Vanagon Luxuries - How Much Is Too Much?

[SCM]

[quote="jackbombay"]

[dhaavers]

[jimf909]

[vanagonjr]

[Abscate]

You cannot run AC from 12V practically due to thermodynamics. This has been hashed over so many times It should be a sticky FAQ titled “ Deadhorses that have beaten to death, buried, dug up, beaten again, and reburied”
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.ssS!

[djkeev]

I've always thought that it would be interesting to plumb in a 120v AC compressor salvaged from a window unit.

Plumb it into the "stock" A/C system utilizing some 12v control valves to direct the refrigerant flow to the engine compressor or the 120v compressor.

You've got shore power for the night?
You've got A/C for the night.

(Far more complex do to cooling needs of the refrigerant but.....)

Dave
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Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Jake de Villiers]

[E1]

That's so unfair in its truthdom.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
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[mikemtnbike]

To answer the original question- this entire thread is too much.

Your welcome.
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[?Waldo?]

[bokonon42]

The algae would be out of control.
-terry

[Sodo]

[vwhammer]

Speaking of water in the van, how much water do people carry?
Do you have hot water or do you just use it at room temp like some kinda cave man?
Heck even cave...people probably sorted how to make their water hot at some point so it seems like just natural evolution rather than a luxury.

Do you just take jugs or do you have a tank built in.

As far as my van build goes I really feel like I want to take a more modular approach everything.
I don't want to build a lot of things in permanently but rather have it so I can pick and choose what I want to take with me or possibly increase or decrease the size of things according to my trip plans.

[danfromsyr]

Native americans didn't have metal or the invention of a pot till europeans came. they heated water by moving heated rocks into their water/soup

[dobryan]

[SCM]

[kamzcab86]

How much is too much? When you're trying to turn a Vanagon camper into a Wanderlodge.

[vwhammer]

Well I hate to bring this thread back up but I had another luxurious idea to make life in the wild more pleasurable.
If you thought AC in the wild was ridiculous wait until you get a load of this.

So my wife would really like a place to use the restroom and maybe clean up every now and then.
I take no shame in whore bathin' it every now and then or havin' my butt out in the woods to do my sinful business but I can't say that I am entirely opposed to the idea of having my own private bathroom while out bush.

Since my van is a tin top there's not a good way to put a bathroom/shower in the van.

Naturally I have been looking into those little pop up tent things and portable camp toilets that you can find all of the interwebs.

While this would likely do the trick it would make showering or using the potty a miserable endeavor in all but the most perfect of weather.

How do you improve upon this?

With one of these of course.

Obviously, I am speaking of the trailer not the van.
I don't need anything quite that nice but I think you get where I am going.

I would probably not buy one but I do have a small trailer sitting around that is hardly used for anything else.

If I could build a little pop up bathroom trailer to house essentially an entire bathroom that would solve the problem.

I picture a hard shell, hard side pop up set up that is about 4 feet tall when collapsed and 7 or 8 feet tall when deployed.

I have never towed anything with a Vanagon but I figured if I could keep the weight down between 800 and 1000 lbs that the van should be ok pulling it with my brake and engine upgrades.

If it weighs less than that when finished then even better.

I envision having the trailer and van being semi-codependent on each other.
the water for the whole van will be stored on the trailer but the trailers electrical will be run from the vans house battery.

Of course the trailer can also have an extra solar panel that will supplement the vans on board solar set up.

More or less the van can still function without the trailer for simpler camps in the overnight to 2 days range but the trailer can be added for week long camps or more.

It would be insulated, and have heat and AC just like the van.
There will be hot water and a composting toilet.
As I mentioned the water would be stored on board and a gray water tank would also be mounted on the trailer.

Last but not least I can imagine the door on the front of the trailer and a walkway that attaches to the tongue so you can pop the hatch, jump out of bed and be in the bathroom in a couple of steps.

If one really wanted to get fancy with it you could even build some kind of insulated dock so the van and trailer could more or less be joined at the rear hatch area once in camp.

The trailer might also be a nice place to mount a bigger AC system and generator to keep the whole set up running day or night.

If I can ever get my van done and out of the garage maybe I will give this trailer thing a go.

[dabaron]

get a tiny house and an F250 to tow it. solved.
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1991 Vanagon GL Camper
i had no idea i wanted to be a mechanic
"burnin oil and cookin coils" -- Destructo

BiWerks Design, LLC

[mikemtnbike]

Bus Depot hatch tent.
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual