RE: 2006 Hallmark Ute rotted wood repair
....if you are going to be using regular ol' wood to replace that regular ol'wood (rather than the material Coosa), I would use a rot-resistant wood, and some type of wide special friction adhesive tape as a permanent seal along all seams.
S-
RE: Roof splitter...better front end aerodynamics
Wayn's right. This precise roof-to-cabover inflatable boot topic discussion goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back, and was prolific. Eg. in 2003 (10 years ago) in this very Forum, the following was discussed:
"I used a blow up boot on my last camper between the truck and camper. It worked great, but it rubbed the paint off of both my camper and the truck."
and,
"I have seen the boots used and the principal was great, but unfortunately they did not work as stated. Most I saw used had problems rubbing the paint off the truck and camper and another problem with staying in place"
and,
"I tried air up boots many years ago and they all ended up in the trash can. They rub off the paint and when going to and from the mountains the pressure in them keeps changing because of the altitude changes. A real pain!!"
....just a small sampling of the very negative issues with this route.
Go the tried and true route, with Sleepy's air foil system, here--> And here is Sleepy's post on how shapes affect drag, NASA--> . Those with square jack legs will experience appx 4.56 x the drag when compared with round jack legs (quite significant). Sleepy and I discussed the relevance of jack leg drag n relation to "the big picture", in our driveway, using our camper as an example, when he last visited us.
Sleepy is an alumnus of Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), and a World-renown inverter. Have a look... think you'll like it and his build/test methodology.
Silver-
RE: Renogy solar?
....Renogy solar panels can be had for less than $1 a watt (a container shipment is roughly 98 cents a watt). Smaller quantities can be had for $1.09 a watt (in single pallet quantity: think group buy).
Renogy has an on-line store. I would prefer to buy from them directly: here-->
S-
RE: Swan Song
Don't forget there are bed bugs in the hotels ....
This is not true to a very great extent. We've been staying in hotels intensively for the past 1.2 years across the US (and parts of Canada), and not once did we carry bed bugs out with us. Nada. Regardless what the "Media" screams, only the lowest rated hotels would ever allow a guest into a room with this infestation.
Seasoned (and, partially seasoned) hotel genre travelers are well aware of the potential issues vs hotels and bed bugs; this vigilance coupled with the immediate and swift market repudiation is a major incentive for most hotels to keep severe and strict surveillance protocols in place.
An personal anecdote: of the hundreds of hotels I have booked across Central America while working as a contractor down there, I've only run into the bed bug issue in under roughly 5% of the rooms I've ever occupied!
No amount of scare tactics can convince an RVer to go back to RVing if they have run out of interest in the genre. When you've hit the RVing lifestyle brick wall (for myriad reasons very specific to the user), you've hit it. Some return to the lifestyle, some don't. That's life.
I wish the Member a tremendous life of travel on-board extremely inexpensive airlines and in the many cheap 5-star hotels and B & Bs and guest houses around the World, and a good riddance to long-distance travel on our statistically hellaciously-dangerous roads!
Silver-
RE: RECALL - Lite Cylinder Company, ALL composite Cylinders
....what a catastrophe! One heii of a shame....for all involved.
I imagine current owners of affected units will de-gas/de-valve them legally and not bother returning the empty...
S-
RE: Notice of Trip Reports ownership transition, June 8th 2013
Mr Phelps: I truly like your "Retrospective Introspections:" write-up back in 2010, and suggest that all new truck camper wannabes read it through! Thanks for your contributions.
Sleepy: I attempted to organize your prolific boondocking journals in TR, however realized that those prolific Threads really needed a TOC unto themselves! Thanks for being a steadfast backer and reader of the TR imitative my friend!
Bigfootgrey: thank you for following along, fellow Northeast Truck Campers !
The Mad Norsky: I hadn't realized that you had moved over to a 5ver. Having been a TC member for so long, your handle will always connote to me you being a truck camping enthusiast!
Camper Jeff & Kelli: thank YOU for being both an enthusiast and contributor! Sabconsulting is indeed a prolific transcontinental truck camping expe, and will make a tremendous "leader".
Sabconsulting: If there would be just one word of wisdom to impart to our new "leader", it would be: make TR your own baby, and give it a new personality ;)
Turtle Bax: I'm glad you mentioned how you connected with truck camping and truck campers. This was precisely what I envisioned trip reports to be: transcending travel genre; and once you are hooked, well, you're hooked :B
Jammin' Along: Thanks for your good wishes! We try and make the transition as seamless as possible :)
Jefe 4x4: well, reading your wonderful praise, I'm blushing! I have been known to wrap a riddle around enigma, and play with lexical ambiguity...for pun only :D
C Traveler 2: I have always appreciated your intense dedication to TR! If you and I were ever appointed to the Security Council, who knows what we could do :D
RE: I added a second bathroom to my Bigfoot 10.4E
....and a fine Lad he grew up to be it appears :B
I better not show Dunes this Thread; she'll be crying for a week !
....what a great idea for a litter; brilliant!
Cheers,
Silver-
RE: Notice of Trip Reports ownership transition, June 8th 2013
Wow guys, thank you for your kind words and HUGE support over the years!
