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01-29-2016, 03:52 AM
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#1
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gone traveling
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 435
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My kind of travel
Picked up the new van last week and promptly drove it to Canada--2500 miles in 3 days. Came home and added a few things. The bed is in al9ong with the bicycles. Plenty of storage underneath for all the camping gear, kitesurfing gear, and motorcycle gear.
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01-29-2016, 05:00 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
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Full size vans are very versatile. I bought one in 1972 and did one lap of America. The raised roofs on the new ones are great. I think I still stoop a little from that 6 month journey.
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01-29-2016, 06:19 AM
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#3
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 838
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What's the highway mpg for one of these things?
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01-29-2016, 06:26 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,003
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Advertised mpg is 14 city, 19 highway.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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01-29-2016, 06:32 AM
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#5
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Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 14,169
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My dad did something similar - but with a pickup and camper shell.
He had a fold down bed in the back. Room for bikes and camping gear. Kayak rack on the roof. When he retired (before mom retired.) he headed north from San Diego to Bellingham, WA (where I lived). Then drove into Canada and hopped from island to island up through south western Canada, then up and over to Alaska, Denali, etc.. Then east through Canada, then down into Glacier Nat'l Park... over to Yellowstone, then over to the Badlands... then he did all the Utah parks (Arches, Canyonlands, etc...) then down to AZ to see my aunt (his sis), then back home. He biked where he wanted to, kayaked where he wanted to, and had a comfy base to do it from.
Have fun with your new ride!
__________________
Retired June 2014. No longer an enginerd - now I'm just a nerd.
micro pensions 6%, rental income 20%
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01-29-2016, 07:52 AM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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That's a GREAT ride! Congrats on the new van! Also these are great because you can easily stealth camp in them, as they don't look like somewhere someone is sleeping!
__________________
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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01-29-2016, 08:00 AM
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#7
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 599
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That's a nice van! I like the fact that most of the truck makers are now selling full-size, boxy vans. Lots of usable room and relatively good fuel mileage. You definitely have a cool setup.
In a few years we'll be looking for a new to us tow vehicle for our 29' Airstream travel trailer. A full-size, 3/4 or 1-ton van may be in our future - who knows?
Definitely like the stealth camping aspect. We also have an Airstream class B van but it's not nearly as stealth (see below) but we have gotten away with "overnighting" in a church parking lot or two now and then.
__________________
Dreamin' of Streamin'
FIRE'd at 52 on 7/8/11
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01-29-2016, 08:10 AM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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That is a nice rig, nvestysly! We had an old Airstream Argosy MH that we sold this past summer. Still miss it, but we just weren't using it enough.
I have done some "non-stealth" camping overnights when traveling in our big yellow school bus, with good results, but usually are gone early enough to avoid persecution, lol.
__________________
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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01-29-2016, 08:16 AM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,528
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Looks like plenty of fun is in your future!
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01-29-2016, 04:42 PM
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#11
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemo2
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Oh a steering damper. My 1965 VW Beetle had one. When it went out, it shook like a dog....ah.... passing a bone.
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01-29-2016, 04:44 PM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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Quote:
Originally Posted by travelover
Oh a steering damper. My 1965 VW Beetle had one. When it went out, it shook like a dog....ah.... passing a bone.
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It made all the difference in the world to our Class B's handling.......and my nerves.
__________________
"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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01-29-2016, 05:05 PM
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#13
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 926
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Thanks for sharing. DW and I have talked about doing just this after she retires in a few years. Good to see that our idea is not totally crazy.
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02-06-2016, 06:42 AM
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#14
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 599
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kitesurfer2
Picked up the new van last week and promptly drove it to Canada--2500 miles in 3 days. Came home and added a few things. The bed is in al9ong with the bicycles. Plenty of storage underneath for all the camping gear, kitesurfing gear, and motorcycle gear.
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kitsurfer2,
As mentioned above I think your van is a great way to travel and it's very functional for your needs. Don't know how much camping you plan to do but a composting toilet may be a good addition to the van. No need for water and black tanks, just bolt the toilet to the floor so it doesn't tip over.
Here's one brand to consider...
Nature's Head Composting Toilets: Saving Our Water for Tomorrow
and some videos on how it works...
__________________
Dreamin' of Streamin'
FIRE'd at 52 on 7/8/11
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02-06-2016, 07:23 AM
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#15
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,763
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Make sure everything is bolted/locked down. You don't want things sliding around or being launched if you have to brake hard or are in an accident.
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02-06-2016, 08:36 AM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,328
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nvestysly
kitsurfer2,
As mentioned above I think your van is a great way to travel and it's very functional for your needs. Don't know how much camping you plan to do but a composting toilet may be a good addition to the van. No need for water and black tanks, just bolt the toilet to the floor so it doesn't tip over.
.......
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A thousand dollar porta-potty? One can buy one at a garage sale for $10 that just empties into any public toilet.
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02-06-2016, 08:38 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,301
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Great thread. I've been thinking about doing something similar and putting a sleeping platform in our honda element.
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02-07-2016, 08:22 AM
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#18
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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Our palapa... class 'B' Pleasureway, wintering on the Baja, 13 miles south of Mulegé, 1997/8.
__________________
"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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02-07-2016, 11:18 AM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,856
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We have done all sorts of travel. Lots of camping/hiking in the Rockies. Lost of travel in various vans. A good deal of business and business/leisure travel in 5 stars. AI's, cruises, and independent land travel.
Now we travel extensively. Usually small hotels, small B&B's. Independent travel. We grab a cruise for a change when the price is right. Lots of Europe travel and cruises when the economy was poor and prices were right.
Now we travel based on our bucket lists, what the best travel offers happen to be, and the value of our currency. We typically spend well under our ability to pay but we are frugal travellers. We can stretch a two month trip into three or more very easily by taking advantage of travel offers and currency fluctuations. We never go to one place. Air is always open jaw or one way. Don't like to pay for the same real estate twice.
We still have so many places on our bucket list to see. Many to return to as well. And the more we travel the longer the list seems to get.
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02-07-2016, 08:10 PM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Syracuse
Posts: 3,501
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A nice looking van. Thinking of doing a similar build after I get tired of my Airstream Argosy MH.
Do you have plans to add a galley and head?
__________________
“No, not rich. I am a poor man with money, which is not the same thing"
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