Progress update!

If anybody doesn’t believe in magic, try to visualize some sort of structure in your head, and then sit down with a CAD wizard and watch it come to life.

Justin is so quick and competent, even I don’t feel the need to wrestle the mouse from his hand and take over!

That’s what we did last week with our camper design with Justin at Koops’ Tinsmiths.  Over the past few weeks, most of our camper parts ordered from the US have arrived here in Belize.  So, we have exact sizes, and all the information we need to make sure all the pieces we have will fit and work together.

Passenger side view with door and windows

Driver side view with windows and water heater hatch

We already had a rough shell and wall design.  Now, we know that with a few tweaks, that design will work with the rest of the pieces.  We spent almost four hours placing windows, door, roof vents, escape hatches, and utility hatches. We also designed boxes for water tanks and plumbing and electrical components.  We came up with a plan for external lights as part of the vehicle.  A few wall panels needed to be adjusted, and we had to compromise on a few minor details, but overall we are getting EXACTLY what we want. 

Interior, with appliances 

Interior passenger side with moto garage and water tank space

Driver side cutaway showing living space with bathroom and garage/utility space

Now, we just need to get the build scheduled and started!  

This may throw a wrench in our plans...

 https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/high-risk-dog-ban-frn.html

So the CDC is now saying dogs cannot come into the US from Belize.  You can apply for an exemption, but the process is long and involved and expensive, and we don’t legitimately qualify for any of the exemptions. 

So, if you were looking forward to seeing us...I guess it will have to wait until this “temporary” ban ends. 

We remember, once again, why we moved to Belize. 

Design Details: The Shell

We are taking a step back here, but one of the first decisions we had to make was what kind of shell we would put on the back of the truck.  You already know we decided on an aluminum frame and aluminum skin, but lots of ideas were considered and tossed before we came to that decision.  We thought about reclaiming a box truck, which would have a ready made shell, but decided that it would be a pain to add the cab over, and probably wouldn’t be in great shape.  We also looked at an ambulance back, which was great because it was already wired and plumbed, but it didn’t provide the space we needed for using the camper for more than weekends, and would have required a lot of modification for our cargo requirements.  We considered getting a junked school bus and having the top attached to our flatbed, but decided it would be more trouble than it was worth, probably would be too heavy, and would most likely end up looking like the Frankenstein monster of campers.  It was only after thinking through all of these options that we even decided to talk to Koops Tinsmith and get a quote for an aluminum shell, and we were pleasantly surprised that their quote was very reasonable.

It was like magic!  We could suddenly see how it would take shape.

We already blogged about our basic requirements, and we had already put a lot of thought into that as we were making the decision about the shell.  That made it easy to come up with a general sketch of what we wanted, and go to Koops to turn that into a CAD drawing that would not only give us a picture of what we were imagining, but also give Koops a good idea to make a estimate based on materials and the time they would take to build it.  But, we still had a lot of decisions to make.

Our first decision was about the floor.  While we bought the truck partly because of the flatbed, we’ve realized that this particular flatbed is quite heavy.  We briefly thought about taking it off and having a lighter floor built as part of the camper build, but in the end decided to try to conserve weight elsewhere and keep the flatbed as we bought it.  It’s very sturdy and well made, and will make a great base for whatever we put on top.

We then had to figure out how the walls, ceiling, and basic shell would be constructed.  They need to be strong enough to not only support themselves, but also to support whatever needs to be attached to, and possibly hung from, them inside. They also need to be insulated, because we are planning on using the camper in a wide range of temperatures, and they to be able to keep the cool in when it’s hot, and the heat in when it’s cold.  They need to accommodate windows and vents, as well as doors.  We talked to Justin at Koops, and came up with a plan for an aluminum skin with 2” foam board insulation.  We are still working out details on exact measurements, but we have a plan.

The U-shaped blue metal will be the wall, which will have insulation inside the U, and the inside window frame will be screwed to the outside window frame from the inside.

We also had to think about doors and windows.  We thought about repurposing windows and doors from one of the many junked campers that exist in Belize as well as everywhere else, but decided that since we know exactly what we want, it would be more expensive but ultimately better quality and more satisfying for us if we bought new windows.  We then thought about getting house-type windows custom made, but after talking to local window manufacturers, we determined that those windows are not meant to be installed on a moving, flexing wall and we would undoubtedly have no end of problems.  So, Tom found a company that manufactures RV windows.  We then had to decide if we wanted the more expensive custom windows, or stock sizes, and decided that since the stock sizes were so much less expensive, we could work our design around the windows.  After determining what windows we wanted, Tom placed an order and had them shipped to Belize.  He also ordered an RV door which will be used to access the living quarters. 

One of the many windows, just waiting for a shell so it can be installed.

Koops will build the rear doors, which will swing out and will be the entire back side of the structure.  These doors will open into the cargo/utility area, which will be separated from the living quarters by an interior wall, which will also be insulated.

The rear doors will swing out like a cargo box truck’s doors.

The roof became surprisingly complicated, because it has so many purposes beyond just being the top of the camper and keeping the weather out.  It will have three vents whose placement is dictated by the inside design of the living space, but will also need to fit an array of solar panels, which is still to be determined.  We’ve discussed putting a rail around the top, which would be useful both for tying down things we may carry on top, and for running wires for the electrical system, and possibly anchoring water lines if we rig up a solar water heater.  And, if any space is left over, we may consider a roof top deck to be accessed from the escape hatch over the bed.  

