A profound thank you to all in this forum

[jhanlon]

I spend 8 hrs a day - Mon thru Friday trying to play catchup.

The wealth of information, the memories of camping with family during late 50's and 60's brought back by the lantern and stove threads, the tips, tricks, tools, and techniques freely shared are awesome.

My Pulmonary specialists and Oncologists approve of the camping and exercise building 'something'.

30+ years of excessive exposure to asbestos has left me differently abled than some others. I just try to do asbestos I can with the body and spirit I have left.

Thank you all.

John The Vanner - now with 41 X 48 HF trailer too!

PS:

Anybody think I could build a foamie camper interior in my van? single cot size bed and a cabinet or two for stuffz?

[GPW]

Sure , why not .... What do you have in mind .... got any pics of the van ??? We love and depend on the pics ...

[eaglesdare]

i agree, of course you can. the stuff is easy to work with, very forgiveable, lightweight and a tad cheaper also.

good luck, and pics please.

[jhanlon]

For many years I built international contest winning custom computers for online computer modding forums. Wins in UK, Netherlands, US, and Indonesia. I have a public photobucket account and some pics of my van are here. sort of a photo 'what if'. pergo flooring, cabinet and bed mockups.

http://s255.photobucket.com/albums/hh137/jhanlon303/G20-van/

The account has all kinds of fun pictures from many years - my quilting stuff is there as well as a ton of pics of some of my computer build logs, reptiles we've owned, a few pics of family and kids and grandkids.

Wander around if you like - all are safe for work and family viewing.

john

[pete42]

Way back in the 1960's I built a queen size bed some seats and windows into a 3/4 ton van.
other than standing up it worked very well for a lot of years untill some one wanted it more than me.
I also converted a chevy astro smaller but worked very well

go for it and have fun.

[jhanlon]

I just found the Cargo Trailer section. It occurs to me that since the trailer will be chuckbox/galley and A/C for shore use, that I could treat the van interior as a CT conversion. They put the windows where they want, I just have to work around mine or lose the first window behind the driver's seat.

John the Vanner. Now with bolted together HF 41 x 48 trailer

[JuneBug]

As I was contemplating our van with the 2nd & 3rd row seats removed as we were getting ready for a road trip to NM, CO, UT this summer, I realized that this open volume behind the front seats was almost exactly the same as a teardrop, with a "hatch" opening in the back. This year we did a platform bed and used the area underneath for storage. In the future, I'd like to sleep on the floor of the van, with storage and kitchen on shelves in the back half.
Lots of possibilities there.
It was cold enough on the nights that we slept in the van that we did not need wide open windows; we could open them a bit for some ventilation + there were no insects; However, we live in Texas & I did come across something called Skeeter Beaters, which are no-see-um screens for car windows. You can get some night time ventilation without the insects. Ingenious design but a tad bit pricey. They also sell their netting by the yard.

[jhanlon]

My plan from the beginning has always been to have a screen room attached to either the rear or the side doors. Now with the mini trailer it is even better. Cooking outside when boondocking or even in parks. whole trailer will be unhooked and live in screen room.

You guys ever notice that some places have bugs? Weird. In Colorado the bugs we do have carry tiny oxygen tanks. My house was at 5500 feet and my cabin is at 9000.

John the Vanner.

[JuneBug]

I lived in SW Colorado for quite a while (in the pinyon-juniper zone) and was only really tormented by biting gnats in May and June. Mosquitoes not so much. Biting gnats were an absolute torment in SE Utah out in the sage brush, and nothing seemed to ward them off. They really liked to crawl through the tiny holes in the weave of a straw hat, get through your hair and bite your scalp. I guess it was eat or die (or eat, lay eggs and die) and they just did what they needed to do. They usually were gone by July 4.

[bobhenry]

Having just gone thru 4 days of camping with my little chuckwagon I would like to say I really love it. It is so great to have a place for everything and it makes the cooking and clean up so convenient.

[jhanlon]

My next question is where should I put my van interior build(if anyone is interested)?
I have come to the decision to do a foamy interior. Sound and heat and general coolness.

So, do I post in Foamie section, Non-traditional, build section, CT(with windows already) or just do before and after pics and keep my build pictures on Photobucket and just drop in once in a while to share?

The 41 x 48 chuckwagon will be a nearly normal(if any of us are) build.

I find it interesting that the total weight of 2 center captains and a rear bed metal framework removed from my van is more than a 1/4 Nelson.

Bouncy until you slap 30 gallons of gas in two tanks.

[wagondude]

Either the non-traditional or the foamy sections would be most likely your best bet. I would say go with the foamy section as it seems a little more active and your construction techniques would be of more interest there. There is my $.02.

Bill

[JuneBug]

Having just gone thru 4 days of camping with my little chuckwagon I would like to say I really love it. It is so great to have a place for everything and it makes the cooking and clean up so convenient.

Eeeeek! Your satellite/walker DO platforms have multiplied; looks a little bit like alien life forms have invaded the camp site.