Again with the options!

[WarpathEngineering]

He guys!

I'm in the process of tearing out the interior to my used Grandby and would very much like your take on what is really needed as far as options. My wife and I are just starting the camping bit and need the advice. We live in the SouthEast and there aren't a lot of "off road" places to camp, at least unless you want to get shot! We would probably be staying at the campgrounds or the National Parks. We were out West this past summer and used a truck tent, which worked out well. I had everything organized under the matress on a slide out tray and we did all our cooking over the fire, which is the way I'd prefer. I don't much care for the idea of cooking in the camper because of the lingering smell or occasional misshap.....But officer, it was only a small fire! I'd be inclined to bring along a Colman stove or charcol grill for inclimate weather and cook under the awning.

On our trip we used 2 well insulated coolers, one for drinks and the other for freezer items. I got a 50lb block of dry ice and my freezer goods lasted all week...hard as a rock. I'm thinking of removing the 3 way fridge and just using coolers, or maybe later moving up to a protable fridge/freezer like the Engel. I can get more into them and with the amount of blowing rain we have here, two less openings in the side of the camper may be a plus.

We cleaned our dishes in two dish pans and stored our water in plastic jerry cans. This seemed to work fine infact most of the campgrounds had a place to wash up anyway so I'm thinking of deleting the sink but may keep but relocate the water tank.

My main concern is storage and by deleting these items, I'm thinking I could add quite a bit. The other change I'm concidering is moving the couch to the oposite side of the window for better viewing. I know that this will cut drastically into my storage but.......

Our weather here is hot and humid but by October it is not out of the question to have weather in the mid to low 30's. I like the idea of the furnace but am thinking on replacing it with an electric and/or propane like a Mr. Heater Protable Buddy. It's small and I can take it along when needed. This would also open up the space of the propane tank.

Sound off with what you think and what works for you!

 

[jimjxsn]

I just got my FWC so take what I say with a grain of salt. However this will be our 5th camper and we’ve done a ton of tent camping.

I mentioned in another post that when I was looking for a FWC, I would have just as soon not gotten a fridge. It takes up a lot of space for the actual storage space it provides. That space would make a nice pantry.

My wife and I have different priorities so definitely ask before you leave something out that might be important to a partner. We live in Colorado so that can make a difference.

We got caught once in Chaco Canyon NM, in the spring, in a blowing storm, in an old mid-70s popup with a heater that wouldn’t stay lit and that has tainted our priority list as well.

My priorities (from highest to lowest) are heater, sink, stove, and fridge. My wife’s list would be heater, porta-potti, sink, fridge, and stove.

In all the campers we have had, big or small, we almost never cook inside.

I found this website with some mods like what you are talking about with the drivers side couch with storage behind.

http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/camper/Ram_camper.htm

Have fun with your re-design and good luck.

 

[homemade]

I’m with you on simple, to me simple also means less expensive which is a good thing. Everyone has their own priorities and wants but to me this is just for family fun camping. I looked up the Engel as well as a Coleman Stirling cooler/freezer cost >$600 - criminy I spent $600 for the refrig for my house and that has lasted 12+ years (even though one of my kids left it open running all night last PM). I like to be outdoors when I camp, even for cooking, I wouldn’t want to have to bring a separate stove as well as one in the camper (PB&J and granola bars work great when really bad weather keeps us in). I like your idea about dry ice but with 4 people and a dog in camper I think we have more than enough C02 in the air already. I like the Buddy Heater that I saw at the store, problem with all of these catalytic heaters is that they all have a disclaimer that they should not be used when sleeping, probably a legal disclaimer but I wouldn’t want to use one when asleep anyway. I have camped in sub freezing temp in the north Cascades range, but by myself with the camper top down, I used a Coleman catalytic heater (cost ~$40) which kept the camper warm enough, couple times I used it with family (not when sleeping) in cold evenings at coast or in mountains with top up and it also kept the camper comfortable. Otherwise I just have warm sleeping bags (I got -5 degree rated Coleman sleeping bags, very comfortable). I bring several small disposable propane bottles for stove, heater (rarely used) and maybe spend $20-$30 a year at most, alone the 20# propane tank for FWC cost $100 which even unfilled costs as much as several yrs worth of disposable bottles, for me anyway. I’m obviously out of synch with most (all) of the people who post on this site but to me camping is having fun in the outdoors, a little bit of “roughing it” as my father used to say. It makes me appreciate all the amenities that I take for granted when I get home after a trip.