Whaz: I was reading over a few of your reports during the past days, and they felt like the best National Geo documentaries I had ever seen! Funny thing is, I can read your expeditions over twice, three times and get the same thrill as the 1st read. Our paths WILL cross sooner rather than later in verus vita ;)
Mello Mike: I always enjoy reading your in-depth descriptive trip reports over at your Blog! Thanks for your on-going support!
BrIrene: I love that "handle" ! I'm incredibly happy you were able to enjoy and use our TR !
Brad W: If it t'were not for you, this experiment would have not gotten very far my friend! We hit many a Forum format ceiling, testing the "outer limits" of this Forum's capabilities, and overcame these obstacles rather smoothly (there are many ways to burn Rome: Nero, 64AD ?) :B
NYC Steve: you are a prolific contributor to TR over the years, writing about a part of the US few of the Forum members will ever visit! Many thanks!
Reddog1: Man, did we go through a long transition time fraught with potential pit-falls; but with your perseverance, we move to the "next stage". Thanks!
Seldom Seen Smith: your TRs to one of the most unknown and truly unexplored places in the Lower 48 keep us excited about the region, and intensely planning! Your eloquent and moving expeditions into the Dark Canyon keep us looking for more :)
Bob 'n Dot: we're practically neighbors. We look forward to dong some serious Adirondack back-country exploring over the coming years!
Tiger 4x4: I've always looked forward to your TRs into the Borrego region (a region I've only backpacked in, can you believe it?)! Looking for more adventures from ya!
Cal: this looks weird, me posting a "thank you" seemingly before you posted ! But, many, many thanks for your incredible expeditions (you were really in The Whazoo Gang, no?) :B
Cheers all, and I'm always "watching" and posting,
Silver-
Notice of Trip Reports ownership transition, June 8th 2013
Notice of TR ownership transition, June 8th 2013:
I would like to thank all the die-hard fans of Trip Reports, both visitors and contributors over the years who steadfastly paid homage!
As several members of RVnet Truck Camper Forum already know (and have known for some months), I will be transitioning out of Trip Reports, and handing the reins over to the very capable Sabconsulting (Steve) from henceforth. This doesn't mean that we've given up truck camping. On the contrary, we've been actively truck camping, and will continue to do so over the coming years. With so much on my plate these days, just can't give Trip Reports the constant attention it needs and deserves.
I would like Members to join me in welcoming Sabconsulting as the new TR guru!
I thank all members who have taken time to contribute! It sure has been a fun ride over the years I'll tell ya.
Silversand
RE: Trip report: Expo 2013, 3 states and the stealth TC
Steve and Sally: Dunes and I are sitting here this early morn' on the mountain with our cups of Tanzanian peaberry (coffee) reading, as the rains from TS Andrea (now parked right dead-center over the Hamptons, Long Island, just a few hundred miles from us!) sweep over us...
Excellent!
Silver & Dunes
RE: geocaching and truck campers
Wayne:
Geocaches can be quite complex to decipher; some are camouflaged, wrapped in riddle and enigma...even if given the precise coordinates, some complex cache games can be quite difficult to uncover, indeed.
There are caches with all kinds of bonus / swag items, like solid gold coins, expensive electronic toys (small enough to be hidden), gift certificates, highly sought-after tickets to sports events, and cash (some donators have to beg geocachers to take the items, even if they have nothing of equal value to replace it with! Geocachers are honest to a fault).
I'll bet there are high-stakes geocaching games being played all around the World, with chaches ranging from million dollar bearer bonds, valuable diamonds, Rolex watches, wads of cash, etc...out there.
Other genres of geocaching may involve self-imposed mysteries to solve: ie. finding an extremely desirable ancient ruin site or sites (or, a Lost City hidden in the jungles or under sand in the Middle East, ...somewhere around the World: site the recent book: Jungleland), talked about, but utterly hidden by the handful or one "in the know". The twist is: the "cacher" being a dead and extinct civilization for 1500 years. Whazoo and I played such a game over many months, and won. A trip report was posted on it roughly a year back. The title of the report and content did not mention or intone a "geocaching adventure", however, this was really what this adventure was in essence. Massive investigation went on behind the scenes, using all kinds of technology to find these places (you can't even imagine).
For 99.99999% of geocaching participants, the motivation is getting out with the kids, and having constructive fun, all the while developing critical thinking in the children...
S-
RE: Trip report: Expo 2013, 3 states and the stealth TC
Hi Steve & Sally!
Considering your brutal Global travel schedule (rivaling that of any Head of State, I'm sure) battling against you to write a long report, Dunes & I are excited to read through your ongoing expedition Report to the OX!
....glued to this Thread,
Sand & Dunes
RE: language barrier
A really excellent voice translate app is called: Voice Translator (for Android phones, etc). I have it installed on my Samsung, along with the Speech Synthesis app. I set it up for several languages. Just choose the language you want to translate to, speak into your phone, then play back the nice translated voice to whoever you want to talk to. They then speak into the phone, and it plays back the translated voice (I tried French, Spanish and Portuguese, and it works flawlessly).
