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Tim Hodgson

PSIA Level II Alpine
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Aug 20, 2016
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688
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Kirkwood, California
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Jerez

Skiing the powder
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Nov 25, 2015
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New Mexico
View attachment 54486 Ordered back in March ....just arrived
You guys have had these for a while. Still liking them? Have you used them as much as you had expected or hoped to when purchased? What would you do differently, now that they have been in use for a while. If you had to trade it in for a new or new used one, what would you get? We are contemplating one since it seems the only way we'll get to see family or have any road trips in these frikkin' weird days. We'd want to use it in winter too. Verrrry expensive, so we hope to learn from your experience! ogsmile:duck:
 
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DanoT

RVer-Skier
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Nov 12, 2015
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Sun Peaks B.C. in winter, Victoria B.C. in summer
The biggest consideration with the MB Sprinter is that they only have dealerships in fairly large cities and they sometimes give booking preferences to commercial customers. Oil changes and other maintenance is more expensive than other brands.
 

Turoa Kiwi

JH
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Wellington . New Zealand
A little off thread but if you've got a big family.......

It's a Top Deck Travel 1957 Bristol Lodecker converted to sleep up to 22 persons (very cosy )
we went from Kathmandu to London. November 85 to February 86
Nepal India Pakistan Iran Syria Jordan Israel Turkey Greece Yugoslavia Italy Switzerland and France
We were 14 Passengers with a bus driver and a trip courier
I ended up working for them in the UK until Dec 86

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BS Slarver

Making fresh tracks
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Nov 20, 2015
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1,526
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Biggest skiing in America
Jerez - Cant speak for SBrown and her experience on cost of ownership, her rig appears to be a all out dedicated camper.

Our current sprinter is our 3rd MB after a long line of other construction / pleasure vehicles that included a Ford econoline , a F650 crew :geek: Chevy, dodge and even Peterbilt- We’ve had a few. I can say it’s at the lower end of not the lowest cost of ownership - they are just bulletproof !

The sprinter was new and build to spec. I think it is one of the best parts about the MB process that you pick all the options and skip those you don’t need or want down to drivetrain and colors.
We decided on a 144 wb 4x4 ( fits in the garage ) key here in MT. It’s a crew, diesel with low range and every option for future camper conversion, but at the moment is fairly sparse in the camping realm.
Spring to Fall, Mon thru Fri gig is a full on construction vehicle that carries just about anything with a bed frame / storage above and below. Everything work related is easily removed and converted for Mt biking or skiing at a moments notice. The bench seat is easily removed or occasional moved rearward for extra boot up seating and even lunch for 4 rather than the lodge.
Cant remember how many trucks, vans and cars we’ve owned, there’s no perfect do all but this ones pretty close.
 

SBrown

So much better than a pro
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Colorado
You guys have had these for a while. Still liking them? Have you used them as much as you had expected or hoped to when purchased? What would you do differently, now that they have been in use for a while. If you had to trade it in for a new or new used one, what would you get? We are contemplating one since it seems the only way we'll get to see family or have any road trips in these frikkin' weird days. We'd want to use it in winter too. Verrrry expensive, so we hope to learn from your experience! ogsmile:duck:

Some good questions ... I love mine. And sometimes I hate it. But usually I love it. :P There are a lot of moving parts, from the solar stuff to the kitchen stuff, and then of course the regular ol' vehicle stuff. Mine has had the ECM replaced three times, always under warranty, but something funky is going on. At least it has a huge warranty (6 yr/100K miles, which they don't do anymore). So I can't say I would recommend a Promaster, but I would recommend #vanlife! At least I have learned a lot of things. I bought from a private party who built it, and he has been very forthcoming and accommodating and helpful when I have questions. Otherwise I would have been up a creek a couple times. But any RV requires a lot more tinkering than a passenger car, so if you enjoy that, good. If you don't, I wouldn't recommend. Or ... just get something fairly bare bones, there is definitely a huge range of amenities. You could also buy something fancier but from a local dealer who could help with those moving parts.

