Paredneck
Observer
depending on location you could also market yourself to the boat crowd. Just another idea.
Thoughts on The Right Vehicle, by a total noob
- Thread starter FeralK
- Start date
TOTALLY worth a try, I'd say! Thanks for the posting (and the PM). I'm so obsessed with campers/trucks/vans/you name it right now that just about ANYTHING is certainly worth a look, even if only to refine what it is that I'm looking for. The above vehicle is SO CLOSE, but we are sure on the no-pop-top, and as time passes and we look at more things, we are kinda honing in on the F350 for the base vehicle, with the extended cab rather than the crew cab. However, I reiterate that we are open to considering all options. I haven't posted on this thread at all recently because we STILL have not gone to the (reasonably) local dealer to check out the Northstar options . . . but I think we're going tomorrow. I'm having a bit of a hard time moving on to other options (or solidifying our desire for the Northstar option) until we take this crucial step. So stay tuned, I will definitely be making a Northstar visit in the next couple of days, and will post here what I find, and where we go from there. Thanks everyone for your opinions and interest!
Would a high top, extended body E350 with a 4x4 conversion if you enough footprint? You can find high top vans for a reasonable cost, then send for a 4x4 conversion (or do it yourself but you're on a timetable) and then focus on building out the interior. Perk of this over a box truck the sides of the body are more "durable".
Jump into the vantom build about here, its running a 6" lift (could go a bit lower to be more conservative). The next couple pages some some exterior/interior shots. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/65718-Scoutkid-s-van-is-HERE!!!?p=1083359#post1083359
Alternative if more room is needed I wonder about how well an E350 chassis shorter shuttle bus would hold up to a 4x4 conversion and lots of washboards...
Jump into the vantom build about here, its running a 6" lift (could go a bit lower to be more conservative). The next couple pages some some exterior/interior shots. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/65718-Scoutkid-s-van-is-HERE!!!?p=1083359#post1083359
Alternative if more room is needed I wonder about how well an E350 chassis shorter shuttle bus would hold up to a 4x4 conversion and lots of washboards...
plumber mike
Adventurer
I am surprised at how many calls I get to do plumbing work on rv's that are here during tourist season, and I only have my name in the phone book so my previous customers can find me if they have lost my number. I have never enjoyed working on mobile homes( so much so that I would tell them to tow it over and I'll look at it), but I do enjoy meeting and talking to people who full time rv and hear about there travels.
I personally think it will be easier to convert a domestic van, class c, b+, or commercial cutaway to 4wd for less money than the other options, all while having hard sides and pass thru capability. I am currently considering a chevy chassis box van( much like the wanderer) and splitting the rear to make a poor mans toy hauler for my adv bike, while still having room for living in the front section.
I had an e350 cutaway truck for work and found little need for 4wd even in brutal South Dakota winters( weight and studded snows made it all but unstoppable for getting to remote cabins. I found the size of the vehicle and departure angle to be the limiting factor rather than loss of traction.
Best of luck. We were not called to be slaves to debt, but rather to have freedom in God.
I personally think it will be easier to convert a domestic van, class c, b+, or commercial cutaway to 4wd for less money than the other options, all while having hard sides and pass thru capability. I am currently considering a chevy chassis box van( much like the wanderer) and splitting the rear to make a poor mans toy hauler for my adv bike, while still having room for living in the front section.
I had an e350 cutaway truck for work and found little need for 4wd even in brutal South Dakota winters( weight and studded snows made it all but unstoppable for getting to remote cabins. I found the size of the vehicle and departure angle to be the limiting factor rather than loss of traction.
Best of luck. We were not called to be slaves to debt, but rather to have freedom in God.
Update!
So went down with high hopes and baited breath and checked out the Northstar . . . and were disappointed. Yes, a step up in quality from Lance or Adventurer, but still just a little, er, flimsy might be the right word. We climbed around lots of slide-ins, and I think that we realized that the wooden frames just don't seem as though they'll really stand up to what we want out of a camper. The finishes, feel and hand of the interiors were just underwhelming. Until, UNTIL, I walked into a Northern Lite. OK, these people have a really nice product. Solid, well thought-out, no cheap feel here. Or, for that matter, a cheap price. Damn thing was like $40K for a 8'11" slide-in. Very Nice, Very Pricey. I wanted one right then and there, damn the sneaky part of no truck to put it on and those other pesky details, like, HOW are we paying for this?
