The Wedge (Name Subject to change!)

[working on it]

35 degrees is an average summer day here. Do Canadiens melt?

Well, the 'feels like' is around 45c. so probably 70-80% humidity.. so sweating will not help. But yes, generally, I can't handle the heat - If given the choice between 45C and -45C i'd take -45c.

I took a trip to the badlands once.. it was 30c there, and it was the most awesome summer day i'd ever had, because there was no humidity.

• I'm looking at the thermometer outside my office window (actually my dog-sitting room) at home, as I read this. It reads 101 degrees F (38.33 Celsius). I just came in after watering my wife's flowers, while she travels around in the northlands, and after an hour in the sun, I really wasn't uncomfortable. It's because the humidity is quite low for around here, at 32%.
• Your statement about the low humidity in the Badlands made me think about one summer day in 1977, at the Petrified Forest in Arizona, where I hiked miles & miles for many hours in direct sun, and barely broke a sweat. It was 105 degrees, and <10% humidity, as I recall (can't remember what I ate two days ago, but I remember odd things from the past...the remnants of my once-photographic memory, I guess). I just now checked the weather at the Petrified Forest, via Google...it's 96 degrees and 5% humidity. Not bad at all.

[NorthEGPhoto]

35 degrees is an average summer day here. Do Canadiens melt?

Well, the 'feels like' is around 45c. so probably 70-80% humidity.. so sweating will not help. But yes, generally, I can't handle the heat - If given the choice between 45C and -45C i'd take -45c.

I took a trip to the badlands once.. it was 30c there, and it was the most awesome summer day i'd ever had, because there was no humidity.

• I'm looking at the thermometer outside my office window (actually my dog-sitting room) at home, as I read this. It reads 101 degrees F (38.33 Celsius). I just came in after watering my wife's flowers, while she travels around in the northlands, and after an hour in the sun, I really wasn't uncomfortable. It's because the humidity is quite low for around here, at 32%.
• Your statement about the low humidity in the Badlands made me think about one summer day in 1977, at the Petrified Forest in Arizona, where I hiked miles & miles for many hours in direct sun, and barely broke a sweat. It was 105 degrees, and <10% humidity, as I recall (can't remember what I ate two days ago, but I remember odd things from the past...the remnants of my once-photographic memory, I guess). I just now checked the weather at the Petrified Forest, via Google...it's 96 degrees and 5% humidity. Not bad at all.

In general, it is rare to have heat in Ontario without accompanying crazy humidity. But, lots of lakes. Its hard to travel 50 miles without having to divert around one. But yeah, when it gets over 30% or so it starts feeling like you're walking around trying to push through a wall of hot jello. Starting to wonder if i should reconsider installing an A/C or at least a dehumidifier in the box of my trailer. I don't have much weight allowance, but maybe a small dehumidifier along with my fan would work. Or maybe if I use the dehumidifier I could use a swamp cooler inside the box.

I mostly camp in the off season anyhow, so it probably won't be a problem. Spring before the bugs, fall after the bugs and the leaves are nice. Though, the bugs this year are not so bad, last year if you went out unprotected they'd swarm you so thick you could barely see.

[NorthEGPhoto]

Well, I survived. I think I probably drank enough water to fill lake Ontario, but I managed to get the DC wiring all hooked up, and generally cleaned up the mess inside. I'm not finished with it yet, during the process I ran into a few problems which I will need to fix. I've got a couple of bus bars on order to make wire management a little easier. I'll need to extend some wires as well. I did decide to not vent my battery box to the outside since the only time that might be a problem would be at night with the top all buttoned up - which will never happen, since I don't intend to die of carbon monoxide/dioxide (as with all homebuilt trailers, I imagine this may change at some future date). I have a simple 48 AH car battery in there, but I built the box big enough for 2 'golf cart' batteries, which I'm still looking for 'the price is right'. Found a place near home that rebuilds them for $80 a pop.. so that may be where I end up going. I'd really like to get them for $50, but I may be being too much of a skinflint.

I managed to install my 27" monitor on the center stack and wired up my switches and ceiling lights. It is nice and bright. I'm getting 40v during full sunlight to my MPPT charge controller and 19v during overcast, so charging isn't an issue. I can run all my lights and fan + monitor off of solar and still charge during full sunlight. For overcast, or at night, I've wired up the six ceiling lights in such a way that I can turn on the front left, right, or the back left or right to minimize battery usage.

