eatSleepWoof gets a Winnie

[eatSleepWoof]

I've been adding little usability improvements here and there...

Child-safety guards on the stove knobs.

Broom mounted on two attachments points so that it doesn't bounce in transit.

Installed a new shower head, and also replaced all original plastic rivets that hold the shower stall in place. Several of the original ones were destroyed straight from the factory and none of them were sealed at all, so the first time water hits them, it would get behind the shower stall and start rotting away everything in there. Ridiculous.

I removed all the original rivets, slightly expanded the holes to accommodate the new rivets, added waterproof caulking into each hole and also on the back side of each rivet, and re-assembled it all.

Added these stainless thingamajigs to hold shampoo containers in place.

As is tradition, new trailer gets a new Trasharoo (everyone must know how #overlandAF we are).

Mounted a paper towel holder.

Mounted a "weather station." This device is battery powered, but can also be plugged into USB. Found a good spot for it with nearby USB, and set it up. It shows temperatures from three remote sensors (came with the unit) and also temperature at the unit itself. I mounted sensor #1 ("outdoor") inside the propane tank cover, put sensor #2 inside the fridge, and sensor #3 inside the freezer. The very bottom temperature is the interior of the trailer. Bet this will come in handy!

 

[Tex68w]

I like the weather station, I just wish the unit were a tad smaller.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

I like the weather station, I just wish the unit were a tad smaller.

It's really not all that big IMO. Might be the photo making it look larger than it is. There are a LOT of options for these on Amazon, in all kinds of sizes.

 

[Kingsize24]

Damn! Lots of adds. I like it

 

[jgaz]

Are the plastic rivets you used the same as the automotive pieces that are common on wheel well liners and splash shields.

The OEM installation that you found in your shower is disturbing and disgusting.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Are the plastic rivets you used the same as the automotive pieces that are common on wheel well liners and splash shields.

The OEM installation that you found in your shower is disturbing and disgusting.

These are the ones I used: Universal 9mm Push Bumper Fastener.

And yup, that's one of the reasons I would never pay even close to retail price for any mass-produced, Indiana trailer. The sloppiness is beyond comprehension.

Here are a few photos of how it came from the dealer/factory:

Can you imagine looking at that and thinking "yup, that's ready for delivery to the customer"?!

I'm thankful I have the eye to spot these problems, and time, tools & skills to fix them, but can't help thinking about the average Joe & Jane that listen to their dealer's "quality" sales pitch, fork out the equivalent of a pre-tax annual salary for one of these, use the trailers as-is, and have their "investment" rotting away in the next 5-10 years...

 

[eatSleepWoof]

First trip out with the Winnie this weekend. Been camping all my life, but have never had such comforts before. Hot, daily showers in camp are definitely a new (and much enjoyed) luxury.
We had freezing temperatures at night (from -1C to 0C both nights) - ran the interior propane heater, but did not even turn on the water tank heater; zero issues.

Fridge ran the entire trip. Used all interior appliances, heater, water, lights, etc.

Went through 73ah (of my 200ah lithium total) in the first 24hrs. More than I anticipated. Thankfully I installed a 40a DC/DC charger, and was back up to 100% battery in just over two hours of idling the car. Will very likely add two more 100ah batteries to bring the total up to 400ah.

The 31 gallon water tank showed "empty" right at about hour 26, despite very conservative water use. The water pump still pumped water without an issue, so perhaps the water level sensor wasn't super accurate. I brought a spare 20 gallons of water in cans, poured those into the trailer, and that was more than enough to last the rest of the trip (2.5 days, 2 nights). Will absolutely have to sort out additional water storage and re-fill options ASAP. We cook a proper meal 3x a day, clean the pots/pans/dishes, don't use anything disposable. That seems to be at least 95% of our water usage, and it's not something we can minimize much more than we already do.

All in all, a great shakedown trip. Identified lots of little things that need usability improvements (storage, storage, and more storage).

 

[Todd780]

Looks like a great 1st trip out. Glad you enjoyed it! Also I loved the trasharoo comment....

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Made a thing to hold other things.

The black knobs are spring-pin latches, which lock the drawer in place (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTI2SS4/).

The hinge mechanism (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ZGOJJ8E) I used is finicky and weak - can't recommend it, but if you're handy enough, it'll do the job.

