My plan is to have a pretty weather friendly shelter that is multipurpose whether it is doing some adventurous trail running, pulling a sled trailer, or just heading to the beach. Plus zombies may eventually take over and I will need a remote place to stay while they eat the population
I want to do a U-shaped layout and maximize as much space as possible in the rather tight quarters. I will build a platform going sideways all the way in the back. I will use a Twin sized inflatable. Under will most likely be my house battery box and water in the 20-40 gallon capacity. On the left side, I will mount 24" x 36" long shower pan and drain it right on the ground. This will also be a good place to store a camp cassette toilet and serve double duty (get it) as a wet hanging locker. There will probably be 2' between the shower and bed so I will build a cabinet in between. On the right side I want to do a sink, fridge, microwave, etc build. I would like to mount my electronics down low so I can reach back while driving to hit switches/radio/etc. and get the fridge as far away from the sleeping area as possible. One thing I hate on my boat (I know, first world problems) is hearing the fridge compressor while trying to fall asleep.
The goal is to have as much insulation and minimize heat loss so I can heat the thing with a match or cool it with a modest sized A/C. This means no windows, huge doors, etc. and sacrificing some interior room for insulation value. I don't want to commit right off the bat to a diesel hydronic unit since I'm not sure how often I will use it and unsure of the ROI. I will plan to install 120v heat (like a toe kick or panel mount) so it's out of the way and can be thermostat controlled. This will give me a source while on shore power or running a generator. I will also have venting built in just in case I need to use a buddy heater. Yes, I will install the appropriate smoke/CO/LP detectors. I want to run a small inverter generator and plumb it to a 10-20 gallon tank under the truck. I already have a nice EU2000i but am thinking of getting a cheaper Champion and cutting it up. The point is that everything in this rig should have multiple uses. I can use a buddy heater or generator for other purposes if necessary but a diesel hydronic heater is pretty much dedicated to the truck.
I own a Whynter dual zone portable fridge/freezer which is a 120v/12v/24v setup and it works awesome. I also have a Norcold unit on my boat which is good but the power supply just died and its $280 for just the part not to mention these things run about $800 to start. Yet you can buy a Danby or Emerson energy star dorm fridge which run on super low wattage for under $200 depending on size. After running some numbers, I can run one on an inverter for comparable power to any of my other units with a lot of money left over for solar/batteries. So my intention is to have about 400-500 watts of solar with 4 group 31 deep cycles and have my equipment all 120v. A departure for most people and expedition builds but dedicated 12v equipment is expensive and these days for me does not justify the high cost for power savings. Even the new energy star A/C units utilize soft start compressors so I think people will either shift towards traditional off the shelf fridges, A/C's, etc. or the price of these RV or Marine grade units will become more competitive.
On a side note of something I learned, you do not need to purchase expensive marine or RV detectors. Standard home detectors typically use a 9v backup battery and require 120v to run. What I didn't know is that inside the unit there is a transformer that goes from 120v AC to 9v DC. Some even have the power unit as a seperate plastic box which clips into the detector housing and runs a very tiny diameter two conductor wire with a connector to the housing. I looked up 12v to 9v DC power supplies on Amazon and they run under $10. In theory, you could buy a power supply and power all of your house detectors in your boat or RV and the detector wouldn't be the wiser. If the supply died, the detectors still have the 9v battery backup. Pretty neat huh? If you didn't pick up on it, I hate buying specialty equipment at higher prices that deliver zero value over a traditional model
I think the truck is going to be a pretty standard build with a 4" lift (shackle flip out back), 37" tires, and some crossover. Nothing crazy but very capable.