We are meeting with Justin at Koops tomorrow to iron out some of the finer details and to schedule dropping the truck off to start the build.  We have a room full of windows and vents, as well as appliances we’ve already bought, and are waiting only for the living quarters door, which should arrive at the end of the week.  It is starting to seem real!

Lots of stuff, waiting...

Ground Transportation Decisions

Ever since we started thinking about taking this trip, we realized that before we could think about building something we really liked, we had to decide what we wanted to do.  Basically this means thinking about where we want to go and what level of comfort we want, but we realized that those general desires entail a lot of specific requirements.  For example, “where we want to go” doesn’t just mean deciding which National Parks we want to visit, but also whether we want to stay in the main stream easily accessible RV campgrounds, or look for more out of the way rugged isolated camping spots.  Anyone who knows us knows it didn’t take much thinking on our part to decide we’d rather stay in the more out of the way places, but that decision leads to other decisions we need to make, and those decisions lead to thoughts about design features for the camper, and then we have to think about how fancy we want to be, and on and on and on.

The current example of this type of thinking, which has been consuming vast amounts of time and bandwidth as we have waited for the underside of the bed to be completed so we can start on the top, is what we are going to do for local transportation if we park the camper in some out of the way place.  We don’t really want to have to break camp every time we decide we need to run into the nearest town for a few groceries, and we recognize that we may sometimes be farther out than would be convenient for walking or taking a bicycle.  So, we decided that we would include a motorcycle garage as part of the camper and take at least one motorcycle with us.

This may seem a simple decision to most people, but if you know us, you know that there are all sorts of complications.  The most common sense solution would be to build the garage for one motorcycle that would be big enough to carry the two of us, but small enough to be easily loaded without adding excessive cargo weight.  But, I (Marge), don’t really want to usually be the passenger, and if we had one bike and both wanted to go somewhere, two passengers would limit how much stuff we could carry.  This lead to the decision that we each wanted our own bike.

We already had an idea of general requirements for motorcycles.  Since we will be traveling through the US, we want bikes that can be legally ridden on the roads there, and can be insured.  We also want bikes that allow us to get parts and maintain them in the US.  We also know that weight matters both for keeping our cargo load down, and for ease of loading and unloading.  Here in Belize, we each had a Lifan 250, which is a low cost (and fairly low quality) Chinese bike.  We realized early on that they wouldn’t be ideal for taking to the US because of both the insurance and maintenance issues, but they did give us a good idea of size and weight parameters, since we knew that a bike that size weighed about 350 pounds, and was 85’’ long and 36” wide at the handlebars. 

Our Lifan 250s

With this in our heads, we started more extensive discussions about what requirements each of us had for a motorbike as ground transportation.  I simply want something to run fairly short errands, maybe pack a lunch and ride to a trailhead for a hike, possibly explore ahead if we are heading down a road where we think we may have trouble either passing or turning around, and, in an emergency if the camper rig breaks down, be able to unload the bike and go for help.  I don’t need to go off road, I don’t need to go too fast, and I want a bike that I’m comfortable loading and unloading on my own.

Tom wants basically the same things, although he also wants a bike that he can take to cruise around with a group of friends for a day without holding them back.  He also has more interest in going off road.  And, we both think it would be a good idea if we had at least one bike that could be safely ridden on a limited access highway at higher speeds, just in case we have to get somewhere.  While I don’t like to admit it, Tom is also stronger than I am, so loading and unloading a bigger bike on his own isn’t quite so scary for him as it is for me.

We used the weight and size of the two Lifans as working parameters to figure out the necessary size of the bike garage.  We want to make it as small as possible so there is more room in the living space, but we don’t want to make it impossible to load the bikes.  After going around and around on this, we finally decided that it would be a good idea to get the bikes before starting the build, so if we have to make minor adjustments to what is currently planned, we can do it on paper and not have to move actual walls.

We made a few decisions.  We decided that we will get Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha bikes since those manufacturers are popular in the US.  We also decided that I would get a small scooter-type bike, while Tom will get something with a little more umph. Because the scooters are about 150 pounds lighter than the Lifans, this gives Tom a little extra weight allowance based on our original plan if he wants a bigger bike.  And we decided that getting the bikes right now in Belize is a good idea not only for the camper planning issue, but also because it will prevent us from having to worry about importing anything when we return to Belize.

Marge on her new Honda Wave.  

So, last week, we went out and bought a Honda Wave 110S for me.  It’s light enough that I can handle it, and peppy enough to keep me happy without letting me get in too much trouble.  It’s road legal everywhere we want to go, and from all the reviews we’ve read, it will be dependable like a typical Honda.  And, its light weight gives Tom a little wiggle-room for his decision, which is still in process.  He’s narrowed it down to a Honda 250 or a Honda 400, or, possibly, some sort of Kawasaki, although advice he’s getting from knowledgeable friends has him leaning away from this because of the weight.  He’s also considering just keeping the Lifan 250 if he can’t find anything he wants here, and maybe a smaller bike would be okay, but...round and round we go.  

We are still waiting for a few more parts for the camper build, so Tom has a few more weeks to make his decision...so stay tuned!