Well, today was the day to finalize my Supertramp build and after some major back and forth and changing my mind was too many times I settled on the following options:
Exterior L-track on both sides of the camper
1500W Go Power inverter
Phase 2 Air Conditioner
400Ah Battle Born LiFePo batteries
Inside shower
Ceiling L-Track
Kitchenette L-Track
Rear view camera
What I ditched from my initial order was the Lagun table as well as the "Plus" version of the Truma Combi. TBH for $750 I felt the Lagun table wasn't really worth it. While I plan to add one myself in the exact same sport the Lagun portion is about $200 and I want a table top that is larger/ more versatile so I'm planning on ordering a table top that has two folding wings that basically double the size when needed and when not remain a small form factor. The Plus verion of the Combi allows the heater to run off 20A 120V power. I initially thought this was a cool idea but after some reflection I can count the number of times we've stayed at a campground with power on one hand and if it really was important to me to have electric heat for the night I could plug in a $20 heater from Walmart just as easy.
Now the other stuff, we did L-Track basically everywhere it was offered so it was as modular as possible. I'm not sure if/ when i'll want an awning/ shower cube or anything else but the track is there, factory installed and ready to go if and when I do, if not it's just low profile track that isn't hurting anyone.
1500W inverter was important as my wife work's remote and the more power the better, this will most likely be used for Starlink, a computer and who knows what else. I also plan on tracking down an electric Kettle with a acceptable amp draw so we can make coffee via electrons instead of using propane on the stove or the jet boil like we normally do. Anyone know of a really nice electric kettle that draws 1200W/ 10 Amps preferably a collapsible silicone one????
Inside shower, I originally had no interest in this either but after some reflection we have camped at some spots, Yellowstone, and on some beaches that not only forbid you to put grey/ shower water on the ground in the case of the beach even if you didn't intend on showering you needed a grey water tank to get a permit to camp out there. So, not sure how much i'll inside but I think the option is worth it.
Rear view camera, I think this one is a no brainer, Supertramp orders a factory camera that mates to your vehicle and integrates into your system. My F350 TREMOR while only being an XLT does have the 360 cameras so they will all continue to work as designed by Ford.
Now the big ones.... I won't lie these next two options were HUGE money and where not part of my original plan at all... Phase 2 Air Conditioning w/ the 400 Ah battery bank. While I truly think the 2 fan design in the camper is fine 98% of the time when it's hot or hot and humid a fan just doesn't cut it. We live in NY and while we don't deal with a lot of 100F degree days we do get a lot of humidity. I also REALLY love the mid-Atlantic region and KY, TN, NC can all get very very hot and humid. We also have been to the West quite a few times now and have had 100F plus days in MT and WY and our travels will surely be taking us to AZ, CA, NM, TX and other hot western states.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 air conditioning from ST are identical except for one difference Phase 2 has an internal divider that allows you to separate the bed area so maximize cooling. ST claims that with Phase 2 and the 400Ah batteries that Phase 2 requires they can get 4 useful days of cooling from the system, this of course is dependent on the 330W of solar being able to contribute back into the system greatly. The AC unit they use is the Dometic RTX2000 which seems very low profile and reliable and on the ECO setting draws only 19A @ 12V so in theory I should be able to run for about 20 hours non-stop.
What I think and hope we have chosen with this camper/ truck combo is a unit that can function 100% off the grid for a week or more at a time in complete comfort without sacrifices for remote work while traveling. I have also thought about adding an additional chest fridge/ freezer to the back seat of the truck powered off the same 400Amp bank should we need more space. The ST comes with a 65L fridge but it's a pull out drawer. Looking at it they seems much smaller in space than a chest freezer but we won' t know that until we try it out.
I'd love to hear your comments but at this point please don't tell me to change anything since the camper order goes to the production team tomorrow! Once we get the camper home and in the garage for the winter I will begin to explore adding the Lagun table, mounting maxtrax, adding an awning or shower cube ext.
I'm also going to prioritize a way to carry fly rods since a very large part of my travels with my campers are for fishing trips around the country. Infact I'd better head to North Carolina or N. Georgia so I can justify all that cooling to the wife.
Thanks for listening to me talk myself through this.
