Going Boondocking

[gizmotron]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Hi,[/font]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I've gained extensive experience RVing with my parents as I drove for them as "full-timers" the last two years of their lives. I took both of them through hospice. I became familiar with camping memberships like Thousand Trails and other park memberships.  That was their lives. I'm now retired and have no interest in going into crowded, noisy, and distanced places way out of the way for three weeks at a time, just to get full hookups.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]So I know RV maintenance and common camping practices. I can replace all that headache with an adequate solar system and large enough holding tanks. No more park memberships and dues.  No more "Camp Gestapo" if they don't like your home built rig, even if it blows away some of the building techniques of some modern day RV manufacturers. I know. I had my home made pop up camper kicked out by TTN. No more campsite masters. [/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]But I do like my conveniences. So I'm building a van conversion with the real basics. These are my real basics. It's in the Bible somewhere. You need food, clothing, and a place to sleep. I would add to that a need to evacuate what you have consumed. [/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]So my rig has a bed, with storage underneath. It has a removable shelf for cooking or using my music equipment when not sleeping. It has a dorm type retro, two door, refrigerator & freezer with lots of storage underneath.  It has a full walk-in toilette, shower, and sink. This is supported by a 31 gallon black water tank and a 30 gallon fresh water tank. That includes optional drainage for gray water of for dumping it or storing it.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]In the very back of the van it is set up for tailgating. So it's really an over glorified Tear-Drop style trailer, all crammed into the space of a 12 passenger Ford Super Duty.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I plan to add a very powerful solar system. This van is designed to sit in the sun where the panels can be aimed optimum in the best angles and pitch while keeping the van in the shade at the same time.  It has a false wall behind the side cargo doors on the shaded side that has a standard RV door with a screen door behind it. Inside I can run a portable swamp cooler that will cool things off as much as 30 degrees. That cooler uses about as much wattage as the refrigerator, around 270 watts.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I got all my ideas from watching van people with their own design ideas.  I took the best ideas, added them to my minimalist list of wants and am building the best multi-function space that could be crammed into a small van.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]So I know camping. I was a mountaineer in my younger days. That's when you carry everything you need for 10 days or more. [/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, I was also a builder and craftsman before I retired. So I can poor lots of energy into making things fit. This Nomad lifestyle makes perfect sense to me. I can live like a king on my SSI check. No more mow-the lawn, water the trees, pay the mortgage, pay the property taxes. No more paint the house. etc...[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]That's me and my plan in a nut shell.[/font]

 

[Mod1234]

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[Cammalu]

Got any photos of your build? Welcome to the forum!

 

[kklowell]

Welcome! I too would like to see pictures of your new home.

 

[gizmotron]

Welcome! I too would like to see pictures of your new home.

 Ah yes, photos. I'm not interested in documenting my build. I'm building everything around a black water tank and shower pan that fit between the wheel wells. Add to that a fresh water tank is built above and to the driver side of the black water tank. All tanks and drains exit the back of the van from inside the cargo bay. The sink is in the space between the passenger side wall and the inside edge of the right wheel well in the bathroom. The back one foot of the van is 12 inches deep and accommodates all my mechanical systems. It also is the storage place for a propane constant heat water heater that will hang on the open door when in use. There is space for my Ninja Foodi Pressure cooker. There will be a fold down and detachable butcher block table. Back there will be  a BLUETTI AC200P 2000w LiFePO4 Solar Generator, a 12 volt water pump. The solar  panels will be hung above a tarp clamped to the driver side rain gutter of the van that provides shade while the panels remain in direct sunlight.

So far I have the van, the tanks, brand new tires, and most important of all, the design. For me as a builder it is nearly nothing to design this and build it. But the most important thing to get right is the design. The doing is just a bunch of work that I can do in my sleep. I've been sleeping on a 9 inch tall, (5" tall foam & 4" tall memory foam), 30 inch wide by 75 inch long mattress.  I built it to replace an expensive air mattress that went bust after about two months. So this design is based on that bed, the tanks and shower pan, and the back section that has storage for 12 inch deep objects. I have the design down to a fraction of an inch. I just gutted the walls and ceiling of all the passenger van stuff. That includes the passenger front seat. This is where the fridge and more storage goes. 

