Custom camper parts/appliances. What sources have you used?

[IdaSHO]

Pushing forward with a custom camper design, and am at the point of sourcing parts and seeing what I can fit into the budget.

What sources have you guys used for your camper builds?

For stuff like...

Windows
Entry Doors
Compartment doors
Roof vents
Appliances
Interior and exterior lighting
Exterior trims

etc...

I have found piles of discounted single stuff on ebay, but for things like windows I will need 4 or 5 windows, and would like them to all match. So an actual vendor is probably the way to go.

So, who have you purchased from, and what are you experiences?

 

[fisher205]

Check with Darrin Fink at www.ruf-inc.com he was selling parts especially Seitz windows. I haven't talked to him for a while but you'll have to call to find out what he can get.

Brad

 

[GroupSe7en]

Don't get anything from the RV industry!
It's all the cheapest junk that it's possible to manufacture.

Look to the marine industry or to Europe.

There's nothing you can get here (other than some of the custom made stuff).

Good luck with your build.
Post pics...


Cheers,
Mark

 

[IdaSHO]

Thanks for the tip on RV industry. :snorkel:

Shopping for parts online is tough because most places with the quality stuff do not list prices.

Right now Im looking into dual pane high-therm windows on ebay.

A vendor called Custom RV Windows

They have some smoking prices on windows. Many of them dual panes, which I intend to go for.

 

[dzzz]

Personally I wouldn't spend the money on very high end windows unless I did a lot of winter camping, or had special security concerns. I've never had window problems on an RV. Also, some of the appliances from the American RV industry are fine. Shell construction, general carpentry, and wiring/plumbing are what tend to really suck. Better high volume American fixtures like toilets, fans, stovetops are pretty good now.

Boat fitting are always better.

It's all about budget and where to spend the money.

 

[r_w]

Boat fittings are 10-100% better and 100-1,000% more expensive. They have the best cabinet hardware, BY FAR. Slam latches that don't break when you slam them and actually STAY LATCHED, for example.

Some full-time RV's use good components, but most RV's are built to survive 20 days of use a year (Memorial and Labor day weekends plus one summer vacation).

If you have a truck, bus and/or RV junkyard nearby, it is worth the drive. Just for ideas if nothing else. Bus and OTR trucks use hardware built to last.

LED lights are a wonderful thing and available from many sources these days.

Appliances and other fittings really depend on what type of camper you are building. Diesel, propane, 12v, solar, overnight only, extended boondocks, desert, mountains, swamps, all of the above, etc.

 

[IdaSHO]

This isnt going to be the average camper.

90%+ of our trips using the camper are in the winter. Serious north Idaho winters.

2+ weeks at a time at sub freezing temps are not uncommon. Witht he current camper (old Bell insulated camper) ice dams are always an issue on the bottoms of the windows. So I think I will continue to look into the dual panes, and will just have to jump on any deals I find.

I have found that marine specific hardware does seem to be MUCH better than mainstream RV junk. Thanks for the confirmation.

LED lights are on the list of must-haves too. Though I have yet to find simple LED lighting that I like. Currently Im looking for 12"-18" long LED strip lights. Something in the way of "under-cabinet" lights.

The camper is going to be pretty darn simple when it comes to appliances. Propane for heat and cooktop, 2 large deep cycle batteries that will charge by the vehicles charging system, and discharge when camped. Only electrical draws will be for lighting, fans, and safety (CO) monitors.

 

[SChandler]

For LED lights, have you seen these: http://www.prudentrver.com/index6.html? The ThinLUX.SL1 are available in custom lengths (starting at 12", up to 69") and are made in USA by these guys: http://www.neutek-usa.com/.

 

[IdaSHO]

Very cool. Thanks for the links:ylsmoke:

 

[dzzz]

I like Blue Sea electrical wiring components.
If you get on the mailing list for Jamestown Distributors they sometimes have good deals including free shipping which can save a lot on some marine items.
I think the European propex heaters may be more efficent than typical RV brands. But I find better American propane stove/oven good and inexpensive. If you have solar, a compressor based 12v fridge definitely performs better than the common 3 way. An Engel type unit is better quality too as an alternative to a built in. Nova Kool is a popular brand of quality compressor based frig/freezer.
For powered vents I think the Shurflo are more durable than the popular Fan-tastic brand. I would stick with one vent type and have replacement parts for the cover. I just purchased a spare unit for parts.

