2001 Lance 815

[BajaSurfRig]

Got my guzzle system in. Set it up so I can do a filter change out of the bottom of the cabinet in order to not spill water on electrical systems during the process. Unfortunately had to use a shark bite elbow as I ran out of 90’s and live an hour round trip from hardware stores. So far so good been drinking my tank water and haven’t gotten sick yet ?

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Took the camper on her first Baja run recently. I have the Lance camper centering wedges (thank you @jefe4x4 for recommending these) in the bed with the torqlift frame tie downs. The camper moved backwards in the bed a few inches so I will be installing a bed mat in the near future. Other than that the camper worked perfectly. Eating ice cream in the desert sums up the trip ?

 

[BajaSurfRig]

For those electrical wizards out there the Lance camper has a 4 pin connection for the running lights. In connecting to this my running lights only work when I am on the brakes or emergency blinkers. In checking the brown “running light” wire with a multimeter it only shows 11.7 volts. Do I need a relay in line of this to boost the voltage to run the lights constantly (I am assuming I am victim of voltage drop)? If so how big of a relay would you all recommend?

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Took the camper up to the eastern sierras to some hotsprings off of dirt roads a few weeks ago. First time camping in the snow with this set up. Set the thermostat to 50F and kept the maxair fan pulling air out at its lowest setting and there was only condensation on the windows, the rest of the camper was dry. Did some slightly technical snow wheeling to get to one of the springs and the camper did great. Need to get a dewault pole saw as there were a few tight squeezes. My Baja dog was not too happy about the cold white sand ?

 

[eg23]

That looks like a great time!!!

 

[lvwilly]

Great looking setup. I have a similar setup with a 2002 815.

Do you figure that the Froli system is worth it? I've tried a few things and have some mat spacers from Lowe's but it doesn't seem to do much. How high does it raise you? Also, where did you find the Lance centering wedges? I looked all over and emailed dealerships with no luck. I finally found some roofing triangle things from Homedepot and used those.

My light wiring was all chopped up and I added some brake lights and turn signals up high on the rear of the camper but I haven't quite gotten it figured out yet. Would be interested to hear if you got yours sorted.

They really seem like the perfect camper for weight and amenities. Love mine.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

I will say that the FROLI system is ridiculously comfortable and it does a great job at circulating air under the mattress. The only downside is with a thick memory foam mattress you are pretty close the ceiling. I bet you could go with a much thinner mattress with the froli mattress than I am running (currently 6”). I sleep just as well in the camper as I do at home.

I got the Lance wedges from a Lance dealer somewhere in So Cal. They special ordered then from Lance and mailed them to me. I really like them as they make loading the camper much easier and the camper has zero movement side to side in the bed when on dirt roads.

Still haven’t figured out my wiring issue. I have been doing a little digging and think it is actually a truck issue. My truck uses the same rear bulbs for tail/ running light and the brake lights. I will need to tap into my running light wire upstream of where it hits whatever type of step down transformer ford used to drop the voltage from 13.6 (voltage read when brake applied) to 11.7 (voltage read from running lights).

I’d like to get the running lights working soon so that people can see I am a big camper in low visibility situations in hopes that they give me more space on the road haha.

So far I love the Lance 815! Simple, light, durable, comfortable and cheap. What more could you want in a camper you beat up on long dirt roads!

 

[mangymarmot]

Camping rig is definitely coming together. Looking good!

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Thanks man! I still have a few small tweaks I want to make but it is getting pretty close!! Now just need to schedule more trips ?

Camping rig is definitely coming together. Looking good!

 

[Hansjensen]

Practically rebuilding my 2001 in SoCal right now.. was on the way to Baja when our electrical went out and we found all kinds of leaks. Too fun. Back to the cold water in the north.

how’d that inverter box work out?

 

[BajaSurfRig]

@Hansjensen Sorry to hear that. These older campers do require some TLC to keep them going sometimes but they are worth it! I hear ya on the cold water, sometimes I get over wearing a hood and boots all the time ? The inverter box has worked great. So far no temperature/ overheating issues. I imagine if I was running a table saw off of it in 100 F weather it might get a little warm though. The only downside with where I put it is it somewhat covers my view out of that little window on the back camper door. Hoping to do another Baja trip in February!

 

[NOPEC]

Looks like your project is going very well, just finished reading your build stuff up until now.

You mentioned that you were going to dicor the edges of your flexible solar panels. I see you have been into some freezing temps with lots of precipitation already. You don't want to chance any freeze/melt cycles with moisture that happened to sneak under them. I am in a snow belt and on my third build with the use of these panels and sealing the edges for me is an abosolute must. You didn't mention it and I bet you have already done it but just thought I would do a Nosy Parker reminder, just in case......

 

[BajaSurfRig]

@NOPEC thanks for the reminder! I actually haven’t done it yet. I don’t go to the snow often and the VHB tape seems to be performing great so far…. But I would hate for a panel to go flying off mid trip, going to circle back around and check it off the list once everything dries out.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Just got back from another Mex trip. Added a bed mat since my last trip and the camper barely moved at all. Still need to figure out the running lights as I ended up in a snow storm with bad visibility on my way home in eastern SD go figure. Also popped an airbag (they came with the truck) on my way home and ended up bouncing off the overloads on the rest of the trip… Need to figure out a more permanent solution for that. Still loving the camper! Will be doing some fine tuning of the interior in the coming months.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

Got back from some wild flower viewing a few hours from where I live. Did about a hundred miles of dirt and the camper/ truck combo did great. Even with washboard roads and some off camber situations when crossing washes it didn’t move around at all in the bed.