RE: Another B-sized C....
Yes it's a hard top, I think the pop top GT has an inch more headroom when up. I looked long and hard for a good XL, having had lots and lots of different styles and brands of rv's in my 30+ years of rv'ing.
My previous last 5 rigs before the Tiger XL :
19' Falcon class b
18' Lazy Daze class c
34' Beaver class A
40' Flxible diesel pusher bus conversion
32' Beaver class a
The DW was a life long tent camper, so to get her into rv'ing I got the smallest class c style rig I could find, the Tiger XL.
Jonny
RE: Another B-sized C....
LAzy daze made very nice layout rear dinette class c's. 17 and 18 ft long.
For a small class c the rear dinette is most space efficient , imho.
I have the smallest class c looking rig around, Tiger XL (Chevy Astro chassis), 16 ft long.
It has a side couch rear side bath.
I think Tiger could have engineered a rear dinette and side bath, but they didn't :(
I get between 14.5 and 17.5 mpg on our recent 30 day 4000 mile trip into the Canadian Rockies.
We changed the Dometic 3 way fridge (side vent) to a 12v 4.3 cubic feet Vitrifrigo compressor fridge, with two 5v golf cart batteries and a 100w solar panel, and 800w inverter. Crisp lettuce, cold beer, frozen ice cream- alla time :)
We took out the roof ac and generator and put in a Fantastic fan.
Many many rv's in Europe get plus 20mpg including class a's of 22 or 24 ft, 4 cyl 5 sp turbo diesel. You can se many on ebay.de , click "reisemobile").
We saw a lot of cool little rv's in Canada you don't see in the states.
Jonny
Tiger XL
RE: Class B Refrigerator Survey
I took out my unpredictable side vented Dometic 3 way and installed a Vitrifrigo 12v compressor fridge. I changed the one 12v marine battery to two 6v golf cart batteries, and a 100w solar panel w 25a controller.
We just got back from a 30 day road trip up nto the Canadian Rockes, 4000 miles.
We only plugged in once to shore power - most camp spots didnt have power (we never made a reservation, even in Lake Louise area - but if we needed power we would have had to)
The ol Dometic had 3 cubic feet inside storage, the Vitrifrigo c115 has 4.3 cubic feet.
Unlike last years summer trip, we didn't lose any food due to too warm inside temp of the fridge - the Vitrifrigo kept the beer cold, ice cream frozen, and lettuce crisp the entire time.
I went for 12v only because when plugged in I have a 3 stage battery charger, so the fridge running off 12v is ok.
We paid for camp sites 11 days only - rest of the time we found free spots .
Ahhh, the life of a small rv - park that sucker anywhere. And with the 12v compressor fridge, even better.
Jonny
Tiger XL
RE: California Dreamin'
We saw the firefall from the meadow (bottom) and later we went up and watched them push it off. They used a long handled push device (like a metal squeegee).
RE: Vancouver Island gas prices
I am thinking it might be one way - from Vancouver to the island, then from Vancouver Island to Friday Harbor, then over to Port Angeles. Unless all this adds up to 3 or 4 hundred bucks - in that case we will park in Vancouver and take our bicycles to Vancouver Island! (being the cheapskate I am)
Jonny
RE: Tour de France
Most euro Rvs run on diesel not gasoline. We rented a class B (Fiat chassis, 5 sp 4 cyl turbo diesel 24 mpg( for two months in 2007, we caught stage 10 of the TDF (Col de Galibier).
We were on the downhill side of the Col, to get a prime spot at or near the top you needed to be there 1 week before.
Many fans follow the entire TDF in their rv's, they set up to see one stage and the next day leapfrog ahead to the following days stage route, to get a good spot.
Nobody really has pickup trucks in Europe, but many people tow small trailers with their small cars.
Even most (90%) of the class a motorhomes are turbo diesel 4 or 5 speed, 95% are 4 cyl.
You hardly ever see someone towing a car behind the rv - most Euros carry bicycles on board.
Euro campgrounds are really packed full in the summer - for that reason we drycamped about 3/4 of our 2 months there.
Best countries for dry (free meaning no money paid to park) are Germany and France.
A big Euro rv is 25 or 27 ft, most (including the class a's) are sub 24 feet and majority are 18 to 22 feet (talking motorized not trailers)/
We have been to Euro twice (one time rented a small class c 23 mpg 5 sp 4cyl turbo diesel) in rvs and New Zealand once (small class c 23 mpg, 4 cyl turbo diesel 5 sp( (rving).
