I ordered the two-bed model last year, just after the overland expo east, and then picked it up in Pittsburgh on Feb 24. I don't want to act like I know everything about them. I've ony had it 2 months and taken it on two short weekend trips, the first of which was to Gatlinburg and Cades Cove weekend before last (not exactly the wilderness), and then to the gorge in grandfather district of Pisgah national forest this past weekend.
I've felt like a salesman/tour guide for the past month as this thing is definitely a conversation piece. Everyone stops and looks at it, asks to see it and wants to talk, whether I'm in a walmart parking lot, in the campground, or sitting in traffic. I did remove the obnoxious decals from the sides, but left the website decals and have had people come up to me and talk after going to the website lol
anyway,
The ordering process was fairly straightforward and they were reasonably accommodating to the changes I wanted. In the end, I decided to scrap all the crazy mods I wanted and go back to the base model (mostly in case I wanted to sell it) and all I really added was
-tankless propane hot water heater
-extra battery* (ordered 1, received 2 for total of 3x 102Ah batteries)
-extra jerry can holders (2x water, 2x fuel, total 4x)
*my understanding at time of order was that they were going to put the extra batteries where the left side spare tire goes, but instead they put them inside and just put a box where the spare tire is. presumably it's for a honda style portable generator, but that's totally unnecessary in my case. I installed a dual battery system in my truck and have dual 220amp alternators so i disconnected the front solar panel and use the same wire (surprisingly the appropriate gauge) to hook to the system in my truck, so when I'm driving down the road, i'm charging the batteries and can monitor from inside the truck, instead of charging from solar. If you only have 1 battery, the generator may be useful, but I'd prob store it elsewhere.
If I were doing it again, I would probably put the extra Jerry can holders where that box is, as to be honest, I am a bit concerned that 80lbs of water/fuel bouncing up and down over boulders and ruts will rip the holders off the side of the wall.
I've provided multiple pages of feedback to James and the guys about the original condition. There were quite a lot of things that were not right initially, but they have done a good job fixing them and providing me parts to fix the rest. Everyone who has ever bought a new RV has told me the QC on all RVs suck and you spend the first year fixing stuff. So I guess I'm a little ahead since I have most of my bugs worked out in just under 2 months. So I won't go into the details other than to say if you buy one, go over every last inch of the electrical system. In the roughly 2 months since I've had it, I've completely rewired it. Literally almost every wire. I will also say none of my local propane service outlets would work on it without completely replacing every single fitting on the trailer, as they all said the connectors used are not up to code in the US. I realize I bought the first one, and am hopeful that future trailers imported will come with the proper fittings. I'll be replacing the water fitting as well, and adding a heater pad to the water tank.
On the positive side, I'd like to stress all the important stuff (frame, welding, fiberglass, canvas etc) is excellent. There's no flexing or creaking etc whatsoever. And overall, I'm really happy with it and think it's going to meet my needs. I plan to do a lot of modifications myself to it, which I'll share later.
I especially like the way all the ports seal up and feel like I probably could ford a river without destroying the inside. However, I wonder if it ever rains or gets cold in South Africa. Water falling from the sky seems to find its way into both the front and back when it's closed up in trailer mode. No leaks when it's deployed so far. I had to treat my front mattress for mold after just a month, as water had leaked in while it sat in my driveway and soaked the bottom of the mattress where I couldn't see or feel it.
I also like the rest of the features it has and doesn't have. For example, I like the water tank, and don't want grey or black water tanks. I like the hot/cold water in the sink and the propane burners. And I like that the kitchen is on the outside but has a hard panel to discourage yogi and booboo. The cups/glasses/plates/bowls/etc that come with it are appropriate and I didn't feel any need to replace them. The foam holds them all in place except the tall glasses. Every time I go offroad, the tall glasses are all over the kitchen when I open it up. I don't think they'll last long like that so I will probably try making the foam more snug with a couple layers of tape or something. The folding table is a nice touch, but its bag doesn't really do an adequate job of sealing the tent box. The inside is always wet after it rains.