I moved the original light to the bottom of the drawer, too.

 

[jgaz]

finicky and weak - can't recommend it, but if you're handy enough, it'll do the job.

Nice idea.
If you need to replace the hinge hardware on your project, or for anyone using your idea, Lee Valley sells a similar product as a “drying rack”.

I don’t know how mine would work with the weight you have on yours but it works well for wool hiking socks etc.
I’m sure mine would still need the latches you installed especially if it was rolling down the road.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Nice idea.
If you need to replace the hinge hardware on your project, or for anyone using your idea, Lee Valley sells a similar product as a “drying rack”.

I don’t know how mine would work with the weight you have on yours but it works well for wool hiking socks etc.
I’m sure mine would still need the latches you installed especially if it was rolling down the road.
View attachment 829597

The hinges in your photo look identical to the ones I used. Pretty sure it's exactly the same product!

 

[eatSleepWoof]

In order to make re-filling the water tank easier in-camp, I mounted a 12v water pump inside a plastic tool box.

This pump puts out 3.5GPM, can pull water from as far as 130ft, and can push it as high as 9ft up. It draws up to a max of 9a.

I've added a regular 12v socket plug, with a built-in on/off switch. This will plug into my portable Jackery 300 power station, but can just as easily plug into a car, trailer, or other 12v source.

On the output side is the blue, 15ft potable-water garden hose. I can add my inline Camco water filter to this right before it feeds into the trailer.

On the input side is the white, 25ft Camco potable-water garden hose. This can go into any water source (water canister, lake, river, etc.). I also have three more 50ft Camco hoses to connect/extend the water intake line as much (or as little) as necessary. The same hoses can be used to connect to a water supply line in any official park (without using the water pump at all).

Outside of the three, 50ft hoses, everything else fits neatly inside this single box.

I can now easily refill the trailer from my water containers, a campground water supply, or any body of water.

 

[Mekcanix]

In order to make re-filling the water tank easier in-camp, I mounted a 12v water pump inside a plastic tool box.

This pump puts out 3.5GPM, can pull water from as far as 130ft, and can push it as high as 9ft up. It draws up to a max of 9a.

I've added a regular 12v socket plug, with a built-in on/off switch. This will plug into my portable Jackery 300 power station, but can just as easily plug into a car, trailer, or other 12v source.

On the output side is the blue, 15ft potable-water garden hose. I can add my inline Camco water filter to this right before it feeds into the trailer.

On the input side is the white, 25ft Camco potable-water garden hose. This can go into any water source (water canister, lake, river, etc.). I also have three more 50ft Camco hoses to connect/extend the water intake line as much (or as little) as necessary. The same hoses can be used to connect to a water supply line in any official park (without using the water pump at all).

Outside of the three, 50ft hoses, everything else fits neatly inside this single box.

I can now easily refill the trailer from my water containers, a campground water supply, or any body of water.

Great Job!! I love this idea, I think I will steal it and make my own. Love it

John

 

[Todd780]

In order to make re-filling the water tank easier in-camp, I mounted a 12v water pump inside a plastic tool box.

This pump puts out 3.5GPM, can pull water from as far as 130ft, and can push it as high as 9ft up. It draws up to a max of 9a.

I've added a regular 12v socket plug, with a built-in on/off switch. This will plug into my portable Jackery 300 power station, but can just as easily plug into a car, trailer, or other 12v source.

On the output side is the blue, 15ft potable-water garden hose. I can add my inline Camco water filter to this right before it feeds into the trailer.

On the input side is the white, 25ft Camco potable-water garden hose. This can go into any water source (water canister, lake, river, etc.). I also have three more 50ft Camco hoses to connect/extend the water intake line as much (or as little) as necessary. The same hoses can be used to connect to a water supply line in any official park (without using the water pump at all).

Outside of the three, 50ft hoses, everything else fits neatly inside this single box.

I can now easily refill the trailer from my water containers, a campground water supply, or any body of water.

Great Job!! I love this idea, I think I will steal it and make my own. Love it

John

That's pretty slick! Agreed @mekcanix I might have to do the same too.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

It's worth noting that lake/river water may contain bad bacteria (such as giardia) which will not be filtered out by a typical RV water filter (like my Camco), so anyone pulling non-treated water into their trailers should keep that in mind.