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codename607

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Dec 3, 2015
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Hello everyone my name is Terrill…

After placing my deposit back in December I’m currently scheduled to receive my FWC mid to late next month. To say the least I’m really excited.

I wanted to reach out to all of you for some advice. I’m getting a Swift Shell with only a few additions.
First off, being that many of you have already been in my shoes, what are some things I should consider as far as being new to the camper and FWC world?

I went with a shell because I wanted to have the freedom to add and take things out as necessary. For instance, with heating I plan on using my Mr. Buddy Heater during the cold months. I also have a Goal Zero Yeti 400 for power and a few solar panels. And for cooking I’ll be using my jetboil or small propane grill.

The one thing that I haven’t figured out yet is the sink option. I would like to have the ability to wash hands, brush teeth and a few other basic things. Any ideas on the best way to work this? I’ve been seeking out articles and youtube videos from people with Sprinter vans and other small camper builds, but nothing is jumping out at me right now.

Thanks for your time.
 
Welcome to the site! There are as many different ideas as there are members. And even more ideas taken from other members and modified.

I tried the little buddy heater at first but after dealing with all the extra condensation I decided to buy a furnace. As for the sink I like the size of the factory one but not the plumbing for the drain. I use a 7 gallon jug set on top of the factory fridge for running water.
 
Thanks for the info on the Mr. Buddy heater. I've used mine to keep me warm inside a tent for a few hours but that's about it. Didn't really have a problem with condensation but I can see how it could become an issue for the camper. I would imagine after several hours of use the condensation builds up.

What kind of furnace did you go with?
 
Kolockum said:
I tried the little buddy heater at first but after dealing with all the extra condensation I decided to buy a furnace.
Click to expand...
X2 on the Little Buddy. For us the condensation was manageable but not having a thermostat became an issue. Nice now to set the furnace super low (or high) and not worry about it.
 
In my previous interior build I had a sink and drain, no water tank and no faucet
.
The sink turned into a storage location and was removed on the current interior build (I like to change things up when the need arises).
The drain to the sink was removed, however, I kept the drain to the portable interior shower pan (I use drip filtered water from any water source for the portable Zodi Extreme shower tank located outside the camper).
No water tank, I just carry 2, 2-1/2 gallon Arrowhead water containers, I buy more when I run dry and recycle the old empty ones, no worry about freezing or foul taste from a water tank or "city" type water source.

Plastic dish washing size tub now serves as my sink.

I don't use a lot of water.
 
Alley-Kat said:
In my previous interior build I had a sink and drain, no water tank and no faucet
.
The sink turned into a storage location and was removed on the current interior build (I like to change things up when the need arises).
The drain to the sink was removed, however, I kept the drain to the portable interior shower pan (I use drip filtered water from any water source for the portable Zodi Extreme shower tank located outside the camper).
No water tank, I just carry 2, 2-1/2 gallon Arrowhead water containers, I buy more when I run dry and recycle the old empty ones, no worry about freezing or foul taste from a water tank or "city" type water source.

Plastic dish washing size tub now serves as my sink.

I don't use a lot of water.
Click to expand...
Good info! I have a few water containers that I picked up from REI...planned on using those to carry water around.
 
We bought a used Eagle shell with a furnace, stove, and roll over couch. For us that is perfect. I don't want to deal with water systems and plan to add a road shower to a roof rack.
http://www.roadshower.com/
The furnace draws some juice from the battery but works great and is not very loud. I really like the open layout in the small Eagle. We do most our cooking outside.




I also just realized that since I have 2 small propane tanks on board I could use one to run a Camco propane campfire in areas that don't allow a camp fire.

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/uploads/photobucket/img_137456_4_e347eed8e18a2ae6275f114dd98b7e11.jpg[/IMG]
 
Hi Terrill,

Congrats on your new camper. Welcome to the family. Your going to love it. Lots of ideas on the post "Camper Builds" and "Low Cost Mods"

The following is how we did our sink and water storage/faucet system.
gallery_2684_938_18377.jpg


Buy the sink from Four Wheel as it comes with the parts to secure it into the counter. and drain fittings to go through the camper wall. About $90 complete with template More pictures and procedures on my original post. Good info to review. Click on the link under my signature.

Water container/Dispenser sourced from water store that sells fresh drinking water and containers. Has a screw cap on top=easier to add water when its in place. This one holds 3 gallons runs by gravity. Recently I replaced the "spring-loaded" spigot with a "petcock" to control the flow. Look on my post page 11 - # 107 and 108. More pictures in" My Gallery". Click on my Avatar to get there..
 
Thanks everyone for all of the awesome feedback. I'm going to be putting together a list of priorities for myself over the next few days and I plan on engaging you all again.

Jim, awesome work on the site...so much useful information.
 
Will - Thanks for the compliment. My goal when I created the post was to share with all the readers my experience "tweaking" the Eagle . That is fun of a a shell...Only the items you need, not the ones you don't.

My other advice is - camp with it a few times. Then you will get a better feel for what you need to add. Keeps the junk out and you will spend less money.
 
RC Pilot Jim said:
Will - Thanks for the compliment. My goal when I created the post was to share with all the readers my experience "tweaking" the Eagle . That is fun of a a shell...Only the items you need, not the ones you don't.

My other advice is - camp with it a few times. Then you will get a better feel for what you need to add. Keeps the junk out and you will spend less money.
Click to expand...
Great advice! I have several mini trips planned just for this reason.
 
Tried looking at his info but none of the pictures work. I'll have to see if I can figure it out. Thanks for the lead.
 
With our Eagle shell we use an Olympic Wave 6 with no condensation issues. The one thing I think I might add if I did it again is a fan. We have had a few occasions where it has been hot at night with no wind and it stays hot in the camper. We use water jugs and a solar shower outside of the camper, no sink. When we lived in a camper for a year a sink was nice, now it's not a big deal to not have one, if the weather sucks too bad we either deal with it or go home.
 
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