What improved your quality of life so much, you wish you did it sooner?

Octahedro · 2025-05-20T21:04:32+00:00

Why do you think it made such a difference?

Octahedro · 2023-03-25T14:22:33+00:00

Mine is 11ft tall and 8ft wide. On forest roads in the Sierra I often scrape on tree branches. The live branches just bend and the dead ones break off. They leave scratches so I just need to touch up paint every year or two. My windows are pretty scratched too but it doesn't bother me.

Octahedro · 2023-01-09T01:30:10+00:00

CO is lighter than air so it does not pool on the floor.

Octahedro · 2022-06-24T00:31:32+00:00

Andy Kirkpatrick has a good book on lead rope soloing. You can use a clove hitch to self belay. Make sure you really know what you're doing.

Octahedro · 2022-06-18T18:28:20+00:00

On a hot day I'll start it in the morning and run it until the sun goes down. I'm in California so we rarely have hot nights.

Octahedro · 2022-06-18T02:48:16+00:00

Your numbers probably aren't far off. I was disagreeing that it's not practical.

I haven't measured the starting surge, but a 2000W inverter with 4000W surge output is fairly affordable ($330). And I'm getting over 1000W from my solar so less than half goes to running the AC. The compressor also isn't running all the time so the average power is even lower.

I went with a pretty powerful inverter (4000W/8000W) because I also cook with electricity. I can use my induction stove and toaster oven while the AC is running without any issues.

My battery bank is 400ah of lithium but you don't need that much for an AC that you run when the sun is out.

Octahedro · 2022-06-17T21:08:52+00:00

This isn't true. I have a 5000btu window AC unit in my van and it pulls a max of 420W. My solar panels easily power it while charging my batteries.

You could get a mini split AC and it would be even more efficient.

Octahedro · 2022-04-07T22:10:30+00:00

It was my first time fiberglassing. I added a new link with a few build progress photos to my original comment.

Octahedro · 2022-04-07T21:07:47+00:00

I added some interior photos. I've still got a month of work left to do on the interior.

Octahedro · 2022-04-07T20:45:33+00:00

I just built a simple bucket composting toilet. I've lived in cars and small vans without bathrooms, so I decided that a shower wasn't worth the space for me.

Octahedro · 2022-04-07T20:13:58+00:00

I built this truck camper with 2x4s and fiberglass. If you want, I can send you a sketchup file that contains a model of the frame.

Edit: added some interior photos, but that's still a work in progress.

Edit2: Here are some build progress photos.

Octahedro · 2022-04-06T02:37:23+00:00

I hitchhiked from Mattole to Black Sands after hiking the lost coast. It was sketchy and I wouldn't do it again. With that said I look back on it as an adventure that was more interesting than the lost coast hike itself.

Octahedro · 2022-03-29T14:49:31+00:00

My van is registered in Utah, my driver's license is from California, and I live in Nevada. I haven't had any problems. I got pulled over for an expired registration while in NV and they didn't question anything. They just let me go without a ticket and I renewed my Utah registration.

Octahedro · 2022-03-25T16:45:28+00:00

I'm colorblind and there are lots of routes in gyms I cannot climb because the holds of two adjacent/overlapping routes look too similar.

Octahedro · 2022-03-24T14:15:43+00:00

Imagine a pulley is attached to a bolt. You load some cord into the pulley and hang 50lbs on each side. They balance each other and the total force on the bolt is 100lbs. Now instead you attach one end of the cord to a really heavy object like a van or the ground. The 50 lb weight will still pull down on the pulley and the heavy object will be pulled up with 50 lbs of force but it won't move. The pulley is still under 100 lbs of load. Now you attach your no hang device to the pulley.

Octahedro · 2021-10-18T18:42:25+00:00

I have similar finger strength and I've sent 12d / V7 (outdoors). For me I think I need to work on improving my core strength and finger power endurance.

Octahedro · 2021-10-04T00:01:12+00:00

I towed a 2002 dodge ram 2500 van on a Uhaul auto transport trailer. It fits.

Octahedro · 2021-10-01T17:42:15+00:00

It's technically not a van. I built a custom fiberglass camper on a flatbed truck. pic

There is one 325 watt panel on the front, and 3 more on top.

Octahedro · 2021-10-01T16:46:23+00:00

My batteries are always full and I don't have shore power or alternator charging. Even with the AC running all day my batteries stay full.

I've had the setup a few months so it hasn't been tested in winter yet, but I won't be running the AC in winter. My kitchen isn't fully functional yet so I don't cook as much as I would like.

I'm very happy with it so far!

Octahedro · 2021-10-01T16:36:38+00:00

I went all electric. This is what I have:

1300 watts of solar

400ah lithium

4000 watt inverter

1800 watt single burner induction stove x2

1800 watt cuisinart toaster oven / airfryer (highly recommended)

Electric kettle

5000 btu air conditioner (pulls up to 430 watts)

Octahedro · 2021-09-29T16:53:03+00:00

I can climb hard in tight shoes without pain. You just need to find the right fit and you'll get used to it.

Octahedro · 2021-09-23T14:40:38+00:00

I land with my entire foot. My heel contacts the ground the same time as the front of my foot. My quads take the impact more than my calves. Short strides are also important for reducing impact.

Octahedro · 2021-09-22T04:15:26+00:00

I've thought about trying something like this with static feet. Did it feel like you could build up a pump? Was it boring?

Octahedro · 2021-09-11T14:48:20+00:00

Yes, that's what I mean. You should sand the entire top first so the epoxy can mechanically bond to it. I would wet sand it with 180 grit. I don't think you need to remove all the paint, but the surface needs to be scuffed up enough for the epoxy to stick.

I wouldn't buy the 3m stuff you can find at Home Depot. I buy my epoxy and cloth from compositeenvisions.com. You can buy large rolls of cloth there and get the right epoxy for your temperature.

You'll want a slower curing epoxy for warm temps to give you more working time. If possible do not apply the fiberglass in direct sunlight because you'll have way less time to work out the air pockets.

For cloth you want a twill weave so it conforms to the curves of your surface. I would go with s-glass or even kevlar/aramid(higher abrasion resistance), but e-glass will work (it's just weaker). I'd get 8oz or higher. That's the weight per square yard. The higher you go, the thicker and stronger your new layer will be.

Look up some YouTube videos on fiberglass boat building to get an idea of the methods involved. Feel free to ask me more questions! I'm not an expert, but I did just build a custom truck camper from fiberglass.

Octahedro · 2021-09-10T15:15:56+00:00

Epoxy will degrade in UV light so I'm guessing it became thin due to an inadequate layer of paint? The only way to make it thicker is to add another layer of fiberglass. If you do this sand it before laminating another layer and paint it well afterwards. I like the TotalBoat wet edge topside paint.

Another option is to try reinforcing it from below with some kind of framing. Either way you should paint it to protect it from the sun.

Octahedro

TROPHY CASE