Anyways,on to the pics:
first day back in Tennessee. tows like a dream. lost about 2 mpg. could barely tell it was back there.
flipped the beds out without the rain fly. The mattresses are quite comfy. The bed area was not built for American adults, but is as advertised. I'm 6'5" and almost fit diagonally. There isn't enough room to really sit up in bed and some things like reaching the light switch on the roof require actually getting out of bed, which can be irritating.
another towing vehicle pic on the overlook above gatlinburg
Next several pics are set up with rain fly in the cades cove campground in GSMNP
I really like the way the rain fly attaches to the trailer. easy and quick to set up and keeps water out.
The batwing awning is one of the best parts about the trailer. It is super easy to deploy and stow. And it seems pretty sturdy, however it does hold water and i don't imagine it would survive a deep snow. The ends have holes through which I ran zip ties and then hang LUCI lights. This works pretty well for keeping the area lit up all night with minimal effort and no electricity use.
The trailvan does come with a huge tent, walls, ground cover etc. The batwing does everything I need though so I may never even use the big tent. At this point, I would have preferred that as an optional accessory I could have saved a few bucks on.
A bit more about the electronics:
This is how they are installed. The two additional batteries are installed to the left under the bench seat behind the monitor.
One important thing to understand is that it doesn't come with an inverter. There are AC outlets on it, but they're wired to shore power. They don't run off the batteries. (******?) That was one of the first things I fixed, so I had an inverter installed (under the shelf). Also, apparently Africa may not yet be aware the rest of the world powers everything off USB outlets. Ordering powerlet-to-USB converters was more of an adventure than it needed to be.
Also, on the far right behind the battery is the water pump. And behind that (an impossibly stupid location to reach) is another fuse box.
The toggle switch you see over the monitor turns the hot water and pump on.
Oh, and the solar panel puts out >20 volts on a very cloudy day.
I'll post more later as I get a bit more experience under my belt. feel free to ask any questions. I'll probably be in the Smokeys or near Ashville again the next few weekends, if anyone wants to go camping.
I've felt like a salesman/tour guide for the past month as this thing is definitely a conversation piece. Everyone stops and looks at it, asks to see it and wants to talk, whether I'm in a walmart parking lot, in the campground, or sitting in traffic. I did remove the obnoxious decals from the sides, but left the website decals and have had people come up to me and talk after going to the website lol
anyway,
The ordering process was fairly straightforward and they were reasonably accommodating to the changes I wanted. In the end, I decided to scrap all the crazy mods I wanted and go back to the base model (mostly in case I wanted to sell it) and all I really added was
-tankless propane hot water heater
-extra battery* (ordered 1, received 2 for total of 3x 102Ah batteries)
-extra jerry can holders (2x water, 2x fuel, total 4x)
*my understanding at time of order was that they were going to put the extra batteries where the left side spare tire goes, but instead they put them inside and just put a box where the spare tire is. presumably it's for a honda style portable generator, but that's totally unnecessary in my case. I installed a dual battery system in my truck and have dual 220amp alternators so i disconnected the front solar panel and use the same wire (surprisingly the appropriate gauge) to hook to the system in my truck, so when I'm driving down the road, i'm charging the batteries and can monitor from inside the truck, instead of charging from solar. If you only have 1 battery, the generator may be useful, but I'd prob store it elsewhere.
If I were doing it again, I would probably put the extra Jerry can holders where that box is, as to be honest, I am a bit concerned that 80lbs of water/fuel bouncing up and down over boulders and ruts will rip the holders off the side of the wall.