I have DC outlets on my battery box which are not connected to the main 'battery disconnect' so they can be used indipendantly, they have their own switches (because those have annoying LED indicators I didn't notice when I bought them, which are always on)

Pictures to come in the next few days, I'm still collecting an converting all the footage. Heat wave is still going strong so getting home usually involves collapsing in front of the TV with a nice Cold one.

[NorthEGPhoto]

As promised, here's the video.

[NorthEGPhoto]

Thanks to having this Friday off, i'm heading up north again tonight. only got a couple days, but I have to get my 7 blade recepticle installed in my car as well as a few other goodies

Thanks to prime day, I managed to pick up a dash cam as well as a Led Light bar (which hopefully won't be stolen.) My mattress has arrived up there already, so i'll be expanding that out and giving it a test drive if it isn't too stinky. gotta get the measurements from it as well.

If I have time I'll also be cleaning up the wiring a little. Grabbed a rivet-nut gun while I was at it, so that gives me a few more options for mounting things. pretty cool to be able to add threaded nuts to pretty much any thin material.

[NorthEGPhoto]

Well, this past weekend I spent a bit of time doing some minor cleanup work. I received the mattress and did a test sleep after it had suitibly off-gassed. I thought I might be too heavy for the 6" milliard tri-fold but it is just right, at least when placed directly on the floor. now i'm thinking I need to get another one for home!

Caulk

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I filled the section between the walls and the wheel-wells with flexible exterior grade acrylic caulk. supposedly it is shrink proof.. but, we'll see. I need to hit the underside again with rubberized rocker guard next time i'm up, the caulk should have had plenty of time to shrink if it will. I have another tube if that happens.

Battery Box

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wiring

wiressm.jpg (157.45 KiB) Viewed 3251 times

I got the proper sized battery terminal connectors and cleaned up my battery box, enclosing the final side. I still have stray wires to clean up outside. I also tested and mounted my internal antenna and ATSC tuner box - of course, in a place you barely get signal with a 40ft tower I didn't get any channels as expected. i'm sure once I get to camping somewhere with better line-of-sight to a tower things will change. Don't expect to be spending anything but rainy days watching TV anyhow, except for maybe checking on the news if I'm going to be doing a bit of running around or maybe some news photography/videography.

[NorthEGPhoto]

Well, we had up here in Canukistan what is known as a 'civic holiday' last weekend and I was able to go back up north.. but I didn't get a chance to check out the trailer at all.. We had a bit of a firewood bee, which was quite a task considering the heat wave we're going through. Lost a good 2lbs in sweat and blood, but now my parents have enough wood for 2 winters so all good. I also managed to get enough wood for the cabin I stay at while i'm up there, and hardwood this time so hopefully I can sleep through the night during the -40c nights instead of having to wake up every 2 hours to tend the fire or lose a toe.

I also did an oil change, and replaced the gear oil in both differentials of my subaru. A little ticked, since the dealer was supposed to check that during regular maintenance, and yet the check plugs have obviously never been removed. Guess my decision to stop going to the stealer for service was well founded. And the black sludge that came out of those cases reinforced that further. after a nice flush out with some clean oil, I filled it up with purple blood and now things are nice and smooth. my wallet is a bit lighter too, but not nearly as light as it would have been after another dealer visit.

I took a day to go explore around the mighty ottawa river on sunday, and visited the little known westmeath provincial park. it was about a 4km walk down to the shore, where a long yellow sandbar / oak savannah stretches pretty much as far as the eye can see. I took a few photos, but not really any i'm happy with. getting rusty! too much trailer building! I was a bit worried about getting sand in my gear as well. Probably worth a visit in the fall, or winter.. and preferably during the dawn or evening for better conditions.

My next job on the trailer is, again, re-coating the wheel wells with rocker guard on the underside, and building a sliding bed platform. I'm still not sure exactly how that will work.. though I know the measurements - i need to decide on the lumber. thinking 2x4s for the frame and 2X3s for the moving sections. I wanted to go lighter with 1X3s but I don't think they will handle my weight well when sitting since the weight won't be as distributed. Maybe some testing is in order. I think 2x3 slats might just be too heavy back there, but maybe in exchange I can use less...

maybe 2x3's with 4" gaps as opposed to 1x3's with 1" gaps...