Have fun with your hobby and camping, if you ever have your roof apart take a photo or two of the construction and post it, if you don’t mind.

 

[chnlisle]

This is all pretty subjective but for what its worth....I've taken out the ice box and converted the space for storage. By doing so you get a lot of storage space for food or what ever. Its seems to be half again as big as the ice box so its a net gain in space

We have done a lot of hot weather camping and find your 2 cooler approach works great. We are using the Coleman super dooper extreme coolers and they work very well with block ice. I cover them and use 2x4 blocks to keep them off the hot ground.

I thought about taking out the sink and water tank but I think it is an easy way to carry water and using water cans in its place would mean using up more room that could be dedicated for something else. My wife likes the sink when its windy or rainy so that settled that. We still carry additional water but I'm staying with the built in tank as well.

If anything I would opt not to have the 2 burner range. We do all of our cooking out side. We enjoy it and it keeps the intereior cleaner that way. Having said that last week on a trip when temps were in the teens it was nice to have the inside stove to heat up the water for tea and coffee.

My wife uses the porta potty at night when we hit the sack. If I'm alone I use a bucket. We are mostly wilderness and off the beaten path campers so the toilet is always just a hundred yards away. we dig a 6" cat hole and bury the stuff and burn the TP.

We have the biggest Sun Shower we could find and it works great.

I still belive in the KISS school of camping. The fewer things to go wrong the better. I am about to install the biggest battery I can get into the designated space. I had mine die and as a result lost the use of the furnace last week. BRRRRRRRRRRR.Good luck with your project

Jay

 

[homemade]

Well maybe I'm not totally out of synch with everyone. One thing I thought of, not a structural change to camper but something that I would not want to do without is a Coleman on demand hot water heater. It is incredibly useful, unlimited hot water instantly for washing dishes or hands or whatever, has a shower hose for taking showers (practically like at home - so much for "roughing it" but I like my showers and I think my daughter would refuse to go camping without it). Has rechargable battery that lasts a long time or can be plugged into cigarette lighter. A bottle of propane heats 40 gallons of water (if I remember correctly) and cost less than $150.

 

[WarpathEngineering]

As far as the furnace goes, I won't know how much room it takes up until I look in the cabinet. Size for size, it's probably about the same as the Mr Heater Big Buddy. The nice thing about removing it all together is I can take the heater along when it's cold and use the added space when it's not. The other problem is the 20# propane tank for the furnace....lots of space! According to the Mr Heater website, the Big Buddy & Portable Buddys are designed and approved for indoor use and have a low oxygen sensor safety shut off pilot. It also lists campers, tents, & truck caps as approved uses. Of course, their instruction manuals may say different.

I see what your saying about the stove top for heating water in the cold....good thought! I also thought about using an electric hot plate.

I think I'll keep the water tank but ditch the sink. Just use a hand pump to pump it into the dish pan. Besides that will open up counter space.

Homeade, this ones for you! Found these on the internet this morning but don't remember where.

Keep the comments comming! Thanks!


By the way, can anyone tell me the measurments for the couch & settee cushions for the Grandby. Mine came without!

 

[homemade]

Thanks for the pics, looks like taken outside the FWC office, I see six pac campers in background. I made copies of the photos for future reference. My wife vetoed the idea of me building another camper (that is why wives are called our "better half"). That's OK, the thing I have gotten most out of this forum is to be content with what I have, probably 35 or more yrs ago I got a scout magazine called Boy's Life which among other things had wise sayings, one of which went something like "To have everything you please, learn to be pleased with everything you have" this has stuck with me ever since.

