Learning to live small(er)...again

When we first went on the road full time in 2012, our trip across country to pick up our new trailer at New Horizons looked a little Beverly Hillbillyish.

This time around, we made it easy by moving our belongings from our New Horizons 5th wheel and into a UHaul trailer. After a full day RV bootcamp for the new owner of our 5th wheel, we were off to Indiana where Kingdom Camping and our new caravan were waiting.

A big mistake people make when buying a new RV is showing up, grabbing the keys, hooking up and heading straight out for home or a campsite. The excitement is too much and they want to immediately hit the road (or they only have  limited time off from work). When we moved into our New Horizons 5th wheel eleven years ago, we spent two weeks at the factory working out all the kinks. Even a $200k trailer can have a lot of kinks.

So when we showed up at Kingdom Camping to pick up our new trailer, we had already planned on spending five to seven days with owner Jamin Lambright and his team. On our list was to touch, use and see every inch of the trailer and its systems (inside and out) before heading for home. After all, why wait until you get home to fix/upgrade items when you have all the resources of the manufacturer available to you? In return, our MO is to take full responsibility for all fixes and upgrades after we leave with the trailer. Unless we have a major structural issue in the future, we don't expect much from the manufacturer once we take delivery.

Fortunately, all of the items under direct control of Kingdom Camping were done to perfection. All of the walls, floor, and roof were perfect. The interior finishes didn't have any strange wrinkles or untidy corners. We actually couldn't find any imperfections. The plumbing fittings were high quality, tight and well laid out. The electrical system is run neatly and correctly. All of the welds and finishes on the frame and metal trims were neat and defect-free. All of the systems provided by manufacturers outside of Kingdom Camping will fail at some point during the next ten years. At various points over the next decade, we'll probably be dealing with Dometic, Truma, Victron, Shurflo, Cruisemaster, etc., but we expect the frame and box built by Kingdom to outlive us. Building a new house with such a small punchlist upon completion is unusual. Finding a new RV with little or nothing to improve upon is almost unheard of.

The ability for two people to safely walk around anywhere on the roof is also unusual. The only space on top not covered by solar panels are two small areas on either side of the 12V AC unit. We had to leave some roof space available for future maintenance. We still managed to fit 2,020 watts of rack mounted solar panels up there.

From Amish carriage to Off-road trailer, both need "horsepower" to move :-)

Trying as hard as we could, this is all we could find to improve upon: 

• Re-wiring the on/off lights on six push button switches.
• Adding a shelf here and there.
• Replacing a faulty propane detector.
• Upgrading a few 12v and in line fuses.
• Fine tuning and programming some systems that are new to us (Truma Combi Plus, Victron, Separett toilet, airbag compressor system).
• Replacing a small TV monitor with a small smart TV.
• Adding a small heavy duty entry handrail.
• Adding a small compartment door latch and entry door bumper.
• A little interior caulk spot touch up here and there.

This may seem like a long list, but if you've ever owned an RV, you know these are some of the things you do routinely. Jamin and his team handled all of these fixes as we discovered them over two days and while we were moving into the trailer at the same time. Surprisingly, Jamin told us we are his first customer to actually stay a few days to make sure all systems are go. He would like to see more customers do that in the future.

OK, some interiors taken by Jamin:

We have some nasty weather coming in and some long miles to do to get back to Idaho. We'll have more photos and details once the sunlight is cooperating and we've had time to get organized again.

A Trailer for Our Next Chapter - Part VIII: Let's pick this thing up already!

We are getting close enough to taste and smell this thing. Ten days and 2,000 miles from today we will be backing our little UHaul trailer up to our new home on wheels and starting to transfer our belongings. The roof has been coated for no maintenance and long term durability, and the solar panel roof rack and panels are ready to be mounted.

The front storage box and rock guard are ready for business. The front storage box is strong enough for us to climb on top of it as needed for maintenance. You can also see the driver side fender is ready to be welded on. This will also be strong enough to use as a step to reach higher for maintenance.

We've run the side cladding up a little higher to minimize the boondocking pinstripes we pick up on occasion.

The compartment for the Nautilus water management system and Cruisemaster ATX suspension are conveniently located. We made sure all of our compartment doors are extra thick and have higher quality latches and weather stripping. This helps in cold weather protection and in keeping dust away from the system components.

Here's a good angle on the large laundry hamper and storage compartment in the space between the bathroom contertop and the shower. The shower, bathroom sink, and kitchen plumbing never run in an exterior wall or unheated compartment. There will be no plumbing freeze issues in this trailer.

Here's a good view of the solid surface flip up bar table that runs the length of the trailer across from the kitchen. It can be stored in a down position to give us a little more walking around room if wanted.

At 18"x18", the undermount sink isn't the largest but is still plenty big for us. We're more interested in having ample counterspace.

We're really looking forward to the big beautiful memory foam and gel queen size bed we ordered for this trailer. High end trailers have become so expensive, and it boggles my mind that it's so rare to be able to order your own mattress during the specification phase of the purchase. Being able to walk around the sides is priceless. Anyone who lives full time in their RV knows you don't want to skimp on the mattress or the ability to maneuver around it! 

