Good morning

[travelaround]

Thanks Maki. I have the insulation up. What I don't know how to do is ... how to attach the wood to the side of the van.. and the roof, so I can nail or screw paneling to it. That is my next step. I don't have the wood yet - I am planning to get 1x3 furring strips next time I go to Medford, but that could be months from now. It is about 150 miles from here to the nearest Home Depot.

 

[crofter]

Much cooler today, 94 degrees in the shade in southern AZ. I spent the morning sifting my van build notes. Writing a build thread is a little odd, I hope it turns out to be useful to someone.
-crofter

 

[crofter]

 ... how to attach the wood to the side of the van.. and the roof, so I can nail or screw paneling to it....

You can screw the paneling into the steel ribs with these screws  "Buildex Teks lath screws, #8 X 1 inch" available at Home Depot. I only added wood shaped 2x2's in spots I needed to anchor something. Be careful with screw length on the thinner metal ribs. But most of my build is built up off the floor, no overhead cabinets, etc needing support from the van walls. "No weight on the walls" is my motto.
-crofter

 

[travelaround]

Thanks @Crofter - I will look for those. One of these days I will be able to drive back to Medford, for the wood.

 

[Qxxx]

 Amazing how a couple beverage cans and twinkie wrappers add up.
... I can not see how eating food from cans will be at all practical.
... I am not interested in driving around with bags of trash inside or strapped to the roof. Moldering cans of spaghettios..eww

... spaghettios..eww. Cans and twinkie wrappers, double ewww. backpacker food stuffs, triple eww.

I've had a van for 3 years now, and went with a totally minimalist build, as I wanted to get out on the road and not spend a lot of time and money on an a priori if-fy endeavor, of which I had no idea how it would pan out in actual practice.

In 3 years now, I've spent almost a full year of time living and traveling in the van. So I can tell you that cans and twinkie wrappers are no comparison whatsoever to bottles of pee and buckets full of poop. Trust me. Pooping in a bucket in a van that you cannot stand up in is possibly the low point of human civilization in america in the past 50 years.

 

[Qxxx]

Oh yeah, not to mention going without a shower or greasy hair shampoo for weeks at a time.

 

[GypsyJan]

"Pooping in a bucket in a van that you cannot stand up in is possibly the low point of human civilization in america in the past 50 years."

Better than adult diapers, though....and if no alternative, that bucket would look pretty good! It's a small price to pay for freedom on the road. That said, I fare better with a camping potty than a bucket.

 

[Qxxx]

Better than adult diapers, though....

When I get to that stage, I'll probably sell the van in any case. Until then .... see below.

But just for the FYI of the uninitiated, you do have to carry that potty around for a week or more, and then find a convenient place to dump it, and where it is actually legal to do so, as opposed to whatever offhand dump place you can find.

 

[desert_sailing]

Oh yeah, not to mention going without a shower or greasy hair shampoo for weeks at a time.

Thanks for the heads up.

As I will be keeping my job and considering I interact with the public frequently I know the hygiene  needs have to be a priority. I do have a "wet bath" so to speak. I do plan to have a compost toilet..whether I buy a c-head, or build one. Driving around with bags of waste is not at all acceptable to me.. I will dig  a cat hole long before that...or heaven forbid use a public toilet.

I have a "shower pan" a large animal feeder type pan  which the toilet will sit in. This area is half walled and adjacent the "kitchen" sink. I am going to purchase a portable hot water heater/shower >> https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-BOSS-XW18-Basecamp-Operated/dp/B011TRLUS8

It will sit under the sink and the hose can serve at the sink to wash my face, hands, hair, dishes... or can be used to take a full shower at the wet bath. I know people say those propane showers are for outdoor use etc etc.. just like the warnings on the buddy heaters... I wont be running it longer than 5ish minutes. and of course will have windows open to provide venting of moisture and propane exhaust. I will get a little pop up tent as well and a solar shower so I can luxuriate when in good weather.

The personal hygiene component is a requirement. I MUST be able to stay properly cleansed.

I will get rid of everything to have a "bathroom" and sleep on the floor on an air mattress with no cabinets long before I haul pails of poop and not shower for a week.

