have food ruined by water or am i missing something? 

I love the idea of it draining itself. Did you ever try draining it to a bucket or something to be used for bathing? Maybe problematic due to spills?

Short answers:  No, yes, and depends on where the bucket is.

Long form:  The only thing physically separating the ice is the bag it comes in.  Water does trickle down over the food (which is in containers or wrappers), but it never gets deep enough to swamp the food and seep into the containers.  (You know how no matter how many Ziplocks you use, water still gets in?  That hasn't happened with this method.)

According to most conventional ice chest wisdom, this is not the most efficient way to use ice.  They say it should be emptied into the chest to fill in all the little spaces for the most effective cooling.  Placing ice under as well as on top of the food is also recommended.*  Most often, draining the cold water is discouraged.  HOWEVER, in practice, whatever efficiency I've lost is more than made up for by the convenience!  I just don't like having to dig through ice to get to something, then make a "hole" to put it back.  Lifting the bag and grabbing what I need is so much easier!

*If you're heading out from a S&B base, you can freeze some stuff to put on the bottom and plan to eat it two or three days later.

Yes, we have put a small bucket under the van below the drain hose when parked where a puddle might be a problem.  Even on pretty hot days, it hasn't amounted to much, but it could certainly be saved for reuse.  I do pull the rear window thermal curtains, and sometimes put a pillow on top of the cooler to keep direct sun off.

It has been a few years since we've spent much time far from a source of ice.  We do need a bag every two days during hot weather to keep our most perishable items good and cold.  When we spent weeks away from ice in days past, we relied on shelf stable items.

 

[crofter]

...The ice chest was good for five days, mostly, and as I rarely stayed that long in one place, restocking ice was no big deal.  Available everywhere....

I get 4 days with my Yeti, sometimes much more. I use homemade block ice, the store bought is not as cold. I plan my food a week at a time.

 I love your idea of running a drain hose, problem solved. Usually my ice is in sealed containers, but the hose connection on the Yeti would get me by for those times I use bag ice. I made a drain hole during the build, now I have use for it.

For lighting I use the luci lights and charge them on the dash during the day. I charge the ryobi batteries when I am around a power source, used for air pump, drill, radio, portable fan, etc. I charge usb devices while driving, and keep a generator in camp when all else fails. 

AC power: I installed a surge strip with breaker for shore power, very easy to do. I use it to run a trickle charger when the van is parked for long periods of time, and for shore power type conveniences when parked in a driveway. I also have a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter for plugging in at the pedestal, and a heavy 100 foot cord.

For someone starting out, I would suggest getting two luci lights and go from there. 
-crofter

 

[crofter]

... Now I have 4'x6' of open floor space, which I like a huge amount. To me, open floor space is the first criterion for comfortable living inside the van....

So true. That is also the reason I did not use any upper cabinets. I needed the space to move around freely. 
-crofter