Colorado B.S. Thread

@Reh5108

 

How'd you know what I wanted for my birthday??

 

Everyone wants one of these for their bday!

 

Hey guys. I'll be in CO next week and was planning to run Pearl Pass, among other things. The Gunnison FS says "they think" it's open, but I came across a post on Alltrails 4 weeks ago that said the snow field was still impassable. Can anyone confirm that it's passable?

 

Says it was closed a couple months ago, not sure of the current status.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1108407.pdf

 

Bushducks says it's open.
https://bushducks.com/tripreps/passopen.htm#pearl

 

Trails Off-road also shows it as open with recent trip reports from the end of Aug

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/trails/411-pearl-pass

 

Fantastic! I've been wanting to run the pass and hike up to twin lakes for a long time. Thanks for the links.

 

Pikes peak got snow Sunday.... may be wise to check the weather and see about any updates in the days leading up

 

shiner only

 

Has anyone built out a van or trailer before? I am looking for any advice on building simple, lightweight and effective living area in my cargo trailer. I am not a trained carpenter but I know how to swing a hammer and only hit my thumb 20% of the time. Any advice on simple electrical system would be nice too. I have some ideas and it came prewired with some functionality.

I would like to learn from your mistakes (lol) so I don't make the same ones and also, appreciate creative input. I have built out a couple trucks but this is a standalone "basecamp" so things will be a little different.

The pillars of my design are Simple. Lightweight. Effective.

Current Points of Thought

Interior

1. how do i frame and build a corner closet to hang clothes?
2. what kind of wood is best for counter tops?

Electrical

1. should I build out an entire electrical system or add a goal zero type self-contained unit to the single-battery setup that is already wired.
   1. all lights would go to the battery and accessories would go to self-contained unit
      1. accessories include:
         1. couple 12v usb outlets
         2. computer
   2. self-contained unit would be charged inline with the battery from the car while driving
      
   3. self-contained unit would be charged by solar
      1. might add an controller to charge battery too

Cheers,
Andrew

 

How do you define a difference between self contained and entire system? Because your description kind of reads one in the same
@andrewtheadventurer

 

Duffel bag for clothes, hardwood for countertop.

Electrical, get this battery

$280 LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery BCI Group 31 Lithium Battery Built-in 100A BMS, Up to 15000 Deep Cycles, Perfect for RV, Marine, Home Energy Storage

https://www.amazon.com/LiFePO4-Batt...0-5ec63b24bcb5&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY

This solar controller

$27 Renogy Wanderer Li 30A 12V PWM Negative Ground Solar Charge Controller Solar Panel Regulator w/ Temp Sensor Function Fit for Lithium, Sealed, Gel, and Flooded Batteries, Wanderer Li 30A

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Charg...8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Solar panel

$129 Renogy Flexible Solar Panel 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Semi-Flexible Bendable Mono Off-Grid Charger for Marine RV Cabin Van Car Uneven Surfaces

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Extre...100w+flexible+solar+panel,aps,356&sr=8-3&th=1

A fuse box of your choice depending on how many circuits you are running.
That setup powers my camper with LED lights, forced air furnace, 12v fridge, DVD player, charges phone and whatever else needs powered for an easy two days with no sun. With sun, the battery will recover in about 6-8 hours depending on how much you draw.

You would need a separate in line charge controller to charge the Li-on battery off the truck system while driving. i don't bother with it as the solar setup works great on it's own.

Save the Goal Zero for a backup.

 

Work and weather are severely interfering with my screw off time this year.

 

I helped my buddy convert a cargo trailer to a camper. We ran various 12v lines for led lights/switches to where the battery box was. Just used a pair of plain old lead acid batteries out of my powerstroke because he was ballin on a budget.

It was setup to charge the battery through 7 pin trailer connector and also from solar on the roof of the trailer. It worked out quite well, I think they got 3+ days of power for lights and inverter appliances off the initial charge

 

Self contained - store bought unit that has an inverter, monitor, solar controller etc. plug and play (example: goal zero and jackery)

electrical system - self-wired the batteries, controllers, inverters, monitors, fuses etc


I am currently thinking about a hybrid that uses both but i am trying to decide if i should simply wire and manage everything myself. I need DC for a few accessories but mostly everything will be 12v.

 

I have a Goal Zero Yeti 500x (lithium) available for $320. Used a few times then upgraded to a 1500x.
It has a USB-C port that can power a laptop.

I went with the 1500 to be stealth with no solar to set out and have enough power for several days.

My friend has a 500x powering his teardrop - heated shower (water pump), Starlink, laptop, etc and keeps it topped off with a solar panel.

 

Let me research and get back to you

 

How does the 1500 work for you? No other power sources?