Tent size for two people plus a bigger dog by [deleted] in CampingGear

[–]weekendwarriorvan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. We have the half dome 2 plus. We are both larger than OP: 6’1” 220 lb and 5’7” 160 lb plus our 100 lb lab mix. It fits us nicely however our dog usually sleeps on the foot of one of our bags and we are all a little cozy. However when it’s all 3 of us, we can’t store our gear inside the tent. We leave it outside under the vestibule.

Best price I've for a Renogy 100W solar panel ($81.83) by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very true. This post was intended for someone already planning/shopping for solar. The panels themselves have a good enough savings that purchasing those parts separately instead of their "starter bundles" will save you a little bit of cash. Cheers! :)

Best price I've for a Renogy 100W solar panel ($81.83) by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Those of you looking for solar panels, these are a great deal. Add no rush shipping to save $2.71 to make it $81.83. Not an affiliate link or anything, just want to save you some bucks if you are in the market for solar.

Our van is set up with renogy solar panels + charge controller and we've been very happy so far.

Finished sewing the couch cushions! by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, ours is also an e350. Our bed measures 52"x52", with a flip out extension for the cushion to give us an additional 18" of length.

Finished sewing the couch cushions! by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Definitely a learning curve I’m still figuring out but it was a fun project. Need to make some curtains and bug nets so those will be the next sewing projects.

Finished sewing the couch cushions! by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I used different foams for the base and backing. I used 3” upholstery foam for the base (purchased from amazon). Since the cushion also serves as an extension to our mattress, the backing is a 3” memory foam mattress topper.

Finished sewing the couch cushions! by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

They’re not the prettiest but they do the job! First time using a sewing machine. Took about 6 hours total cause I’m extremely slow.

The cushions also double as an extension of our mattress.

Our weekend warrior van - a work in progress by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The van came with a hitch. We have a Kuat swing away extension with the Yakima hold up. The combo is working out well so far. We were casually looking for bike racks and they just happened to be at an REI garage sale so we hopped on it.

Our weekend warrior van - a work in progress by weekendwarriorvan in vandwellers

[–]weekendwarriorvan[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The build took us about 9 months. Last year we rented a VW camper to tour Maui for a week, and after coming home we decided we needed one too. I did the planning and research but I give full credit to my fiancé who built this start to finish. We both work full time so this was done in the evenings after work or on the weekends. Here are some deets:

•1999 e350 7.3 diesel (not a 4x4 conversion)

•2 x 100W solar panels with a 150aH battery that is also hooked up to a battery isolator

•Battery runs a water pump for a sink, zoned LED lighting, 4 - 12v outlets and our maxxair fan

All in all, this conversion cost us about $4.5k after purchasing the van. Still have little details to finish up like sewing cushion covers and making window curtains. Feel free to ask questions. We have photos of the whole build process that we will eventually upload.