I'm living on an SSI budget so this design is built to add on to it in stages. It includes raising the walls and building a well insolated pop top. One day, God willing, there will be pictures and I will be traveling to the long stay areas around Quartzite.

There are so many people that have documented their builds that one more would be sort of corny. I'm building a space ship for one person. So out went the passenger seat. I'm comfortable with a 30" wide bed. I love working from a stand up counter for cooking and for my music equipment. I know I just want to go into a bathroom and use it, like in ten seconds if I have to. I know I like a large freezer space. I know I like staying cool inside. I know I like tailgating off the back if the weather allows.
I have attempted to give you a mental picture.


I've taken the best ideas on moisture barrier, insolation, cab isolation, most of which has come from Bob Well's videos. This is just getting started for me. Although I have had all this RVing experience, this "Nomad" lifestyle has opened my mind to what is both possible but wise for me. 

It's like a door opened and I could see a way forward that is much less like a prison.
I hope that people will understand why I'm not going to waste my time with another tired van build.

Here: I built this for the county inspector's wife. It's suspended over the junction of two creeks.

 

[bullfrog]

I tried out a dorm style refrigerator the other day and the one I had I ended up using a 750 watt inverter to get it up and running but I only had 305 watts of panel and 100ah of useable battery. I think I will use a more efficient but more expensive 12 compressor refrigerator/freezer after my experiment. In the long run I may change things with more solar and lithium batteries but for now I think less may be more for me.

 

[gizmotron]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][font=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]The Bluetti AC200P portable power station has a 2000 watt capacity with three panels charging in 5+ hours. But I just discovered that there is a new unit coming that can have a back up system and handle more 200 watt panels.

My Magic Chef fridge runs on around 280 watts. And a fridge does not run all the time. I have seen videos of others using these small fridges. There is no point in getting an RV model t[/font][font=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]hat is designed to run on propane. But it does take a powerful solar system. [/font]

[font=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Nobody should run propane lines in their builds. In some states it must be inspected and certified. Now that's not the same as connecting a bottle to a stove. That's not the same as lines [/font]permanently[font=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] mounted. 
What's with the fonts?[/font][/font]

 

[bullfrog]

I was referring to the 12volt only chest type units made by Engle and others.

 

[gizmotron]

Oh. I looked into those. Yes, DC is one way to go. Thanks

Here is that new power station that is scalable :

 

[GypsyJan]

"Nomad lifestyle makes perfect sense to me. I can live like a king on my SSI check. No more mow-the lawn, water the trees, pay the mortgage, pay the property taxes. No more paint the house. etc..."

AMEN!!!!

 

[gizmotron]

Hahaha! No more endless remodel this and rebuild that.

 

[nature lover]

Welcome to the forum. At one time in my life I was all excited about solar generators. But you can build a beautiful system on your own for the same money with much more capacity. Or less money with the same capacity as these generators. They don’t generate anything they store energy and adapt energy to make it usable. If one component of your generator breaks down you have to ship it back to the factory for service, that can’t be cheap. If a component of my system breaks down I can replace it myself with parts that I can find almost anywhere. I do not want to look like a know it all, because I don’t know it all. my little system has been working great for about 14 months now. it cost much much less than any solar generator. By the way the 12 V compressor fridge is the way to go because it draws so much less energy and therefore the system and batteries to run it don’t have to be as big and as expensive. So the money you save by buying a cheaper 110 refrigerator gets sucked up in the system you have to build to support it. All of this is my own opinion You can do what you want and I hope you have a great time with it.

Again welcome.

 

[gizmotron]

NL - Lot's of great points. I wanted to go with the 200 watt folding panels with grommets. I suppose I could find as good and cheaper ones. One thing that Bob Wells pointed out in his video was the need to park in the shade and placing the panels out in the sun. I have solved that with shade from tarps that shade the van and solar panels sitting on top of the tarps. I do recognize the modular approach where one component goes down it does not wreck the whole system. You just fix the one thing, and way cheaper. OK, I'll do that research. Battle Born batteries would cost more to get an equivalent 160 ah system but it would be 200 ah.

