Measuring Time

We picked up the camper from Koops' a little over three weeks ago.  We were supposed to have it for about a week and a half, but due to all the usual delays, we've had it longer than expected, and still have it.  This has turned out to be a good thing, since in twice the time we've accomplished about half of what we wanted to do with it before Koops' gets it back.

We have mostly used the time to measure things while the camper is close to figure out how much wood we need for cabinets, and how much wire for the electrical system, and how much tubing for the plumbing and the gas.  We also measured, ordered, and picked up our mattress and cushions for the bench.  The cushions are dropped off at an upholstery place to be covered, and I have the mattress so I can sew some belt loops to it for the belt which will hold the two pieces together.  We've run all over everywhere getting parts...buckles for the mattress belt, connectors for the electrical system, the beautiful mahogany for the cabinets, as well as hinges and pulls, and I don't even know what other bits and pieces.  

The camper is currently with the cabinet maker, but should be going back to Koops' for the last pieces in the next week or so.  Then, the electrician will be back in mid-December, and we will get the solar system hooked up, after Koops' mounts the solar panels on the roof.  Tom is pretty sure he has what he needs for the plumbing and the gas, but it's all taking more time than we expected, even though we thought we built in a pretty good cushion.

It now looks like we won't be leaving until sometime in the beginning of 2022...but we are going to get this done right, and stop stressing about how long everything is taking.

We don't have photos of everything being measured since those photos wouldn't be very exciting, but we've taken lots of photos of the cabinets being built since that is very visible progress, and we are really pleased and excited about them.

Cabinets are framed under the sink...

...as well as over the sink, over the stove, and in the cabover bedroom.

Bedroom cabinets are framed on both sides, along with the cabinet where all of the electrical equipment will be installed.

The closets utilizing the space in the moto garage had aluminum doors, but since this wood is so beautiful, we are having them replaced with mahogany doors to match the rest of the cabinets.

Cabinet door frames are lined up and ready to go be installed!  Now we just have to get the hinges and handles we just bought to the shop.

Things to stop losing sleep over

Without having the camper here to touch and feel, there have been a few things that Tom and I will suddenly start discussing in the middle of the night when one of us realizes the other is also awake worrying about camper details.  We took an hour or so this afternoon the alleviate some of those worries.

In the bathroom:

The washer AND the toilet fit as designed, and we don’t have to do major construction to empty either part of the composting toilet.  We also both tested it, and we don’t have to curl into the fetal position to use the toilet.

In general:

We have a closet deep enough for hangers!

We bought a refrigerator with a lock to keep the door from opening when we move, but had Koops’ replace the plastic guard with a metal one with a smaller hole so the door couldn’t even crack open.

We drove home with the lock locked, and it worked!

In the kitchen:

My favorite baking sheet fits in the oven.

My pizza pans will also fit.

The two-sided cast iron griddle is a perfect fit.

And the Dutch oven’s legs straddle the burner tops.

My favorite cutting board can either cover the sink…

…or fit over the drainboard.

And the spice rack can hold a small bottle of Marie Sharp’s, regular and tall normal spice jars and pepper grinders, and a medium spice jar.

Now we get to work

 We picked up the camper from Koops’ yesterday, and it is sitting in our driveway!  It isn’t done, but it’s ready for us to get some of the things we need to do going, and we’re really excited.

The bed platform and slide extension is done.  A queen mattress would have fit in the cabover with an east/west orientation, but by turning it 90 degrees and creating a slide, we created a lot of space for storage.  Now that we have the exact dimensions, we are going to order a mattress in two parts which can be belted together, so we can pull out the slide and have a queen sized bed at night, but fold it up and slide in the drawer during the day.    The mattress is on the list to be ordered when we go to Belize City on Monday, along with cushions and seat backs for the bench.

The bathroom sink is in!  One of the things Tom is going to do while we have the camper here is to get it plumbed.

We were a little worried that it wouldn’t sit square in the corner, but  with a bit of caulk, the sink fits perfectly.

Koops’ put in a hatch over where the washer will be so that we can reach through and turn the gas lines off and on without having to exit the camper.  This hatch is also likely to double as a cat door so our cat who thinks she is a dog can travel with us, and we don’t have to have a litter box in the camper proper.

The vent tube for the composting toilet has been installed, and goes into the vented rail on the top of the camper so water can’t run into the tube.

Speaking of drilling holes, these holes have been drilled in the top of the battery box so wires can run up to the cabinet where all of the solar components will be installed…

…in this cabinet over the dinette window.

The first thing Tom did when we took the camper was to drive it to Reimers to be weighed.  We were delighted to discover that the total dry weight is a little less than 2000 pounds.  This weight doesn’t include us or our personal gear, and about 150 pounds will be added when the solar panels are installed on the roof, but we are definitely breathing sighs of relief that we’re coming in at a weight that will be easy for this truck to handle.  We also sticked it front to back and for total height, and found that the nose to tail length is slightly under 24’, and the height to the top of the rails is 11’8”.  It could be slightly taller if we pump up the air ride shocks under the bed, but it will definitely come in at under 12’.