winter camping in conversion van

[rhinojonson]

I'm looking at purchasing my first van. I have most of my winters off and I'm looking for something I can sleep in in cold weather and be comfortable. The van I am considering is a 99 Chevy 3500 with a Quigley conversion. It also has an Explorer conversion van setup. The owner says it is insulated. It has a rear seat which folds into a bed. I would eventually like to add a sink, a solar setup and a Fantastic fan. A propane heater is a must. I plan on parking at ski areas for days at a time, but also being able to camp in the desert on a hot day and be comfortable. How realistic is it to turn a conversion van into a camper and still be comfortable. Will I have to rip everything apart and start over or can I build on what the van already has?
Thank you

 

[huskyhauler]

How cold are we talking for winter conversion? 20 degrees or 20 below? You mentioned a need for a sink, so you will need to research keeping your grey and fresh water tanks and lines from freezing.

Insulation is insulation. It will keep you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. You will find that any standard automotive windows will suck out the heat in the winter. Consider a form of insulation that can be put up over the windows to keep the heat in in the winter. In the summer you could explore a simply box fan setup to keep the air circulating, or if you can plug in you could explore an AC setup. Solar panels are great for maintaining batteries but they are poor power sources for large drains like AC units.

As for retrofitting the van, the amount you have to tear out largely has to do with your goal and wherewithal. Do you want to make due with what you have or do you want to fabricate it to make it fit your personal needs? Are you OK with sleeping on a futon on the floor of the van or do you want a couch that folds into a bed? Are you OK with a cooler or do you want a fridge? Is cold water OK or do you want heated water? Do you need the van to be warm enough to sit comfortably in regular clothes, or are you OK with a 20 below sleeping bag?

A lot of those questions will direct the refab needs of the van.

 

[ihatemybike]

I'd say it's pretty realistic, more people full timing it in vans in cold areas than you would think.

For heat I'd look into a vented catalytic heater (similar to this http://ventedcatheater.com/) or a kimberly wood stove.

Personally, using a regular futon mattress on the floor, cold weather sleeping bags and additional comforters/blankets my wife and I have done -15 F in Green, without modifications to the van or a heater, and were comfortable.

 

[mezmochill]

How do you plan on drying your gear after a day on the hill?

Moisture is your enemy and propane won't help that.

Install vent asap and look into dry heat sources such as webasto or espar(need altitude compensation) or wood burning stove. And a small honda/yamaha generator unless you have a huge battery bank.

Good luck and pray for powder. Praise Ullr!

 

[Victorian]

Long term, your biggest issue will be condesation and mildew. Especially where cold bridges happen. I have camped without insulation in my Eurovan in winter..... I was blown away by the amount of water that ran down the walls and windows. Leaving the windows open and a fan going helps but you are also loosing heat doing that. Proper insulation is a must if you planing of doing this long term.

 

[rhinojonson]

Really good insight. Thanks for the feedback. These are things I had not thought of before. I really appreciate the replies.

 

[BigC]

I'm currently building my van and going to be doing the same thing as far as camping goes. Lots of time spent at ski resorts, and even more time being spent in the mountains. I'm insulating my van substantially, building insulating shades for all the windows, and installing a roof fan and vent. I'll have a propane heater, and the blowers from the van for heat. It's completely feasible, it just depends on how much money you want to spend on it. If you want to be warm and comfortable the whole time and sleep without covers, leave your roof vent cracked and install a thermostat on your heater to keep it at 80 (also get a carbon monoxide detector). If you just wanna be cozy in the evenings, shut your heater off before you go to sleep and get a good sleeping bag.

 

[Bbasso]

I've done the sleeping bag... propane heaters... even moved to warmer climates but this winter I will be warm and cozy,,, with my Espar D4.
If you can afford, try it out.

 

[rhinojonson]

Thanks for all the replies. I decided not to go with the conversion van, since it was a really good deal, but in the end, not what I wanted. Still in the process of looking for just the right thing.

 

[ihatemybike]

What would be your ideal?

 

[DiploStrat]

Still in the process of looking for just the right thing.

Consider Tiger Adventure Vehicles, XPCampers, Earth Cruisers and a (very) few others. All of these were designed to be comfortable to at least freezing. We routinely stay in our Tiger at 10F; we are warm in a heated and insulated cabin and can take a hot shower every morning. There is a reason these beasts cost more.

 

[Accrete]

Hope you have some fun adventures in the van conversion you picked up.


A couple tid-bits from what I've read in the thread so far. . .


On ceiling fan. You mentioned "Fantastic fan". If you are in research mode sometime check out "MaxxFan". I swapped out the FF for a MF on our van conversion at it is like going from a Yugo to a Lexus in functionality. Biggest bonus is all weather usability. We full time in an RV and two things make our rigs comfortable year round, 1) All weather vents, 2) Top-Hinge windows. Both allow proper ventilation even in a downpoor. Here is a before and after shot on our rig's fiberine top:

On woodstove inside a rig? We are toying with the idea and the "Cubic Mini" is currently top of a short list. The Kimberly is in a distant #2 for us as we could buy ~8 or so Cubic Mini's for the price of 1 Kimberly, and also the BTU of the K for a typical van conversion would be quite a beast IMO. The CM is a much smaller setup and lower BTU. And for our use both are positives.


http://cubicminiwoodstoves.com/


: ) Thom

 

[vwteleman]

Moisture is your enemy and propane won't help that.

Not true. A properly-installed propane heater will vent to the outside, just as an Espar or Webasto does. Cooking inside with an open flame, on the other hand, WILL introduce moisture.

Praise Ullr!

True.

Cheers,
Brent

 

[java]

I'm late to the party, but yes they work great. Drying clothes as mentioned is a PITA some days. Windows get VERY wet. I usually leave a towel under them, and cove the windows with reflectix. Leaving the vent at the roof cracked helps a ton wiht moisture, although taxes the heating system more.

I don't use the water system in ours, but we flush the toilet with RV antifreeze and it works well enough. It will still freeze if its cold enough.

Get a van and be a ski bum!!

Bachelor

Up in BC

 

[rhinojonson]

I haven't checked this thread in a while. I should probably figure out how to have an email sent to me when someone replies. I ended up picking up this van. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/112578-FS-2000-7-3L-Ford-E350-4x4-Van I have already put almost 10k miles on it since I picked it up in November. I think I've skied more ski areas this winter alone than I have in the past 10 years combined. The van has a Wave 3 catalytic heater, which has been great. The insulation is probably sub par, but the heater makes up for it. I like the idea of the Maxx Fan. The Fantastic fan is pretty loud, even on the lowest setting. I am looking to upgrade the fresh water tank. It currently has a Reliance 7 gallon tank. The tank drips a bit where the hose goes into the bottom. I've tried screwing it down tighter and adding teflon tape, but it still leaks water. I have looked at some small (20 gallon) rv fresh water tanks that look like they would be a much better option, but they seem difficult to fill without using a hose. The reliance I can take out and fill in my kitchen sink. I am trying to find a way that I can have a hose run through the cap and to the bottom of the tank. That way I could keep the tank upright and have the pump suck the water out of the tank without having to tip it over and use gravity, but I failed to find such a solution at the hardware store the other day. Any insight from you all would be greatly appreciated.