I have owned rvs for the last 25 years including several truck campers, class b's, class c's, class a's including bus conversions and 40 ft diesel pushers.
Jonny
Sonoma CA
RE: advice needed for trip to portland
Down in Clackamas you are at the south end of the 205 freeway bike path - you can ride north to the Columbia River , and then either across to Washington, or east along Marine drive path / lane to Troutdale and around the Troutdale Airport.
From the south end of the 205 path, north to Marine Drive , east to troutdale and around the airport and return is (from memory) about 40 miles.
Alternate route you can go west along the path by the river to the national guard armory (33rd st/?)
Slightly south and west of Portland (30 minutes from downtown) is the French Prairie area, and there is a nice state park campground called
Champoeg State Park. There are some easy bike paths in the park , but for better riding hit the roads west , east, and south of the park.
Jonny
Former Wilsonville (Portland ) resident, who skated all the roads and route described above - including from Portland (205 and Marine drive) , to Mt Hood and finished at Timberline Lodge - 60 miles, but that was 15 years ago )
RE: Vancouver Island gas prices
Can anyone help estimate the BC ferry fees for my small class c? It's a Tiger XL, 16ft long, 9.5 feet tall, 78 inches wide. After leaving Jasper we will be heading west, thought about Vancouver Island before we drop down into the San Juans.
Jonny
Sonoma Calif
RE: CB Radio advice
A Cobra 148gtl (am and ssb) with the mod limiters removed, it's been "peaked and tweaked" by a cb shop near a truck stop. It has a "slider" that enables me to slide up or down between channels.
Have a power echo mike and use just a tad of echo, a remote speaker, with "talk-back" (so I can hear my own voice on my speaker, to adjust the mod and echo.
A 200watt bi-linear (amplifies both the transmit and receive) , and either a Wilson 2000 mid base loaded or a fiberglass top loaded antenna (depending on what rig I am driving) complete my package.
I would never travel without my CB "ears", truckers, both 18 wheelers and most transport drivers have Cb in their rigs. many many MANY times I have found out useful road, safety , weather, route, directions, etc, as well as parking, the vacancy in the next rest stop, where the (smokey) bears are, even wildlife on the highway, idiots on the shoulder, etc etc.
I have had many (a ridiculous number) of different rvs of my own, used to deliver rvs, full timed for almost 20 years, drove all over the country vending at fairs and festivals, etc etc.
My Cb has a cig lighter plus and my linear has thick wire, fused, with alligator clips that I clip onto the battery.
I have several different antenna mounts including magnetic mount (that stays on in heavy wind or high speeds), raingutter mounts, etc.
If you are driving 60mph and have no amp, you can only talk a few minutes to another cb'er coming the opposite direction (do the math and see how long it takes to get 3 miles away - like a minute and a half).
Btw the match between antenna and cb is very imortant, for stock as well as amplified - most antennas you can tune to 1.2 to 1 or 1.1 to 1 match (but you need either a cb w built in swr meter (swr means "standing wave ratio"), or an external swr meter in the antenna line.
My first cb was in 1970, a black face Johnson with like 8 channels.
I have talked to Australia, Alaska, England, as well as most of the other 49 states, Canada, Europe, etc.
Depending on the sunspot cycle, the "skip" (bouncing signals off the atmosphere) is good or bad.
Jonny
RE: Tiger CX's
Jim's right, its a pain to replace the fridge - especially since my wife decided "honey lets put in a new counter top" and new sink!
Formica top and re shaped counter (plywood) , new stainless steel sink, re route plumbing, that kind of thing.
Removing the old Dometic was actually quick and easy....20 minutes and it slid right out.
We decided to switch the fridge due to last trip in hot weather when the Dometic ruined all our food....again.
Advantages of 12v compressor fridges:
1. Not affected in cooling temps by high(er) outside ambient temps
2. Can be run up to 30% out of level without damaging the compressor (compared to the need to be level with rv standard absorption frig=dges)
3. Rapid cooling upon powering up (cold enough to start making ice within 15 to 30 minutes
4. Saves propane (lpg costs money), especially if you have solar or drive every few days
5. Larger inside storage capacity vs same outside dimensions of lpg fridge
I was considering a new cooling unit for my Dometic (cheapest with labor locally (company located in Vallejo, north SF Bay area) was $350 - I went with the Vitrifrigo 115 for $599 (plus shipping, if you aren't near Kentucky or Florida)
www.truckfridge.com
Jonny
RE: Tiger CX's
No a 12v compressor fridge is different than running your 3 way (lpg, 12v, or 110v) on 12v power.