As far as the concept, I definitely love that. I have used it quite a bit, although not much last winter. It's so comfortable on the highway. It's nice to be able to kind of pull over whenever and (almost) wherever. No ice chests, everything goes in a fridge! Plenty of storage for food and clothes. My longest trips have been in the fall, it isn't too cold or too hot. (There is a heater in the van but only a vent for cooling, not counting the a/c up front in the driver's area. But most places I go in summer are high altitude thus cold at night.) It's easier to park than a trailer. I can do most roads in mine, but there isn't much clearance, neither is there enough power to do steep climbs (like, off-road steep, not paved). But some things were trade-offs, as mine cost probably less than half what a similarly equipped 4x4 version (Sprinter etc) would have. I have been in so much weather that wouldn't have been possible in a tent, too.

eta: you asked what I would have done differently ... not sure. I think I made the right decision at the time, even though I wouldn't buy another Promaster (maybe a different year). I hear the Transits are pretty good. If I ever step up, I guess I would get 4x4. The Promaster is FWD and it does do very well (with good tires) on snow. I definitely wouldn't get RWD. I don't have a toilet inside, and that has been ok overall. Sometimes it's a pain, but I think no matter what, bathroom RV issues are not so nice. Generally, on a longer trip, I like to do 2-3 nights in van, then a night in a hotel, then a few more in van, etc. That enables me to have a nice shower and just general clean-up.
 
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jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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Nov 13, 2015
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Colorado
New camper van. Tires and lift done. Convertible bed (so we can sit facing each other inside when it's stowed, carry 5 legally, and still have a full size mattress platform) about 80% complete.

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Far more spartan than some of the rad rigs on here. We just couldn't justify a full-size van like a Promaster/Transit/Sprinter as it also has to play duty as my daily driver and regular day-trip mountain commuter. We've been spending 50 or so nights a year in our van the last few years. Mostly made up of shorter trips where overnighting in the van makes logistics better. Things like driving up late Friday night before a powder Saturday, sleeping Sat night, driving home Sunday. Or using it at trailheads the night before setting out for a backpacking trip (or coming back from one.) Plus a week long plus trip a year.

As @SBrown said -- two of the most important things for us are the ability to pull over and sleep pretty much anywhere and not having to worry about weather.
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
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Jan 5, 2016
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4,268
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Santa Rosa Fire Belt
My adviser in grad school (early 90s) had a Dodge Caravan he had taken the two back rows out of. He was in his mid 60s, children were grown, just him and his wife. At all times there was a (cheap and old) road bike inside and a canoe on top. On weekends he would go to the river and chain his bike to a tree somewhere downstream. Drive upstream and launch canoe. Canoe to bike. Chain canoe to tree. Bike to car. Drive to canoe and put on car.

A couple of times a year he would put a twin mattress from the guest room in the back of the van along with a camp stove, etc. He would leave for 2-3 weeks at a time, sometimes with his wife and sometimes without.

Camper. Van.

Nothing but the essentials.
 

jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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Colorado
Camper. Van.

Nothing but the essentials.

We're not going quite that spartan -- but yeah. The big things are a cozy place to sleep, and lots of space to carry gear. Roof box really ups the game for storing bulky things (bedding during summer, skis during winter).

We're starting this pretty basic, but ensuring plans are built with a few future amenities in mind. Namely, a flush-mounted small sink in the rear cabinet, pull out cutting board space, a custom-made rear-facing seat for the second row, some interior lighting, a Goal Zero type power bank (and fold-out solar panel), awning, etc. All intended to be quickly removable so van can go right back to stock if necessary.
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
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He would leave for 2-3 weeks at a time, sometimes with his wife and sometimes without.

Camper. Van.

Nothing but the essentials.

I supposed when one is married long enough, the wife can often times become non-essential. :ogcool:
 

jmeb

Enjoys skiing.
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Colorado
I saw you in the same canyon in my camper van this weekend.

Did you see the tricked out Delica?
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
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New Mexico
I don't have a toilet inside, and that has been ok overall. Sometimes it's a pain, but I think no matter what, bathroom RV issues are not so nice. Generally, on a longer trip, I like to do 2-3 nights in van, then a night in a hotel, then a few more in van, etc. That enables me to have a nice shower and just general clean-up.
Yep. Researching toilet options has my head spinning. All of them seem to be pretty awful. This is a problem, since one of the reasons for doing this is to be able to travel without using public (or others' private) toilets or hotels.

Cassette toilets/porta-pottis sound horrible and barely better than a bucket; compost toilets apparently have lots of issues, not the least of which is "blowback" (ick) and mucho-frequent dumping and problems with wet waste causing the composting part to fail and stink; dry flush toilets sound perfect until one reads the reviews and horror stories of breaking bags and such; Incinerating toilets sound perfect except they are expensive and use a lot of electricity (1 to 2 KW hours); regular RV toilets require expensive and also icky dumping. I've read about a biogas toilet, which seems pretty cool (composting toilet with a digester that converts pooh to gas for your stove). But that also sounds very complicated and potentially explosive.

We are of a certain age when bladders don't make it through the night and we want to park near our kids' homes as well as adventure camping, so taking a leak outside is not an option.

Any experience or advice appreciated.
 

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