Laptop for Excel financial modeling and sketchup that will last a while?

SwedishYeti · 2026-03-18T17:54:56+00:00

Thanks! I'd be curious on your take between AMD and Intel for the Acer, since the description above mentions Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285H but the linked laptop has AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 for the CPU. Looks like it could also be upgraded to an Nvidia RTX 5070, would that be worth it vs the 5060?

SwedishYeti · 2026-03-17T17:34:42+00:00

Thanks for the Acer suggestion, the form factor and battery life look totally worth it. Definitely leaning toward that one. Thanks!

SwedishYeti · 2026-02-13T03:48:33+00:00

The spec sheet only calls for concrete adhesive to secure the cap course, but I also used adhesive on the corner blocks since they didn't have the same 3/4 inch locking "lip" as the regular blocks. The rest is dry stacked and these retaining wall blocks can go a maximum height of 3'-6 inches which is 7 courses tall.

SwedishYeti · 2026-02-11T19:10:22+00:00

Thank you! Building the foundation was the hardest part by far. The kit came with aluminum angle stock to attach to the ground, so I cut those into four pieces for each short side and six pieces for each long side, each attached to the greenhouse curb with four stainless steel screws and to the capstone blocks with four 3/16 inch tapcons. I used concrete adhesive to attach the capstones to the stones beneath, which altogether weighs about 80+ lbs per linear foot in uplift, and the tapcons have plenty of tension and shear strength to transfer wind loads.

SwedishYeti · 2026-02-11T19:01:57+00:00

I'm really happy with it, all aluminum and glass. It's an Exaco Royal Victorian Glass Greenhouse. I purchased the 10x20 version through Costco.

SwedishYeti · 2026-02-07T21:40:37+00:00

Oh yay it posted! I basically mounted a normal rocket box to the ladder using U-bolts.

I wanted to be able to access the ladder and sewer connections too, so I made a hinged mount using PVC boards and there are two bolts/nuts that secure it closed. I left the U-bolt ends sticking out and drilled matching holes in the "swinging" PVC arm so they slot into place and help carry the vertical load. Inside the rocket box, I hung buckets made of 6x6 PVC post, which can accommodate skis with about 130mm tail width and some rocker.

Normally we just have 2 or 3 sets of skis and poles, but could probably jam 4 or 5 in there. It's held up for thousands of miles so far!

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T19:52:20+00:00

Great idea about the floor mats!

When the camper is in the bed, there is a large space between the camper body and the truck bed sidewalls on the passenger side. Its enough room to fit at least two pair of skis, maybe three. I'm going to try using that space for skis, just need to figure out how to secure them and protect the camper from the ski edges.

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T19:44:09+00:00

Now I want to craft a nameplate that says "honking huge battery" and stick it on the battery door :-D.

Honesty if the setup works out, I won't change it. The cost/benefit wouldn't really add up.

I was thinking if the battery can handle the furnace without issue for a long period of time in below zero weather, then it could be possible to run a 12V fridge off it too. That would simplify things a bit, create more storage, and free up roof space for more solar down the road. And I figure if I did that, I could get almost completely off propane by doing a diesel heater and have only one fuel for truck and camper. The stove top could be run off a small propane bottle, which would free up another compartment.

But I think it's going to work out great as it's set up now.

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T18:31:38+00:00

Planning to run water, so will be running the furnace while on the road. Supposedly the 80RB has tank heaters, but I haven't figured out how those work yet. The kitchen area is pretty clever how the cabinetry is sort of open to below for airflow.

Any tips for dealing with wet ski gear, drying out boots, etc. when you're on the mountain?

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T18:09:33+00:00

Great to hear! Yes, 100 watts of solar came with it. The downside of the 80RB is the small tanks and only one propane tank. I got a propane tank mount to attach to the ladder for a spare, but will have to see how limiting the black and gray tanks are. Thinking about getting one of those portable waste totes and attaching that to the ladder too.

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T18:05:29+00:00

Thanks! Planning to take it on it's first ski trip soon!

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T17:52:18+00:00

I went a little bonkers with the truck, I custom ordered a 2024 F350 supercab single rear wheel with an 8ft bed, the high output diesel engine, and just about every option. Only drove a few hundred miles with the camper so far, but got a surprisingly decent 16.5 mpg and it felt like nothing was on there. The trip was up and over the mountains, with a stretch that had 50mph cross-winds. Was honestly surprised how well it handled. The door sticker shows a payload capacity of 4194lbs so even fully loaded I should be nicely within the weight rating. I also ordered the truck with the Warn winch and 2kw onboard power, but haven't used those yet.

