Amanda Products

6 days ago

+3

WHICH VEHICLE SHOULD YOU BUY FOR VAN LIFE?
“There are more considerations than you might think!”
28-minute YouTube Video with Bob Wells of CheapRVLiving and Brian Gifford

Brian has been on the road for 14 years “and in the entire time I've mostly been in my 23’ Class C Motor Home. It's a late model 1977 but I've also spent plenty of time in my car with a tent and in a van and in a trailer.”

Bob explains “Brian is much more of an expert on RVs because I've never lived in an RV. I've been in a lot of different vehicles, I've been in a box van, a van, a pickup, a cargo trailer - so I've been in a few things. Between us we've got a really sound basis to discuss these things.”

They go topic by topic, comparing experiences and weighing pros and cons.

LIVING IN A CAR
Brian says “I've taken my Ford Festiva and my Geo Tracker down to Mexico for two months at a time and I'm sleeping in a tent on the beach, setting up an outdoor kitchen – so I have had a lot of experience with that.”
They’re nimble, gas mileage is amazing, “you can zip around anywhere you want, you don't have to worry about it.”
“The other thing is that most of us already own a car, so the entry point into getting into a car is very cheap because you probably already own one.”
Downsides – “Space and some other things.”

Bob adds “Zero comfort! A car itself is not very comfortable, but a car and a good tent can be amazing.

LIVING IN AN SUV
Brian’s living in a Tracker; “It’s a very teeny tiny SUV.”
Bob says “A Jeep is an SUV essentially and that will take you deep into the back country and give you zero comfort.” But you could eventually move up to something like a Suburban or Expedition ‘which would grant a surprising amount of comfort and a surprising amount of back-country-ability but really poor gas mileage.’

Brian: “You can set up a bed inside of them, you have enough room for storage. Some of the conveniences – you can drop the tailgate, do your cooking there, so it can be very easy to do and it really opens it up. It is definitely a step up from just being in a car.”

Bob: “Absolutely. And to my mind it's a big step and it finds a much better balance than a car of back-road-ability and freedom… except you're going to get poor gas mileage.”

MINIVANS
Neither of them have much experience with minivans – but they hear from others who say they enjoy more room, more comfort. Brian adds “You can still get into them pretty cheap.”
On the downside, Bob explains; “One of the big things to consider is when the weather's good, it's not too bad being inside a rig; but when the weather's bad … you're stuck inside your rig. I would rather be stuck inside a minivan than any car or even most SUVs.”

VANS AND HIGH TOP VANS
Brian spent a month in a van and came away knowing what he’d need in a future vehicle. He has to be able to stand up, wants refrigeration and a restroom.
“If you're going to go with a van, I really think the high top is the way to go.” There are some negatives, but “there are a lot of positives.”

Bob lived in a van. He says he got used to it.
He also had “a lot of high top rigs; my ambulance is a high top now and it is infinitely better.”
He put a high top on one of his vans and says “It was expensive, but boy was it worth it.” He suggests “If you have the money, you can buy a good reliable van and then put a high top on it.”
He also likes the new Transit Pro Masters. “You can get them with a high top from the factory and they are very comfortable.”

TRUCKS WITH SHELLS OR SLIDE-IN-CAMPERS
Bob says he knows “a lot of people that live in pickups with shells and some of them just absolutely love it… What I would consider the best is a four wheel drive pickup with a high shell so I could almost stand up. I had one of those once and I do kind of look at it as the best balance for me.”

Regarding the shell - Bob warns “The big-huge 800 lb. gorilla in the room is, with the shell … most of us have to get out and walk around to get in.” That can be a safety issue.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
Bob’s currently living in a commercial vehicle - an ambulance. Another was a box van that was being used as a delivery van. He loved living in both – “so there’s two examples of commercial vehicles I have lived in.”

Brian says “The cool thing about those is that they're usually square, so they're a lot easier to build out. The planning, the construction of them is so easier and they have a lot of the things you already need.”

They discuss ‘schoolies” and shuttle buses.
Brian says “A school bus is more of a specialty item.”
Bob warns he might make some mad by saying “I don’t recommend schoolies at all. I have known a lot of people with schoolies who have just poured money into them… They will break down, you will be doing repairs.” He discusses the issues involved with working with different types of vehicles and recommends people "stay away from any commercial vehicle that has a commercial drivetrain.”