Stuff shouldn't break due to low quality, but some stuff seems to get broken each month anyways. So it's not just a question of quality, but of how that special Italian cooktop that took six months to import is going to get fixed.

I think fairly simple system where "plan B" has been considered has advantages. For example, my cassette toliet has it's own water tank. Not as convenient as a plumbed toliet. But I can run antifreeze in the toilet water supply and keep my main water tank empty if necessary. The Thetford cassette toilet is definitely quality and the only brand of that type I've seen.

 

[IdaSHO]

Yes, a cassette toilet is on the list, as well as a manual pump-style faucet with a 20gallon or so fresh water holding tank coupled with an appropriately sized grey water tank.

No pumps to fail/service.

And lucky for me my wife is even more rugged as I am when it comes to trips. I asked he last night if she wanted a water heater added to the list of items for the new camper.

Her response was simple....

"why?"

So no water heater. If really need hot water for anything other than coffee and oatmeal, we can simply use the cook top.

 

[lblampman]

Hi,

I'm in the boat business (manufacturer & dealer), we use Motion Windows from Peninsula Glass in Vancouver, WA for our boats. That's not to imply they're the only game in town but we have been really happy with them. I know they also do a lot of RV applications. They're fully set up for one-at-a-time manufacturing so small orders are the norm for them and are not penalized. We use 8 framed windows (and two gasketed windows) in our 21.5' boat; that costs us right around $3,000 for a set but they're single pane. I don't know what the cost difference is for dual pane.

Another source is Diamond Sea Glaze in British Columbia.

I'll also second Blue Sea Systems electrical components, they're about the only thing we use for switches, panels, fuse blocks, etc.

Best wishes on your project and have fun!

Les

 

[eugene]

for electrical I use the same metripack stuff that the truck uses, figure if I ever need to make a repair I can borrow from one to the other. http://www.powerandsignal.com/ download the catalog and www.mouser.com sells in whatever small quantity you need.
For lighting I look for stuff from the trucking industry http://www.truck-lite.com/wcsstore/tl/splash.html
Napa auto stores can order most anything from their catalog. Some truck stops/travel centers will have a small assortment of lights for repairs.
Most other plumbing and such I try to adapt stuff that you can find in normal hardware stores to make it easy should I ever need a replacement. Found out a normal sink hose will screw right in my pump then an adapter and another straight to the sink make my plumbing, reduced the parts count from the screw on adapters at each end with a hose and hose clamps, fewer joints so less to come apart and leak. My kitchen faucet is a laundry sink faucet which allows us to screw on a hose to stick out a window should we need an outdoor sink or shower.

 

[crews8r]

check out www.commandelectronics.com they have lots of cool led lights and the prices seem good. I've never used them but plan to in the future.

 

[pods8]

I'm sourcing from all over:

Windows - I used "Custom RV Windows" on ebay, had a couple issues with my order but eventually got it all worked out. You get what you pay for though, I got single pane kinros for the most part and I'm not overly impressed but they'll work for now and I'll see how they go. The previously mentioned motion windows is another place I looked but was quite a bit more, however down the line I may swap them out if needed. The ones I have will work for the beginning at least since I already paid for them.

Entry Doors - I'm building my one, hope it works out...

Compartment doors - I only have one compartment and just bought a used one off ebay in the size I wanted.

Roof vents - I'll be going with a fantastic fan(s), adventure RV has good pricing on them but I've heard their shipping is high so we'll see when I get around to ordering. Lots of other places carry them out there.

Appliances - I'll be going with a smev sink & stove, probably through XP marc if he's still doing side orders for folks. I grabbed a 1.8 amp atwood 8012 furnacnce from panther RV.

Interior and exterior lighting - I went with Kaper II interior lights both double and single from Panther RV, I'll maybe pick up one of those motion sensor LED porch lamps of Ebay for outside the door.

etc... Tanks, wiring, solar, powercenter, etc. are from all over the place.