[Staryder61]

You're moving right along with the Wedge,, keep the updates coming..
Pictures and videos are awesome..
Wow, that was a lot of wood to cut..
As for the heat, keep hydrated.. we have reached a hotter summer this year than I remember in the past..
100 to 104 here with 80 to 90 percent humidity.. so makes it feel like 107 to 111 degrees.. this week had a cool front blow in and dropped the temps to 98-99..

[NorthEGPhoto]

You're moving right along with the Wedge,, keep the updates coming..
Pictures and videos are awesome..
Wow, that was a lot of wood to cut..
As for the heat, keep hydrated.. we have reached a hotter summer this year than I remember in the past..
100 to 104 here with 80 to 90 percent humidity.. so makes it feel like 107 to 111 degrees.. this week had a cool front blow in and dropped the temps to 98-99..

Yeah we just had a cold front come through downtown toronto and flood a bunch of places, though it seemed to be fine by the time I had to go to work yesterday morning. Nice and cool at night, and warm during the day which is how I like it.

Though, really looking forward to fall. Favorite time of the year. Cool, but not cold, with the odd warm day, bugs are gone, and I don't have to stay up so late to watch the stars at night.

[NorthEGPhoto]

Well, I got some bad news on Thursday. I was told my position was no longer required. I've got 6 months pay continuation, to find a new job. So I guess, until that happens - there will be no more work on this trailer, as I need probably about $200 more lumber, and right now that is better saved for food!

I have savings of course, but I will not touch those unless I absolutely have to.

[Staryder61]

Sorry to hear about the job,, hopefully the job search will find you one quickly.. taking care of what needs to be done always comes first and the Wedge will get done at a later date.. Hang in there, and the best luck to you finding another job...

[NorthEGPhoto]

Haha, or at worst case I guess I might just live in it! LOL. i'm at the 'do i really want to work for someone anymore?'

[NorthEGPhoto]

Well! how is everyone?

Happy to say, I got a job last november, and I've been working my rear end off with that, however.

I have had small amounts of time to work on 'The Wedge' She is fit for her maiden voyage, and I plan and doing that the first week of September.

If everything goes well, I will be going either to:

https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/samueldechamplain

or

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/ca ... ground.php

I simply have to get my new 60 AH Deep cycle battery installed in place of the 40AH car battery I had, update my MPPT firmware to support the new charge size, and most importantly.. find my keys~!

I expect I'll be documenting the whole process, since that was the whole main job of this trailer.. to work as a bed and rolling 'office' for me to edit photos and videos.

I'm also adding a little extra, on the 'door' side of the trailer, I want to have a tarp and poles, so in the likely event of rain, I have an outside area that should remain mostly dry.

As for the skylight, which seemed like an amazing idea at the time -- when I leak tested it with the hose, it leaked... like niagara falls. I later found out that the silicone had strunk and lifted away from the edges of the plastic.. so obviously that was a bad Idea. I've 'fixed it' I think, by running Butyl tape over all of the gaps. Depending on what happens, I may end up completely covering it off and doing without.

[working on it]

....I'm also adding a little extra, on the 'door' side of the trailer, I want to have a tarp and poles, so in the likely event of rain, I have an outside area that should remain mostly dry.....

* Good deal on getting a job. I nearly got laid off in '10, when management was closing our brand new plant (3.5 years old), even before anything was dialed-in. Fortunately, I was needed at my former plant, and stayed there until 1-1-16, when I retired (after 46.25 years).

* instead of using a tarp and poles to create an "outside area that should remain mostly dry", why not use a canopy, sitting partially or fully (like mine) over your trailer, on the side where your primary door is. My TTT is 4x8, so a 8x8 Ezy-Up canopy, anchored against the "street" side (with my secondary door there), fully covers the cabin and my primary "curb" side door. It leaves me about a 4x8 covered area, where I often sit during rain events. It also shields the entry to my pop-up potty/changing area tent, which I usually use, attached near my door, for dry access to it (primarily at night, when it seems that we always have T-storm when I camp). Sometimes I use a larger side tent, with a floor, on the other side, where it also attaches to the canopy, and allows dry access straight out of the secondary door.

rain-proof camping set-ups I use.jpg (254.07 KiB) Viewed 2861 times

* Using a canopy is easier and maybe cheaper than assembling your own cover from tarps and poles ( I came up with a "perfect" design for my trailer...it would've cost over $200 in parts alone, and to securely mount it, I would've had to drill many holes in my trailer to secure the attachment hardware). So, I prefer to use a 8x8 Ezy-Up (6 years old now), and carry a not-yet-used 8x8 Ozark Trail canopy as a spare (actually they are both listed as 10x10, but the covered area is only 8x8). Both cost me $50 each. I thought about extending my coverage to 12x12 (which would be perfect for your 6.5x8 trailer), with this one on Amazon, but I really don't need to.