 

[crofter]

@desert sailing
"The personal hygiene component is a requirement. I MUST be able to stay properly cleansed."

Most convenient is to join a gym, and do a lite workout and shower every day before you travel to your job. 
-crofter

 

[maki2]

I am not sure that the quantity of hot water in a solar bag will be long enough to be luxuriant. But then again compared to a cold water shower or a wet wipe bath it might feel like a real luxury. It is all relevant to circumstance.

 

[desert_sailing]

I am not sure that the quantity of hot water in a solar bag will be long enough to be luxuriant. But then again compared to a cold water shower or a wet wipe bath it might feel like a real luxury. It is all relevant to circumstance.

I think being able to stand up properly to bathe will be luxurious  in itself..

I did think about a gym membership as a supplement. I don't think I normally will be near enough  towns with the chain clubs to benefit from it. Those portable hot water showers will be a good investment considering the costs of membership..AND I can use it anytime I want... even just to wash the face and hair. Axe body spray will take care the rest?

I typically take 2 showers a day.. I hate to put a dirty body in clean sheets.. It is very unlikely I will be able to continue that. The amount of water needed would be obscene.. unless ALL i have is jugs upon jugs of water in the van. I will be practicing the shower routine soon..ordering the portable shower next week and will be trying it out as soon as it arrives to see what I can expect. I am guessing I will have to drop to maybe 4 showers a week.

None of the build so far has met my expectations and It is an adjust readjust process for me. I am definitely NOT expecting this component to be much better than my bed idea... I like learning. The ONLY part of the build so far that I am really pleased with is the ceiling and the sink/counter space.. LOL....

It is all about adjusting expectations.. Once I get that in order everything will be peachy keen. All I want is simple and efficient comfort.. is that expecting soo much??

 

[Qxxx]

Solar bags are ok in the summer when it's hot and sunny, but when it's overcast and cold in the winter, then standing outside in a popup tent and taking an ice bath/shower doesn't cut it, [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]even in AZ where the temp can be down in the 20s.[/font]

There is just no substitute for a long hot steamy shower on a cold day in the winter, especially when you haven't had a shower in a week or two, and your hair is icky and greasy. Best thing for a guy is to shave his head, and let his beard grow so he doesn't need to shave. Only adapt.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...600-UK4YOQ6xHD--CZcfvuntnNBna_7ex31K&usqp=CAU

OTOH, with a composting toilet, maybe it will generate enough methane inside the enclosed van that one can use it to heat the water for a shower. If the van is too short to stand up for a shower inside, when it's freezing outside, one can squat in a little baby sized plastic swimming pool and pour warm water over one's head.

 

[B and C]

Just like if you speak where no woman can hear you, are you still wrong?

 

[Qxxx]

If there is NO ONE around to smell you, do you still STINK? :dodgy: 

Only yer dog knows for sure, and he/she won't tell.

.... that will be warm enough inside in so-so weather.  

Let's see, so so weather, so you can forgo showers from Oct 1 to May 1. That'll work.

I have one of those pump sprayers. It works, but the water gets darn cold darn fast. There are instant hot water flow-through heaters that cost $150-250, whatever. People hang them on the inside of the back door of the van, and pitch their popup tents next to there. For winter time use, get some little eskimo boots.

 

[Qxxx]

(double post)

 

[maki2]

Hopefully you can't be smelled by someone who is a mile away

 

[Qxxx]

The eskimo boots are to wear when yer taking a shower in yer little tent outside the van for the months between Oct 1 and May 1. The point was that you need an optional plan for showering over those months. Just about anything will work in the summertime. That's easy peasy. In Quartzsite in the winter, it gets down into the low 30s every night, at least this past winter, and the daytimes were maybe in the 50s. Chilly for showering outside.

 

[maki2]

No... Not if you you are NEVER wrong!

Not a viable comparison because males have noise cancellation filters that screen out 99% of what females say.

 

[maki2]

lets return to our normal programing now., which is saying good morning.

Occasional showers predicted for today. Hoping to take advantage of the dry times to get some stuff done.

We were going to run an errand at Lowes yesterday for some project parts. However the parking lot was jam packed with cars so we took a pass on going into the store. Have to keep reminding myself not to go shopping on a weekend, too risky for us septuagenarians.