I think we are headed for a correction on this, in part due to how bad the numbers look for a lot of young people right now. People who can’t afford the best of everything want to have fun and be...

Did you fully replace your DIY camper?

I’ve also been trying to understand the appeal of driving bad roads for hours for the sole purpose of doing it. Having a decent amount of clearance has real...

His and hers vans with one for you and the dog!

Seriously reading about all of this it always sounds like the grass is greener on the other side. The only thing less green is your wallet!

Nice light! Is overnight RV parking easy to find some places in the alps? I ask because in general, parking and roadway size seemed so limited to me in my brief visits there that I’m surprised ski...

Nice. Which box did you use? I’d like to look up the dimensions. (I tried you send you a message but your box is full)

Good points. Thanks.



Do you transport this inside your vehicle when not in use? My main concern there would be spilling diesel and the associated smell. I've heard of people having fuel...

Do you guys have any fear whatsoever of your cheap diesel heater catching on fire and BBQing you in your RV? This is a serious question from a naïve person.

Is that a passive or powered vent?

That is pretty impressive!

Was that crazy enough to work, or just crazy?

WTF really???? That has to just be a major handout to the RV industry and nothing else. Why are we paying for people's RVs by giving them a tax break?

Thanks for the tips. I don't think I will put a huge amount of miles on this, so dood performance with a bit shorter life might be ok. Since I live in the PNW lowlands also, I should probably go...

Yes it’s the 1500. Mine has 223k so I’m sure the trans could go, but I factored that in to the finances. I didn’t know about the transfer case leakage and will watch for that.

Naively I always assumed this is a big part of why I see trucks/SUVs with oversized tires getting stuck or fishtailing on ice and sometimes packed snow. High contact patch surface area to weight...

I've driven Coq on solid skating rink ice! I thought M+S were all seasons? Maybe not. Good point about commercial trucks - although I've seen the remains of a lot of them along the side of Rogers! To...

I asked and they say "These units also come with mud and snow tires, as well as tire chains. "

Through that link I'm seeing $200/dayCAD for a week long rental after fees and taxes and I agree that's competitive when you consider that in the US and camper van rental is often $300US or more per...

Shirk, is that a pressurized water can strapped to the back of the seat? Do tell.

I’ve considered the cooler->fridge swap in our SUV camper (an old Suburban) but wonder if it’s going to be a...

Wow that is a really cool view! The light through the clouds on the carpet of green is amazing.

My ultra basic camp shower solution has been to submerge a battery powered shower pump in a bucket of water. Water is stored in a black container and warmed in the sun (if it's a warm sunny day) or I...

I keep hearing about the old Canadian mining claim trick! I did not know about the long term recreation rule. What counts as a temporary structure?

Nice plan/dream. How far north?

I was asking if anyone other than Whipski had - should have been more specific.



I’d love to rig something like this but haven’t seen much in the way of viable lots anywhere near snow. The...

Has anyone else gone the route of buying a lot specifically to RV near skiing?

Yeah that pricing would be closer to appealing now - especially after depreciation. I can't drive a huge number of miles, so getting one fresh from the factory seems like a waste. I suppose the...

One day I’d like to purchase a used AWD Transit for a non-astronomical price but at this rate it may not be possible until 2030

A friend built a super minimal Sprinter that he uses for travel and camping with wife and kids. They love it, but he said it was loud enough in the back that it was hard for the kids to hear them and...

I've seen photos online from people who made a fan board to fit into their moon roof which is kind of cool. Assuming it's not pouring rain you could crack the moon roof and get ventilation.
...

I took a short ride in the back seat of a friend's self-converted Transit and I have to say it was rattley and lot AF back there. If I was going to make one, I would be doing everything possible to...

I did a crappy version of this and it does work and ventilate. I don't have rain guards so cracking the window can let water in currently...

You are the first person I've heard of using a heater in a vehicle that small that is not a RTT. In a PNW climate, any outside activities can become wet/cold activities which make the in/out...

I’ve never seen someone with a heater and roof vent in a minivan. It seems like there would not be enough space. Inside bike storage when traveling is also limited. Otherwise, the driveability would...

I can appreciate the effort put into a brain dump for the benefit of others. Thanks for giving another NW dad some pro tips.

The ski lodging situation in WA us perhaps a little better than OR,...

Schralph are you located far from where you ski? I was wondering if you tended to go for many days at a time. Hauling and setting up a trailer for skiing seems like no small feat.

We’ve got a lot...

This is what is getting me interested. My family naps a lot more than I do, but I still want to be able to go skiing, biking, hiking at the same time/place even if we don’t always want to start and...

A friend of mine has tent camped a few times at Mt Baker in winter, and I think some people do it regularly there. I don't want to tent camp near parking lots/cars due to noise and the tent...

In all seriousness, I considered a middle ground of putting a diesel heater in an SUV but couldn't make it work out in my head...

Edit: fiberglass shell might be the answer. I forgot to mention...

So to regularly camp in my vehicle in winter I either need $200k, one thousand hours of spare time, or $0 and no place to live

Got it. Well I hope it gave you something positive to focus on, and clearly you are having fun with it. Nice work. The inside photo makes it look huge!

Does anyone recognize this hard sided pop...

I think you probably mentioned this earlier in the thread, but is the reason you built this that nothing similar on the market exists?

I have had a set of "drystix" which appear identical to those for approximately 1 million years, so I can second the durability claim. They definitely don't dry quickly - I think a PNW-wet ski boot...

Does it now cost more to camp in a parking lot in the US than to live in Europe? Asking for a friend.

Serious question: how tall of a person can fit in a Japanese mini-truck and camper?

How wide/long is your sleeping space?

Ok that’s sort of what I expected - a fairly long charge time. It works if you happen to be moving a lot. I assume that’s where the generator comes in: a way to get safe electric heat when you are...

How long does it take to fully charge your batteries from the truck and what sort of charging system do you have? I’m impressed that you can run even the 90 watt heater for that long.

What baller.

Seriously tho report back....

Do you have an insulation or heating game plan or are you keeping in raw metal for offroad use?

Chatted with a guy at a trailhead today who had a Four Wheel Camper “Project M” canopy thing that he was nuts for. Just a pop up canopy with a sleeping platform, but he said you get more storage...

FWIW I know a few people with Pelotons who only ride indoors and they are probably fitter than I am.

I know a few people with new $180k converted vans. They are nice people who like to travel and...