Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-26-2018, 04:38 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Corona del Mar, CA
Posts: 60
Best and Worst of Your Build

What three aspects of your build are you most satisfied with? Could be your layout, additions such as an aluminess rack or suspension upgrade, your color choices, etc.. On the flip side, what three things are you least satisfied with? This will be a helpful thread for those designing their rigs.

Most Satisfied
1.
2.
3.

Least Satisfied
1.
2.
3.

barrel47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2018, 09:51 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Bbasso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 1,258
Satisfied
1- Espar D4
2- entire solar system incl, BS7622
3- 30x90 fixed bed w/ storage beneath.
Least satisfied
1- 21g water tank too small, need 30-40
2- lack of $ for 4x4
3- ... can't think of any lol
__________________
Rob.
Current:
2001 E350 PSD w/ a bunch of stuff.
And had three other E350s...
Bbasso is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2018, 03:53 AM   #3
JWA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Posts: 3,765
Send a message via Yahoo to JWA
Quote:
Originally Posted by barrel47 View Post
What three aspects of your build are you most satisfied with? Could be your layout, additions such as an aluminess rack or suspension upgrade, your color choices, etc.. On the flip side, what three things are you least satisfied with? This will be a helpful thread for those designing their rigs.
I agree---will be interesting seeing how this progresses---great idea!
JWA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2018, 12:34 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
llamadave's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 192
Most Satisfied
1. Full bathroom, full kitchen, 70x82 bed
2. Huge cabinet in the back over the foot of the bed
3. Water system with 40 gal fresh tank, usable down to 0F

Least Satisfied
1. Large electric fridge works great but uses too much battery
2. Only 20 gal gray water tanks
3. Solar not useful (sun low in Alaska summer, Arizona winter, often park in shade) so can't keep up with fridge use.

Lots more details of experience on my web site, link below.

David
__________________
Savanna 2020 Sprinter EB 3500XD 4x4 lithium
llamadave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2018, 02:39 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Love:
1. adjustable platform bed
2. SMEV/Dometic combination sink/stove
3. swivel passenger seat with Lagun table

Hate:
1. That I didn't put an exterior water fill on the van. I have to carry a hose or jugs inside.
Never again.
2. That it doesn't have factory awning/popout windows with screens. This is a Ford problem since I built a passenger van.
3. Slider door is much less useful than barn doors. Once again, a Transit thing you can't do anything about.
86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2018, 03:18 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
shadetreevanman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 385
Most Satisfied
1. Solar Setup
2. Full Width Bed
3. Engel Fridge

Least Satisfied
1. Van is painted White
2. Haven't installed high top yet
3. Suspension Lift needs to be bigger
__________________
Tim Potts

2012 Chevrolet Express 3500 6.0
shadetreevanman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2018, 12:29 PM   #7
Gone Traveling
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 132
Most Satisfied
1. Solar Setup/Invertor that powers everything, including the 8000btu Air Conditioner
2. Full Shower
3. FWD ProMaster (I have taken it places a RWD would have gotten stuck)
4. (Yes I know I’m cheating...) The 20-22 MPG I get, even with 2500lb payload.

Least Satisfied
1. Sportsmobile penthouse top. The worst $10,000+ (or any money) I have ever spent.
2. That little bit of wasted space between the passenger side rear wheelwell and the shower wall. It irks me! Bad me!
3. That one A/C outlet on the kitchen wall that isn’t flush! #OCD! LOL.
4. (I know, I know, I’m cheating again...) That poorly made Sportsmobile top! Ha Ha. (But not actually funny)
VocalVirgo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2018, 05:47 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Posts: 130
Most satisfied:
1. Solar was a feel-good splurge, but it really means never having to plug in to keep the battery topped off.
2. Espar D5; it heats water, it heats the cabin, it uses diesel, it uses electricity, it slices, it dices! It is a tad fume-y though, need to be mindful of the fans and windows when burning diesel.
3a. AMP running boards; they deploy and un-deploy flawlessly, and are absolutely critical to getting in and out of the lifted 4x4 van comfortably.
3b. [it was a tie] 2 MaxxAir fans, in lieu of A/C. With one fan blowing in and the other blowing out, we can get substantial cooling without a generator. We also recently learned that we can use it to evacuate any mosquitoes that snuck in (we call it "spacing" them).

Least Satisfied:
1. Water tank size! Our requested 23G freshwater tank got downgraded to 16G at the last minute due to design constraints, without much opportunity to redesign. Separate graywater tanks for the sink and shower, at 7G each, are always on the brink of overflowing after just a little use.
2. Hot water plumbing: the Espar is on the opposite side as the sink, so it takes a gallon of water flow just to reach there. Due to disappointment #1, that means we always try to catch the unheated water into a water bottle for other purposes.
3. A collection of minor imperfections in the interior build: rattling cabinetry, leftover glue, a fold in the flooring.
AndrewInSeattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-05-2018, 11:20 PM   #9
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by VocalVirgo View Post
Least Satisfied
1. Sportsmobile penthouse top. The worst $10,000+ (or any money) I have ever spent.
...)
I'm new here. What's wrong with the penthouse?
jeroldharter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-05-2018, 11:43 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
achop's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: SW FL * PNW * New England
Posts: 143
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeroldharter View Post
I'm new here. What's wrong with the penthouse?
You can use the Search feature to find threads discussing penthouses. Nothing's "wrong with the penthouse" and most manual and electric seem to work fine. But there seem to have been a lemon or two built (only on Friday's at 5?).
__________________
Muy Bonita - 2000 Ford E-350 V10 Quigley with 285/75 R16s, SMB-West RB50, manual PH
achop is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.