TRAILERS
Brian has experience with these.
“Compared to vans, the next transition for me would be adding a trailer to that truck. I've lived a couple months in a trailer at a time and I have to say – to me - that might be the ideal situation.”
He explains why. “If the truck engine goes bad, I keep my home. My trailer stays the same, I just get a different tow vehicle… Plus, with the truck, you’re more nimble. You can drop the trailer, go into town, go to the back country, go to trail heads. You have so many options with that truck/trailer combination that I think that’s a good option for some people.”
But it has no stealth factor.
Bob suggests a cargo trailer. “You can park that in a commercial district. A truck and cargo trailer looks just fine, might be one of the better stealths you can do.” Bob goes into some detail based on personal experience.

MOTOR HOMES
Brian assures “They're all going to have that basic sense of comfort, that you're going to have running water… It’s like living in a home with a furnace; the positive of it is that you do have the creature comforts of living in a home, it’s almost identical. I consider it my studio apartment on wheels.”
The downside is maneuverability, gas mileage and repairs.

PURCHASING RENTALS
Bob suggests considering vans that have been rented out by a rental company. “A lot of companies that rent out motor homes buy these little shorty ones, 18 ft. - and man that is a sweet spot… You can get surprisingly good gas mileage out of them, they're easy to drive and they fit in a standard parking spot.”
Brian cautions that “If you build your own vehicle, you know exactly where all the wiring is. You know what the insulation is like if something goes wrong. In my motor home it could be catastrophic; I don't know where all the wires are, I don't know how the system is exactly plumbed - so you're ripping out a lot of cabinets trying to find those.”

They discuss the pros and cons of class A, B and C - older vs. newer.

THEIR PERSONAL PREFERENCES
Bob says “The sweet spot for me personally, with my priorities and my desires it'll be completely different than yours probably; I would say is a four-wheel drive van with a high top that gives me all the comfort I want. It doesn't give me very good gas mileage, but it gives me all the comfort and back-road-ability - the two things I think are really important to me.”

Brian shares, “I personally really like the small trailer and a capable truck - let's say a Toyota 4Runner because then you can go further in the back country. You have four-wheel drive and then you can just set up your trailer someplace and go off exploring. That – to me – is a really great sweet spot. I think that might be my next foray into vehicular dwelling."
He believes this discussion with Bob "is going to be very beneficial for a lot of people out there, to help them decide what is the best option for them. Again, there's no perfect solution but you can get one that most fits your needs and your desires.”

Bob reminds viewers - “We want to emphasize over and over again - budget first, have an emergency fund, live below your means and choose the most reliable vehicle that meets your needs.”

The comments are fascinating 😊

#cheaprvliving
#vanlife
#offroadvehicles

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Amanda Products

1 week ago

+3

THREE YEARS OF LIVING SMALL
How he perfected life in a Jeep 🙂
12-minute video interview of #backcountrynomad by Bob of #cheaprvliving

“This has been a three-year process of fine-tuning exactly what I need and what I don't need.” Ken spent three years perfecting his stealth camping setup. In this video he demonstrates how comfort and adventure can go hand in hand.

HOW KEN USES THE ROOF
Bob asks “Is that a rooftop tent on the top?”
Ken responds, “No sir. That’s just storage. I’m one of the few people that tend to sleep inside the vehicle, not on top of the vehicle. I’m really a fan of stealth camping.”
He carries a ladder inside so he can access the roof as needed.

“I GOT SO SICK OF GETTING STUCK WITH THAT VAN”
“Going from a Transit, where you can stand up and move around to this … there's definitely some sacrifices but this’ll go places.
"I got so sick of getting stuck with that van. Now I never get stuck, and I can winch myself out.”

“IN A RIG LIKE THIS SPACE IS CRITICAL.”
Ken explains he has everything you could really need. He stores stuff he doesn’t need every day on top.
The gun cases are hollowed out so he can carry all his recovery gear.
“I've also got one of those little lava boxes. I use propane so if at night I want a campfire and you can't have a wood burning fire, I've got that. In cold temperatures that lava box is outstanding for just keeping you warm.”

The batwing canopy “takes me literally a minute and a half to set up” and keeps him out of sun and rain.

The 12v ice chest is important because “I like cold drinks. I drink a lot of iced tea and herbal tea and I like ice cubes.”
A lot of people don’t like the contents getting wet; he solved that by putting the ice in Tupperware containers.

HE OPENS THE BACK
“I’ve got my full galley right here.” He adds, “Elastic bands and Ziploc bags solve a whole ton of problems for me. I always carry tons of them.”

