1 Bored Clerk's Garage Built Camper

Some stuff showed up today
Powertank mount for my 11 pound propane tank and some extra "stealth" ducting for my heater.

I'm still waiting on my propane tank, printed duct elbow, and a heater mat for my water tank.

 

I meant with the camper mounted directly to the frame, instead of the flatbed. I hadn't noticed that one yet.

 

Hmmm...I'm not sure I've posted any good ones. I'll see what I can do this weekend.

 

Please. I’d like to see that as well.

 

Stuff keeps trickling in.


12V heating mat for my water tank. This size is rated for up to 25 gallons. It's automatic on/off based on temp. I will have to put a switch on it to turn it off when there is not enough water. Water needs to come up high enough to cover the area where the mat is to work properly. So I'll place this low and centered on the tank. I'll just have to be mindful about my water level (no way to see the level at this point) in the winter when I use the mat. And also remember to shut it off in the warm seasons.

 

That's a really good idea!

It sounds like you will be mounting the pad on the side of the water tank. Can you mount it on any side of the tank?

 

Typically you would mount it on the bottom of a tank. But my tank doesn't have a usable bottom because it's so skinny. From what I've read, you don't want to sandwich this heater between the tank and any other surface. So mine will be facing the cab and my tank mounting bracket will have an opening cut in it to fully expose the heater.

 

Quick pic from the trailhead.

 

Awesome.

 

looking good

 

Maybe cheat a bit towards the output tube?

 

With a little tweaking you can get a Rhino ditch tracks for a double cab to fit the channels on an AC. DC’s have a slightly less curved roof but the ditch channels are the same cross section as AC’s.

 

I'm considering that. Keeping the output and valve from freezing is important.

 

I just ordered all the foam and fabric to make new padded interior camper walls. I'm excited to cover most of the exposed wall. So much nicer to touch padded walls than cold hard walls. I should have all of that in hand in about a week. Still need to buy a couple of sheets of 1/4" plywood as backers. Not pumped about all the money I'm spending but I'm getting a lot done (or at least on the path to get a lot done).

 

Been watching your build for awhile but just realized you're in Vancouver. I work up there and can't believe I've never seen you around, your rig seems pretty easy to spot!

For the 3d printed duct you could look into getting it printed in Ultem. It's the go to in engineering circles for high temp printed parts. It's good up to 340 degrees F and we use it all the time for hot air ducts at work. Only catch is it's kinda spendy and you'll have to have a professional shop do it because it requires a much more industrial machine than a home toy printer.

 

Well, I've been working from home for a year and a half so unless you troll the neighborhoods, you're unlikely to see me. But if you ever want to stop by, just let me know! I'm pretty sure I've seen your truck a time or two, actually.

Yeah, I'm aware of Ultem but I've got a buddy with a desktop so I'm going to try this first. If it doesn't work, I'll step into the ring with the big boys and order a more application specific material.

 

I've been trying to figure out a table solution. I was going to have the stove fold out of the kitchen box but it just wastes too much space in the box for too little surface. So I turned to looking for a table that was standing height for the stove and quick to deploy. I have a Roll-a-Table that I've had for years. Works fine enough. But I don't like that you have to lay the top of the table face down on a surface (the ground in my case) to screw the legs on. Not a lot of options for a standing height table with free standing frame that packs small. Except this one!


Crazy creek Crazy Legs table. It's just about perfect. Lots of plastic clip features that will make me nervous when it's cold out but I'm going to give it a shot.

What I like about it (having not actually used it yet):
1. Packs small
2. Base frame can be set up then table top next -stays clean.
3. Adjustable height legs - 5ish inches of adjustment.

Things I don't like:
1. Plastic clips
2. Adjustable legs are spring loaded to retract when clamp is released. Whoever decided this was a good idea was lame. I'm planning to set the legs at the height I like then leave them there. I'll do slight adjustments for uneven ground as necessary. I'm not storing it in it's bag and I have the height to store the legs long so it'll be fine. I may look into disabling the springs but that may be a terrible idea.

And I just submitted my files for a new set of frame plates for a slider build! This will help me with my propane storage and probably stuff like tire chains/fluids. I'll be selling my current sliders soon.

 

I had one like that a while ago, with a wood roll up top. Not sure what happened to it.

 

None of these types of tables are "excellent". They all have compromises and they all come off feeling flimsy. But I'm okay with that as long as it holds up like my way more flimsy feeling roll a table has. This one has the features that feel critical to me. I just really hope it holds up. I'm pretty nice to my stuff and practice a good degree of mechanical empathy so I've got my fingers crossed.