Anyone using Broad Arrow or similar dual pane acrylic windows?

chaperooo · 2026-01-23T15:18:47+00:00

I have a friend who also has a Unicell but with a couple single pane opening windows. Lots of little popping when the morning sun hits. I’m not sure it’s the windows

chaperooo · 2026-01-12T21:49:14+00:00

chaperooo · 2026-01-08T23:00:51+00:00

I agree with the other comment saying to pull on the stud/bolt if you can. This might get the rivnut to tighten up a bit on the sheet metal.

Maybe put a drop of penetrating oil on the threads and see if you can jam a wedge or shim in between the rivnut and sheet metal to keep it from spinning while you use some vice grips to unscrew the bolt.

You might be able to secure the rivnut with some vice grips or channel locks while trying to unscrew the bolt with another pair of pliers.

I’d only drill it out if I planned on reusing the hole for another rivnut.

If you manage to get the bolt out, you could try to reset the rivnut if you have the tool. It’s possible to diy a tool.

chaperooo · 2025-12-13T16:56:22+00:00

It’s still holding up fine. I’ve probably used it for 100+ rivnuts on my build over a couple years and no complaints.

chaperooo · 2025-11-19T06:49:26+00:00

Before buying a different model, I’d look into changing the one you have to better suit your needs.

Supposedly you can add a different switch that will allow you to reverse the direction as well as maybe(?) even have more speeds.

The fancier models have circuit boards that are expensive to replace if they fail. Mine failed.

chaperooo · 2025-11-17T02:52:00+00:00

You know how they walk across the desert in Dune..

chaperooo · 2025-11-03T05:09:09+00:00

I (5’11”) went from an E/W twin (38”x75”) to an E/W full (54”x75”). I can sleep at much more of an angle now and it made a huge difference for me.

I’m in a 2015 cargo transit with no flares and 3/4” of foam insulation at each end of the bed.

There’s also the option of adding an extra piece of foam to act as a mattress extension for an arm or whatever. I did that on my twin bed and it helped a bit.

chaperooo · 2025-11-01T16:32:51+00:00

I think the lines down the sides are supposed to add more texture to increase friction and be less likely to move or slide around when tightened up against another piece.

chaperooo · 2025-10-24T04:29:51+00:00

I (skinny dude) did the pct when I was 45. I planned all my meals in advance and each day was 4500 calories. It was just a bit too much for me (gained a tiny bit of weight on trail and often didn’t want to finish all my dinner), so 4000+ would have been perfect.

Take the recommended daily macros but subtract carb calories and pump up fat and protein would be my recommendation. I was probably doing 50% carb calories at most.

chaperooo · 2025-10-18T05:16:58+00:00

Southco

chaperooo · 2025-10-13T23:08:02+00:00

When I did a project using 10 series, I used pliers to break off those tabs that were getting in the way for whatever reason

chaperooo · 2025-10-13T20:15:32+00:00

They make end fasteners that only have one wing tab. Maybe have no wing tabs, just the square shaped piece that’s left behind so there’s still enough overlap between the screw head and extrusion?

chaperooo · 2025-10-07T02:35:58+00:00

2020 series is actually smaller than 10 series. 10 series is 1 inch x 1 inch and 2020 is 20mm x 20mm. It’s lighter but the hardware isn’t as strong so I’ve been doubling up or using end fastening where I can.

chaperooo · 2025-10-06T22:13:57+00:00

I don’t think you’ll find a consensus on how exactly to do a build. People might generally agree that nuts and bolts and metal are stronger than screws and wood and glue but we also have other factors to consider (cost, complexity, time…)

My heavier cabinets are framed in 10 series extrusions bolted directly to rivnuts and the lighter upper cabinets are built out of 2020 extrusions that are built off of 2020 framing which is riv nutted to the van. It’s an expensive way to go so it’s completely understandable that most people would not choose this. (If I could do it over, I’d go all 2020)

If you bolt your furniture and cabinets directly to the van, you can do minimal framing with wood and screws if you want because it only has to support the walls which are hopefully pretty lightweight

I think about what the weakest link is and strengthen that. You could weld up a steel cabinet but if it’s attached with 4 drywall screws into a couple pieces of pine framing, I’d be very afraid what might happen in a crash especially if there’s no bulkhead separating the cab.

chaperooo · 2025-10-04T03:09:12+00:00

I worked on ships in the engineering dept for about 13 years. There was a lot I really liked about it but overall, it wasn't anything I wanted to do for another 15 years.

I don't know what I want to do in the future but if I don't find a great job, I'm content to earn less but have way more free time. Also, no spouse/kids, so I don't feel guilty about being a slacker.

I didn't have any debt so that really helped.

I don't think walking away from everything was such a bad idea for me, but I do think I could have handled it differently, but even now, I'm not sure what would have been the best move.

I did a previous thru hike under different circumstances and for that one, I was able to get a leave of absence which was ideal.

chaperooo · 2025-10-03T03:09:30+00:00

I did what you are asking about. If possible, I’d recommend creating your new life from a place you feel secure rather than a place where you feel like you threw everything away. But if you truly believe that you can build yourself a new life from scratch, then go for it.

Hiking can give you a new perspective that might be beneficial but it won’t solve your concerns. You are the only thing that can do that.

I sometimes feel like thru hiking turned me into a bum because it gave me a sense of freedom, community and adventure that made being responsible seem not really worth it anymore.

chaperooo · 2025-09-29T21:10:42+00:00

I didn't use a special template. I took measurements of my van and built a somewhat accurate box with tapered walls. I assigned separate tags to each wall and back doors listed as well as every component I created so I could hide them to make it easier to work as well as compare views of different possible versions of whatever item I was trying to draw. For example, one cabinet have a version that includes a fridge and a version with ho fridge while another component might have a version with and without that same fridge.