S-
RE: dodge brakes
Sonora pass has long sections of 25%+
BigFoot:
I was able to find the section of the "Sonora Pass" that was the worst: 18.9% grade (this section only a hand-full of meters long). Typically, the Sonora Pass is in the 7% average range, with very short sections at 15~18% max (really, really short: just 67 to 264.2 feet driving length!). No mile+ sections anywhere I could find greater than 7~10%. I literally went through every meter of the Sonora Pass using USGS's best SRTM/NED elevation models, with the latest roads TIGER line SHP file, and nothing greater than 18.9% on the Sonora Pass route...can you give me a GPS coord for the 25%+ section(s) ? Or any GPS coord for a 25%+ section on that drive? 18.9% is pretty impressive indeed, but I still want that 1, 2, 4 mile 25% + to plan a drive there, NOT a 100 foot 18.9% experience :)
Anyone out there have this data?
Driving the "steepies" :
we, using the gasser, use low gear, and tap the brake every so often (total weight with camper: a bit over 8400# (light weight pop-up), we have tow-haul, and low 4, too if needed on gravel), and even stop truck and get out for a stroll to cool down the works...why not? the scenery is usually great!
S-
RE: Pedestrian crossings into Mexico between Yuma and El Paso
I believe that the number is a bit exagerated and the majority of the "kidnappings" take place betweeen cartels.
....actually, the number of "reported Mexican kidnappings" at ~~72 a day is felt by many "security industry professionals..." to be extremely low. Many experts theorize that the actual number of kidnappings in Mexico to be 10+ times that number every day +/-. Roughly 98+ % of Mexican kidnappings go totally (and I mean absolutely totally) unreported.
I don't really know what the OP wants to know about the border crossings he/she lists? The ease of crossing? The documents required for an on-foot crossing? The perceived security issues with crossing at either/all those listed? The length of time a foot crosser has "on the other side" ? What the walking surface is like ?
I've crossed (on foot) into Juarez so many times, I can't even recall the actual number (24, 35 times?), and have photos of every meter of walkway/bridge, etc on the way over and back (even the profuse and varied graffiti on the concrete walls on both sides of the river). The crossing at Juarez is easier than taking a breath; there are TONS of things (both historical and "touristy") to see/do over there (I have about 300+ photos to prove it), you don't need any papers to get into Juarez (just bring a passport to get back into the US), the road/bridge surfacing is pretty good, so light walking shoes are sufficient (just look out for sidewalk hazards on Juarez side), the security is what your/whatever level of comfort/what your situatonal awareness level is (no one can assess the future in situ security over there (or, anywhere, even in Vatican City for goodness sakes) the moment you enter Juarez walk around it and return.... from behind a PC, logged into this Forum this moment or at any other time. The security situation changes minute-by-minute, block by block as you walk {hey, that rhymes doesn't it?} ).
So, it's whatever you decide to do ! Whatever you decide to do, enjoy and have fun doing it.
S-
RE: dodge brakes
An actual 25% grade for 4 miles total distance? Unfortunately, I question that part of the OP's statement!
....me, too. The steepest grades built on the Western half of the United States are from 5% to 7% (in Alaska, there are gravel mountain grades attaining 12%, called Dalton Atigun, however it is only 12% for 2 miles, and extremely washboarded almost beyond driveabilty!).
Interestingly, the Eastern half of the USA has the absolutely steepest roads in the Lower 48; for example the Whiteface Mountain road (fairly nearby to us) is about 10% for an 8 mile stretch; and also Mount Washington carriage road (also fairly nearby to us, I've driven this numerous times at an astounding 11.6% grade for a few several mile stretches; there are dozens of vehicles with smoking brakes littering this road at any given time of day!)
Where is that ~4 mile long 25% grade gravel road ? What is its USGS road number designation? I want to check it out (1st hand with our camper; we've done a lot of the "steepest roads" including our driveway {at over 30%!}, and filmed the endeavors).
S-
RE: 2006 Hallmark Ute rotted wood repair
I now realize this camper is very different from my bargain basement Palomino.
:B The complexity is truly mind-boggling on these (and similar) campers! Now, they are available in not 1 but 3 frame/structure types.
Kind of like the way an old Piper tube-and-rag aircraft fuselage is constructed compared with a high end jet, with carbon-fiber or graphite epoxy composite fuselage.
The scariest part of ripping into these high-end pop-ups, is planning the disassemble and lifting (by Jerry-rigged crane?) of the roof/Weblon/intact softwall from the camper shell ! How do you re-seat the Weblon/roof assembly to the camper shell again *absolutely precisely tensioned* AND aligned with the re-built shell, with the attached pre-tensioned lifting apparatus, all the while re-fastening the Weblon bottom pleat to the camper shell's top rim ??? I think in manufacturing, the Weblon softwall is longer than is required, THEN it is stretched and trim-clamped to the camper shell's top rim, and the excess Weblon sticking out from under the reim is then trimmed off with a razor (this is the only way I can reconcile the assembly in my mind). To me, you'll need some MAJOR input from the manufacturer before this stage, because you just can't get it wrong.
Silver-