Imagine that. A bed platform with struts strong enough to hold up the weight of a heavy, high quality mattress.

Nice clean battery mounting under the bed. Bus bars and heavy gauge wire passing right through the bulkhead to the inverter mounted on the other side in the pass through basement. There's also plenty of room left over to easily store our Starlink equipment when traveling (with room to spare).

The passthrough basement houses all of the solar/electrical components neatly and safely. We also have a solid residential breaker box. After living with basement doors that folded up to be secured, and having them come loose and hit us on the head more than once, it will be nice to have compartment doors that fold down. They can be used as little tables and can be disconnected and folded all the way down for easy basement access. 

View from the other side of the basement.

We'll soon have a lot more to share including photos of the trailer out in the world.

A Trailer for Our Next Chapter - Part VII: We've almost reached the top

The clock is ticking. We are 10 days from hooking up to leave and deliver our 5th wheel to its new owner and 16 days from arriving at Kingdom Camping to move into our new trailer. We'll need every one of those 16 days to finish up final maintenance chores on the 5th wheel and truck, move all of our belongings into a UHaul trailer, give the new owner of our 5th wheel a full day of RV bootcamp training, and complete the 1,900 mile trek to Millersburg, Indiana.

We've reached the point where all the major work below the roof is done and the many little details like a missing cabinet door or light fixture need to be taken care of.

There's a small 12v fan that continually aerates the water-free toilet. Combined with one small window, those will be the only "holes" in the bathroom envelope. No ceiling fan vents or skylights needed.

For the best insulation and ease of wiring/maintenance, it's advisable not to place outlets in the exterior walls of an RV. To achieve this in a bathroom where three of the four walls are exterior and the fourth wall is not suitable for wiring, we solved the outlet placement by using this nifty little pop up outlet in the corner to the left of the sink. It will live most of its life in the popped up position, but will be lowered/stored into the counter top as needed.

The nice big fiberglass shower with a metal detachable shower head. You can't see it in this photo, but there is a large cabinet to the left, between the edge of the bathroom countertop and the shower, that will make for a convenient laundry hamper and for towel/bedding storage.

Large kitchen sink and a lot of counter space. We'll be using portable electric cooktops as, and where, needed rather than having a cutout in the solid surface countertop with an inset permanent cooktop unit. This will give us a lot more flexibility in a small space and make replacing/upgrading a cooktop inexpensive and easy. Note the hole in the roof where the low profile 12v AC unit will be mounted. That's the only spot on the trailer where the roof is breached.

Testing the color for the kitchen backsplash. The copper/goldish look seems to work pretty well.

For those occasions when a 17" laptop screen isn't big enough, the wall mounted smart TV can be extended and rotated to face either the kitchen/living area or the bed. We added that neat little flip up solid surface counter extension at the end to give a little extra counterspace when needed (while leaving plenty of room to move round in front of and on that side of the queen bed).

Across from the kitchen we opted for a flip up bar table (made from the same solid surface material as the kitchen countertop) rather than the typical fixed in place dinette set up. We lose the extra sleeping area a dinette offers, but we gain a huge amount of living space. That will make it a lot easier for two adults and two dogs to maneuver around each other, work on computers, and eat meals. The barn door style sliding bathroom door also helps us maximize the open space in the center of the trailer between the bathroom and the bed.

We've been intrigued by the awning designs that extend out from the top of the trailer without using vertical guide arms attached to the trailer on either side of the awning. Those vertical arms can get in the way of entry doors you want to latch open, windows, outside outlets, basement doors, etc. These newer designs offer a much cleaner look. This awning has all of the usual automatic features and a motion detector to retract it in high wind. Regardless, everyone who travels in the West should always live by the rule that an awning can be damaged by the wind at any time. We've managed to guide our current awning through 11 years of use without a mishap and plan to do the same with this updated version. You can also see all of the various systems controls/monitors mounted just inside the doorway. 

What's a post without a picture of the fully articulating McHitch? Here's the truck side of the hitch patiently waiting for us to bring a truck to it.

The next step will be all of the build on top of the roof. The permanent "no maintenance" roof sealant/coating, the mounting frame for the solar panels, the solar panels with combiner boxes, and the 12v AC unit are all next on the to do list.

A Trailer for Our Next Chapter - Part VI: Bits and Pieces

We are about four weeks away from moving into our new home on wheels. All of the planning is underway to deliver our current 5th wheel (home for the last eleven years) to its new owner, transfer all of our belongings to a U-Haul, give the new owner of our 5th wheel a one day RV bootcamp, and make our way out to Indiana. It will be strange to sleep in motels for three nights. Multiple bits and pieces are being finished.

We wanted a nice sized bathroom sink that was integrated into the solid countertop. The ceramic, above the countertop, basins seem to be all the rage these days, but that didn't make much sense to us for an off road trailer. We did raise the height of the countertops giving us more cabinet space below and ensuring we won't need to bend over as far to reach the sink as we get older.😀

The Separett dry flush toilet uses no water and doesn't need any expensive proprietary bags or liners to operate. It's not a composter, but like those units, it uses a small 12V fan to manage odor. 