INTERIOR STORAGE
Ken says most guys build storage underneath their beds. The way he has it, “I can sit up and I can move around. Having storage on top of your feet seems to be a better option for me.”
Taking the back seats out gives him the storage he needs.
A case with necessities sits on the passenger seat; water and tea are kept on the floor in front.

ABOUT THE GARMIN MINI
He takes us through the essentials in the interior; technology is easily at hand. He suggests a Garmin mini with a phone app that allows you to connect.
‘You can get a text plan that allows you to connect off grid’ just to check in with family. “It’s a great little device.”

ON TAKING AN ELECTRIC BIKE
He typically takes an electric bike that folds. He had a custom mount made for it. “It actually mounts up high enough to where it doesn't really drag. So you can make a mount, you can buy an adapter to put your bike on the back of your rig. With a little bit of customization you can bring your electric bike with you.”
He didn’t bring it this time because he’s doing a lot of back country and needed a little more clearance.

IN CONCLUSION
Bob tells Ken “You’ve got an amazing setup here for such a teeny tiny space.”
Ken is enthusiastic. “I would definitely encourage people to – if they’re holding back - thinking that an SUV or a small vehicle is not possible to live in - I think you just need to really work on minimizing, downsizing.
"This has been a three year process of fine tuning exactly what I need and what I don’t need.”

Links to products mentioned by both channels are on the YouTube page.

You can subscribe to Ken’s adventures at BackcountryNomad.

#jeepcamping
#jeepoverlanding
#vanlife
#carcamping

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Amanda Products

2 weeks ago

+3

THEY BOUGHT A BIG TENT INSTEAD OF A CAMPER
Setup is incredibly fast and easy
32-minute video by SUV RVing

They drove from Wyoming to Arizona to attend an event that's considered ‘the Biggest Nomad Event of the Year.’
“It’s good to be in the sun, good to be in the warmth!”

They’re going to spend a month in Arizona, but the first few days will be spent in an 8’ x 8’ Gazelle T4 cabin-size Tent. “This is a pretty popular tent for the overlanding crowd, for those who don't use rooftop tents.”

ABOUT ‘THE RUBBER TRAMP RENDEZVOUS’
It's held in two phases: the Women's Rubber Tramp Rendezvous from January 8–10, and the All-Gender Rubber Tramp Rendezvous from January 11–16.

Cassie and Bowser stay behind part of the day while Tristan captures video. He says, “For now, this $300 tent is much more appealing than a multi-thousand-dollar camper.”

“IT SETS UP SUPER FAST”
“That’s why I wanted this tent.”
They set it up in his mom’s basement, just to see how it would go.
They’re about to see how setting it up in the wind will be.
“We’re going to do this in real time guys… You set up the four walls and go inside to push the ceiling up.”
“That took 39 seconds.”

They still need to stake it and determine the best orientation. They found beefy tent stakes at Harbor Freight, along with a sledgehammer for under $10.
“That sledgehammer makes it easy! It’s a big ‘quality of life’ improvement.”

In all, it took 5 minutes and 25 seconds “to get it all staked out with the fly and everything.”
He adds some guylines and they check it out.
They can stand easily; Tristan is 5’11”.

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
They brought:
• A queen size self-inflating foam air mattress they’ve never used and a battery powered pump to speed the process.
• Two cots (6” off the ground) to raise the mattress.
Cassie and Bowser test it out 😊

“WE HAVE A GOOD SETUP GOING ON HERE”
It's their first time together in a tent. Cassie likes the high ceilings, lots of windows and plenty of air! It's not as quiet as the car, but it's more comfortable.
Tristan says, “We thought we would try something new and use this as sort of a base camp for the next few days and we'll let you know how it goes.”
They add a chair and an adjustable table with a bamboo surface. (Links to all the gear they use are in the video description.)

THE FOLLOWING MORNING
"It's super comfortable!"
The tent felt huge, like a cabin.
The foam mattress was great, but Tristan says the ‘fabric on fabric’ noise of the tent was a little annoying; he slept with earplugs.

@21:28 - THREE DAYS LATER
Tristan says “It feels less like a tent when it's so tall, when you can actually stand up and stand around and actually do stuff in it. Again, tents are fine, I don't particularly like tents, but in this case, for these few days I thought it was great.”

Cassie likes that the cots helped give the bed more cushion.
“It was really comfortable at night, but next year we might try to put a heater of some sort inside.”
They discuss options like heated blankets.
They’d also like to have the bed high enough to store clothes beneath. (It got messy.)

NEXT TIME?
They discuss things they might change in the future, but overall, “It was good. It was a fun experience. We’re going to be doing more of it this year.”

