MVIII

Some of you are probably reading this and saying"Hey what gives? Show us the INSIDE of the camper!" Well you are just going to have to have patience because it isn't done yet!! Yes I know, I should have finished everything before taking it out but I just couldn't help myself. I needed a little break from reality, and decided to hit the woods.



This area was extremely fun to camp in. There were no roads or people around at all. I went hiking, built a campfire, and read a good book! That's it!!! Friday night it started raining at sunset and did not stop until Sunday night. Talk about a great way to get some good sleep! Anyway I suppose I should tell you what I installed since last I wrote:

-countertop ($45), sink(free) and rangetop($55ebay)
-watertanks($26 ebay), two at 10 gallons each. One fresh, one gray.
-Furnace Atwood IV 25,000 BTU Baby!!!! ($120 new from ebay)Plus three ducts.
-30lb horizontal propane tank. ($150)
-All copper gas lines. (learned alot about propane)
-LP Detector ($40)
-110Amp battery ($200 bestconverter.com)
-Voltminder ($20bestconverter.com)
-Cheap thermostat($10ebay)
-Battery shut off switch
-Booth seats with storage lids
-Table
-40amp power station by WMCO ($150 bestconverter.com)
-two LED dome lights ($60 bestconverter.com)
-reading LED light ($35 bestconverter.com)
-kitchen LED light ($15 bestconverter.com)
-all switches and outlets were donated to me from my Texas friend Dan. Thanks Dan!!!!

I think that is about it for now. My next project will be to build the cushions!!!!
Before I go, I would like to acknowledge a couple guys who left this earth over the past couple months. My good friend Paul Baumgarten! Paul was my first mentor, he was like another father to me. Paul followed every truck camper post, and my life, and was always so supportive. Paul was the kind of man that made you want to become a better person just by talking with him. He was such a positive role model. I also lost my old college professor Clyde Johnson!! Clyde Johnson was the man who got me into college. I didn't get good grades in HS, but I could play! Clyde saw my potential. Plus he was the only teacher in the world to ever give me an A---. That's right 3 minuses!!! Clyde was the best teacher I ever had because you learned so much, and it didn't seem like a lot of work. Anyways just had to get that off my chest. Have a good one!
Dave

Maiden Voyage II

This is a picture if the second campsite I stayed at. You see I left home Thursday night at about 9pm. So I could find the site I really wanted to stay at. So I stayed at the nearest sight and then found this one the next day.

Maiden Voyage

Good Morning!!!! It has been so long since I wrote! This picture was taken easter weekend. I decided to take a little trip to the Savage River State Forest in Western Maryland.
This is the first campsite I stayed at. There was this beautiful stream right behind the campsite. I can still hear the sounds of nature!!! Awesome!!!!
Yes new camper, OldTruck!!!! I wonder how long old blue will hang in there....

One thing I really love are eggs in the morning. This weekend was the first weekend I got to try out the heater, lights, and rangetop. Everything worked great!!!!

Weight and stuff!!

Well I've had lots of fun with the camper on the truck. I've driven around town a couple times, everything seems to be fine. Right now, the camper weighs 1400 pounds! However, there is still a lot of stuff to put inside the camper. I'm guessing that I'll have a dry weight of around two grand. I was worried about not having a sway bar, or overload springs, but I think my truck is doing fine. We'll see once I finish putting gear and people inside!

About the inside, I tried as best as I could to put the jack knife sofa inside, but it is just too big. I would not have enough room to have a table!! So, I 86'd the idea, and am now looking at making a booth with a table that will also be used as a small bed.

Insulation idea. I learned from a guy who manufactures insulation (fifoil.com) that if you create a radiant barrier, you can increase your R value quite a bit. For example, the studs in my roof are two and one half inches, if i stall two inch super tuff R, glue it to the roof making sure the alum foil side is facing in towards the camper, I can add another R-4 to my roof! A two inch piece of super tuff R has an R value of 12, so with the radiant barrier, I could be around 16. If I used 3 1/2 inch fiberglass, since I would have to compress it one inch, I would only get an R value of 10. So I'm going for the radiant barrier! The wings will be insulated using 1 1/2 studs with 1 inch super tuff R installed the same as the roof. This method is for cold weather climates. If you live in a warmer climate, you would insulate the opp0isite way. Although I didn't need any of the products fifoil makes, thanks for the expert advice!!!

couple more

On The Truck!!!

Finally!!!! Now I just need a new truck!!

Camper On Blocks!!!!!

This was by far the scariest part of the project so far!!!! Basically, in order to get the camper in the truck without camper jacks, I had to raise the TC to thirty six inches into the air. Then, I backed my truck up to the camper, keep in mind, there is no room for error with blocks, I had less than a quarter inch between the outside of my truck, and the outside blocks. I also released almost all the air out of my rear tires to get more clearance. Once the truck was under the camper, I filled the tires with air, and slowly released the four bottle jacks. Total time to load was about two to three hours.