I've provided multiple pages of feedback to James and the guys about the original condition. There were quite a lot of things that were not right initially, but they have done a good job fixing them and providing me parts to fix the rest. Everyone who has ever bought a new RV has told me the QC on all RVs suck and you spend the first year fixing stuff. So I guess I'm a little ahead since I have most of my bugs worked out in just under 2 months. So I won't go into the details other than to say if you buy one, go over every last inch of the electrical system. In the roughly 2 months since I've had it, I've completely rewired it. Literally almost every wire. I will also say none of my local propane service outlets would work on it without completely replacing every single fitting on the trailer, as they all said the connectors used are not up to code in the US. I realize I bought the first one, and am hopeful that future trailers imported will come with the proper fittings. I'll be replacing the water fitting as well, and adding a heater pad to the water tank.
On the positive side, I'd like to stress all the important stuff (frame, welding, fiberglass, canvas etc) is excellent. There's no flexing or creaking etc whatsoever. And overall, I'm really happy with it and think it's going to meet my needs. I plan to do a lot of modifications myself to it, which I'll share later.
I especially like the way all the ports seal up and feel like I probably could ford a river without destroying the inside. However, I wonder if it ever rains or gets cold in South Africa. Water falling from the sky seems to find its way into both the front and back when it's closed up in trailer mode. No leaks when it's deployed so far. I had to treat my front mattress for mold after just a month, as water had leaked in while it sat in my driveway and soaked the bottom of the mattress where I couldn't see or feel it.
I also like the rest of the features it has and doesn't have. For example, I like the water tank, and don't want grey or black water tanks. I like the hot/cold water in the sink and the propane burners. And I like that the kitchen is on the outside but has a hard panel to discourage yogi and booboo. The cups/glasses/plates/bowls/etc that come with it are appropriate and I didn't feel any need to replace them. The foam holds them all in place except the tall glasses. Every time I go offroad, the tall glasses are all over the kitchen when I open it up. I don't think they'll last long like that so I will probably try making the foam more snug with a couple layers of tape or something. The folding table is a nice touch, but its bag doesn't really do an adequate job of sealing the tent box. The inside is always wet after it rains.
Anyways,on to the pics:
first day back in Tennessee. tows like a dream. lost about 2 mpg. could barely tell it was back there.
flipped the beds out without the rain fly. The mattresses are quite comfy. The bed area was not built for American adults, but is as advertised. I'm 6'5" and almost fit diagonally. There isn't enough room to really sit up in bed and some things like reaching the light switch on the roof require actually getting out of bed, which can be irritating.
another towing vehicle pic on the overlook above gatlinburg
Next several pics are set up with rain fly in the cades cove campground in GSMNP
I really like the way the rain fly attaches to the trailer. easy and quick to set up and keeps water out.
The batwing awning is one of the best parts about the trailer. It is super easy to deploy and stow. And it seems pretty sturdy, however it does hold water and i don't imagine it would survive a deep snow. The ends have holes through which I ran zip ties and then hang LUCI lights. This works pretty well for keeping the area lit up all night with minimal effort and no electricity use.
The trailvan does come with a huge tent, walls, ground cover etc. The batwing does everything I need though so I may never even use the big tent. At this point, I would have preferred that as an optional accessory I could have saved a few bucks on.
A bit more about the electronics:
This is how they are installed. The two additional batteries are installed to the left under the bench seat behind the monitor.
One important thing to understand is that it doesn't come with an inverter. There are AC outlets on it, but they're wired to shore power. They don't run off the batteries. (******?) That was one of the first things I fixed, so I had an inverter installed (under the shelf). Also, apparently Africa may not yet be aware the rest of the world powers everything off USB outlets. Ordering powerlet-to-USB converters was more of an adventure than it needed to be.
Also, on the far right behind the battery is the water pump. And behind that (an impossibly stupid location to reach) is another fuse box.
The toggle switch you see over the monitor turns the hot water and pump on.
Oh, and the solar panel puts out >20 volts on a very cloudy day.
I'll post more later as I get a bit more experience under my belt. feel free to ask any questions. I'll probably be in the Smokeys or near Ashville again the next few weekends, if anyone wants to go camping.
