Overland

I think you could do it, especially if you’d be ok using propane outside the trailer, which would take care of cooking. You’d want to replace the fridge with a 12 volt compressor. Electric heat and hot water would be taxing, but many people carry a small electric heater and have found that they work quite well, and I would think that with a larger lithium bank and sparing use, you’d do ok. Assuming that you go with the 630ah lithium package, you’d need a lot of solar to reliably recharge that from solar alone. 1260 watts, to be precise. Even then, I think you’d want generator backup since you’ll be so dependent on electrical. So, yes it would be cool if you can get extra solar on your van, but in practical terms I think you should assume that you’ll be dependent on a generator or hookups for recharging - and with that in mind, you may decide that adding the extra solar isn’t worth the trouble. I don’t know Anything about the GMC van, only that typically vans don’t tow particularly well. If you decide to go another route then you might consider the new hybrid F150, which would really give you some good options for recharging quickly.

Here are some non trailer related things I subscribe to - For cooking, my favorite is surely Chef John - his recipes are always entertaining, easy to follow and I've never had one turn out bad: I think Alex on Autos is by far the most comprehensive car review channel: On the music side, one I really like is Vox's Earworm series: I like SciShow - always fun and informative: Numberphile is invariably interesting: And the History Guy is great: This Old Tony is enjoyable - would probably be more so if I had any machine shop equipment: Homestead Economics is a really good show for learning about off grid living: For hiking and backpacking info, one I like is Darwin on the Trail: And finally, David Lynch, for a daily dose of weird:

Nice overview from Marques Brownlee - I was surprised to learn that their range numbers assume 1000 lbs payload.

Knowledge is 10^3 power.

Those cells look suspiciously like the the inexpensive forklift cells that Will Prowse recommends for DIY batteries. https://overkillsolar.com/product/lifepo4-cell-100ah/ https://www.electriccarpartscompany.com/Fortune-100Ah-Aluminum-Encased-Battery

You can get the model info from inside the trailer - no need to get on the roof. Just pull the filter cover and look inside. There's a sticker with all the info. My guess is that if you're hearing it clearly that it's the internal fan. I can't remember if you can see it with the filter out, but even if not, you might be able to get a hand on it to spin it and see if that's the culprit.

Like SeaDog, I suspect something has come loose up top, inside the junction box. That, or I don't suppose you've been through a hail storm - damaged, shorted out panels I'm pretty sure would have the same symptom. If that's the case, careful touching them if they're in the sun. Understandable, but you needed one. Things that sit around outside and get bounced down highways will break eventually, and so it pays to gain a little fix it knowledge and at least a small collection of fix it stuff.

Maybe I should have capitalized "HOW TO" so people could see it. 😛

Personally I’m glad to know that the hook will break before anything else.

I love the idea of a touch screen. And the look - I love simplicity and also futuristic design. But I really really hate touch screens in cars. The glare is too distracting at night and they take too much attention to operate. Physical buttons and knobs all the way. The easiest cars I ever had to drive were my two Saabs. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they modeled all of their ergonomics on the data and ideas they got from their military jet division. (Night panel buttons - jeez I miss those.) There were a trillion friggin little buttons in those cars, and yet it actually ticks me off when I think about how intuitively everything was arranged, how I rarely had to even halfway glance at a control to adjust it, and how much I have to suffer through bad design decisions whenever I get in a car today. Even the chunky controls in my F150, like them though I do, suffer from every knob being the exact same shape and size (special place in hell for that design team.) I hate touch screens in cars. It’s entirely form (and cost) over function. In fact now I’m going to bed angry from just thinking about them. 😡😂

Actually, I can only find it in their catalog using the part number, 222090 - 'door hook' brings up some other styles but not that one. I shouldn't be surprised, I've had that problem with some other parts on their website, too.

Ah, so it is a Seadog part. That's what I get for searching 'stainless', lol.

Hmm. I'd have thought for sure that would be a Seadog part, but apparently not, nor can I find it googling either 'door hook' or 'cabin hook'. Plenty of other versions, but none as nice. I'd give Oliver a call if no one else can come up with it - I'm sure they could either sell you one or point you to the source, assuming they haven't switched suppliers.

I notice they kept the spare in the rear and I guess the batteries are under the floor? Having decent weight distribution is probably a first for a pickup. I think it's a safe bet that this truck handles a ton better than the regular F150.

I think it looks nice, but personally I'm a fan of tactile controls, especially the big beefy ones in the current F150. I've said before that I think it's a bit silly that electric trucks keep the same form factor as regular trucks. But I guess for Ford it makes a little sense that they have an entire line that they want to look at least similar. Plus I was thinking that for towing, you could possibly use the big frunk to distribute your load maybe enough to not need a WD hitch. The range is no worse than the Cybertruck, which I think is probably the absolute minimum that allows them to show it towing an airstream. I'd guess 150 miles towing? This is still a big problem. But we've been surprised by the useful range of my wife's hybrid BMW X3. The electric range for that is only about 25 miles, but that's enough to get her to work and back, stores, pretty much anything we do around town. It's enough range that she get's pissed off when the engine starts. So, with a 300 mile range, I think this would be a really useful truck to have in town and for short trips. I know we have a few owners who are signed up for the Cybertruck so I'm very eager to hear their reviews.

Swedish blues, anyone? I grew up in the delta AND drove a Saab, so sounds good to me.

It sounds to me like the check valve in the pump itself is leaking. Possibly from lack of use or the same calcium build up you've found elsewhere. So, it could clear itself up if you're lucky, but probably you'll need to repair it. Or, since they're not terribly expensive, just replace the pump and keep the existing one as an emergency spare - that's probably what I'd do, since it's always good to have a spare anyway. That would be pretty easy for you to do since the connections are just plugs for the electrical and screw fittings for the plumbing. You can store stuff under the dinette seats, particularly the front one. You just need to put things in containers that won't get lost between the hulls. The one on the back, you need to be careful about the electrical and not put anything back there that will knock something loose or damage the wiring. I don't keep anything there but some people do. A few people have installed electric valves so that they don't have to move the mattress. Others have installed an access port or door on the side under the bed and access that valves from there. It was originally designed for cushions I think, which are obviously easier to pull up for access.

Caulk Fight! 🔥⚔️🔥

Don't let John discourage you, Bill. Keep fighting the good fight.

With our shower curtain, water isn't an issue - unless I leave the bath window open in the rain. The floor is all fiberglass construction, and there's a hull drain underneath, so I'm not too concerned about water at all, though on my to do list is a small gasket around the opening just because. Though really, the only thing that might accomplish is making it more difficult to clean.

We've gone with switchless lights in our house (Philips Hue) and once the bugs were worked out, they've been pretty awesome . For the most part we never think about them. Light just happens. But in the trailer I think I want something tactile. A good switch feels nice. Feels like you've done something. I'd love to replace mine with these:

The floor under the toilet (the raised section) is an inch thick, with the rest being ½". It's extremely sturdy, and in fact I've cut out a 9" x 10" opening under the toilet for easier access to the space below with no flex whatsoever in the floor (that's where I store extra bags of peat for the toilet). You definitely do not need reinforcement. My toilet was attached by Oliver with four screws into the ½" areas of the floor and it seems perfectly solid. I think it would be possible, with ample patience and dexterity, to bolt through if you wanted, depending on how much of a gap there is between the black tank and the floor. I've pulled my black tank out, but if I remember correctly I think the gap was bout an inch.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Tom Jones - 💣

There’s a good bit of sealant discussion in this thread -