1st Campervan

[solarman]

added a table,some cushions and a put my tv/dvd back up for now,just been chilling in there,last couple of weekends,it's still
not finished,but at least it's functional,the only thing i haven't tried is the bed!Some more pics showing how it looks at the minute.......








some blurry pics withb no flash,sorry...
Solarman

[solarman]

i have wired in a split charger for the leisure batteries and put my inverter in,been testing power usage for the lights and tv
etc;so far they are giving a good performance,this weekend i have decided to go on a camping weekend and see how it goes,think i'll try Shell Island as it's first on my list,more pics to follow soon,
Solarman.

[solarman]

decided to break my OCD mindset on the campervan and really use it for the first time,even though it's not finished,it was doing my head and health in big time so headed off to Shell Island,well here's some pics for your enjoyment as we had a fantastic time and it's a top place to go,dog friendly and loads of space too,some fantastic views in the morning at sunrise
an excellent beach and sand dunes,this is a good location for campervanning but since it's only March it's early and so will be quiet. Even the missus was impressed but tried not to show it until i got her walking up one of the sand dunes you can never
get to the top of she was laughing her head off,and the dog even had a good time too chasing rabbits(damn that terrier)this place i will certainly be returning to as often as i can.........

[dachre]

Good stuff, looks like you had a great ole time.

[solarman]

This is my inverter and leisure battery set up .....

[solarman]

One thing i was discovering all the time was there isn't enough storage space when you start putting things in to go away,i plan on putting some smaller overhead cupboards
in as well utilising any dead space that i can hide things in.Underneath the bed/seating boxes i have put plastic tool boxes which keeps everything comtained,they also act as support for the bed and seats being of the same height as the bed board,very handy!Another thing was the toilet door is hinged and this became a problem once the bed was set up as you cannot open the door,a sliding door
would've been perfect,something to alter later on i suppose,
Solarman.

[whitemice]

Maybe split the door at bed level allowing top section to open independantly with a single draw-bolt to other half for step-over bedtime 'emergency' ?

Hinging opposite side would maybe allow door to be open at night but looks like it would make access to rear exit a hassle in a 'real' emergency.

[solarman]

some pics of split charger......

[executivetravel]

i have wired in a split charger for the leisure batteries and put my inverter in,been testing power usage for the lights and tv
etc;so far they are giving a good performance,this weekend i have decided to go on a camping weekend and see how it goes,think i'll try Shell Island as it's first on my list,more pics to follow soon,
Solarman.

We used to live up the road (Ffestiniog) and having been a taxi drver and ambulance subcontractor i can say there are many places just off the beaten track for "wild camping" if you have the bog and water faciliies to avoid sites, I especially like the Croesor road from Rhydd, its not passable the whole way, but each end is therefore a dead end and very quiet and remote

[solarman]

i have wired in a split charger for the leisure batteries and put my inverter in,been testing power usage for the lights and tv
etc;so far they are giving a good performance,this weekend i have decided to go on a camping weekend and see how it goes,think i'll try Shell Island as it's first on my list,more pics to follow soon,
Solarman.

We used to live up the road (Ffestiniog) and having been a taxi drver and ambulance subcontractor i can say there are many places just off the beaten track for "wild camping" if you have the bog and water faciliies to avoid sites, I especially like the Croesor road from Rhydd, its not passable the whole way, but each end is therefore a dead end and very quiet and remote

thanks for that,i will look it up sounds like a good location,how do i get to it?
Solarman.

[executivetravel]

i have wired in a split charger for the leisure batteries and put my inverter in,been testing power usage for the lights and tv
etc;so far they are giving a good performance,this weekend i have decided to go on a camping weekend and see how it goes,think i'll try Shell Island as it's first on my list,more pics to follow soon,
Solarman.

We used to live up the road (Ffestiniog) and having been a taxi drver and ambulance subcontractor i can say there are many places just off the beaten track for "wild camping" if you have the bog and water faciliies to avoid sites, I especially like the Croesor road from Rhydd, its not passable the whole way, but each end is therefore a dead end and very quiet and remote

thanks for that,i will look it up sounds like a good location,how do i get to it?
Solarman.

Im just trying to recall.....well it was 20 years ago

I also had to pickup from a place called Ceasarea (or very much like that) boy was that remote!

try Cwn Penmachno (Near Penmachno), very much the end of the road, with Moel Manod to walk over to Ffestiniog if you want

and the Forestry area if you head from Dolweddelan to Betws and make a right turn and cross the river

[solarman]

it's the names i have trouble with,anytime i've driven through Wales and through some nice places i try to memorise the name of the place
but it's in Welsh,half hour later i can't remember it so it's another place i can't return to
Solarman.

[executivetravel]

keep your satnav on, when you like a place press "add favourites/current location"

or blast thru a local speed camera and get a reminder thru the post.....lol


when (if) i get a camper i shall head for snowdonia, the Llanberis pass/capel curig at the foot of snowdon, tricky roads but there 1 stretch where the red arrows practice and fly LOWER than the road that clings to the mountain side..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... donia.html

[solarman]

i like it around Capel Curig/Snowdonia area.I'm Sat nav free driver at the moment,like driving by instinct getting lost and finding my way around
,just like going without planning a route occasionally and seeing if i can navigate without the technology,but i DO make sure their is a map to hand
Solarman.

[solarman]

Well after a break and a few more camper trips to Wales,i finally managed to fit the solar panel to the roof,it was a fiddly job
and at times it was windy up there,but it had to be done while the weather was dry!I used Tigerseal on the brackets and haven't screwed or bolted it down yet(still an option for later as i haave predrilled some screw holes in advance)Cleaned the roof where it was to be in contact with the brackets and scratched both surfaces to give a key for the sealant and put plenty on,Had to mofify the bracket with some square cutouts where the mounts are bolted for finger access behind the bolt and nuts as i wouldn't have any way of getting to them after once it was mounted.Drilled through roof for cable access and put a cable gland for weatherproofing and securing the cable against movement and finally connected it all up,Tested with a multimeter before final fixing,but now sun has gone down so will have to check charging tommorrow daytime.
Here's some pics for you....











Have been on the motorway with it today driving up to 60mph and so far it's solid,will take some pics of solar charger
showing charging readings tommorrow,
Solarman.