Campervan prototype shower

A brief pictorial explanation of the built in shower is shown below. The dining seat behind the drivers seat contains a tub and is accessed by simply taking the lid and cushions off. The two enclosing panels to form an enclosed shower room are detached from their respective fixed-faces of the van where they're normally stowed in plain sight...presumably some magnets will achieve this. These panels are going to be 4mm aluminium composite panels, and are extremely durable and light. The fixed walls are cut from the same composite panel, they're ideal for shower walls and completely remove the need for any soggy curtain arrangement. A basic hinge is achieved with regular toilet door latches at the upper and lower corners of whatever panel I decide when the time comes. The dining table may or may not hinge up against the wall..though it probably will as it's so easy to do.

Panel A is shown stowed against Panel B in the seat-mode image. Panel C does the same thing against Panel D when stowed in seat mode.

Panel B and D are fixed wall panels. D is the side of the van, and B is an installed wall behind the drivers seat. In shower-mode, C or A can be hinged at the top and bottom with regular toilet door latches. Once wiped down with a squeegee, everything is stowed against its respective opposite walls with embedded neodymium magnets.

A portable camping instant hot water unit will be installed in the cavity above the drivers seat. I've tested Dave's and am very impressed. The reservoir can be quite some distance away if required.

This is all ludicrously simple, but impossibly hard to explain...hopefully these two pictures solve that. Yes there's a drain in the tub...

2018 Prototype retirement campervan

I bought a 2004 Ford VJ Transit van from Grays Online Auctions for $3k with the intent to turn it into a campervan. It's a long wheel base with a mid-height roof , 2.4 turbo diesel, 5sp manual. The price was exceptional for a commercial vehicle here in Australia. I bought it sight-unseen as it was in the Grays lot in Sydney, not here in Melb'. Grays are pretty professional with their lot-descriptions, and will photograph or state when a vehicle is less than optimal... As per the holiday to Mt.Buffalo post further down, we picked it up after that long weekend getaway.

Below is a mix of unsorted photos. There is currently a cardboard mock-up build in the back of the van, however I have abandoned that design. The current plan is shown in the sketchup models below.

- The narrow cupboard above the kitchen holds a standard 4L icecream container.
- The kitchen counter depth accommodates the usual 12/24/240V ice-chest fridge/freezers on the market.
- Kitchen counter overlaps the side door significantly (door shown), however this is now merely a person door, not a delivery van access point...
- There will probably be a vertical divider installed between the bed and kitchen counter to reduce food prep' accidents...
- The space under the bed is handled as "the shed", with accessed exclusively from the rear doors.
- The Shed is 900mm tall, our bikes fit upright with the quick release front wheels removed.
- Space above the bed allows sitting fully upright to lean back and read / watch TV etc. ~900mm
- The triangular space shown in the last few shots is the cavity above the driver cab. It's quite substantial; the curve isn't clearly represented here with simple geometry.
- The blue thing above the bed is a proposed hatch/skylight.
- Electrical/gas/plumbing fittings not shown. At the entry-level, these will be left un-fitted and handled by regular portable camping gear.
- The table is 900x600mm which matches the standard small RV table for four and stands ~750mm from the floor.

Mount Buffalo camping 2018

Jana and I went camping at Mount Buffalo for two nights for our 5th anniversary and her 45th birthday!!

The camp site was super awesome. They'd recently installed a sheltered electric barbeque area, and just re-started the water pumps for the toilet block which is normally shut down for winter due to freezing. It's one of the first years they've had hot water for the showers. Water is pumped directly from Lake Catani, so no drinkable water, but boiling fixes that. Lots of wombats, many birds, beautiful high country landscape. Fun camp site with open fire cooking at virtually every site which is fairly rare, particularly in a national park in Australia.

Since we were half way to Sydney anyway...I accidentally bought a 2004 Ford Transit van on auction online which we had to pick up after our camping was done. That's another story for another blog in future. :D

Pictures in no particular order, and not necessarily at Mount Buffalo.