Tex68w
Beach Bum
Nothing too crazy or exciting here, just a commercial built fiberglass RV but since I plan to mod it a tad and use it to boon dock while on motorcycle trips and some hunting trips, I figured I'd start a build thread. We picked it up brand new, direct from the factory in Rice, TX (about 45 mins south of Dallas on I45) the third week of February. It's a 2024 Spirt Deluxe, deluxe means it has a wet bath. We opted for every single option short of their new gray wall material and the lower exterior gray gel coat. Being that this started as someone else's order we ended up getting a decent discount versus placing our own order (for literally the same thing) and waiting another 4-6 months for more money.
The Spirit model allows for a 4-seat dinette that turns into a Full/Queen bed (likely how we will have it setup full time) and a side 2-seat dinette than can convert into a single bed should you need to sleep an added guest. It has a kitchen with a two burner gas stove, deep kitchen sink and the microwave/oven cabinet is wired should we ever desire one. Odds are a simple toaster or possibly a toaster oven/air fryer is all it'll ever see as I plan to use that space as the pantry while on extended trips.
Highlight options include a Coleman Mach 8 Plus AC w/heat strip, Suburban furnace, Fiamma F45 awning, Group 31 AGM 100Ah deep cycle battery, Power MaxxFan, electric tongue jack and an outside shower.
On the sales side of things they were a pleasure to work with, our salesman was quick to respond to all emails and calls and come delivery day he provided excellent customer service. My only word of advice here, go over everything with a fine tooth comb before you pull away as make ready and the service delivery team definitely didn't do as good of a job as the sales team. No huge issues, but there were a few small things they should have caught prior to it leaving, that goes for myself as well.
(Picking her up from the factory)
It'll be nice to have a proper shower and toilet while camping for once.
The full kitchen is a nice touch but we have no plans to cook inside very often if at all. Casita recently moved to a low profile, charcoal filter, ventless style hood. This eliminates another entry point for unwanted critters and cleans up the outside of the trailer as it now has one less vent.
Upon getting her home I removed all of the decals for a cleaner look at my wife's request.
Last week I took it to Houston to have the Katy's Closet with LED light installed in the front closet. I did this for better organization and as a small mod for my wife's benefit as I have to do a few things for her along the way if I want her to be happy with this venture as well. They have a really smart design that maximizes the usability of the space and finishes it out nicer than any closet I have seen in a RV trailer. I also had them install a small shelf in the bathroom storage compartment, now it's no longer just a giant water tight cavity with things stacked on top of one another.
My plans at the moment include the Torflex 3" axle lift and 30" BFG KO2's on the factory aluminum wheels and four BAL 7500 lb stabilizer jacks to improve stability and end user serviceability since they are bolted to weld-on plates in more proper locations on the frame. These stabilizer jacks will also eliminate the need for a separate bottle jack to change a flat as they will provide plenty of height and strength to lift the trailer off the ground in the event of a flat. Doug with Casita Works in Bryan, TX will do the install later this week. I also plan to have his receiver hitch installed in the coming months when they come back in stock. The trailer will sit and look similar to this older Casita pictured below.
Aside from having the windows tinted for privacy, better climate control and looks, we plan to use the trailer in this configuration for the remainder of 2024. If we find that the Casita is all we will ever need or desire (I want an Oliver Elite II really badly lol) then I'll likely take the trailer to Texas Customz next spring to have his World's Toughest Casita chassis up-fit installed which will give it a longer frame on one-ton running gear with larger brakes to match the truck along with true suspension and a rail mounted to the tongue to carry the KTM 500 or Honda Trail. This up-fit will also allow me to match the wheels on the truck and I will be able to jump up to a 33" tire as well.
I have an external solar port wired direct to the battery which will allow me to use my 200W solar suitcase to help keep the batteries charging while boon docked. I want to get a few trips under my belt with the 100Ah AGM setup before I jump to lithium but I do plan to eventually make the switch to lithium batteries and dedicated solar panels on the roof. At the moment I have a RedArc smart battery monitor to keep an eye on things and I'll eventually get around to installing the RedArc 1500W inverter as well. I might hold off on that until I make the switch to lithium so that I can have an altogether cleaner and more organized install.