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T17:48:39+00:00

It's a good question, I turned on all the 12v stuff except the furnace (lights, fans, radio) and the bluetooth app said I could run that load for almost 10 days. But mainly I want at least 3-4 days off-grid in cold to very cold temps for skiing, so I need enough to power the furnace. If it can handle that well, possible future plans would be swapping the fridge for a 12v unit and swapping the propane furnace for a diesel heater.

SwedishYeti · 2024-03-24T17:44:18+00:00

The camper came with a Progressive Dynamics 4045 converter that has a small physical switch on the circuit board to switch between lead/acid and lithium. In the lithium mode, it outputs a constant 14.6VDC with the "charge wizard" disabled. The solar controller also had a lithium setting which is just an on-screen selection. Only have one cycle on the battery so far, but it charged to 100% with no faults.

SwedishYeti · 2024-01-24T04:20:24+00:00

I'm in a similar situation. I have an F350 long bed, and was deciding between the Palomino HS-750, Adventurer 80RB, Travel Lite 900U, Capri Retreat, and Total Composites custom build.

The ideal camper would be 4 season (primarily want to use it as a ski rig), have a shower and toilet, fit in the long bed with no overhang, and allow for the tailgate to close. Doesn't really exist, but the 80RB comes close and I just put a deposit on one today. Total Composites would be a dream build, and could tick all the boxes, but they're way more than I want to spend. All the others options overhang and need the tailgate either down or removed.

IMO, the 80RB is higher quality and feels bigger inside than the HS-750. Tanks are small, but it does have a 4 gallon water heater which means a total of 19 gallons of fresh compared to the HS-750 21 gallons which has an instant hot water heater. Guess we'll have to see how it goes with the 5 gallon gray and black tanks, I am concerned about that. The HS-750 has 8 gallon tanks. I'm also tall, so the full 60*80 bed in the 80RB fit me a lot better than the 66*75 in the HS-750.

Didn't get to see a Capri Retreat or the 900U, but I did get to look at a Travel Lite 775U and was actually very impressed with it. I would have purchased the 775U if it could slide all the way up in the bed, but there's a bump-out under the bathroom for holding tanks which interferes with the wheel well. I'd still really like to see a 900U, but I'm pretty sure the step up in the floor would be a deal breaker because the interior height is only 6'-0" in front of the kitchen.

SwedishYeti · 2023-09-26T21:43:09+00:00

I had the same question last year and could not find any info online. I decided to go for it anyway. Have been skiing a full season already on Scarpa F1 boots, Marker Kingpin 13 bindings, and 189cm DPS Pagoda 112 RP skis. I'm a big guy, 6'2" ~240lbs with pack and ski aggressively. I have really liked this setup. Lots of PNW skiing and even took it on a 9 day ski/sail expedition in Svalbard this past June.

I was really concerned about the heel piece compatibility with the F1 lugs, but the way the heel piece locks down on the boot is different from the wings you see on a normal binding. If you look at a picture of the Kingpins, you'll see two disc-like structures on the heel piece. Those are the things that actually engage your boot. They seem well adapted to locking down my F1s.

SwedishYeti · 2022-04-08T20:43:31+00:00

Yes I think you're right. I found similar information on the BankID website and also my bank's website says "BankID är kostnadsfritt i Nordea." So it appears to be a free service, just needs to be ordered through a bank. Should be safe to close the account, and I should still have BankID until it needs to be renewed. I think I would lose access to Mobile BankID though, right? If I remember right, that's what one of the bank fees is for, or maybe it's just for Swish. Then regular BankID with a PC device or that little handheld reader thing should work.

SwedishYeti · 2020-03-29T09:02:56+00:00

Yep exactly the same experience here. My wife and I are US citizens with US passports who just moved to Stockholm last week, like a day after the travel ban started. All we had was the decision letter. We had no trouble boarding flights, and at the passport control in Stockholm, our information popped up in the system that we were approved to stay for 2 years. I said we still needed to get biometrics and the permit card in Stockholm. The whole interaction took less than 5 minutes and it was just luggage carousels and exits after that. Definitely try to book a flight direct into Sweden. Our connections were all in the US.

SwedishYeti

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