by nrhmaine » Tue Sep 10, 2024 7:20 pm
Mostly nice surprises after the first 7 nights.
•The 100w folding solar panels have zero problems keeping up with the 12V cooler and fan. It was a sunny week, but I never dropped below 75% on the 100ah battery. A few days without sun shouldn't be a problem.
•The ventilation is great. Had one night in the 30s and the warmest night probably in the mid-50s. All very comfortable and easy to adjust air flow and temp. We'll probably put a small 12v car heater in the cabin for cold mornings, but it's not necessary for sleeping (using a down comforter), just for coziness when using the cabin for lounging.
•The sink is outstanding. Super convenient. I'm glad I went that direction. 10g was just enough for drinking, dishes and cooking for the 5 day trip. (Occasionally heated river water for dishes, but mostly just went off the tank for everything.
•Having the mattress that folds into a couch, with a small table that sets up, was really nice during my work trip (running a 6 day WW kayak course for a freshman orientation wilderness trip). It allowed me to retreat to the camper in the evening, write a letter, plan for the next day, go through pictures, and give the students their space to commune and bond out around the fire.
•I chose 15" wheels for the aesthetics, mostly, but I'm glad I went that big for ride quality. Did about 100 miles on rough logging roads last week, and the trailer rode great. I think the larger diameter wheels helped with washboard and potholes, and gave a little more cushion. And the torsion axle seems to give a smooth ride.
Things that need some attention -
•The Camp Chef oven and stove are great, but I wonder if it's getting enough fuel pressure. It seems slow. I'm using the right regulator, but it's on the bottle in the tongue box, and I have a 20 foot propane line that goes back to the stove. Perhaps there's too much pressure loss on that long hose run, on the low pressure side of the regulator. I plan to investigate solutions, like perhaps putting the regulator on the stove-end of the run? Or putting a higher pressure regulator on the bottle end of the hose, and the correct pressure regulator closer to the stove. (Any expertise or experience here would be appreciated.)
•I think I'll go up to a full-size spare, after I start to see how capable this thing is off-road - will likely mean I'll do more back-country trips with it, and a full-size spare would be smarter than the 12" rim I have now.
•The galley latch rods need a low-friction mount, because they're catching on the metal guides that came with the latch, and they're quite hard to open.
Most of all, I'm over the moon! This thing is awesome!
Nate
