Belinda2
Well-known member
Compassrose,
Oh! Your home is beautiful!
Jay and Margie,
Ha Ha Ha
Oh! Your home is beautiful!
Jay and Margie,
Ha Ha Ha
Portable Laundry Machines?
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WheelEstate USA
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Rose, I can see having your own works for you and you have the space and weight capacity to handle it. I can't see it in a rig our size, and especially a smaller rig...nor for those who boondock most of the time.
Kudos on the nice work on the conversion.
Kudos on the nice work on the conversion.
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compassrose, I sincerely apologize if I came across as judgmental, that was not my intention at all. But re-reading it I can see how it easily could seem that way. I do apologize.
However, the OP is converting s Sprinter van not a 40 foot school bus. My advice to you would have been totally different than it was to him. In fact I specifically used the word "Sprinter" in my post so everyone would know it was tailored to one specific person in one specific situation. The OP did not give a lot of info but if you choose a Spinter, most people intend to travel a lot and boondock, so I gave advice based on that. But that was an assumption and I may have been wrong
My advice to anyone building a regular van is to deeply simplify all their plans and that is especially true if it is a couple in a van.!! I honestly think that is good advice but I have many,many examples on the blog and websites of elaborate builds and certainly do not judge them for that. Instead I admire and praise the quality of their work. In this case, the OP is a couple but the Sprinter is bigger and he has some extra money to spend so he can do more than most people can. But still, I don't think a washer and dryer is practical.
I have friends who are a couple and they lived in a Sprinter and based on that I honestly can't see where a washer and dryer would go. So for any couple in a Sprinter, my advice will always be not to try to get a washer dryer in it. Do you think I was wrong and they should get them?
My advice to anyone in a 40 foot school bus is that a washer and dryer is totally practical. The bus can handle the weight and you have plenty of room for huge tanks. Putting solar on the roof and handling the battery bank could be done if you have the money. If not then putting in a generator would be easy. If that's what you want, go for it!!
I'm sorry my writing and advice offended you and I will try to do better in the future.
Bob
However, the OP is converting s Sprinter van not a 40 foot school bus. My advice to you would have been totally different than it was to him. In fact I specifically used the word "Sprinter" in my post so everyone would know it was tailored to one specific person in one specific situation. The OP did not give a lot of info but if you choose a Spinter, most people intend to travel a lot and boondock, so I gave advice based on that. But that was an assumption and I may have been wrong
My advice to anyone building a regular van is to deeply simplify all their plans and that is especially true if it is a couple in a van.!! I honestly think that is good advice but I have many,many examples on the blog and websites of elaborate builds and certainly do not judge them for that. Instead I admire and praise the quality of their work. In this case, the OP is a couple but the Sprinter is bigger and he has some extra money to spend so he can do more than most people can. But still, I don't think a washer and dryer is practical.
I have friends who are a couple and they lived in a Sprinter and based on that I honestly can't see where a washer and dryer would go. So for any couple in a Sprinter, my advice will always be not to try to get a washer dryer in it. Do you think I was wrong and they should get them?
My advice to anyone in a 40 foot school bus is that a washer and dryer is totally practical. The bus can handle the weight and you have plenty of room for huge tanks. Putting solar on the roof and handling the battery bank could be done if you have the money. If not then putting in a generator would be easy. If that's what you want, go for it!!
I'm sorry my writing and advice offended you and I will try to do better in the future.
Bob
decodancer
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I love your bus Compass Rose. Bob, your apology was so well spoken. I respect your responses because they are always taylored to each posters situation. I used to hang out at another site where everybody had million dollar motorhomes. Rarely could I add anything that they would have interest in. If I had a problem they would offer advise that was too costly for me to consider even working full time. I love this site because it appears to me that everyone is welcome regardless of the size of your rig or your wallet. I currently live in a 28 foot TT with all the amenities. I've lived in a van and will again very soon. Converting a bus would be a dream for me. I read the boondocking and stealth posts because I find them interesting. Stealth is too scary for me and while I might boondock on occasion, it will never be a choice if I can find and or afford a campsite. We can all learn from others
Bela's Mom
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I too am always impressed with the skills of the people on this forum that are able to build exactly what they want in their rig, whatever the size. While I can fix quite a few things in my van, I don't have the skills or the strength to do a lot of things I want to do. Compassrose, your bus is amazing.
I have a Sprinter Class B. Even if I had the space for a washer and dryer, the other problems involved would outweigh its usefulness to me. The added weight would require me to toss other things I need. I don't have the additional power, unless I'm hooked up to shore power or using propane running the generator. Even then, I would need to be close to a dump for the grey water. So for me, it's manual washing when boondocking or the laundrymat!
