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I did a very quick and dirty test of a radiant cooling panel last summer using ice, some garden irrigation tubing and a 12v fuel transfer pump, which i thought was a success. I plan on following up on that this summer with some more tests in the house with a better-made panel mounted over my...

i would look to rinse the pads every time i refilled my main tank - at least once a week

I do mean a swamp cooler, and i do understand their limitations in humid environments. I don't have the weight or power budgets to carry or run a heat pump when i'm off grid, but if i can carry an evaporative unit that is compact and lightweight (and cheap) and can run off 12v solar / battery...

Having finished the camper structural build, i'm now thinking about add ons, including evaporative cooling. Key question is: do these things work best recirculating air inside the space, or should they be mounted in a window or vent where they can pull in and cool fresh air in from outside the...

I started with some aftermarket extendible towing mirrors but they proved to be too big and i couldn't cludge them to fit well - the camper is only just over 7' wide so it will fit in a shipping container, but the mirrors were designed for seeing behind a 8' + trailer. So i got a couple of extra...

a few finishing touches combination microwave/grill/convection oven for when we will be on mains power the space is lined with a fibreglass fire blanket and there is a high volume 12v PC fan at the back to pull hot air out. At the moment its on a manual switch but it will be fitted with a...

Sorry, i have no actual knowledge or opinion on the relative merits of the different vans, i just know they are out there as i have met a few on my travels. Different motorhome body companies and converters around the world use all the platforms so i doubt there is much difference between them...

well the obvious other contenders would be mercedes sprinter and iveco 4x4 conversions, and i think there are some transit 4x4s as well ,but i have no idea on availability or prices. UK vehicle prices are generally a bit lower than many european countries, but it does mean you are limiting...

i truly believe that sustainable biofuels will be a serious player in future - personally i think there is a great future in atmospheric carbon capture/in vitro algae farming for fuel production. I'm not a heavy vehicle so suspect the UK - famous for doing the dumbest things that no-one else...

As someone who bought one a couple of years ago, i suspect euro6 will only be a temporary thing before they force us down the emission free route. I'd consider an electric drive train, scalable batteries that you can add more as they become cheaper and you need to use them more often, and plug...

Don't forget old school techniques. Whilst i actually studied as an engineer and used CAD in my working role, i still make models and dummy versions of things from cardboard, wood, paper and fabric - i built a mock up of our interior space that i could actually sit on planks across crates and...

if you go the custom panel route they can include wiring channels in to your specs. But obviously you need to have everything planned out 100% I went the other route and surface ran my wiring and then hid it with cupboards and trim panels so I can still get to it to run extras and splice into...

i don't know. I spoke with an industrial lead screw supplier in the UK about requirements and he recommended 24mm screws and solid steel nuts, but they could also supply bronze and ball nuts that were capable of much more load. Their engineer was able to give me a buckling load on a length of...

leas screws are widely available - the risk is buckling if you have a very long thin screw, so i would probably go with 12mm...

i had originally thought about a cheaper, easier to work on/less complicated older truck, in particular a Nissan Navarra, but they are now infamous in the UK for frame corrosion and snapping in half, and the older you go the lower their weight rating is. We expect the truck to spend 95% of its...

Are you talking about pickup trucks like the ford ranger/nissan navarra/toyota hilux, or bigger like a ford transit/mercedes sprinter cab chassis? Spanish regs allow for an overhang of upto 300mm either side from a vehicle "designed to carry loads" - ie not stuck out of the back seat window -...

look at 3d printing/CNC components for acme/lead screws - places like ebay usually list a whole range. Robotics companies are a good source of 12v motors and gearboxes. I paid about euro65 each for my motors and euro30 for each 1m 24mm lead screw to make my camper jacks which is probably a lot...

there is hope - a bunch of students have invented an electrostatic collection device https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/195595/worlds-first-device-capture-harmful-tyre/ hopefully they can commercialise it into something that looks more like a glorified mudflap.....

I've now made my additional fibreglass tie down brackets from some woven tape i had left form my frame build, layered with CSM and formed over a piece of 5mm core material (also left over from other jobs). This tape is pretty strong - i can hang my weight off a single loop of it - so hopefully...

Some kitchen progress..... We wanted a double sink but with the delays in manufacturing and delivery that seem to be plaguing the European camping market at the moment (had to wait ages for windows and other parts) the only one I was able to find was an old stock under-mount. It was a bargain...