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Are the goal-zero panels soldered at the panel end? They don't have to be. My Canadian Solar panels had spade crimps that were no wider than the cable diameter, so they would have fit through a gland. My Renogy panel, on the other hand, is soldered at the panel end...

Either way though, you're probably going to have to remove one connector from the cable - if the hole is big enough to pass the connector, it probably won't seal reliably on the cable jacket itself. The open-vs-closed tolerance of most gland nuts I've seen is maybe 1/16".

Ah, ok. Yeah, we had to get past the old "duffle-shuffle" - with three people in a small rig, everything has to have a dedicated home, otherwise you're just constantly shifting things around any time you move between activities. Thanks.

I'm not the first to raise this question - but I'd love to see more ideas on how people are storing clothing. I'm guess most people use the under-stove/sink area for cooking and food. The rear compartment would be for the Potti if you had one (we would), that leaves only the under-fridge space...

I love it, Mike! Seeing it with the temp spacers makes me wish it would be a pop-up, but I know well just what a pain that would be, so I'm sure the "extension" will work great for you. Good work, and good luck!

Bummer you got weather, but I'm always in favor of bailing out rather than tempting the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing.

You're a hearty and capable operator, that's for damned sure. Any number of those problems would have been trip-enders for me, I'm fairly certain.

Also, your battery problem might be your fridge problem. The efficiency of the compressor motor changes with the input voltage. If the battery is headed south, the compressor won't be as efficient, which further stresses the battery in a feedback loop

Yep. And then, when you get really obsessed, like me, you keep a little list or spreadsheet in your phone. I keep one with weights and measures, so I'm always ready to find that perfectly-sized thing to fit into a given space.

It's funny you mention that - given the number of tech companies I've worked at where a Six-sigma/Lean/Kaizen approach was taught, I sort of forget that it's kind of part of my DNA now. :D

"Simplify, and add lightness" - Colin Chapman It's not just for race car engineers, it's good for overlanders too. My process of slashing weight off the van continues. By going through a bunch of small steps, I have been slowly eliminating or finding new homes for many of the items that I'd...

I'd love for someone to do a true A/B test with a pair of same-make panels - one on the hood and one off, just to get a sense of any change in panel efficiency. The panels will absolutely make power even when they're hot, but the math says they make a lot less, so I'd be cool to see the...

Those are cool - hadn't seen them before. The other option is a 6-bar linkage hinge like VW uses on the buses and vans. There are two advantages to these: (1) you get more height even at the "hinge" end when the top is popped, and (2) you can seal around the entire perimeter of the top (since...

I believe the keypad can be had from the dealer, yes. What's more, as far as I know, they can be "stuck" just about anywhere. I know a couple of folks with them on the rear of their vans.

Depending on your boards, sometimes the "factory" mount isn't awesome. I really like my TRED Pro boards, but their mount uses overly-complicated composite handles that supposedly could be "locked" once seated onto ribbed studs, but there was so much play you could just yank them off the studs...

This is one that I have experience with: https://amzn.to/3xXGGIF The magnets are strong, and the snap-case is big enough for both keys and fobs.

I've found that, by far, the cheapest source for "custom" cutting boards are places like "Home Goods" or TJ-Maxx. Buy whatever is larger than you need and cut it to fit. Round the corners with some 80-grit paper, then sand the cut-edge smooth to 120grit if you're fancy. I've got "custom"...

As I'd already noted the sagging springs, uprated 22-687HD springs (same eye-to-eye and arch, but with an extra leaf, rated to 1750lbs) had already been ordered and were sitting in my garage. These were fitted, and I also fabbed a set of 3" risers for the OEM bump-stops: Combined with the...

So aside from a few COVID-projects to optimize a couple parts of the van, things have been pretty stable/reliable for a while. After a particularly hard push at the day job, I took advantage of a free day to take a solo overnighter up to one of my favorite areas in the San Bernardino National...

Aluminess makes bumpers with or w/o swing-aways for most years of Ford Superduty. Someone more knowledgeable about trucks would have to confirm if that's limited to the F250/F350 models or if they can fit to the F150. I imagine payload is a consideration - even fabbed from mostly aluminum...