I certainly do not look down on people with different set-ups. When I was younger, a tent, fishing poles, pan to cook the fish, a bucket, five gallon water jug, solar shower and some gas money was all that I needed. Now, I need a bit more, lol! To me, that is what this lifestyle is all about! The freedom to have it the way you want it!
I have a Sprinter Class B. Even if I had the space for a washer and dryer, the other problems involved would outweigh its usefulness to me. The added weight would require me to toss other things I need. I don't have the additional power, unless I'm hooked up to shore power or using propane running the generator. Even then, I would need to be close to a dump for the grey water. So for me, it's manual washing when boondocking or the laundrymat!
I certainly do not look down on people with different set-ups. When I was younger, a tent, fishing poles, pan to cook the fish, a bucket, five gallon water jug, solar shower and some gas money was all that I needed. Now, I need a bit more, lol! To me, that is what this lifestyle is all about! The freedom to have it the way you want it!
Lucky mike
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I'm the same way Bella!......other than my toy box got a little bigger , most old school methods work better...I tote the panda around for lazy days when power is available but the 5 gallon bucket and plunger method seems to be the normal morning coffee & light laundry duty.....and its extremely effective.
most out here are boondockers or asphalt dwellers and to spend 10 minutes pushing a plunger to wash clothes is cheaper than 10 bucks in a laundramat.....that 10 is a couple meals or a deal later.
onboard machines use 25 plus gallons per load thats alot of water and waste if your not in a park when doing it.
to each there path , hoping for less footprints and more enjoyment!!!!
most out here are boondockers or asphalt dwellers and to spend 10 minutes pushing a plunger to wash clothes is cheaper than 10 bucks in a laundramat.....that 10 is a couple meals or a deal later.
onboard machines use 25 plus gallons per load thats alot of water and waste if your not in a park when doing it.
to each there path , hoping for less footprints and more enjoyment!!!!
compassrose
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Bob, I'm sorry if I came across a bit testy. I was trying to get it posted before I had to go to work. Part of the reason we converted a bus (other than we had one) was to make a residential vehicle. Literally a home on wheels with the things we were used to. I think more of you should look into converting or buying an already converted smaller school bus because they can handle so much more weight, are built like tanks and have high clearances for the out-of-the-way boondockers. But then I am a bit biased. Fuel milage generally sucks (6 to 10 mpg) but then it's about on par with similar sized RVs. The "shorty" buses (built on a van chassis) that you see at every Head Start, daycare and church may be what many of you could use and it too can be steathy as they are used by so many churches (your own church? my daughter is ordained via internet!). One guy (no longer there on skoolie.net) built a shorty that looked like a SWAT vehicle. He wasn't exactly "stealthy" but no one messed with him as thy tended to think he was "official". For what some of you are sinking into vans, I think you would be better off in a short skoolie. Ah, but I am a tad biased on school buses as rolling homes.
(WARNING! A rant will now begin. If you do not wish to read the rant, please stop reading now. Go make a nice cup of tea and peruse another post.)
I am tired of the "RV" sites where I am looked down on because I have a school bus (even if it is a BlueBird who used to make the Wanderlodges... not the same cachet), I work and NOT volunteer (which usually sounds like a ripoff to me once I figure hours vs the site's monthly rent), I do not have a pension, I am under 65, I am not independantly wealthy AND we stay in one spot long term (because I have a job) instead of moving every few days. I have even been told I am not a fulltimer BECAUSE we stay in one spot so long. I got involved in a multipage hissy-fest where "real boondockers" pitched a verbal tantrum worthy of a spoiled two year old because I called parking overnight in a parking lot without hookups "boondocking" ("Wal-Mart isn't the boonies"). I remember when that was the correct term. Also I apparently can't call it "wally-docking" as that can ONLY be done in a WAL-MART parking lot and no place else. So I made up my own term for what we do (Freedom Parking) and put MY definition on a webpage (Official Definition of Freedom Parking as of 05/18/2013 4:24PM MST "Freedom Camping" is any time that one parks their Residential Vehicle in a place and they remain self contained and do not hook up to any utilities and/or do not use any facilities. This can be in any no facility campground, the side of any road, any paved parking lot, any store parking lot, any rest area, shoreline of any water (lake, creek, river, ocean, bay, reservoir), any vacant land either public or private.). I was told, repeatedly, that because the "official" definition of "boondocking" was on a website that made it "official". I even made up "guidelines" that we generally follow. That got a few panties in a twist. Did I mention I got booted from the Escapees Forum? No big loss as all their "fixes" require the phrase "got to Camping World or your RV dealership" and involve spending LOTS of money. Oh and we apparently "RV" since it is not "camping" if you are in an RV.
