EnviroProf
Advanced Member
Hi all, I drove from Pennsylvania to Bozeman, Montana, to have my new Fleet (front dinette) installed and then continued on to the West Coast and back for a shakedown cruise. I thought I’d share some thoughts and experiences. Maybe this will be useful for those considering a pop-up truck camper. For a reference point for my observations, I have previously traveled and camped for several years in a 1989 VW Syncro Westy camper.
Total miles driven with camper: 4,100
Nights camped: 14 (trip was 30 days and included bunking with relatives)
Steven installing camper in Bozeman.
Solar
I had all of the solar gear with me and installed it in a friend’s driveway after I picked up the camper. Luckily I learned from the threads on this forum and pieced together all of the gear I needed beforehand.
Victron MPPT 100/30 solar controller
Victron BMV 700 battery monitor with Bluetooth dongle
Grape Solar 180 watt panel mounted on Yakima tracks
Zamp semi-flexible 100 watt panel stored under mattress
On the road in Montana on first day. Steven told me this is the first silver fleet with matching silver doors for the various appliances.
Initial issues
There was a small propane leak when I filled and connected the tank. I immediately returned to the Bozeman shop and Steven quickly replaced the leaking fitting and I was good to go. I do have an issue with one of the stove burners that will have to be sorted out. The directions call for holding the knob down for about 8 seconds when you light. While one burner lights correctly this way, the other sometimes takes several attempts before it will stay lit. Anyone have this issue?
Coolest campground on trip in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.
Fleet review
After a month on the road with the Fleet I am very happy with its performance. I wanted to find its limits on this trip, so used everything to its full extent to determine battery storage, heating, propane efficiency, etc. In other words, I used everything and didn’t worry about conserving.
A typical day included running the hot water heater once a day and running the furnace each night set to about 64. The temperatures at night ranged from high 40s to a low of 14 one night camped in Wyoming. I had several nights with temps in the 20s. I did order the thermal pack and was glad that I did. I ran the hot water heater each night when I camped so I could wash dishes and found that I still had warm water in the morning. With this type of use I went six nights before emptying the first tank. Cost to fill at a store in the boonies was $5.50. Best money ever spent. As I climbed in elevation on the return trip and the temperatures dropped I left the furnace on and set at about 48 during the day and left cabinets open while driving to prevent any freezing issues with the water system.
The solar worked about how I expected, with the batteries dropping to 78-80% each night and then pretty quickly climbing to 100% via the 180 panel and driving. Camped in Jedediah Smith Redwoods, with virtually no sunlight hitting the panel because of the big trees, the batteries dropped to 56% after two nights. As I wanted to test the limits, I was not trying to conserve at all, charging the laptop, and running anything that I wanted to, including the furnace fan, vent fan while cooking, etc. My guess is that if I had been trying to conserve and with warmer temperatures, I could have squeezed a third night out of the batteries without dropping below 50%.
Awoke to this on the Smith River in Jedediah.
Pickup camper vs. VW Westy
The Fleet has more floor space and much better bunk space than the Westy, as long as you only need one bed. The Fleet also has more total volume, more storage space, and much more counter space.
The Westy space is much more accessible. Let’s face it. Climbing in and out of the small Fleet door is a pain. In the Westy you can see better from inside and it’s easy to keep track of dogs, kids, etc., from inside the van with the big sliding door open. I felt more isolated and shut in when inside the Fleet.
Mt Olympus in Olympic National Park.
Also ran into my almost twin in Olympic. Never met the driver but the truck was carrying Oregon plates.
Most painful lesson learned
Smashing my pinkie finger when lowering the roof in the dark early in the morning before coffee. To be fair, I was warned by Steven to keep fingers away. My dog learned some new words that morning . . .
Coldest temps were found in Wyoming near the Colorado border.
And one final photo from the salt flats near Great Salt Lake.
Total miles driven with camper: 4,100
Nights camped: 14 (trip was 30 days and included bunking with relatives)
Steven installing camper in Bozeman.
Solar
I had all of the solar gear with me and installed it in a friend’s driveway after I picked up the camper. Luckily I learned from the threads on this forum and pieced together all of the gear I needed beforehand.
Victron MPPT 100/30 solar controller
Victron BMV 700 battery monitor with Bluetooth dongle
Grape Solar 180 watt panel mounted on Yakima tracks
Zamp semi-flexible 100 watt panel stored under mattress
On the road in Montana on first day. Steven told me this is the first silver fleet with matching silver doors for the various appliances.
Initial issues
There was a small propane leak when I filled and connected the tank. I immediately returned to the Bozeman shop and Steven quickly replaced the leaking fitting and I was good to go. I do have an issue with one of the stove burners that will have to be sorted out. The directions call for holding the knob down for about 8 seconds when you light. While one burner lights correctly this way, the other sometimes takes several attempts before it will stay lit. Anyone have this issue?
Coolest campground on trip in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.
Fleet review
After a month on the road with the Fleet I am very happy with its performance. I wanted to find its limits on this trip, so used everything to its full extent to determine battery storage, heating, propane efficiency, etc. In other words, I used everything and didn’t worry about conserving.
A typical day included running the hot water heater once a day and running the furnace each night set to about 64. The temperatures at night ranged from high 40s to a low of 14 one night camped in Wyoming. I had several nights with temps in the 20s. I did order the thermal pack and was glad that I did. I ran the hot water heater each night when I camped so I could wash dishes and found that I still had warm water in the morning. With this type of use I went six nights before emptying the first tank. Cost to fill at a store in the boonies was $5.50. Best money ever spent. As I climbed in elevation on the return trip and the temperatures dropped I left the furnace on and set at about 48 during the day and left cabinets open while driving to prevent any freezing issues with the water system.
The solar worked about how I expected, with the batteries dropping to 78-80% each night and then pretty quickly climbing to 100% via the 180 panel and driving. Camped in Jedediah Smith Redwoods, with virtually no sunlight hitting the panel because of the big trees, the batteries dropped to 56% after two nights. As I wanted to test the limits, I was not trying to conserve at all, charging the laptop, and running anything that I wanted to, including the furnace fan, vent fan while cooking, etc. My guess is that if I had been trying to conserve and with warmer temperatures, I could have squeezed a third night out of the batteries without dropping below 50%.
Awoke to this on the Smith River in Jedediah.
Pickup camper vs. VW Westy
The Fleet has more floor space and much better bunk space than the Westy, as long as you only need one bed. The Fleet also has more total volume, more storage space, and much more counter space.
The Westy space is much more accessible. Let’s face it. Climbing in and out of the small Fleet door is a pain. In the Westy you can see better from inside and it’s easy to keep track of dogs, kids, etc., from inside the van with the big sliding door open. I felt more isolated and shut in when inside the Fleet.
Mt Olympus in Olympic National Park.
Also ran into my almost twin in Olympic. Never met the driver but the truck was carrying Oregon plates.
Most painful lesson learned
Smashing my pinkie finger when lowering the roof in the dark early in the morning before coffee. To be fair, I was warned by Steven to keep fingers away. My dog learned some new words that morning . . .
Coldest temps were found in Wyoming near the Colorado border.
And one final photo from the salt flats near Great Salt Lake.