Planned trips for this year include New Mexico this summer and Big Bend in the late fall. I have a few motorcycle trips in the works as well so it'll likely see some use there in Arkansas and possibly Arizona along with random quick weekend trips to the beach and Dallas.
The Spirit model allows for a 4-seat dinette that turns into a Full/Queen bed (likely how we will have it setup full time) and a side 2-seat dinette than can convert into a single bed should you need to sleep an added guest. It has a kitchen with a two burner gas stove, deep kitchen sink and the microwave/oven cabinet is wired should we ever desire one. Odds are a simple toaster or possibly a toaster oven/air fryer is all it'll ever see as I plan to use that space as the pantry while on extended trips.
Highlight options include a Coleman Mach 8 Plus AC w/heat strip, Suburban furnace, Fiamma F45 awning, Group 31 AGM 100Ah deep cycle battery, Power MaxxFan, electric tongue jack and an outside shower.
On the sales side of things they were a pleasure to work with, our salesman was quick to respond to all emails and calls and come delivery day he provided excellent customer service. My only word of advice here, go over everything with a fine tooth comb before you pull away as make ready and the service delivery team definitely didn't do as good of a job as the sales team. No huge issues, but there were a few small things they should have caught prior to it leaving, that goes for myself as well.
(Picking her up from the factory)
It'll be nice to have a proper shower and toilet while camping for once.
The full kitchen is a nice touch but we have no plans to cook inside very often if at all. Casita recently moved to a low profile, charcoal filter, ventless style hood. This eliminates another entry point for unwanted critters and cleans up the outside of the trailer as it now has one less vent.
Upon getting her home I removed all of the decals for a cleaner look at my wife's request.
Last week I took it to Houston to have the Katy's Closet with LED light installed in the front closet. I did this for better organization and as a small mod for my wife's benefit as I have to do a few things for her along the way if I want her to be happy with this venture as well. They have a really smart design that maximizes the usability of the space and finishes it out nicer than any closet I have seen in a RV trailer. I also had them install a small shelf in the bathroom storage compartment, now it's no longer just a giant water tight cavity with things stacked on top of one another.
My plans at the moment include the Torflex 3" axle lift and 30" BFG KO2's on the factory aluminum wheels and four BAL 7500 lb stabilizer jacks to improve stability and end user serviceability since they are bolted to weld-on plates in more proper locations on the frame. These stabilizer jacks will also eliminate the need for a separate bottle jack to change a flat as they will provide plenty of height and strength to lift the trailer off the ground in the event of a flat. Doug with Casita Works in Bryan, TX will do the install later this week. I also plan to have his receiver hitch installed in the coming months when they come back in stock. The trailer will sit and look similar to this older Casita pictured below.
Aside from having the windows tinted for privacy, better climate control and looks, we plan to use the trailer in this configuration for the remainder of 2024. If we find that the Casita is all we will ever need or desire (I want an Oliver Elite II really badly lol) then I'll likely take the trailer to Texas Customz next spring to have his World's Toughest Casita chassis up-fit installed which will give it a longer frame on one-ton running gear with larger brakes to match the truck along with true suspension and a rail mounted to the tongue to carry the KTM 500 or Honda Trail. This up-fit will also allow me to match the wheels on the truck and I will be able to jump up to a 33" tire as well.
I have an external solar port wired direct to the battery which will allow me to use my 200W solar suitcase to help keep the batteries charging while boon docked. I want to get a few trips under my belt with the 100Ah AGM setup before I jump to lithium but I do plan to eventually make the switch to lithium batteries and dedicated solar panels on the roof. At the moment I have a RedArc smart battery monitor to keep an eye on things and I'll eventually get around to installing the RedArc 1500W inverter as well. I might hold off on that until I make the switch to lithium so that I can have an altogether cleaner and more organized install.
Planned trips for this year include New Mexico this summer and Big Bend in the late fall. I have a few motorcycle trips in the works as well so it'll likely see some use there in Arkansas and possibly Arizona along with random quick weekend trips to the beach and Dallas.
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