Family Truck Expedition Examples on FUSO/ISUZU/ETC.

[chosen]

It took a lot not to laugh out loud and wake the little one sleeping next to me with that comment SkiFreak!!!

You are right about the solid side-walls not having breath-ability either John, that was something that occurred to me some time last night in bed typically...

Is the insulated PVC something that ATW designed, or is it a readily available product that I would be able to order per meter? They are pretty involved to produce... we have an industrial sewing machine here that my wife and I sewed up the last camper sides with... was a good task to wet our teeth with. If I was to do it again, I would definately build some large benches to help support the weight of the fabric, especially if it is 3 layers thick with insulation in it! 14oz canvas was heavy enough!!!

Some photos of a canvas side of the tent, sewed up in our kitchen LOL and finished camper :wings:

Any chance you can provide the details of where to get the insulated PVC from?

Yeah, it was -1.5 yesterday morning at 7am!!! Walked out to everything, including the car being frozen over... Mt Gambier eh!!!

Kind regards,
Andrew

 

[Maninga]

As far as handling the cold and condensation, that should be answered by others. I never got the opportunity to camp with soft-sides in anything considered cold, however there are plenty of guys travelling in Global Warriors and such like that have done Siberia, Canada, Scandinavia, etc. Maybe someone else could answer that.

Be curious to know how they went in the cold and high winds. The thought of those was what stopped us from going down that path. Have good test conditions for it here, -5 on Saturday night, a couple of weeks ago I couldn't get the door on the car open due to it being iced shut.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Did you also practice falling backwards onto your floor tiles......

When I said it was cold.....I expected you to say "Suck it up princess!!!!!"...that's another personal joke, Hahaha

 

[chosen]

Be curious to know how they went in the cold and high winds. The thought of those was what stopped us from going down that path. Have good test conditions for it here, -5 on Saturday night, a couple of weeks ago I couldn't get the door on the car open due to it being iced shut.

Wow, -5 degrees... eek!!! Ever seen snow where you live?

If it is any consolation, my wife and I camped at Mount Crawford forest last winter up top in the camper before mentioned... there was a massive storm that weekend with gusts over 100kms/hr. Apart from the rocking from it and the canvas moving about some, there were no issues and we were plenty warm enough. I guess soft sides don't necessarily mean rough weather is a problem.

 

[Maninga]

Not yet, but only been here a few months. Has snowed a few times at mums place which isn't far from here though.

What're you thinking for ground clearance on the body?

 

[chosen]

Parabolic suspension upgrade and large 38" tyres (give or take an inch)... that is the absolute plan.

I've actually had parabolic springs before, on the LN106 hilux in the earlier photo. They improved the vehicle's ride a lot and greatly increased articulation, but to control rebound it took a lot of time to match them with the appropriate shock absorbers.

Is that what you meant by clearance Joe?

 

[chosen]

Photos of the ice on the car / window yesterday morning...

 

[SkiFreak]

I am pretty sure that the guys in the Northern Hemisphere are having a bit of a laugh about all the Ozzies calling -5 degrees "really cold".
At the last place I taught skiing overseas (Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine) we had ten days straight under -40 degrees, going down to -52 degrees on one of those days. I should add that this was the temperature at the bottom of the mountain. At the top it was below -55 degrees! Now, that is what I call cold.

Sorry guys, I don't consider the weather that we get in Australia as being cold. That's why I still wear shorts all year round in Canberra.

 

[chosen]

That's why I still wear shorts all year round in Canberra.

Ahhh the good old drought breakers eh!

So back on topic then...

Does anyone have any figures on the length of trays for the dual cab / single cab / SWB Fuso/NPS versions to compare. Also, does it change much over the years?

BTW I just saw a bargain of a canter 4x4 come up for sale for $6500 on gumtree, but it is an 89 so too old for me I reckon... late 90's to early 2000's is what I'm after.

 

[DzlToy]

Chosen,

You mentioned some pretty high tech insulating fabrics earlier. Is there a specific material that I should search for? I would presume that the brands you have in Oz may not be available in the states. I have a heavy canvas two room tent that is about 12 feet by 16 feet, but it is old and heavy and the canvas will mold/mildew if not cared for (wet humid climate). So, something high tech would be great.

 

[EarthCruiser]

G`day All
This might be of interest.

 

[chosen]

Chosen,

You mentioned some pretty high tech insulating fabrics earlier. Is there a specific material that I should search for? I would presume that the brands you have in Oz may not be available in the states. I have a heavy canvas two room tent that is about 12 feet by 16 feet, but it is old and heavy and the canvas will mold/mildew if not cared for (wet humid climate). So, something high tech would be great.

Hey DzlToy, I haven't chosen an appropriate fabric or filling to cater for my needs as yet, that is the construction of soft sides on an expedition camper... I can share some of the items I have researched if it helps... There are many here no doubt with heaps of experience and like John who has actually used thermal fabrics for this purpose who I'm hoping will provide some feedback and suggestions on specific products they have used... maybe? :coffeedrink:

Some I have looked into...
Silver nanowire (AgNW) = a heat reflective nano-coating that can be applied to fabrics.
InsulShine = a material that can be sewing on to other fabrics (the company does several fabrics with insulating properties).
Zero-Loft™ Aerogels = a substance that can be used in thermal clothing and therefore soft side-wall structures, I believe it is closed cell and they claim that it has the lowest thermal conductivity of any solid.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[chosen]

G`day All
This might be of interest.

Hey EarthCruiser... I have seen that video in the past thanks, shows that you have a good diesel heater! Do you make use of a similar insulated fabric as ATW? Care to comment on what brand it is, or is it a trade secret (I understand if it is)?

Cheers

 

[DzlToy]

I can say there were a few people, myself included, who were all too happy to duck into both the hardtop and soft top EC's at May's OvEx, in an effort to escape the snow for a second.

IIRC, the soft top heater was set on 3 out of 4 and the hard top heater was set on 2 out of 4. Both were toasty warm.

Have you guys ever considered a radiant floor heating system using the diesel heater? May be less efficient to circulate fluid through the loops than to circulate hot air, but there are advantages to the radiant system. It could also be used as a cooling system if desired.

 

[SkiFreak]

Have you guys ever considered a radiant floor heating system using the diesel heater?

Good in theory, but potentially very problematic in reality.

The biggest problem with all hydronic heating systems is temperature control. Unlike an air style heater, which can easily be controlled by a thermostat, a hydronic system has residual heat and changing the temperature is a slow process.

Another issue, which cannot be overlooked, is that the coolant coming out of a diesel boiler is normally around 80 degrees Celsius. The only way to get the desired internal temperature for an under floor heating system would be to control the flow of coolant through the pipes, which would involve quite a bit of trial and error.
If you have built the camper using fibreglass composite panels then another possible issue is delamination of the core. Unless the panel was specifically designed to accommodate this heat I could just imagine how much damage could be done; and a floor panel is not usually something that is easy to repair/replace.

I considered this as an option early in my design process, but quickly ruled it out for the reasons I have given above.