Camper van for traveling

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
Administrator
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Retired in Minneapolis
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Retirement is coming this winter sometime so it's time to get ready.

The Doors sang:

There's only two ways to get your mind unraveled
One is to sleep
The other is travel

That's been a mantra of mine for a long time. Travel doesn't have to be physical It can be a day dream or other form too

I've had vans most of my life and few pickups. I like being self contained and compact. This camper is just like a Class C motorhome but no flush toilet. Shower and I'll install a sink instead of using dishpans

I get the truck in a couple of weeks then in an start putting the Tom Touch to it

The front of the box is converted and the back is still like a moving van. The roof is opaque fiberglass but I'll likely replace it with new tempered aluminum before insulating

If things fall into place I'll be on the road in early spring
 

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Good on you. That'll be nice to have. I just picked up a camper truck this summer and doing a 5 week trip this winter. Retirement is a little further away for me, but this will host my climbing and surf trips.
 

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Nice Tom
I picked up a truck camper. Wanted to have the option of towing a trailer and didn't want to add another maintenance requiring vehicle.
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TC&AA

If I ran a pickup for work already I might have gone that route

The next layer of my plan is to find a small AWD vehicle with a bit of cubic space inside to tow. Small Subaru wagon or the like

As I was looking for factory built Class Cs was small bed, I'm tall and need a queen, and one side was up tonthe wall. The inside person is climbing over or off the end of the bed. I'll have either a futon type couch/bed or a Murphy bed to tip vertical

It's a '97 E450 with a 16' box, Triton V10...the motor that'll pass anything on the highway except a gas station!
 
Tom do some research if you want to flat tow an awd vehicle. Off the top of my head I believe most are a no go. I think you may need to step up to something like a GMC Envoy or similar that still has a regular transfer case with a neutral position.
 
tc262 said:
Tom do some research if you want to flat tow an awd vehicle. Off the top of my head I believe most are a no go. I think you may need to step up to something like a GMC Envoy or similar that still has a regular transfer case with a neutral position.
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Yep !
I have a neighbor w/ an RV. He bought a used AWD to tow behind.
When he got home he read the car manual.
NO TOW !
 
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Why not a jeep? Easy to fix, light, true neutral,ski like roof boxes for cargo plus adaptability for tops/doors/windows to be removed. Or older cherokees can be had for around 2k here with the trusty 4.0 just higher miles
 
I've followed Expedition Portal for a few years. Amazing builds going on! A community of help like Treebuzz too

A wood burning stove/heater is intriguing. To me though, LP is so cheap and convienient it's hard to move to a woodburner and the safety issues too

At break time I did a little reading about hauling an AWD or FWD two down using a dolly or four down. More research needed. Some AWD w manual trannies can be towed.

I'm getting more stoked everyday
 
evo said:
It might be a little much, but you should check out a pack stove. I am converting a 10x8 airforce personnel carrier into a trailer. I bought one of these for it, it’s a little tricky to start a fire in until the chimney starts a draw.

When our friend who is helping with the babe moves out I will take some photos.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EHLHP4Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1508426650&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=tent+stove&dpPl=1&dpID=41e6GfDg+QL&ref=plSrch
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A propane torch might be useful to start the draw, and the fire.
 
Hey Tom for $500.00 a few years ago I picked up an Avalon truck bed camper. It is from the mid sixties and looks like the one in my attached photo. Mine needs wood work replaced in the floor and some aluminum work. It would fit best on a one ton truck bed and is wide enough to cover both tires on a dual wheel set up. You could live in this!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417/1968-avion-c11-truck-camper-restoration-73739.html

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I thought about getting a slide in camper andneither putting it on a trailer or truck.

What I found was that too many older campers flexed apart and leaked. That lead to structural wood dot and too much rebuilding

Those older Avion and Air Streams are appealing
 
Tom, nothing personal but I am getting really pissed off with guys younger than me retiring. I just don't want to hear it, but I expect to see your.smiling .Face here sometime.
 
The camper is home!

It only took a few minutes of possession before I made my first customization

The back is a typical roll up with the curved hook latch. The ring padlock I use didn't fit. A few minutes with an angle grinder made the fit perfect

After work today I do the title transfer

Then I can take out the shelving left in place

Thanks go to @jim454 for finding the original ad and sending me to his insurance agent who got me insured in only about fifteen minutes on the phone

The first step towards retirement was taken yesterday
 
TreeCo said:
Hey Tom for $500.00 a few years ago I picked up an Avalon truck bed camper. It is from the mid sixties and looks like the one in my attached photo. Mine needs wood work replaced in the floor and some aluminum work. It would fit best on a one ton truck bed and is wide enough to cover both tires on a dual wheel set up. You could live in this!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417/1968-avion-c11-truck-camper-restoration-73739.html

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You stole that sucker, they go for a mint on Craigslist, congrats.
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