It's not the fridge that interests me. I do a lot of cooking with my 1800 watt Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker. Now the fridge that I need is one with a large freezer compartment. I have one now. My solar system will need to be large enough to run the Ninja. I will end up with 5 folding 200 watt panels and 300 ah running a minimum of 3000 watts AC, 110. Of course this will be done in stages as I earn money. But I have planned to scale up that big. My build already has the space in the mechanical room at the back.

I should probably find a place to put floor plans and pictures as I build this thing. It might come in handy when people ask about it. I could just send them there. I'm not going to be a youtuber with a bunch of advise and how I did it.

I can have all the trimmings as long as I focus on the one person design. I've never liked the garage under the bed design. There is a lot to be said about ( LESS JUNK ). I want my kitchen, my freezer, my full bathroom, my 9 inch thick mattress, and my tailgating option. And I have my living room space that fits a recliner folding chair. I have my screen door and my swamp cooler. I can go to hot places and stay cool.

So thank you for getting me to consider building my own solar system out of components. That's why I came here. I want ideas. That was a good one.

 

[jeffreynyima]

Heading to Jack Creek near the Metolius River. Boondocking one of the beautiful spring fed streams there.

Arrive in 2 hours or so...

If you want a brat, stop by!

Jeffrey and his Klee Kais,

 

[gizmotron]

I've been looking at building my own solar system vs the BLUETTI AC200 MAX Modular Power Station and the batteries and components would cost far more and the labor to hard wire the system through a breaker and fuse box would be extensive. Although I plan a fuse box for the DC 12 volt side, I plan to use UL approved household plugs in the power unit. If I go to shore power, rarely, I will come into the unit with a standard 30 amp RV cord. After that will be the breaker box.

The new AC200 MAX has a single 30 amp RV plug that can be run into the breaker box too. So my electric can be up to RV code for shore power or Power Station power. I will try to see if you can switch out internal components, (plug and play ) modules inside this Power Station. It's a kind of fix it yourself thing. That would be very cool if they built that in. You just order the component and switch it out. Dream on, right?

It just looks cheaper to go with the Power Station. The solar panels are a tad more expensive, but they come with features that I need to deploy my solar sails. This new "MAX" version comes with a 900 watt input capacity. So 4 and maybe 5 solar panels can be used all at once. Sounds like over kill doesn't it? Just thinking of those partially clouded days.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 I'm not interested in documenting my build. 

Proceeds to document the build. 

 

[gizmotron]

Proceeds to document the build. 

I'm not interested in doing another tired, van build, YouTube video, even though I have a very nice video & audio camera for that purpose. But it has occurred to me that people will one day ask me how I fit all that in. I'll let a few paragraphs and pictures do that job. So I'm brainstorming. I'm a builder. I measure once and cut it right the first time. I tried to cut it again but it was still too short. 

I'm doing my van build as I plan it. For instance I was going to have a Murphy Bed where part of the bed tucked away behind the bathroom. But I discovered that I would only need 3 inches tucked away. Then I thought about the 9 inch tall riser that the 9 inch tall mattress sits on. I was trying to build a full wall of storage 12 inches deep. This would block the only window I wish to keep viewable. So I was going to gain some floor space by dropping in a counter top for cooking that was 18 inches deep. I would have had storage boxes under the bed when it was folded out. Not a great idea, moving storage boxes around. I found out that leaving the bed down at 18 inches off the floor made for a very comfortable base for a couch. So I decided to keep the bed down along the side between the driver seat and the bathroom wall. You lift up the support for the mattress and you get a full  30 inch by 75 inch by 9 inch tall storage space. It turns out that I don't need the toe space for the counter top that snaps in above the bed. It still leaves about 30 to 35 inches wide of floor space from the front to the bathroom wall. 

This is what I mean by brainstorming. 

Because the van was a 12 passenger van it has hard points in the floor for seat belts. I plan to spray rubberized undercoating on the floor and then bolt pressure treated 3/4 inch tongue and grove plywood for the base subfloor using those hard points. So there will be a picture of that.