The kitchen has solid surface countertops with plenty of space and three outlets. We will be going all electric except for heat. The Truma Combi Comfort Plus on demand hot water/heat unit ended up underneath the 10.5 cuft Dometic 12V refrigerator. From that location we were able to duct six vents throughout the trailer, including two vents below the floor to protect the fresh and gray water tanks/plumbing. Since the tanks are directly below this area, there's not much plumbing at all under the floor. That is an important freeze protection element.

The solar components are staged and ready to go in the front basement area. That area can be easily vented in hot weather and the electrical components will help keep the space warm in cold weather. There is no plumbing anywhere near this expensive electrical equipment. In addition to giving us extra storage space in the front basement, skipping the outdoor "pull out" kitchen set up frees up that space for solar equipment. We're not EMF fanatics, but the rule of thumb we've always read and been told is that it's a good idea to keep your solar inverter at least three feet away from where you spend most of your time.

Another cool, multi function inverting outlet, just because.

Is this our TV? No, it's the remote Victron controller. We aren't attached at the hip, or any other body part, to a smart phone, so bluetooth doesn't interest us. We can convert to bluetooth in the future if we want. 

The space under the queensize bed holds the Expion batteries. 1,104 amp hours of power storage with room for more storage.

Which one of these is not like the other? We love to see brass fittings in our plumbing system! What is that solo white plastic fitting in the center? We don't know yet, but we will find out.

A Trailer for Our Next Chapter - Part V: Starting to look like a trailer, and a small speed bump

Everything is progressing well except for one hiccup. Thick foam filled walls with inside/outside foam over the aluminum studs, extra thick Crane Noble Select fiberglass, and Azdel sheets are coming together to give us what finally looks like a livable off road capable trailer.

The exterior fiberglass is a specialty product that is ultra thick and fused onto a composite backing. The color is an Aztec Gray that is mixed into the fiberglass rather than painted on. No chips in the paint or fading decals to worry about. The exterior has an automotive grade gel-coat finish.

It's fun and useful to see the behind the scenes building of any structure. standing on the port side bow and looking at the bed platform and kitchen cabinets, we can see where all of the plumbing, heating and electrical wiring is going. We'll have plenty of outlets, all operational on the inverter, with USB-A and USB-C ports in each outlet. Don't worry, the particle board you see through the window and door cutouts is a wall in the shop, not in the trailer. There are no cheap wood composites onboard.😉

The water management system and Cruise Master ATX control panel are built into a weather protected cabinet on the port side of the trailer. We have a central water manifold system on our current trailer. This Nautilus water system is a newer version of that concept which should provide more convenient operation.

The toilet on a trailer is always an interesting choice. Gone are the days of the single choice foot flush to a black tank system. This Separett model will allow us to skip the black tank, saving weight, maintenance, and space within the frame. 

Since no project can be completed these days without some bumps in the road, this project is no different. We've been surprisingly lucky so far with being able to source everything needed on a timely basis to keep the project rolling on schedule. The receipt of the wrong entry door will push off our delivery date by a week while the correct door is produced and delivered. After originally planning was to move in on April 4th, we're now planning for April 12th. Not a bad delay by today's standards!

A Trailer for Our Next Chapter - Part IV: Starting to build up the old fashioned way

After living in a 5th wheel for the past 11 years, we have come to admire "traditional tech" products that can take a beating. For this build, we've purposely avoided all of the technology that can control everything from a tablet or phone. We prefer manual switches that rarely fail and are easily replaced if they do. We want independent monitors and controls mounted in convenient locations rather than bluetooth this, that, and everything else. If any one mechanical or electrical component fails, it must not impact any other system and it must, again, be easy to fix or replace.

In keeping with this philosophy, we chose to skip the high tech composite wall options and opt for old fashioned aluminum welded walls. Heavier yes, but also strong, durable, time tested, and easily loaded up with insulation capacity.

Here is a mock up test lamination of the walls. We're using Crane Composites Noble Select exterior FRP panels (their thickest, premium option) that are fused onto a composite substrate. Everything is wood-free and the color is mixed into the fiberglass rather than being painted on. There will be high density foam between the aluminum studs as well as on the outside and inside of each stud to minimize thermal bridging. The interior will be Azdel (no lauan wood substrate). The walls will be more than 3 1/2 inches thick. They are old school, but should be very effective at keeping us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Having just five reasonably sized double pane windows should also help with our insulation values. 

Cabinets are starting to spring up from the floor. 

It's not for everyone, but we prefer the wood tones over the multiple shades of white many new trailers are going with.

The under-bed rough in of three hundred pounds of lithium batteries offering 1,104 amp hours of power. Directly on the other side of that bulkhead is the passthrough basement where the inverter will be wall mounted. Having the inverter as close to the batteries as possible is the goal. Another goal has been to make sure there's absolutely no plumbing anywhere near the solar components. Water from broken/damaged/leaking plumbing and solar components is a bad mix.   

We never get tired of photos of the CruiseMaster ATX suspension and its components. Here's the control panel getting ready for it's new home.