Cooler heads prevailed, I went home and buried my head under the sand for a while. Learned important things, however, like fiberglass mono construction is a really nice thing, and maybe a slide-in IS a good option after all, and it's a good thing that I have a less-impulsive husband than myself, because I woulda walked out with some huge all-brand-newskie camper when, in fact, the intervening weeks of contemplation really helped crystallize the idea that maybe we should just get into this thing for reasonably cheap at first, try the lifestyle on for a year or so, and THEN make a wise, educated decision about what the best vehicle for us might be. Which all serves as a long-winded, long-sentenced introduction to what we went and looked at today:
That would be a 1996 Bigfoot (kinda like a Northern Lite, maybe slightly down-market but close enough) 10'6 on a 1998 Dodge Cummins 2500 (the 12v) 4x4 with ridiculously low (under 100K) milage, for sale for what I believe is a very reasonably price. Went and looked at it today and the truck looks lovely, the camper seems in good shape for how old it is, but OMG! the interior is horrid (all teal and mauve and 1990's Grandma) and will need some, um, refacing. It's seemingly sound, just UGLY (shudders). So I'm taking it to a mechanic soon to have it looked over, and will very probably maybe sorta . . . buy it. My husband's waffling a bit on it -- I think all the mauve scared him -- but I think it'd be a great buy, and entry-level thing to live in for a year or two as we figure this all out.
Plus I've done my homework on this board and think the truck is The. ********.
So went down with high hopes and baited breath and checked out the Northstar . . . and were disappointed. Yes, a step up in quality from Lance or Adventurer, but still just a little, er, flimsy might be the right word. We climbed around lots of slide-ins, and I think that we realized that the wooden frames just don't seem as though they'll really stand up to what we want out of a camper. The finishes, feel and hand of the interiors were just underwhelming. Until, UNTIL, I walked into a Northern Lite. OK, these people have a really nice product. Solid, well thought-out, no cheap feel here. Or, for that matter, a cheap price. Damn thing was like $40K for a 8'11" slide-in. Very Nice, Very Pricey. I wanted one right then and there, damn the sneaky part of no truck to put it on and those other pesky details, like, HOW are we paying for this?
Cooler heads prevailed, I went home and buried my head under the sand for a while. Learned important things, however, like fiberglass mono construction is a really nice thing, and maybe a slide-in IS a good option after all, and it's a good thing that I have a less-impulsive husband than myself, because I woulda walked out with some huge all-brand-newskie camper when, in fact, the intervening weeks of contemplation really helped crystallize the idea that maybe we should just get into this thing for reasonably cheap at first, try the lifestyle on for a year or so, and THEN make a wise, educated decision about what the best vehicle for us might be. Which all serves as a long-winded, long-sentenced introduction to what we went and looked at today:
That would be a 1996 Bigfoot (kinda like a Northern Lite, maybe slightly down-market but close enough) 10'6 on a 1998 Dodge Cummins 2500 (the 12v) 4x4 with ridiculously low (under 100K) milage, for sale for what I believe is a very reasonably price. Went and looked at it today and the truck looks lovely, the camper seems in good shape for how old it is, but OMG! the interior is horrid (all teal and mauve and 1990's Grandma) and will need some, um, refacing. It's seemingly sound, just UGLY (shudders). So I'm taking it to a mechanic soon to have it looked over, and will very probably maybe sorta . . . buy it. My husband's waffling a bit on it -- I think all the mauve scared him -- but I think it'd be a great buy, and entry-level thing to live in for a year or two as we figure this all out.
Plus I've done my homework on this board and think the truck is The. ********.
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Welp, he who hesitates is lost, and unfortunately, we did not get the above dealio. We stalled for a day to arrange to have a mechanic give the once over -- in that day, someone swooped in and snagged it. Lesson definitely learned. I don't mourn the camper, but that truck was the real deal. Next time, I'll use my executive power and just BUY the thing if I'm so sure it's right . . .
Anyhow, no crying over spilled milk. I HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT VEHICLE that meets all of our needs, and then some. Feast your eyes on this, boys:
View attachment 1
And now we'll go from there . . .
Anyhow, no crying over spilled milk. I HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT VEHICLE that meets all of our needs, and then some. Feast your eyes on this, boys:
View attachment 1
And now we'll go from there . . .