Gee, I remember back when there were not so many layers of social classifications within a campground or RV park (yet another "definition war" on campground vs RV Park vs resort). It didn't matter if you were in a motorhome, trailer, pop-up, van (the converson vans from the late 70's early 80's were awesome with such cool paint jobs... don't see that anymore!), tent or just a sleeping bag or blanket on the ground. We were all out there "camping" and having a good time. And people were friendly too. We have been "camping" since we met in a state park campground in 1979 (sleeping bag on the ground in front of the fire). Over the years we moved up from the sleeping bag (next weekend we bought a three man mountain tent from K-Mart) to a cabin tent, to a hard sided pop-up (even full timed in it for over a year), to a vintage Class C and finally to the skoolie (and bought an Eagle 05 highway coach shell to convert while owning the popup and Class C.... too much rust to get past). I still call all these places where these RV stay "campgrounds". WHAT HAPPENED! And you can't even have a campfire anymore either from burning bans (those I understand) or "allergies" (so why don't these people have HEPA filters on everything?). If you have a propane campfire in a can, you STILL get people screaming about the "smoke form the campfire".
And what is wrong with "semi-permanent RVers", isn't that the definition of a snowbird? Someone who parks for MONTHS and then leaves to go park at another location for MONTHS? And my personal fav... "workers"! What these people who complain about "workers" living in RV's apparently have never worked. Just because they are retired and can sleep in, they complain about the workers who get up to go to work. As a worker, what about the retired RVers who crank up their diesel vehicle and let it warm up for an hour while they loudly pack up to leave on one of the two mornings I get to sleep in? And I get the nasty looks from them! I can't figure out if it's because we live in the bus (you should see how some people look at it) or because I leave out at 5:30AM to go to work. Okay, I have cranked up the radio a bit loudly for the real PITAs once in a while. I cannot help that my light come on in the winter darkness. Atleast now I do not leave out at 3:30AM. Occasionally I am not the first one to leave. But when I do leave, others are getting ready to leave too (we've got a huge pile of oil field workers here and they all drive big diesel trucks with big generator/welding machines on the back).
And the slideouts!!!! If you have to have an RV with so many slideouts that your RV looks like a porcupine, then don't complain the sites are too narrow and quit putting your slideouts in MY site that I am paying for. I don't want your RV in my site unless you are going to pay for my site. Everyone is too close as it is without a 2 ft piece of RV sticking into my site. It's a good thing we don't have an awning on our bus! We have had slideouts that were only 3" away from our bus!
(Rant over)
Okay, I feel better now. We are so past time to leave here... only 512 more days. Time to get ready to go to work and mix paint. Y'all have a nice day and thank you for shopping at Home Depot (repeat, repeat, repeat).
(WARNING! A rant will now begin. If you do not wish to read the rant, please stop reading now. Go make a nice cup of tea and peruse another post.)
I am tired of the "RV" sites where I am looked down on because I have a school bus (even if it is a BlueBird who used to make the Wanderlodges... not the same cachet), I work and NOT volunteer (which usually sounds like a ripoff to me once I figure hours vs the site's monthly rent), I do not have a pension, I am under 65, I am not independantly wealthy AND we stay in one spot long term (because I have a job) instead of moving every few days. I have even been told I am not a fulltimer BECAUSE we stay in one spot so long. I got involved in a multipage hissy-fest where "real boondockers" pitched a verbal tantrum worthy of a spoiled two year old because I called parking overnight in a parking lot without hookups "boondocking" ("Wal-Mart isn't the boonies"). I remember when that was the correct term. Also I apparently can't call it "wally-docking" as that can ONLY be done in a WAL-MART parking lot and no place else. So I made up my own term for what we do (Freedom Parking) and put MY definition on a webpage (Official Definition of Freedom Parking as of 05/18/2013 4:24PM MST "Freedom Camping" is any time that one parks their Residential Vehicle in a place and they remain self contained and do not hook up to any utilities and/or do not use any facilities. This can be in any no facility campground, the side of any road, any paved parking lot, any store parking lot, any rest area, shoreline of any water (lake, creek, river, ocean, bay, reservoir), any vacant land either public or private.). I was told, repeatedly, that because the "official" definition of "boondocking" was on a website that made it "official". I even made up "guidelines" that we generally follow. That got a few panties in a twist. Did I mention I got booted from the Escapees Forum? No big loss as all their "fixes" require the phrase "got to Camping World or your RV dealership" and involve spending LOTS of money. Oh and we apparently "RV" since it is not "camping" if you are in an RV.