Regarding the heater issue, you are right, for my Coleman cat the info about not using when sleeping was in the manual, the Buddy heater says it on the outside of the box. Another issue with heaters that run off disposable propane bottles is run time, maybe 4-6 hours which could be a hassle if you planned to use while sleeping. Since you have a furnace installed maybe just give it a try for awhile before removing? As for the 20# propane bottle, if it takes up too much space I wonder if you could mount outside on the back, I have seen campers with outside bottles, but would not be in as protected an area. If your frame needs reinforcement for this you could probably add some while you have it apart.

Thanks again

 

[chnlisle]

Northern tool has the Heat Buddy for 89.99 and the Big Buddy for 129.99 with free shipping when you spend 150+. They have a number of heaters that look adaptable for camper use. There's a flush mount called The Outdoorsman that looks promising. They also have the tool every camper needs a gasoline powered blender.

Jay

 

[captainkettel]

Your local Wal Mart has the same heater for a little less in price and there is no shipping charges. I saw several on the shelf where I live. The Big Buddy is $128.88 and I will have to check the price on the smaller version. I think it was a little more of a savings. I personally use a very warm down sleeping bag with no heat at night and then run the heater just before I get up and going. That way I am always ready in case I have a problem. But with the top up there is usually plenty of air movement and I don't worry about any CO build up. Having a good heater is an option I will not go without.

 

[benburnett]

grandby couch

The measurements for the grandby couch should be as follows:

front piece 24 x 56 3/4 x 4

side piece bottom 19 x 55 x 4

side back 19 x 55 x 4

These are put together with 3 1/2 foam and 1/2 wood. The wood is cut 1/4 smaller than the finish size and the foam is cut 1 inch larger than the finish size.

You can also split the bottom cushions if you want and make 2 for the front and 2 for the side. I prefer the one piece myself. Some customers seem to like the 2 piece though instead.

If you need more information, feel free to give us a call at 800-446-1003

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[craig333]

I like my heater. The fewer items I have to load up before camping the better. Sounds like all of us prefer to do our cooking outdoors. But, I do sometimes use the stove to make coffee when I get up early and don't want to wake people rattling stuff around outside. And its nice to have the option if the weather turns bad.

I wind up using the water quite a bit. I carry water for drinking and cooking, but I use the camper water for the dog, sometimes washing dishes (I have the hot water heater) the outside shower and frequently, I use the little petcock on the back for washing hands.

 

[WarpathEngineering]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I spent Saturday taking the rest of the interior out including the fridge, furnace and propane box. I'm glad I did because I had a lot of water damage both under the fridge and under and around the furnace. Everything still looks to be in good working order (though I've never tried any of the equipment!)

I've been looking at:
http://www.dodgeram.org/ki4cy/camper/Ram_camper.htm
and like how this guys set up his cabinets and the sofa opposite the window. I've been trying to work out a way to do this with my camper but the size of the propane box keeps tripping me up. Ben or Marty if your watching, have you ever placed the propane box anywhere but where it is? I was looking on FWC's website and I notice that they are now installing their propane in the rear, where the furnace used to be but it looks as if the've offset the door to do so. Too much work! Has anyone ever used a grill type stand up propane tank in their rig? Are there any safety concerns to relocating the propane tank ie. needs to be installed with an exterior access, incased in a sheet metal box, what distance from the furnace?

Let me know what you think!

 

[chnlisle]

I like that guys site he has some pretty heavy duty ideas including a (heavy) utility bed on his Ram.

I find with the Dodge Quad Cab We have no need for additional storage. It so much larger than the
T-100's back seat area. Also because the camper sits 4" above the bed rails I can load plenty of fire wood and other big stuff into the bed between the camper and the sides of the box.

Jay

 

[benburnett]

Moving propane box

I believe that we spoke today. So I hope I answered your questions already. If you have any more, feel free to call anytime. The phone comes direct to me no matter where I am at.

Sincerely,

Ben
www.allterraincampers.com

 

[WarpathEngineering]

Yea that was me! Thanks for the info Ben!