Hey everyone,
I just wanted to share a new project I am working on. I am new to the RV world so I am definitely looking for tips and suggestions along the way.
The plan is to renovate and rebuild our 2000 Adventurer 810WS EXT that we purchased a couple months ago to have the ability to be off grid and improve the overall usability and layout of it. I am also planning on documenting any improvements or mods that we do to our truck too. Our plan is for my wife, dog and I to live full time out of this camper and to take it down the west coast and into Central America and potentially South America. We plan to do this for 1-2 years and our plan is to quit our jobs and leave next summer.
So.. here is our current set up.
2000 Adventurer 810WS EXT
8' Truck Camper that weighs 1680 lbs. dry. It has a north/south Queen Bed, wet shower/bathroom, medium sized Dometic 2 way Fridge/Freezer combo, furnace and a U shaped Dinette. Everything on the camper is stock and the way it came from the factory. Camper is in pretty good shape and was stored in a garage for all of its life. The camper has 2 propane tanks and 1 battery (80 AH). It has aluminum siding and an aluminum roof.
Truck:
2015 Sierra 2500HD SLT with a 6.0L Gas engine and the 4.10 gearing
It just rolled 200k
It has an extra leaf spring in the back but otherwise the truck is stock.
To Do List:
Redo all of the exterior Caulking and roof sealant. I plan to use Proflex RV for the sides and Lap Sealant/eternabond for the roof.
Front Cabover window reseal. The cabover window seals are dry and have shrunk so I want to redo the seal/glazing to prevent future water intrusion. I also want to remove the front window and redo the butyl tape and reseal the window.
Fix old water damage. I noticed after I bought the camper that there is some panel bubbling/soft spots (I will include pictures) around the bottom and sides of the cabover window. I think that over the years there was a leak or water intrusion thru the front cabover window or roof. I also noticed that at the front center of the cabover, it has a little bit of sag in the middle of the cabover section (where the bed is). This leads me to believe that there was some water and potentially some rot under the bed plywood from the window leak. It looks pretty minor but I definitely want to get this fixed.
Solar Set Up: I want to add 2 golf cart 6V batteries and add 200W of solar panels (on the roof), 30A MPPT charge controller, and then add a 500-1000W Pure Sine Inverter. I am unsure where to mount everything; especially the batteries because they are large. I may actually buy a hitch cargo carrier and mount them under the overhang of the camper. OR I may try to mount the batteries in the front of the truck box.
Paint: My wife wants to paint the cabinets white and the walls as well. She also wants to add a backsplash to the kitchen.
Table and Cushions: New table top and lagun mount for easy usability. Reupholster all of the cushions with something that is easy to keep clean.
Floor: we are going to redo all of the vinyl flooring and probably do a plank style flooring.
Bike storage: we want to take 2 bikes so we are trying to figure out a good way to mount them.. I am thinking a swinging hitch mount or maybe a ladder mount..
Truck: Change out all of the fluids, belts, spark plugs, brakes (still has original brakes), hardwire dash cam, relocate back up camera, and may replace tires (OEM michelin LTX AT2).
Progress will be slow but I will keep this thread up to date as I work..
Pictures of current set up:
https://i.imgur.com/pQPycXB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Bz8Q6pq.jpg