51 replies to this topic

[TravelAmateurs]

After stalking the forums on WTW and EP for the past 6 months, I think it's about time for my first post as a noob.  For starters, I'm incredibly thankful for the wealth of information, opinions, pictures and stories shared in the discussions.  Without it, I might still be looking at the limited truck camper options here on the East Coast...or trying to convince the girlfriend that living in a 4-Runner would be "cozy."  Once we decide between the Fleet or Hawk, we'll be purchasing an 05-06 Tundra 4x4 to pair with the new home on wheels.  Our plan is to buy the FWC, sell our posessions, quit our jobs, and hit the road (early 2015).  We'll be visiting a few of the U.S. National Parks, family in CO and MN, and then making our way through Central and South America to the southern tip of Argentina.  From there, who knows. 

 

Since we'll be living, almost exclusively, in our FWC for at least a year, the decision process has been slightly exhausting.  We've changed our minds on whether to choose the shell, base, and every available option more times than I can count.  In the end, we know that no matter which model/options we choose we'll do just fine.  With that said, I kindly ask the WTW team to repeat what they've most likely repeatedly repeated, and share their opinions on my ideas/questions below.  In return I promise to post TONS of pictures when the decision is finally made!

 

Our initial ideas for a shell build are as follows:

 

FWC Options:

New Hawk Shell

Mechanical Jacks & Brackets

Front Opening Window

Propane cabinet w/ furnace

Side Awning

Solar Plug(s)

Aux Battery

2nd Battery

12V Outlets

Fantastic Fan

Seating?

 

Questions:

 

1) What are the pros/cons of a front (side-to-side) rollover couch?  Is this offered or a DIY install? My thought is that it takes up less of the central floor space and provides a larger bed for "stealth" camping with the top down.

 

2) Has anyone mounted a top load fridge in the passenger-rear/starboard-stern corner of a shell?  I am wondering if a side-to-side couch accross the front, furnace/cabinets/storage on the driver side rear, and an Engel fridge on the passenger side rear would be a good setup.

 

3) Should I have FWC install solar/controller or get the roof plug option and purchase elsewhere to DIY install?

 

4) Is the north-south sleeping setup available on a Hawk?

 

[The Next Adventures]

Have we talked already?
To help with the above info:
If your doing a solar setup why get two batteries? Just get one good agm battery like a diehard platinum 31m. Unless you will not be running a three way fridge? I highly recommend a three way fridge. What are your other 12volt power considerations? I also highly recommend USB ports for charging electronic devices, so that you do not have to turn on the inverter. Unless you plan on using a microwave don't go crazy with the inverter 300watt is plenty.
I would go for two fantastic fans in the roof. Something I wish I had a few times.
I am not following the floor plans mentioned above that well. The 2nd one sounds loaded too much in the rear not keeping most of your weight between the axles. That would be a crappy ride. Which brings up the question what is your current plan to modify the tundra to carry the extra weight?

[Timothy McGowen]

Welcome to the forum. I don't have my camper yet so I can't answer any of your questions but I am excited to here more about your journey. If you haven't figured it out already, the adventure has already begun. 

[TravelAmateurs]

The Next Adventures - we definitely have talked. Jenna has been emailing with you guys and we have been following your every move through C/S America.  Your camp site listings are fantastic!

 

We were thinking of going the 12V Engel route due to the fact that we are doing a shell model and wont have a built in area or ventilation for the fridge.  After reading the 12V vs. 3-way debates it seems like they both have die hard fans...and I just want to make sure I have access to cold beer. Other than the fridge, we'll have the fantastic fan, phone, laptop, and possibly an endless breeze fan drawing power. Based on your recommendation and our research the USB outlets are a must.  I was thinking the same thing about the floor plan and weight.  When going the shell route, the options are endless. We really like the idea of having a side-to-side couch (link below) but have had a hard time placing the fridge with this setup.  As of now, we're leaning towards upgraded leaf springs/shocks/etc. for the Tundra. Thanks for all the input thus far.  If you guys are still living the good life next year we'd love to link up.

