Eco-Roamer - F650 based Expedition Vehicle

[jayshapiro]

farny!

Hi Guys,

There is a hilarious thread going on over at rv.net in which somebody accused me of being a "Maoist Commie", based on a photo someone posted - THAT'S NOT EVEN OF ME!

Anyhow, check it out here if you want to have a laugh, and then repeat: "I love Expedition Portal" 10 times before logging off tonight....

We are back in the states, just north of Seattle. Had a FANTASTIC time in Vancouver and Victoria.

We got a full load of B100 Bio-Diesel again from the folks at Recycling Alternative.

We also caught up with some fantastic overlanders:

Yvves in Abbotsford and his very cool Uni-Fuso. Beautiful construction job.

Shahn Torontow - Builder of the inspirational Draco

Ann Lockley - our new Photography Program Manager for The Muskoka Foundation!

And an amazing dinner with Christopher and Jess, who we met this summer in their Fuso in Tofino.

...now begins the great drive south to Baja. Stay tuned!

 

[shortbusadventure]

Hey Jay,

What route you taking south? Just curious if your are passing close to Bend. I would love to catch up with you again.

-Kevin

 

[INSAYN]

Jay, I just had to check out who was having issues with the "star hat" over at RV.net, as I frequent that truck camper forum on occasion.

Too funny!

The guy that goes by "JoeChiOki" is quite the character. I've camped with him on a half dozen trips in the past 5 years. Good guy really, just a bit essentric. :Wow1:

He's more redneck than anyone one in the South, that's for sure. Get him a bit drunk, and you'll be laughing for hours or until someone passes out. On one camp trip up at Diamond Lake in the winter, he kept popping out of his camper with something he baked. Got all Betty Crocker on us with the cookies, brownies, etc..... Oh, and he makes some wicked good fried chicken at camp, too! :chef:

If you two ever meet up in a campground or out in the rough, you'll have a good time together yukking it up. :coffeedrink:

 

[1leglance]

Great to hear you set them straight Jay...
Now update us on the route South to Baja...it would be very cool to see your family again.

 

[TreeTopFlyer]

LOL. I read the last 3 pages. I love seeing people get all bent out of shape like that.:wings: Life's too short man.

 

[lonestrom]

Hey Jay.

I was told today that you are going to be at our shop tomorrow,ThermoKing NW,Kent ( Wed ).It will be good to see ya again.

Alan.

 

[TomH]

Hi Jay,

If your route happens to take you down the CA Central Valley, our invitation still holds. (Wilton, just E. of Elk Grove, just S. of Sacramento.) You're welcome to a home cooked meal, place to park for the night with elec., opportunity to use a 20 sq. ft. shower, or anything else we could do for you. We both teach public school and my school is on break until after New Year. If you're headed down the coast, or need to keep a different schedule, however, I certainly understand-no pressure. Do whatever's best for you. Let us know.

Tom

 

[Ford Prefect]

Just read the RV.net page.

Pretty funny.

Best line in there "The EcoRoamer in Alaska - Please note: The glacier was already melting before the EcoRoamer arrived..." Cracked me up Jay.

super cool that they would let you defend yourself in there. I am not too sure many would do that.

 

[TomH]

Hi Jay,

There's been a thread running over on the Sportsmobile Forum re. composting toilets. Your family and the EcoRoamer were recently featured in a news article where you mentioned that the gray water (including liquid human waste) were dripped onto the exhaust system and allowed to evaporate away. Several people on the SMB Forum read that and have been curious about residue. I am wondering whether there is a buildup of regular salt (sodium chloride) and uric acid, and whether these residues (combined with the heat-which drives most chemical reactions at a faster rate) would cause corrosion to the muffler, tail pipe, etc.

Thanks for replying,
Tom

 

[jesusgatos]

Oh, I'm REALLY interested in this. Spent some time looking into it when I was planning my build. Here's a link to what I was able to dig-up.

 

[womacje]

Well after 5 days of consistant reading, I've finally finished! Jay, the open source concept is great! As a designer, its always a mix of secrecy for intellectual property and the idea of let someone copy you, while you work on the next cool thing. I'm definitely a fan of staying a step ahead and sharing the collaborative design experience.

In regards to the name... I think you should rename it to the LEEDRoamer, hahaha. I'm kidding, I love the name EcoRoamer. I have been battling my own eco guilt after working for Target and designing disposable furniture at 40,000 units a pop that will most likely make it into a landfill in 3yrs+/-. I am totally inspired even more.

On my trailer build, I have been trying to use as much reclaimed material as possible, not throwing away the great axle because it is doesn't fit my wheels, but figure out a way to keep it (still working on that one).

I love the plyboo, I've only seen swatches of it and it wasn't affordable for Target furniture.

I could go on and on about how much fun this has been to read and follow along on Twitter.

Ok, I'm rambling and gushing, so I'll stop. Great work and great charity.

 

[chilliwak]

That Roamer is an inspiration to us all. Nice truck!:wings:

 

[McZippie]

Just read the RV.net page.

Pretty funny.

Best line in there "The EcoRoamer in Alaska - Please note: The glacier was already melting before the EcoRoamer arrived..." Cracked me up Jay.

super cool that they would let you defend yourself in there. I am not too sure many would do that.

Anyway, Jay seemed to take it all in stride and said it best over on RV net:

"Anyhow, I am delighted that the conversation is even happening, and I hope I have given you some more food for thought"

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24576025/srt/pa/pging/1/page/5.cfm

 

[shmabs]

Sighting!

I just saw you guys in the center of eureka CA!!! almost drove off the road! Awesome rig, and truly impressive!


Mike

 

[jayshapiro]

Happy Holidays!

Hi all,

Merry Christmas
from the EcoRoamer crew!​

Thank you all for a wonderful year on this thread. I can't believe we've been on the road for 12 months now, and have come full circle (sort of) back to California.

Here's a Christmas treat for all of you, created by Scott Featherstone, who we just visited with his awesome family in Ukiah, CA. When we met Scott & his brother on their KTM's in Tok, Alaska this summer we had no idea that he had such talent for Gingerbread creations!

After our adventure up to the Arctic Circle...

...it's wonderful to be back in California amongst the Redwoods:

Our travel plans have changed a little. We were supposed to head south into Baja now, but with all that is going on there, plus other family factors, we've decided to take the EcoRoamer to the Overland Expo again this year, and then head into Mexico after that in April. In the mean time we're going to store the truck somewhere in Arizona (only slightly safer than parking it for 2 months in Mexico), and we're going to visit our old Land Cruiser in Malaysia, visit friends, take care of some work issues and take a short trip around the jungles of Borneo from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to Sandakan. I'm sure we'll have lots of stories to share when we see you all at the Overland Expo.

You are coming this year, right!?

Cheers & Happy Holidays to you all!
Jay + Alice + Kurt + Maya

PS - Have you ordered your Muskoka Foundation 2011 Calendar yet? All of the images were taken by the children in the Photography Workshops run by our Overlanding volunteers this year. 100% of the profits go back to the children in their local communities. Please TAKE A LOOK!