Ourkaravan 5 years review

[GeorgeRa]

Great 5 years review by the member from the Sprinter Forum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkiViyoldLU

[hbn7hj]

Like most DIY conversions not enough water. Underfloor black and gray tanks are dependent on the floor plan so offering a black, gray, and fresh tank kit is not realistic. I think there is an over the wheel well freshwater tank now available.

The seat/bed thing is certainly interesting and worthwhile as is the video itself.

[Davydd]

I didn’t see a toilet in that van. Did I miss it?

10 gallons for drinking and 9 gallons for showering. What little cabinet space there is in that van the drinking water kills it for other storage.

Outside shower I guess he doesn’t do much fall, winter, spring camping or not much out of the southwest.

I do like those curtains.

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I didn’t see a toilet in that van. Did I miss it?

10 gallons for drinking and 9 gallons for showering. What little cabinet space there is in that van the drinking water kills it for other storage.

Outside shower I guess he doesn’t do much fall, winter, spring camping or not much out of the southwest.

I do like those curtains.

I’m sure it works for him which is the beauty of DIY. Like you I want water, shower, and toilet inside.

[GeorgeRa]

We all have different needs and tradeoffs, I wish to have water bed, sauna, fire place and the most importantly the mechanical grandfather clock, those silly tradeoffs.

[MsNomer]

I've met this guy and his daughter, toured their van. The van is beautiful, and they appear quite comfortable with it. He's also a heck of a nice guy.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by hbn7hj

I’m sure it works for him which is the beauty of DIY. Like you I want water, shower, and toilet inside.

A comfortable steel tent is what he built. He built it well and he made some good choices. I don’t argue that. It does show the limitations also of DIY builds in limited rationalization thinking.

Outside showers are for relatively warm weather and you do discharge soap on the ground and is considered grey water which is a no-no in may places. I get that message here in Texas state parks.

You otherwise have to rely on bathroom services of a campground. As I mentioned, it is a fair weather van as campgrounds are closed October to April in much of the north. There is still tent camping but mainly with outhouses and the water turned off in Minnesota and most of the north. You do have to drive to your site unless it is walk-in camping, so—i.e. a comfortable steel tent.

Those steel tents can suffer in hot weather as well. It is suppose to hit 97F here in Falcon state park in Texas today. I wonder if I will have to turn on air conditioning for the first time today. He doesn’t have air conditioning. 11 AM and I am still comfortable but there is a nice breeze.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

I've met this guy and his daughter, toured their van. The van is beautiful, and they appear quite comfortable with it. He's also a heck of a nice guy.

I didn't meet him in person but exchanged thoughts often on the Sprinter forum. He's a great contributor to the DIY community while giving credit to others for their contributions, which is a rather uncommon quality. His deployment of 8020 technology was exemplary, well engineered, strong and light weight construction.

His van is designed and built for safety. From seat belts to bolting cabinetry, it is a safe environment for him and his daughter.

[MsNomer]

Davydd's comments remind me of a recent conversation I had with my son. I built out his 170” Sprinter the way he wanted: loft bed for camping with his wife, but left in the factory seating for 8 because he occasionally manages foreign bands on US tours. No electric, no propane, no plumbing, so no fridge, no fan, no shower. I made them a bag toilet.

They are happy as clams with their van. I had been been urging them to add more, but I recently realized I was wrong. When we were their age (early 50’s), we were happy as clams in a tent. We didn’t seek more until older age began to make us more sensitive to cold. So I apologized and promised I will refrain from pushing them. I told them to thoroughly enjoy this stage of their camping life with its freedom in having less.

[PleasantonMac]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

We all have different needs and tradeoffs, I wish to have water bed, sauna, fire place and the most importantly the mechanical grandfather clock, those silly tradeoffs.

For me it's the piano. I still have yet to find a satisfactory answer as to why I can't fit my 7 foot grand piano inside my 19 foot van.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by PleasantonMac

For me it's the piano. I still have yet to find a satisfactory answer as to why I can't fit my 7 foot grand piano inside my 19 foot van.

Have you consider a Baby Grand?, ARV can do impossible.

[bblakersfield]

And a rock collection. Can’t leave home without them.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

Davydd's comments remind me of a recent conversation I had with my son. I built out his 170” Sprinter the way he wanted: loft bed for camping with his wife, but left in the factory seating for 8 because he occasionally manages foreign bands on US tours. No electric, no propane, no plumbing, so no fridge, no fan, no shower. I made them a bag toilet.

They are happy as clams with their van. I had been been urging them to add more, but I recently realized I was wrong. When we were their age (early 50’s), we were happy as clams in a tent. We didn’t seek more until older age began to make us more sensitive to cold. So I apologized and promised I will refrain from pushing them. I told them to thoroughly enjoy this stage of their camping life with its freedom in having less.

MsNomer, I’m familiar with “steel tent” design. I bought a used 1968 Chevy passenger van with the back seats removed and put in a plywood floor, an upright cooler, a cabinet and mattresses in the back. That was in 1970 when I mustered out of the US Navy in Newport, RI with a wife and 2 and 1 year old daughters. We traveled to Indianapolis to Bay City, MI to Minneapolis boondocking all the way except for the mentioned stops and used the van for a few more years at Minnesota state park camp grounds. I never heard of vanlife, camper vans or Class Bs at the time. It was a cheap expedient at the time and we too were happy as clams. I didn’t think about RVing until I neared retirement and first bought into the romance of a vintage 1971 Airstream trailer until I found out I was a dyslexic backer upper and didn’t like trailering.

[MsNomer]

Ken's about the age you were then enjoying life as you did then. The fact that his van doesn’t have the perks we oldsters need is therefore irrelevant.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by MsNomer

Ken's about the age you were then enjoying life as you did then. The fact that his van doesn’t have the perks we oldsters need is therefore irrelevant.

Irrelevant indeed. Some of us continue minimum perks from our younger age but want for example 360 view vs cages. Referencing other conversions to MINE BEING THE BEST is often a moot point and adds no value to a discussion.