INSTANT OVERLANDER: Mikey's Transitory Sprinter Camper
- Thread starter mhiscox
- Start date
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Nice setup Mike!
Just goes to show that if you do enough campers you can put one together fairly quickly. (And if you happen to have enough stuff lying around, and if you have a wife who lets you take the hall rug.)
By the way, that color is my dream color. I really want a gray vehicle, must have to do with being a photographer.
Just goes to show that if you do enough campers you can put one together fairly quickly. (And if you happen to have enough stuff lying around, and if you have a wife who lets you take the hall rug.)
By the way, that color is my dream color. I really want a gray vehicle, must have to do with being a photographer.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
It cracks me up that Sprinters come in 22 colors, and in ten years, I've seen about five of them. I like the grey because it's not white, but it's perhaps too stealthy. I'm about ready to find some ex-hippie guy to airbrush a mermaid on the side, or something.
adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Good to see you're having fun again Mike. I love that color too!
Overland Hadley
on a journey
It cracks me up that Sprinters come in 22 colors, and in ten years, I've seen about five of them. I like the grey because it's not white, but it's perhaps too stealthy. I'm about ready to find some ex-hippie guy to airbrush a mermaid on the side, or something.
I would go for some mountains and waves, but all done in shades of gray.
The mermaid might hurt your resale.... although I do have a mermaid on one of my kayaks, she is beautiful.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Dave, you old rattlesnake! What the heck are you doing around here? (For a guy with 8,500 posts, you've sure ain't had much to say lately.) :sombrero:
Glad you like the color. Just another reason you need a Sprinter.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
It cracks me up that Sprinters come in 22 colors, and in ten years, I've seen about five of them. I like the grey because it's not white, but it's perhaps too stealthy. I'm about ready to find some ex-hippie guy to airbrush a mermaid on the side, or something.
A slug, a slug! (and not a slug of a mermaid) :sombrero:
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Not too far away . . . Woodinville, WA in the hands of GR8ADV of this forum. Ken gave it a bigger tent with a changing room and made a few other modifications to make it better for use with his family.
Ken also mounted the RTT a little higher and got some useful additional room between the bed cap top and the tent floor. And he's figured out how to mount a Thule box that works well for the trips he takes to the mountains in the winter. All in all, a great, and iconic, truck that he seems to be enjoying.
Before we started on the XV-JP interior, it was six-of-one, half-dozen-of-the-other whether to keep the Jeep or the Tacoma. I chose the Jeep mostly because of its rarity, and that was, in retrospect, the right thing to do. But I was sure sad to see the Tacoma go, as I suspect it had about the best balance between capability and solid handling there could ever be. Scott Brady and James Roy really built up a sweetheart truck.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
You thinkin' something like this?
M. Hiscox, Proprietor--------------------Filling Saucers with Stale Beer Since 1974
Illustration Credit: Whoever the heck deserves it. It'd been purloined well before I got to it.
gringorick
Adventurer
I am really liking the idea of canvas/fabric storage shelving. Very light weight.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
You thinkin' something like this?
WESTERN OREGON SLUG REMOVAL
M. Hiscox, Proprietor--------------------Filling Saucers with Stale Beer Since 1974
Illustration Credit: Whoever the heck deserves it. It'd been purloined well before I got to it.
That's fantastic Mr. Proprietor. :chef:
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Wow . . . color me lame for having let this thread sit for two months.
The only defense is that I've been out a lot in this truck, and have also been doing some minor changes, though I haven't yet lost the ability to use the truck for hauling. It worked well to take the Icon Designs Ural motorcycle Scott Brady borrowed in Portland through some bad weather down to Roseburg, and I hauled home a bunch of plywood sheets which later got cut up for some of the interior furniture, which is kind of cool when you think about it. I've got pictures of the changes that I'll get posted up in the next few days. But I also made one really good change worth mentioning now, though there's not anything to look at.
The most recent trip was nine days and about 1600 miles down to the Redwoods and in and out of the Cascade river valleys. Really scenic stuff. And in spite of mediocre and worse weather, all went very well.
Part of that was because I swapped out the standard cargo van springs and replaced them with the springs used for the passenger version. Without very much heavy stuff in the rear, the cargo springs didn't have enough weight on them, so the van bounced and crashed over all the bumps. So switching to the passenger springs was a really good idea. The ride was way better with lots less pounding, as expected, but the more compliant springs also helped with the handling. We had no problems with some very curvy and often broken pavement, and I think I would have before the switch, or even on my previous conversion. The LTX Michelins I put on when I bought it probably didn't hurt, either. Anyway, the Sprinter rides VERY nicely now. Driving hundreds of miles at a time is no hardship.
I suppose I also ought to brag about the fuel economy. Three fill ups, one at 22+, one at 23+ and the last one at better than 24 mpg. And that was with a lot of up and down and some start and stop thrown into every leg. It's making it tough to give up this little 5-banger for a new model.
The only defense is that I've been out a lot in this truck, and have also been doing some minor changes, though I haven't yet lost the ability to use the truck for hauling. It worked well to take the Icon Designs Ural motorcycle Scott Brady borrowed in Portland through some bad weather down to Roseburg, and I hauled home a bunch of plywood sheets which later got cut up for some of the interior furniture, which is kind of cool when you think about it. I've got pictures of the changes that I'll get posted up in the next few days. But I also made one really good change worth mentioning now, though there's not anything to look at.
The most recent trip was nine days and about 1600 miles down to the Redwoods and in and out of the Cascade river valleys. Really scenic stuff. And in spite of mediocre and worse weather, all went very well.
Part of that was because I swapped out the standard cargo van springs and replaced them with the springs used for the passenger version. Without very much heavy stuff in the rear, the cargo springs didn't have enough weight on them, so the van bounced and crashed over all the bumps. So switching to the passenger springs was a really good idea. The ride was way better with lots less pounding, as expected, but the more compliant springs also helped with the handling. We had no problems with some very curvy and often broken pavement, and I think I would have before the switch, or even on my previous conversion. The LTX Michelins I put on when I bought it probably didn't hurt, either. Anyway, the Sprinter rides VERY nicely now. Driving hundreds of miles at a time is no hardship.
I suppose I also ought to brag about the fuel economy. Three fill ups, one at 22+, one at 23+ and the last one at better than 24 mpg. And that was with a lot of up and down and some start and stop thrown into every leg. It's making it tough to give up this little 5-banger for a new model.
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