Gee, I remember back when there were not so many layers of social classifications within a campground or RV park (yet another "definition war" on campground vs RV Park vs resort). It didn't matter if you were in a motorhome, trailer, pop-up, van (the converson vans from the late 70's early 80's were awesome with such cool paint jobs... don't see that anymore!), tent or just a sleeping bag or blanket on the ground. We were all out there "camping" and having a good time. And people were friendly too. We have been "camping" since we met in a state park campground in 1979 (sleeping bag on the ground in front of the fire). Over the years we moved up from the sleeping bag (next weekend we bought a three man mountain tent from K-Mart) to a cabin tent, to a hard sided pop-up (even full timed in it for over a year), to a vintage Class C and finally to the skoolie (and bought an Eagle 05 highway coach shell to convert while owning the popup and Class C.... too much rust to get past). I still call all these places where these RV stay "campgrounds". WHAT HAPPENED! And you can't even have a campfire anymore either from burning bans (those I understand) or "allergies" (so why don't these people have HEPA filters on everything?). If you have a propane campfire in a can, you STILL get people screaming about the "smoke form the campfire".
And what is wrong with "semi-permanent RVers", isn't that the definition of a snowbird? Someone who parks for MONTHS and then leaves to go park at another location for MONTHS? And my personal fav... "workers"! What these people who complain about "workers" living in RV's apparently have never worked. Just because they are retired and can sleep in, they complain about the workers who get up to go to work. As a worker, what about the retired RVers who crank up their diesel vehicle and let it warm up for an hour while they loudly pack up to leave on one of the two mornings I get to sleep in? And I get the nasty looks from them! I can't figure out if it's because we live in the bus (you should see how some people look at it) or because I leave out at 5:30AM to go to work. Okay, I have cranked up the radio a bit loudly for the real PITAs once in a while. I cannot help that my light come on in the winter darkness. Atleast now I do not leave out at 3:30AM. Occasionally I am not the first one to leave. But when I do leave, others are getting ready to leave too (we've got a huge pile of oil field workers here and they all drive big diesel trucks with big generator/welding machines on the back).
And the slideouts!!!! If you have to have an RV with so many slideouts that your RV looks like a porcupine, then don't complain the sites are too narrow and quit putting your slideouts in MY site that I am paying for. I don't want your RV in my site unless you are going to pay for my site. Everyone is too close as it is without a 2 ft piece of RV sticking into my site. It's a good thing we don't have an awning on our bus! We have had slideouts that were only 3" away from our bus!
(Rant over)
Okay, I feel better now. We are so past time to leave here... only 512 more days. Time to get ready to go to work and mix paint. Y'all have a nice day and thank you for shopping at Home Depot (repeat, repeat, repeat).
Lucky mike
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Nice Rant!!!!............
Stand tall my Friend!....we might be considered RVers because our homes are self contained.....But no matter where we park it...We are self sufficient !!!!!
Judge me not for what I have...not for what I was..but for who I am!!!.......P.S all this shall change again by tomorrow!!!
Stand tall my Friend!....we might be considered RVers because our homes are self contained.....But no matter where we park it...We are self sufficient !!!!!
Judge me not for what I have...not for what I was..but for who I am!!!.......P.S all this shall change again by tomorrow!!!
WheelEstate USA
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Rose, I hope the rest of your day is better.
Spaceman Spiff
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Found this, gives good instructions on making a 'hillbilly washing machine':
http://refashionista.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/diy-hillbilly-washing-machine/
Spiff
http://refashionista.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/diy-hillbilly-washing-machine/
Spiff
PattySprinter
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akrvbob said:
Would it be ok to dump one gallon of water from panda washer if dr. bronner's soap was used - I believe dr. bronner's is plant and veg oils.
Thank you for this thread
highdesertranger
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"Would it be ok to dump one gallon of water from panda washer if dr. bronner's soap was used - I believe dr. bronner's is plant and veg oils."
there has been many discussions about this subject here. usually it starts a heated debate. some areas it's legal to dump grey water. some areas it's illegal, the type of soap you use has nothing to do with the legality. I only see more not less restrictions in the future. highdesertranger
there has been many discussions about this subject here. usually it starts a heated debate. some areas it's legal to dump grey water. some areas it's illegal, the type of soap you use has nothing to do with the legality. I only see more not less restrictions in the future. highdesertranger
