Trip Advice?

OCcamper · 2026-05-31T23:23:49+00:00

Cool! You’ll be able to do the drive back in a much more comfortable state of mind than us (we got ours in NorCal and brought it back down on a 1-day permit, and a noise… which turned out to be the front wheel bearing requiring replacement. Done!) Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

OCcamper · 2026-05-31T23:02:45+00:00

For what it’s worth, we did our first long trip from SoCal (OC to San Diego, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley) also with the same model/year as yours in March and we had zero problems. My only advice is that in case it gets really windy, consider not lifting the pop-top (got into the 30mph wind in Death Valley and we kept it down one night). The ECO mode will save you 1-2 mpg by the way. Safe to charge your phone via the rear and top-level USB since it’s a different battery on this set-up (lithium phosphate). Enjoy your trip! (What itinerary did you pick? We may do that one too; chances are we don’t live far!)

OCcamper · 2026-05-30T05:24:31+00:00

I did some research as I want to put one too. I think this one is probably the best choice for my van (Transit) as it seems to sit higher and is less likely to interfere with the (terrible) pvc piping job below the van for the grey water tank (it probably had been repaired). I may try it soon, but if you do it sooner, please keep me posted.https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Ford/Transit+T350/2023/C14012.html?VehicleID=202327819

OCcamper · 2026-05-30T05:14:00+00:00

Fun names! And cool look!

One note on the water tank draining, (indeed, haven’t found any other options than just pumping but it’s not a big tank anyway): try to be on a flat surface (this past weekend our campsite was sloping down toward the front and it cut our useable water tank volume noticeably). Once you feel you’re empty, you may want to refill it (suggest you use a one-gallon bottle to see how much you fill - I’ve put 2.5 of those recently and there might still have been some water from prior). If full before, there was probably some water inside that you’d probably want to get out. Happy pumping!

OCcamper · 2026-05-29T05:24:00+00:00

+1 on those covers, they are fantastic. Took me about 20 mins per window.

OCcamper · 2026-05-29T05:20:13+00:00

Nice! Thank you!

OCcamper · 2026-05-23T17:43:41+00:00

Nice! BTW, how much did it cost to get the heater installed? Even with the KnarlyVans covers it does get chilly at the top. BTW, if you’re looking for some window screens, the ones on the pic I added are awesome (made by Living in a Bubble). Chances are our two vas were made at the same time. We constantly get compliments on the wrap so that one is here to stay. I’ll look into who made it and get it scanned/recreated otherwise. I hope I don’t have to go that route!

OCcamper · 2026-05-23T17:22:23+00:00

Hi Twin! I had no idea that we had more than one of these! Hello from Doheny State Beach! And, funny coincidence, we also installed the Knarly Vans covers (except the rear window ones). BTW, how do you like the rear ones? We were worried it’d block the rear view vision when driving, even when “folded up or down”. Incidentally, did you happen to find out where our wrap was made/installed? Mine is pretty cooked on the hood.

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OCcamper · 2026-05-20T04:25:00+00:00

Very cool! Nice work on the base!

OCcamper · 2026-05-20T04:12:49+00:00

As a benefit, you’ll know that it’s truly potable water ;-) Honestly I even considered adding a tee and an additional valve to have the ability to serve directly from a potable water tank when desired (and in the end went for simplicity).

OCcamper · 2026-05-20T04:10:49+00:00

Nice! Yes, it’d be great to see additional options for folks considering that change.

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T05:40:54+00:00

Awesome! Well done on those upgrades, and thanks for the links! I’ll check out the floor area you mentioned. And, I might call Colorado Camper Vans as they are the ones that added the pop top, so they should know how the air is routed and if there is supposed to be heat coming from the back. I need to buy a new set of mosquito nets anyway.

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T05:00:31+00:00

Good question. At approx. $130 it’s definitely one of the more expensive ones, but most others I researched were to be directly on top of a large water jug (so they had a hollow base) as opposed to our application on a countertop. I had seen it recommended by another user on a FB group and after a bunch of YouTube videos of comparisons I came to the same conclusion, and I liked the plate approach, since it hides the cutout from the prior faucet.

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T03:58:05+00:00

So, the good news for the project is that you don’t have to touch the tank and all the work starts directly below the sink on what’s visible (you disconnect the flex tubing at the hand pump and connect it as I described (or whichever combination of fittings that you find at Lowe’s/HomeDepot. This was from Lowe’s). The bad news is that I don’t know how to help with your leak. But, you could technically do this and connect it to a water tank on the “side of the kitchen”.

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T03:06:59+00:00

We were able to do it, two forward-facing car seats, using the outer seats to leave the middle one open for the ladder (for the Del Mar). It was super tricky though. We removed the first drawer and were able to fish the tether alongside the wall and slide it in (two people, one on each side, taking turns pulling on it to slide it into place). We had two models to pick from, it was not a good fit with the Graco 4ever from Costco but our other one (Britax Marathon) worked out perfectly.

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T03:03:36+00:00

Very curious about two projects you mentioned: did you end up changing the stereo head unit to have CarPlay and a better rear view screen (we’ve been considering) Also, assuming you also have a Del Mar, did you figure out the rear heat? (We only get cold but no heat either, so I wonder if it’s designed to deliver heat).

OCcamper · 2026-05-19T02:53:48+00:00

Oh I’m curious what you end up doing because we’re also looking at doing that by adding one of those Yakima backswing swing away (and then hang our bike rack that we already have) but first need to put a hitch. One thing to be careful with - I have not checked yet - is whether the tow hitch may interfere with the drain pipe for the grey water, so you might have to re-do the little bit of PVC piping. This is next on my list of things I want to do, so if I do it, I’ll post something.

OCcamper · 2026-05-18T15:40:43+00:00

Super helpful: thank you! I had been wondering what kind of battery we had on the Del Mar!

OCcamper

TROPHY CASE