If you enjoyed the video, please give them a like and subscribe 😊

#suvrving
#tentcamping
#rubbertramprendezvous
#overlandingtent

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Amanda Products

3 weeks ago

+3

10 THINGS TO STOP DOING TO YOUR JEEP
27-minute YouTube Video by Ozark Overland Adventures

“These are the top 10 things I've learned over the years to stop doing to your Jeep or most any off-road vehicle.”

Matt's been all about it for 13 years. He's built seven different Wranglers Gladiators, has experienced extreme rock crawling, serious wheeling, and has lived out of rigs in remote locations; “So this is just good practical real-world advice of things to stop doing.”

These are things he keeps seeing people do over and over again. He explains each in depth:

#1 STOP BUILDING YOUR JEEP
Wait until you know “what its capable of and what you enjoy doing.”

#2 STOP BUYING INCOMPLETE SUSPENSION LIFTS
“There are way too many companies out there that would love to sell you an inexpensive lift kit for your Jeep that does not have the necessary components for it to actually ride well and handle properly, both on and off-road.”
“All three of our Jeeps drive amazing on pavement, they all drive amazing because they're done well and they're done right.”

#3 STOP WITH THE WHOLE DUAL STEERING STABILIZER NONSENSE
“I've had a fancy steering stabilizer in the past… I don't really see an argument for having a fancy steering stabilizer. If - going back to point number 2 - if your suspension is set up properly, this is all you need.”

#4 STOP PAYING SOMEONE TO INSTALL YOUR LIFT KITS
“That's for multiple reasons, but number one - it's super easy! I had never done any suspension work in my life until I got my first Jeep and I was on a budget so I looked at the instructions and looked at the tools that I needed and made sure I had the right tools and I just got after it!
"These things are adult erector sets that you can take apart and put back together in your garage with very basic hand tools.”

#5 STOP WITH THE CHEAP CHINESE BUMPERS OFF AMAZON
“If you are actually going off-road and expect to be in situations where you’re going to have to use your winch ... if you’re getting into more extreme stuff. ... don't buy cheap Chinese steel bumpers off Amazon. The steel just can't hold up to it.”
“There’s a lot of brands that make good quality bumpers. Quit buying the cheap crap.”

#6 IF YOU’RE OFF-ROADING YOUR VEHICLE, STOP WITH THE 20” WHEELS
“I think 17” is just really the sweet spot. Tires are less expensive on 17s than they are for 20s, there's a lot more options out there and you're going to get a better ride not going with what I call a low-profile tire. Off-roading you completely lose the ability to air down effectively.”

#7 STOP PUTTING LARGER TIRES ON YOUR JEEPS AND THINKING ‘I DON’T HAVE TO REGEAR’
“Your vehicle was designed for small tires with the factory gears. That's the way it was designed to get the best performance and to get the optimum performance. If you throw larger tires on your Jeep and you don't regear, you're going to miss out on seventh and eighth gears.”

#8 STOP BUILDING A BUILT OUT OVERLANDING RIG AND IGNORING THE BRAKES
“The brakes on the Gladiators and Wranglers now are so much better than they used to be. They’re good brakes, but once you start adding the weight and you're turning larger tires, you're adding more weight in the back. You’re building up this sweet looking overland rig your brakes aren't made to handle, so stop ignoring the components that aren't as cool to upgrade.”

#9 ABOUT ANGRY GRILLS; STOP PUTTING ULTRA RESTRICTIVE GRILLS ON YOUR JEEP
“If you're going to make the choice to put an angry grill on your Jeep, at least stop with putting the ultra-restrictive grills on your jeep that legit cut the air flow to the radiator in half.
"These engines already run hot and the last thing you want to do is to cut off half the air flow to the radiator.”
“Think about air flow.”

#10 STOP ASKING QUESTIONS ONLINE OR IN FACEBOOK GROUPS WHEN ACCURATE ANSWERS ARE IN YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL
“I say that because there's so many wrong answers. Like tons of wrong answers on Facebook!”
‘If you bought your Jeep used and it doesn’t have an owner’s manual, all you got to search is your vehicle’s owner’s manual online by year and ‘boom’ – it comes up as a PDF you can have on your computer.’

Last minute bit of advice -
STOP IGNORING MAINTENANCE!

“Hopefully some of you will have found this helpful and hopefully some of you will avoid some of the mistakes that we’ve made over the years and the mistakes I see so many people making to build a Jeep…
“I want you to enjoy the heck out of your Jeep.”

#JeepModifications
#JeepMaintenance
#JeepReplairs

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