Camping and how I decided on my first RV
When I was younger I always enjoyed camping. It was fun, inexpensive, and got my wife and I outside on the weekend for swimming, hiking and the required campfire. As I got a little older and my tent began to leak on occasion it was time for something a little warmer, dryer and more comfortable for those summer weekends.
We started thinking about buying a pop-up trailer but quickly decided that was not for us. The main problem with a pop-up for our use was that we did not tend to stay put for long periods of time. We also wanted something we could sleep in easily while on the road.
Because I scuba dive I also wanted a camping vehicle that would be dual purpose. It needed to be something I could sleep in, but it also needed to be able to carry lots of bulky and heavy scuba gear.
A Cargo Van as an RV?
We eventually picked up a GMC extended savana cargo van which I modified for camping. I added the following features:
- Windows with screen on the doors
- A powered roof fan for ventilation
- A double bed at the back of the van
- Two extra deep cycle batteries
- A battery isolator so keep the batteries separate
- An awning on the outside
- A heater
- An electric refrigerator
- An over head florescent light inside the van
- An outside light yellow
- Numerous cosmetic changes inside the van
My main design goal while modifying the van was to keep everything working off 12V. I did not want to add propane etc to the van due to cost and complexity reasons.
Created on 01/26/2008 03:12 PM by bloedorn
Updated on 01/26/2008 03:40 PM by bloedorn
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