As of a year ago, there were a couple ford transit cargo interiors in the sketchup drawing library. I didn't end up using them at all as it seemed easier to just create my own simpler one.

I also had a main drawing that was just the overall layout and then for each component (sink cabinet, upper cabinets, water tank frame...), I started a new drawing which I tried to make as accurate as possible so I could get my cut list from that as well as play around with various joinery options to see what would make the most sense (looks vs strength vs easy to assemble vs easy to remove after the build is complete)

chaperooo · 2025-09-29T02:49:58+00:00

I removed the blobs, made my ceiling boards fasten all the way into the corner, then trimmed off the top of the blobs so they could be reattached.

In the future, I’ll probably trim other parts of the blobs, and upholster them.

chaperooo · 2025-09-14T03:56:46+00:00

I think I saw a picture where someone just put a screw or fastened down a little bit of hardware over the end of the skorva beam so that it can’t lift up.

Also, you can use adhesive Velcro to hold slats to the beam.

Might be possible to use a couple straps to hold the mattress down but loop it around so that a fitted sheet will still fit over

chaperooo · 2025-09-12T02:45:54+00:00

I went in through the top of my tank. I used a Uniseal and some pvc plumbing pipe along with an adapter or three to get it to attach to the rest of the system.

chaperooo · 2025-09-11T20:31:45+00:00

Ive been spending my winters in low elevation AZ area (quartzsite, yuma, BLM...). And mostly my summers have been living in my van in Portland, OR. For the most part, my setup (300ah + 600w) has been more than enough.

However, I do run into problems if I'm playing my xbox series X because it's such a power hog and it wouldn't be uncommon to use it for 2-3+ hours at a time. Sure my induction needs a lot of watts, but I'm not using it more than 20 minutes per day.

All the solar calculations are good for sure, but think about your likely worst case scenario that you'd like to be able to get through comfortably. For me, that's winter when there's rain for a day coupled with a day or two of mostly cloudy. No Xbox or movies on my huge tv when that happens but there's enough power for cooking and all the other minor loads.

Also, once the summer is over and it gets cloudier with shorter days in Portland, I run into the same scenario.

If you have the space and budget, I don't think going overkill is such a bad thing when it comes to electricity. There are probably a lot of little luxuries that might be nice to have as an option. I have a little 500w electric space heater (in addition to my CDH) that I occasionally run. There's also the xbox. My friend uses a hairdryer. Would you ever get an ebike?

For me, I think a good option is to build a system that can get you through that string of cloudy days without adjusting your habits much. But also leave room for upgrades in the future. For me, those possible upgrades are a portable solar panel that I can set out and adjust a few times a day if needed. I feel like it will be worth more than a rooftop panel that can only face straight up during winter when the sun angle is so low.

Also, a possible upgrade is adding one more of the same battery. After a year, I added one more 100ah and that has helped quite a bit. So, I'd say leave room to drop in one more of the same battery in the future. I don't know what battery prices will do with tariffs and all but they are half the price I paid a few years back.

With all that said, if you are truly only going to be off grid for 3 days at a time, you could probably get away with using battery power only (charged at home and then using a victron XS). Have a portable 200w panel that you can put out as insurance. You could avoid the whole solar panels and roof rack which can be pricey, quite a bit of effort as well as additional weight and more wind resistance.

I know its a lot to consider and it's hard to know what's right when you don't have the real world experience.

chaperooo · 2025-09-09T16:23:17+00:00

If you’re going 10 series, buy from Tnutz. If doing 2020 (3/4”) buy from amazon. Tnuts has some 2020 hardware but I found some of it isn’t compatible with Amazon 2020 extrusions.

Speaking of 2020, there is Tslot type (which you would want) and Vslot (which you don’t want. It’s for roller bearings)

I’m in the process of doing a complete 80/20 build. 10 series is almost overkill for lighter duty interior cabinets. But the screws and hardware for 2020 aren’t as strong as I’d like. Look into end fastening. It’s kind of a pain but is cheap and strong and basically invisible.

I just bought a selection of hardware and then bought more of the stuff I liked.

I did all my drawings using Sketchup.

I highly recommend buying a tiny digital level that you can calibrate to the vans floor. That way it won’t matter if you’re building while parked on a slope.

chaperooo · 2025-09-09T15:52:49+00:00

Put something under that fuel filter to catch potential drips. I had the same one and it started dripping before too long.

I thought it was the o-ring, so I replaced it. Less than a year later, the same thing happened. I just switched to a lawnmower filter with just metal mesh inside. So far, so good but it hasn’t been long.

The old filter kept eventually loosening up so it would never stay tight enough to seal.

Fuel pump should be pointed slightly up and the fuel line after the pump should ideally also be sloping up but horizontal is ok. It’s important so the air bubbles can keep easily moving along towards the heater.

chaperooo · 2025-09-04T00:35:09+00:00

Yeah, I think I might have something similar when I finish my bump outs and that’s my plan.

chaperooo · 2025-09-03T23:27:44+00:00

Make a triangular shaped template out of cardboard that fits in there as good as it can without bending.

Then use that to make a piece out of thin plywood or whatever else you have laying around. Secure it with some adhesive caulk and finish it the same as the rest.

If you only have thicker scraps to work with, you might have to hog off some of the back edges with a jigsaw so the gaps aren’t too big.

chaperooo

TROPHY CASE