12x12 canopy.JPG (69.7 KiB) Viewed 2861 times

[NorthEGPhoto]

I did my first trip yesterday, just a one nighter. I ended up staying at bonnechere provincial park as I identified a roof leak and made some minor quick fixes to hopefully resolve .. unfortunately not, as I found out during the heavy thunderstorm and downpour all last night. I did go with the tarp poles 'for now' because I already had that.. and thankfully, I was able to just flip the whole contraption over top of the roof and kept the most of the rain off. Looks like i'm going to be pulling out my skylight window completely now..

I DO want to get a canopy eventually. I just have trouble justifying the expense.. the ones I see around here are generally $800 and look like they'd disintegrate with the first small gust. I want to head over to cabellas one of these days, as I've heard rumors that they have something much sturdier at around $650.

It leaks through the butyl tape... after I lifted the tape off, I found out why.. It wasn't sticking to some areas, as I thought, there was some silicone residue. SO I'm going at it with some mineral spirits after I get it dry, removing the skylight completely.. repainting the areas where the paint came off with the tape/mineral spirits. After that, i'm getting a larger piece of lexan, that will cover the whole opening in the roof the outside will be lined with butyl putty and then I will be screwing that lexan down to the outside of the frame where my home-made window once was.

Should have done that in the first place, but I just *had* to be fancy. Don't hire me to make your windows, apparently.

before the sky poured on me

wedgesmall.jpg (298.51 KiB) Viewed 2803 times

The other things I learned, are.. solar panels sitting in the sand during a rainstorm get absolutely covered with sand, and water. Since they are stored under my mattress.. I wasn't too happy as I put them away, I was able to wipe them down pretty well but I think I need to have an alternative, or simply mount them on the roof and be done with it.

I also found out that having sleeping clothes in a bag in the corner, with clean clothes sucks. I want to get a cargo net or something to either put on the ceiling or on the wall for that purpose. Same goes for laptop, etc.. which ended up sitting on top of my battery box. They need a shelf or something. Third.. cheap inverters are great until they are not. The fan header failed, on my 'good' one, and it refused to start.. I replaced the fan, and same deal. So.. i had a cheap canadian tire special in my car for backup purposes, 400 W modified sine. Unfortunately, it couldn't run a 250w laptop power supply.. it also struggled to run even a 10w power adapter for my screen and at the same time a 15w tv tuner which I also tested during the rain storm. Of course, no signal to be found.

On the bright side, between rain storms I was able to set up my kitchen on the picnic table. Quick and easy faire this time, no fancy culinary delights. for lunch I had a simple mr.noodles type packet, and for dinner I had a can of bush's beans n ham. I have a collapsible silicone pot with strainer lid and a small collapsible camp set with enough utensils for one person. I also have a simple butane stove with one burner, all that fits in a small bag and cleans up extremely quickly. 2 cups of water boils in less than 5 minutes and I was able to eat and clean up in less than 30 minutes. Quite nice. (also quite nice to have if you end up doing a day hike)
https://seatosummitusa.com/products/x-pot
https://lightmyfire.com/products/mealkit-bio-8-pcs
https://www.trailspace.com/gear/brunton/talon-butane-stove/

I was happy to find out that positioning the trailer by hand is still doable, but as I get older I think getting a wheel for the front instead of the current flat post would be wise. For now, I have a couple of axle stands to keep things stable, but I want to get proper leveling jacks for all four corners, and a couple of bubble levels in the appropriate places not the highest priority, but on the list. Probably won't be doing any more travelling with it till next year at this point, winter will be here fast, and my new job provides 3 weeks of holidays, two of which I've used now.. and the last one is being saved for Christmas. Miss those 4 weeks, but just glad to be in the black again.

Amazon order with some of the stuff for the skylight repair should be ready to pick up from the depot tomorrow, so I'll probably head into town and swing by the hardware store to try and get the lexan and appropriate wide headed screws (or washers failing that) to hold it down.