rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 15, 2018 14:30:00 GMT -5
Greetings fellow vagabonds and wayfarers!
We rented a travel trailer last summer to chase the Great American Eclipse and my family discovered (as I've known as long as I can remember) that doing so was great fun. I have been kicking around the idea of building a camper and am curious if any others here have done any kind of project like this and what advice I might be able to glean.
My current (by no means exhaustive) list of goals for such a thing: -as small and lightweight as possible in light of all other goals -must contain a toilet, a shower (preferably inside) would be a bonus -able to sleep at least four -minimum 40 gallons freshwater capacity.
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rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 15, 2018 14:41:06 GMT -5
Although I am certainly willing to take a different path I currently have the carcass of a 1968-ish Steury pop-up to work with. It measures 7' x 14' and really tows nicely. It has surge brakes, which would need to be upgraded to electric if gross weight got much over about 1500@ or so. It also has a propane heater and a three burner cooktop, both of which are in excellent shape.
I have been looking into composting toilets. They really seem to function well and would eliminate the need for a black tank while increasing available space for fresh and grey water capacity.
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Post by goldrose1 on Mar 17, 2018 0:00:08 GMT -5
Although I am certainly willing to take a different path I currently have the carcass of a 1968-ish Steury pop-up to work with. It measures 7' x 14' and really tows nicely. It has surge brakes, which would need to be upgraded to electric if gross weight got much over about 1500@ or so. It also has a propane heater and a three burner cooktop, both of which are in excellent shape. I have been looking into composting toilets. They really seem to function well and would eliminate the need for a black tank while increasing available space for fresh and grey water capacity. Hi, where are you located? Much that I see online is not in midwest or places that see snow.
I'm looking at compost toilet, too. Hope others share soon.
Like this topic.
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rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 17, 2018 2:15:03 GMT -5
Thanks for chiming in goldrose1. I am in the St Paul/Minneapolis metro area.
Something that many people do around here is build a camper with wheels that can be retracted such that the frame rests on the ground. These also have four or more holes in the floor so that in winter they can be towed out onto a frozen lake and set down so that holes can be drilled through the ice and now you have a portable ice fishing shack! I don't go fishing often enough to make such a thing worthwhile but the concept is intriguing!
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Post by BGJam (Twin Cities MN) on Mar 18, 2018 11:44:04 GMT -5
Can't help ya out on building, 'cause I rent when I need temporary quarters. But please keep posting on your progress. I'm interested in how it turns out.
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Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Mar 20, 2018 2:22:19 GMT -5
What is the effect of temperature on composting toilets?
Why would you need to store gray water? Can't you just dump it on dirt anywhere as you create it?
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rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 20, 2018 11:57:11 GMT -5
What is the effect of temperature on composting toilets? Why would you need to store gray water? Can't you just dump it on dirt anywhere as you create it? Just like with any other composting process, I imagine it would slow down and ultimately stop if/when the temperature dove into the basement. On the other end of the scale, it would probably function just fine for a week in Death Valley or some such. Honestly, I have never used one. I only know what I have read or heard from others. Consensus appears to be there is remarkably little smell. The way they work is you actively (at the point of, uhhmmm... production) separate liquid and solid waste into different receptacles. Urine can be diverted into grey holding (more on that later) or wherever it is legal it can be dispersed to the weeds, solid is mixed in the toilet with a composting medium like sawdust, shredded paper, or organic animal bedding. What promotes stink in raw sewage is moisture. That is taken out of the equation here as moisture is absorbed by the medium and ultimately evaporates. What you are left with is compost or essentially dirt which also can be spread outdoors where allowed or bagged up and tossed into a dumpster. For the most part it is considered uncouth to let your grey water flow on the ground in a public camground or in close proximity to others. In some areas at is illegal. Where it IS legal to do and if you are out in the boonies it is usually acceptable to let it drain into a grassy area as long as there is no solid debris contained in it. Dumping it on bare dirt is less desirable because it can promote erosion.
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Post by MaddogUSMC (Jacksonville, FL) on Mar 21, 2018 2:13:01 GMT -5
This is an interesting topic. I'm actually considering buying a travel trailer and living in it.
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rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 21, 2018 2:40:53 GMT -5
Ha! I had also considered that a time or three in my younger days.
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Post by MidnightSun on Mar 23, 2018 14:46:44 GMT -5
Had a Toyota Mini Cruiser 20' long for 17 years. It had a 22R 4 banger w/around 25 mpg. Cop sees ya dumping gray water (or waste) somewhere and you'll be paying a stiff fine. Most c.g's allow you to dump for free if you pay for a night w/hook ups. It'll be a giant amount of work to build any RV. Even a small 17 footer. Maybe better to spent $5,000 and buy a used one. Use it right away.
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rjgimp
Senior Member
St Paul MN
Posts: 651
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Post by rjgimp on Mar 24, 2018 2:42:08 GMT -5
I certainly don't begrudge anyone their choice of toys but a powered rv is not in the cards for me right now. I have enjoyed using one a time or three in the past and they are indeed awesome for many reasons. As powered rvs go, those Toyota units are great. Excellent fuel mileage and they run forever. The big drawback for me right now is having another vehicle to insure. We currently have a great tow rig (Hummer H2) and minimal space so a small travel trailer fits best into the picture at the moment.
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Post by MidnightSun on Mar 24, 2018 6:36:50 GMT -5
In northern NH, it cost $600 to be over-insured. Not a lot of money. Like driving my home w/me. It rode nice - like a luxury car.
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Post by MaddogUSMC (Jacksonville, FL) on Mar 25, 2018 2:14:00 GMT -5
Had a Toyota Mini Cruiser 20' long for 17 years. It had a 22R 4 banger w/around 25 mpg. Cop sees ya dumping gray water (or waste) somewhere and you'll be paying a stiff fine. Most c.g's allow you to dump for free if you pay for a night w/hook ups. It'll be a giant amount of work to build any RV. Even a small 17 footer. Maybe better to spent $5,000 and buy a used one. Use it right away. That's nice! That might be something to consider. I'm a big boy though. It looks like it would be small for a tub of lard like me! LOL
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Post by MidnightSun on Mar 25, 2018 5:48:46 GMT -5
There's always The Class A RV. - Class A RVs can be as long as 45 feet. With all of this space inside, they’re usually equipped with a rear master suite including a full bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower. The water closet may be in its own separate room, and there’s probably a washer/dryer unit on board to handle the laundry.
- Today’s Class A motorhomes tend to have multiple slideouts. Some can expand to a width of over 14 feet. Large flat screen HDTV’s, surround sound systems, even dishwashers and ice machines are common options. The list of upgrades and options is almost endless.
- These are great traveling machines that let you drive comfortably all day and sleep comfortably all night so you can get up the next morning to do it all over again.
Downside is greater insure cost, little mobility in the city and 4-6 mpg. Studied them for months. Went w/ the 20 footer. Cost was $1,000 per year. Easily to drive in any city Coast to Coast. Went x-x 2 dozen times. What a Blast! Class A' costs these days are insane. Buying new is absolutely ridiculous.
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Post by BGJam (Twin Cities MN) on Mar 25, 2018 11:24:57 GMT -5
I have a fair number of retired friends that use RVs from 42' Class A to tow behind popups. They all fit certain niches that my friends use them for. They all have their up sides and down sides, but matching up your wants and needs with the specific type is where everyone wins. There is no "one size fits all"!
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