flossandfredsadventures
Member
Thanks Gait, another great tip and very easy to implement even if I don't end up putting together my own.
A camper worth waiting for
- Thread starter flossandfredsadventures
- Start date
rruff
Explorer
Is subzero sub-freezing or sub 0F? I lived in my truck year round for over a decade in the western US. I had no heat so stuck to low elevation SW deserts and Baja in winter. It was fine. North of Yuma was my favorite spot and it very rarely got down to freezing at night, and was about 70F during the day. Insulation will definitely help but you do need to provide adequate ventilation which will probably be the biggest heat loss.
flossandfredsadventures
Member
I still plan to have a multi layered canvas pop top on the camper so I should be alright for ventilation. It will also be possible to eat and sleep with the top down in wild weather albeit a little cramped. Some Seitz S4s will likely provide the ventilation in those situations. I'd also like to have some sort of extraction fans above the induction hobs and bed but as of yet I've not found anything I like the look of.
I will certainly have heating so it's looking like I'll be able to get away with panels between 20 and 35mm. That will make quite a difference inside compared to 50mm panels as I don't want to go wider than 2.1m. It seems excessive anyway to have super thick panels when I'm just going to have some canvas undoing all their good work. Despite looking into and seeing everyone's clever designs to get around this caveat, I still think the soft sided pop top is for me.
Here in Victoria (Southern Aus) have only used the diesel heater a couple of times but I insulated with 25mm stryafoam sheet although when it's really cold you can see the RHS frame and if the night is to cold we climb into bed one cold night I didn't put up the pop top and woke a couple of hours later to find it was dripping inside on the other half who was in trouble then . Used the Thule double step too actually this is the second set as I bent the first ones putting the truck away in a hurry during a storm so don't forget the switch is earthed so 12 or 24 volt on the warning light won't affect the step operation
flossandfredsadventures
Member
Thanks Spanner, do you have to have a yearly roadworthy inspection on your truck in Victoria?
Thanks for the tip to make sure the steps work in a hurry. I'm currently thinking that two steps aren't going to be enough as I plan to just have the short EC style door that's level with the camper floor. I see there are some Kwikee Steps stockists in Aus that sell a three step electric unit but I think the cost is going to be prohibitive. Looks like I'll be adding stair manufacture to the list.
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
Think very hard about that design choice, as it may be a decision you end up regretting.
I have been in and out of many Earthcruisers over the years and if I was asked about what I liked least about them, it would be the hobbit door.
That is obviously my personal assessment, but I would strongly suggest you find and Earthcruiser and try the entry/exit before committing to that design.
WhereisFranklin
Member
Consider the scissor steps if you need at least 3 to access. We have 4 step Glowsteps in aluminum. They are robust, quick and simple even if manual. Less to go wrong than powered set ups. Availability is an issue. Road Tech Marine had them but a lot more than I paid from Amazon US back in 2015. Can recommend if you can find them. Also,maybe contact makers of slide on ute campers as they sometimes use this style of step.
WhereisFranklin
Member
Link...
https://www.roadtechmarine.com.au/glow-camper-step-4-steps/p/RVI212
Can get fewer steps thougn not sure if RTM does that. Torklift is the manufacturer in US.
https://www.roadtechmarine.com.au/glow-camper-step-4-steps/p/RVI212
Can get fewer steps thougn not sure if RTM does that. Torklift is the manufacturer in US.
Flosandfredsad no in Victoria motor homes don't require a yearly inspection busses yes the first two years while I was building it only did a few kilometres up and down the street so just as well we didn't have to have an inspection . We have two steps inside the camper to floor level beside the oven / bench the middle one is for power leads ,pegs hammer etc. the first things you need when you pull up
Attachments
flossandfredsadventures
Member
I guess there's always a compromise. While I don't intend to go rock crawling, there are back country trails in this truck's future and I would like to keep it's ground clearance and off road ability suited to these infrequent yet inevitable scenarios. Having steps inside also means a more difficult setup to locate the shower in the entrance which I'd rather like to do. I can see the (daily) access through the door being less than ideal but I think it's something we can live with.
If we have a pass through I think we'll be needing electric steps but if it so happens that we renege on that solution I would almost certainly go for the manual scissor steps.
That was my understanding, as in all the legislation I could get my hands on it didn't mention it anywhere. I can see this being the more than likely scenario for me. Now that I've got my eyes on a MWB FG84 with a longer camper to suit, I don't hold high hopes for staying under 4500kg. I will do my best but I can see the large capacities of diesel and water putting us over the edge.
I don't take any of these decisions lightly. For the next 6 months I've got 4 days a week for pure design work on the build and to make the challenging concepts a little less so.
Thanks once again for your replies and considerations, I will always appreciate them
rruff,
Bris31 is from Brisbane, a.k.a. BrisVegas, Australia, so sub-zero and below freezing are one in the same, as 0 degrees Centigrade is freezing, though I am not sure if Brisbane gets that cold or not.
F&F: you may wish to consider adding a reflective heat barrier and/or batting material into your soft top. Think of it is a quilt with a space blanket hidden inside. That is a far superior design to vinyl or multi-layer canvas, which essentially have zero resistance to heat transfer. Panels can be sprayed with a radiant barrier coating such as Temp-Coat or Lizard Skin (heat control and sound control products).
XPS foam insulates slightly better than EPS, but is more expensive. The same is true for Phenolic foam over XPS if you end up making your own panels or having them made to spec.
Bris31 is from Brisbane, a.k.a. BrisVegas, Australia, so sub-zero and below freezing are one in the same, as 0 degrees Centigrade is freezing, though I am not sure if Brisbane gets that cold or not.
F&F: you may wish to consider adding a reflective heat barrier and/or batting material into your soft top. Think of it is a quilt with a space blanket hidden inside. That is a far superior design to vinyl or multi-layer canvas, which essentially have zero resistance to heat transfer. Panels can be sprayed with a radiant barrier coating such as Temp-Coat or Lizard Skin (heat control and sound control products).
XPS foam insulates slightly better than EPS, but is more expensive. The same is true for Phenolic foam over XPS if you end up making your own panels or having them made to spec.
flossandfredsadventures
Member
That was what I meant by my aforementioned 'multi layered canvas' even though that was a technically incorrect term. I haven't looked into the pop top materials yet so I kept my description vague. Thanks for product tips, I know of Lizard Skin but haven't researched Temp-Coat yet. I had a rough idea to use some sort of thickish thermal blanket to block some noise and chill in between water and mould resistant outer skins but as I said I just haven't got there yet.
Probably about the coldest I saw it out where I grew up in QLD was -6deg C. I never saw that in Brisbane though...