 

side-to-side couch:

http://www.wanderthe...lip-flop-couch/

 

Timothy - You're absolutley right.  We've become worthless at our jobs...slowly checking out and getting ready for good times ahead.

[DanT]

Hey, I'm excited to hear about your plans, especially since we're practically neighbors. It's nice to hear about some wandering starting on the right coast.

I don't want to get into every aspect of your option list, but I look forward to the posts.

But my #1, 2cents would be; go with the Hawk.  As you know, you can do either with the Tundra but an adventure of the magnitude that you expressed….. well lets just say that you'll never say "we have too much room".

 

Anyway, way to    MAKE IT HAPPEN CAPTAIN.

[Beach]

I have a 3way fridge and like being able to choose between propane or 12v when camping off the grid. But remember with a 3way, when the ambient temp is up your cooling capability suffers. My max temp differential is 40-45 degrees, so if you plan on being in hot conditions that is something to consider. A 120v/12v fridge with a compressor will give better performance in hot conditions. I did recently run the 3way for 10 days straight on propane in 85-92 degree weather(fridge set at max), when we returned I weighed the tank and was pleased to see we only used just over half a tank(20lb bottle). We did not run any other appliances on the tank. There is a good video on the FWC website about choosing a fridge. A 3way is not very efficient if you plan on using solar to run the fridge. Get a good fairly high capacity solar panel, mine is 80 watt I think and it keeps up easily with all our 12v needs(not including the fridge), by the way get the 12v fridge fan if you get the 3way fridge it makes quite a difference on cooling efficiency. I also carry a 1lb propane bottle adapter so if the main tank runs out I can run on my camp stove bottle for a couple days till I can refill the 20lb tank.

[LuckyDan]

First let me offer my congratulations for taking "The Plunge" to living on purpose.

 

While I have not done what you are proposing, I have lived out of a couple RV's in field work camps neumerous times, own a Grandby and have done enough extended trips to offer the following:

 

The three way fridge's are nice in that their fuel consumption when on propane is pretty low and their aqusition cost is less than a 12 0r 12/110 volt.  If you are "tour camping" or mostly on the move boondocking finding a level spot or leveling the truck to park for the night can get old.  Mine's a three way but if it dies I'm thinking 12volt.

 

Depending on what you plan to run on propane is in total, you may want to consider the two bottle system if is not already stock with the new FWC's.  The reason is if you don't want to break camp and someone is running to town you can send in the empty for refill without shutting everything off like your three way fridge.

 

If your plan is to be stationary for any amount of time you really need to calculate the anticipated amp hrs needed and size your solar taking into account that even the sunny southlands have a lot of cloudy/low light days.  I have a single battery system but it's a really big Deka Deep Cycle.

 

As for the roll over couch my FWC is old enough it's the two part not the roll over and either way I don't care for it.  Deployed either one takes up almost all the floor space.  If doing a roll over I think your idea of putting it cross ways in front is something to consider.  I say this as my Grandby has the "L" couch, one across the front and and down the side.  I use the cross front one more as it puts me facing the windows and it's long and wide enough that at 5'10" and 218lb. I sleep on it just fine without having to set the other one up.

 

As for awnings I think the investment again depends if you'll stay put a bit or tour camping.  I don't have one on my Grandby but did on my motor home.  If parked for a bit they make for a nice camp.  If on the move you'll probably not take the time to deploy it.  Something to consider in awnings is a rear awning over the door.  If rainy ar snowy it helps keep the camper cleaner and dryer inside.

 

Take care and best of luck with your choices.

[The Next Adventures]

The Next Adventures - we definitely have talked. Jenna has been emailing with you guys and we have been following your every move through C/S America. Your camp site listings are fantastic!

