a tour of my camper minivan

a tour of my camper minivan,

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• minivan
• van
• vandweller
• vandwelling
• camping
• rv
• motorhome
• camper

[capecodcuda]

cool ... my girlfriend & i are interested in to going on some camping road trips ... i'm researching economical ways we can achieve this. i too figured a mini van might be the way to go ... watching your video i was thinking maybe an electric blanket would keep you warm ... thanks for sharing!

[namebrand55]

@capecodcuda glad to share! i spent a night on my way to california stuck at a texas walmart (icy roads) and stayed warm at night by sleeping inside two sleeping bags with my coat on. the temperature was in the teens. i stayed warm but the next morning my nose and cheeks were a bit red for 30 minutes or so :P.. a ski mask would have been nice to have.  it seems to me that an electric blanket would require a generator or a massive battery bank. an unzipped sleeping bag makes a good blanket.

[champagne5552000]

Are you using a Marine battery with high cold power? Also, did you consider putting the battery under the hood so it will charge while the car is in motion? Oh, best buy sells a mini heater and air condition combo with an exhuast pipe. I'm in the middle of doing the exact same thing. Kinda stuck between a mini daycare bus and conversion van. How long have you lived in the van?

[namebrand55]

@champagne5552000 I'm not living in the van. Just went on vacation in it. I plugged the battery into a cig lighter. It's a marine battery. Dunno what cold power is. Sleeping bags at night. Heating & A/C is trouble since they need so much power. Super-quiet generators are available but they're pricey. If I were living in a van, I'd just follow the cool weather around. I had a small propane heater but stopped using it. Too much hassle. It's kind of a tough way to live but the freedom is nice.

[namebrand55]

truck stops have showers. it's sort of weird figuring out the process to buy a shower.. there's a youtube video somewhere explaining it.

would have been nice to fit a cassette toilet into there somehow.. But if you're not camping out in the wilderness, there's always a walmart nearby..

[namebrand55]

cool. i camped out in it for a couple weeks in southern california last winter. i showered at truck stops, slept in wal-mart parking lots and out in the desert in slab city (neat place). it would have been handy to have had a cassette toilet in my van and cellular internet service while out in the desert. overall, it was awesome. great place to spend the winter. amazing weather.

[CI9TK]

Propane heaters in small enclosed spaces tend to use up all the oxygen before any small air leaks can replace it. Once they do, the heater starts to produce carbon monoxide - so, it could either be bad...

And who makes that brass lantern hanging on the carabiner at the start of this vid?

[gcbigkid]

Damn your cute ;)

[yrleventhal]

What do you suggest for just one night in cold temps - in the 30's, maybe colder.

[mrmelkor1]

38 degrees? wimpy much?

[metalsmithseamus]

@capecodcuda google kyle pounds..hes got good van vids.....electric banket would only be good if you have shore power

[sphinxx187]

Does ur inverter charge ur 2nd battery when plugged in to cigarette lighter?

[hbfvd]

Comment: "How long have you lived in the Van?"

Reply: "I'm not living the van."

LOL

I don't see how anyone could suppose you are actually living in that mini van....not too much room in a mini van.

Great vid. Good for camping without having too set up a tent.

[7188181]

@namebrand55 By cold power, he meant cold cranking amps, which is designated on all batteries. But I'm not sure if cranking amps are the same number of amps as referring to the draw of certain appliances that run off 12v.

[7188181]

@namebrand55 You can get a porta-potti that's self-contained, meaning it has a fresh water tank for flushing and a holding tank for gray water. Each tank is about 2.5 gal. Just empty as needed. I've seen them on ebay for as low as around $60 and are available at any camping center. Best way to go and requires no plumbing and are only 12" high. You can also get a toilet seat that snaps onto the top of any 5 gal. plastic bucket. You use trash bags for waste.

[assman255]

i'm in co doing it in a pontiac montana. seen u don't have privacy screening. i just came up w/an idea for that. since nobody wants to sit exacty uprite a flat board i don't think is good. i am going to take a 16 guage wire or more and bend it to the shape of the van inbetween front and back and sew a blanket to it