My Floor Plans

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

Solar batteries will go under the closet and raised platform at the back with the charge controller etc on the closet wall. Put a drawer under the raised platform for the Whynter fridge/freezer to store pots and pans. Overhead storage at both front and rear. Bed lifts to access storage.

Can anyone think of anything I've missed or done wrong?

 

[ggwoman]

Solar batteries will go under the closet and raised platform at the back with the charge controller etc on the closet wall. Put a drawer under the raised platform for the Whynter fridge/freezer to store pots and pans. Overhead storage at both front and rear. Bed lifts to access storage.

Can anyone think of anything I've missed or done wrong?

It looks good so far Michelle. What about water storage? Could those fit under the counter where the 2nd whynter freezer/fridge will go later? I love the swing out stove bit. Great space saver.

 

[squatting dog2]

Make sure the batteries are vented to the outside world if they are not AGM. 

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

It looks good so far Michelle.    What about water storage?  Could those fit under the counter where the 2nd whynter freezer/fridge will go later?  I love the swing out stove bit. Great space saver.

I've been looking at water bladders. There's a 15 gallon version called a "wheelbarrow bag" or something like that. I am pretty sure I can set it up on a rack on the roof (which is fiberglass) if I distribute the weight evenly. If I lined a boxed area with black plastic it would also act as a solar heater for the water. My roof is HUGE so I would still have plenty of room for solar panels.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Michelle, it looks good, but I'd be concerned about weight distribution with what you have described. Seems like all the weight is on one side (though the stuff you are storing around the bed may weigh more than what I can think of.) Also, I may remember wrong, but it seems like it gets mentioned in other threads about keeping the weight in front of the axle, or toward the front, or something like that. I may be remembering wrong, but thought I'd bring it up so someone who knows more than me can chime in.

Best Wishes.

 

[ZoNiE]

That water bag will be 125 lbs of water plus whatever the thing weighs empty. Not sure I would put it up there unless you build a frame and use rails clamped to the gutters on the vehicle...

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

That water bag will be 125 lbs of water plus whatever the thing weighs empty. Not sure I would put it up there unless you build a frame and use rails clamped to the gutters on the vehicle...

That's the thought. Still a maybe but I am hoping to find a way to carry water without having to physically carry water. 

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

Michelle, it looks good, but I'd be concerned about weight distribution with what you have described. Seems like all the weight is on one side (though the stuff you are storing around the bed may weigh more than what I can think of.) Also, I may remember wrong, but it seems like it gets mentioned in other threads about keeping the weight in front of the axle, or toward the front, or something like that. I may be remembering wrong, but thought I'd bring it up so someone who knows more than me can chime in.

Best Wishes.

As a truck driver we were taught to keep the axles under the weight, which is why the batteries are going where I mentioned. As close to the rear axle as I could get it and still have some room to move around a bit. I thought about the weight distribution being uneven but the storage under the bed will have all my tools, canned food items, drinking water, eventually dog food plus the weight of the bed it's self. The only wood weight on the drivers side will be the one closet wall and maybe 2 walls for the bathroom ( though I'm leaning toward no walls for the bathroom, just shower curtains). The doorways to both those spaces will be curtains. The weight of the stove is 35 lbs. so that will help offset some of the fridge weight.

 

[masterplumber]

I've had racks on my trucks for 35 years, and tend to carry quite a bit up there. That said, I would avoid carrying all but the lightest stuff up there if possible. Once an a trip through Baja I had 2 5 gallon fuel cans on a very strong Con Fer brand rack on the roof of my truck. It looked cool, but I could feel the weight up there even on a 1 ton truck. I hit a dip at a little bit of speed on a dirt 2 track and the weight actually bent the mounts for the rack.

I like the idea of the shower curtains instead of walls, at least above the counter height. 24'' wide is not a lot of room to maneuver around to get clean, at least for me, Im not as young and skinny as I once was. With the curtains they could flare out above the counter to give you more room. For a shower base you could use a fiberglass laundry tub - they are just about the size you have there. If you use a 5 gallon bucket toilet it can be stored inside the shower and just set out on the floor when you shower. It's high enough to be above the laundry tub so it could stay right there when you use it.

Check out a few comments in this thread. https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-100-DIY-Sprinter-Conversion-The-Making-It-There-van
about the Camp Chef stove oven combo. I really want to put one in my cargo trailer, but I'm going to look into it further. I may find a used RV stove oven combo and make a box for it - it will be a little heavier, but should be much better quality. Mine will rarely move from the counter it will be on though so a few extra pounds isn't as big a concern as it might be for you.

Looks like a great start!

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

I've had racks on my trucks for 35 years, and tend to carry quite a bit up there. That said, I would avoid carrying all but the lightest stuff up there if possible. Once an a trip through Baja I had 2 5 gallon fuel cans on a very strong Con Fer brand rack on the roof of my truck. It looked cool, but I could feel the weight up there even on a 1 ton truck. I hit a dip at a little bit of speed on a dirt 2 track and the weight actually bent the mounts for the rack.

Looks like a great start!

The thing about the water bladder is it is the length and width of a wheelbarrow  so the weight is spread out pretty well. In the 5 gal fuel cans the weight is concentrated in a fairly small amount of space thereby applying more pressure per square inch. I'm fairly confident that a rack with supporting bars across the bottom (where the bag would ride) and mounted to the gutters would support the weight of the water. The bladder is only about 8 inches tall when full so there wouldn't be a lot of extra top heaviness added.

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

 24'' wide is not a lot of room to maneuver around to get clean 

I decided on 24" wide by measuring my computer chair seat. It's right at 20" and I sit comfortably in it. I gave myself another 4" thinking I can sit on my (plastic bucket and toilet seat) toilet and have enough room to reach all the parts that need reaching. I am thinking that the part I show extended to 24" for the shower could actually be extended all the way to the step if I needed to.

 

[highdesertranger]

you will be surprised on how much top heaviness will be added with the water bladder. plus the water will slosh moving the weight around. this sloshing will be in the opposite direction as you would want, greatly magnifying the weight of the water. I have known people using the bladders on racks, but they only did it for getting water to camp, not as a permanent water reservoir. highdesertranger

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Looks good so far Michelle!

By the way, your signature, "No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams.", is awesome! That describes my feelings exactly! Is that a personal quote? Can I use it? For what I don't know, but I wrote it down, lol.

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

you will be surprised on how much top heaviness will be added with the water bladder.  plus the water will slosh moving the weight around.  this sloshing will be in the opposite direction as you would want,  greatly magnifying the weight of the water.  I have known people using the bladders on racks,  but they only did it for getting water to camp,  not as a permanent  water reservoir.  highdesertranger

That would be about what I would end up doing, getting water close to where I want to camp and then going in. I don't know how comfortable I'd be using water that had been in the bag for very long.

 

[Michelle (GMC Gypsy)]

Looks good so far Michelle!

By the way, your signature, "No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams.",  is awesome! That describes my feelings exactly! Is that a personal quote? Can I use it? For what I don't know, but I wrote it down, lol.

It's a quote by Maya Menedez. I wish I had come up with it myself.    I came across it on Facebook today. Feel free to use it.