We were thinking of going the 12V Engel route due to the fact that we are doing a shell model and wont have a built in area or ventilation for the fridge. After reading the 12V vs. 3-way debates it seems like they both have die hard fans...and I just want to make sure I have access to cold beer. Other than the fridge, we'll have the fantastic fan, phone, laptop, and possibly an endless breeze fan drawing power. Based on your recommendation and our research the USB outlets are a must. I was thinking the same thing about the floor plan and weight. When going the shell route, the options are endless. We really like the idea of having a side-to-side couch (link below) but have had a hard time placing the fridge with this setup. As of now, we're leaning towards upgraded leaf springs/shocks/etc. for the Tundra. Thanks for all the input thus far. If you guys are still living the good life next year we'd love to link up.

side-to-side couch:
http://www.wanderthe...lip-flop-couch/

Timothy - You're absolutley right. We've become worthless at our jobs...slowly checking out and getting ready for good times ahead.

Shell model is great this is the way I would go if purchasing new. Just like fridge options and other ideas a lot has to do with your style of camping will you move every 1-3 days and be paying to camp most nights with electric, toilet and showers or will you stay stationary longer and be boondock camping? If you will be boondock camping I suggest a large fresh water hold. If you were to do the side to side couch seat mentioned above below it would be a great spot for your fresh water tank.
I am way behind on updating my camp spots as we are on Colombia now! I also have a master spreadsheet I will send you by email with hundreds of camp spots collected by travelers. Have fun!

Edited by The Next Adventures, 26 July 2014 - 06:51 PM.

[imix]

Congratulations on your decision to change your life and have some adventure!

 

Another couple who went with a Phoenix pop up did the very same thing a couple years back...and I only put this out there as a word of caution, but they were violently attacked in a remote village in Peru. They did manage to survive and get their vehicle back and continue on their journey. They haven't posted in awhile so I don't know how its going, but this is their blog post about the incident in Peru.

 

http://adventureamer...htmare-in-peru/

 

Not trying to be a downer, just trying to say, keep safe...

[TravelAmateurs]

LuckyDan - I agree with the two bottle propane system.  We just got back from a quick trip to Rocky Mountain Four Wheel Campers and the two bottle setup is now standard. We'll post a trip report and some pictures of the two showroom models.  I'm still learning about solar and have a long way to go before I have a handle on what we'll need.  I do know that we want more than enough power so we'll be going for 2 batteries, a dedicated roof solar panel (or two), and possibly a portable panel.  Hopefully, we will be boondocking quite a bit.  Finding remote locations to get off the grid and take in the scenery is a priority for this trip.  Since I'm pretty pale, the side awning is a must-have for me.  As you said, the rear awning would be great addition to help keep out the rain, mud, etc.  Still debating whether to DIY or purchase from FWC. 

 

The Next Adventures - Can't wait to hear about your experience shipping accross the Darien Gap! Always a "fun" process for overlanders.  A master list of camp spots would be great. Gotta love spreadsheets!  As you can tell, we are still in the early stages of choosing a layout for the shell.  We've even considered building a mock shell floorplan out of boxes in our apartment.  If we are able to go the side-to-side couch route, we might see if the fridge will fit underneath on a slide system.  This would keep more weight towards the front. A fresh water tank would probably fit next to it so I like that idea.  We're also considering the tank below, another great idea from the WTW community, but this would be in the cab of the truck and need to be supplemented with additional water storage:

http://www.frontrunn...ml#.U9T8gLGh21w

 

imix - Thanks for passing this along.  Jed and Meg's blog (adventureamericas) was one of the first we read when we decided we needed a life change and were deciding between backpacking Europe or going the Pan Am route. It's terrible that this happened to them and we were really happy to see that they continued their journey after such a terrible experience.  Ultimately we decided that bad sh*t can happen no matter where you are in the world.  We'll be using the knowledge and experience of other overlanders to prepare and avoid certain areas, while operating under the belief that the world is generally full of good people.  Really glad you posted this though.  The more information, the better.

 

So far our biggest decision is how to get the FWC to the east coast without taking a week+ trip out to Denver and back (Rocky Mountain FWC).  Picking up the camper on our way out West (early 2015) is an option, but we are anxious and want it as soon as possible!