A 3 way fridge is an "absorption" fridge , meaning it cools because the ammonia solution gets heated up, either by lpg, or electric heating elements powered by 12v or 110v.
So using a 3 way fridge on 12v you are creating heat from 12v and its VERY inefficient.
Running a 110v house fridge on an inverter is also very inefficient (and the compressor isn't rigged for the jarring of a moving vehicle).
A 12v compressor fridge is a low power consuming beast, typically 25 to 50 amps per day.
If you have 2 6v golf cart batteries (210ah) you can run the larger 12v compressor fridges for 2 to 3 days (if well insulated, and full of food). (You shouldn't discharge your battery bank below 50%).
If you add some solar panels, or driving time, the possibilities open up.
I can give you what I think are some advantages of 12v compressor fridges , having just replaced my side vent Dometic 3 way with a 12v compressor Vitrifrigo.
Look at www.truckfridge.com , or go to www.thesamba.com (vw site) and search their forum for 12v compressor frigde, truckfridge, vitrifrigo, or engel fridge.
Jonny
Tiger owner
RE: Fridge in Tiger CX
I have a Tiger XL and just replaced my weak cooling Dometic rm 2310 3 way (3.2 cubic foot inside) side vent fridge with a Vitrifrigo (4.2 cubic foot inside) 12v compressor fridge. Same dimensions as the Dometic.
I have two 6v golf cart batteries and 100w solar (but adding 2x50w panels more) into two 6v golf cart batteries.
Most Tiger owners fight the cooling efficiency of their side vented lpg fridges. We seem to run out of level a lot (no on board levelers mostly) and the side vent fridges are notoriously weak cooling in hotter weather.
If you have or can rig up 2 6v golf cart batteries you should get 2 to 3 days cooling out of your system - if you can rig up solar recharging , no limit.
Big advantages of 12v compressor fridges:
1. Not affected in cooling temps by high(er) outside ambient temps
2. Can be run up to 30% out of level without damaging the compressor (compared to the need to be level with rv standard absorption frig=dges)
3. Rapid cooling upon powering up (cold enough to start making ice within 15 to 30 minutes
4. Saves propane (lpg costs money), especially if you have solar or drive every few days
5. Larger inside storage capacity vs same outside dimensions of lpg fridge
I was considering a new cooling unit for my Dometic (cheapest with labor locally (company located in Vallejo, north SF Bay area) was $350 - I went with the Vitrifrigo 115 for $599 (plus shipping, if you aren't near Kentucky or Florida)
Take a look at www.truckfridge.com
RE: Heading West thru Canada - Class C
Me and Gretchen are heading out for Banff, Jasper, through Revelstoke, west to Vancouver Island and the San Juans. We expect to be in Banff by the 13th or 15th.
Traveling in a micro mini class C
Jonny
RE: Entering Canada and Returning
Heading to Banff and Jasper next week , from Sonoma County CA up through the Idaho Panhandle into Alberta.
A bit confused on what types of food I can take in my frig - do we have to run "bare bones" supplies and then stock up in Canada? I understand open packages of meat, but what kinds of fruit, refrigerated food, packaged food, cereal, noodles, soup cans, candy?
Thanks in advance for answering such a simple question!
Jonny and Gretchen
Tiger XL (16ft class C )
RE: What's the most miles you've covered in a day?
I've done 510 miles in 30 hours on a bicycle, and 272 miles in 24 hours on inline skates - but in my Rv , 200-300 miles keeps it fun.
Jonny
RE: California Dreamin'
Me and Gretchen are leaving the end of next week for Crater Lane, Banff, Jasper , Vancouver, Victoria, San Juan Islands, Olympic Nat'l Park, south down the Washington, Oregon and California coast.
5 week honeymoon
RE: RV to Europe
The upside of my post was the free camping 2/3 of the time in europe for 2 months, and staying by a beautiful lake in the Alps in France FREE for 1 month.
We really enjoyed our RV vacations in Europe and NZ, next year we are planning to go back to Europe for 3 months - will buy an RV in Germany and store it there for yearly trips (if the dollar gets better!)
I put in the ripoff stuff so innocent rv travelers from N America will have both eyes open in Europe.
I am not a rube by any stretch , many years in New Orleans (families jazz club on Bourbon St), lived in Asia for 5 years (Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore - traveled to mainland China, Malaysia, Macao, HK, Japan) NZ, OZ, etc
I am former law enforcement as well - so not an easy target (usually!)
Jonny
leaving for 5 weeks to Banff/Jasper on my honeymoon next week
