New from Mount Branson

Mount Branson · 11-07-2017, 11:44 AM

Hi! We're Doc & Evie and have moved this year to a house the mountains east of Branson, Missouri. Recently retired from college teaching, we are following dreams of:
living near family
exploring 3 lakes near home in our tandem Hobie pedal kayak
touring the USA in our (soon-to-be)Sportsmobile campervan

WhitH · 11-07-2017, 03:26 PM

Welcome! We like vans and people who like vans! So, now about that van of yours? Any pics or details you'd like to share?

86Scotty · 11-07-2017, 09:59 PM

Welcome, just passed through Branson a day or two ago.

Congrats on retirement. Time to live it up!

Zappo · 11-08-2017, 09:08 AM

Welcome and hope to see some threads of your adventures

marret · 11-13-2017, 09:46 AM

Welcome and congrats as well.

Bbasso · 11-13-2017, 12:50 PM

If you come to Jacksonville, FL I'll gladly paddle with yous.
Welcome to the house...

Of insanity.
lol

Mount Branson · 11-15-2017, 11:28 AM

Thanks, everyone, for the friendly welcome to the forum! Doc and I are excited this week to be planning most of the van-to-camper conversion ourselves. We will still have Sportsmobile add windows and the Penthouse top with bed to our 2018 Dodge Pro-master low roof van before we take possession.

Instead of asking Sportsmobile to do the full conversion, we want to know exactly what is inside our walls so we can add a Fantastic Fan. Sportsmobile doesn't want to install this automatic vent fan for us, and we just can't imagine a happy camping experience without one, having loved the fan in our 2003 RoadTrek van. It nearly eliminates the need for air conditioning and is quiet.

Sportsmobile says they don't want to put the vent fan in the Penthouse roof, either, though it looks like there would be room for it in front of the bed if a light fixture were removed. Does anyone have any experience installing vent fans? Any tips or stories regarding your own conversions or modifications? How about sharing good sites for purchasing furniture & other materials? We're wishing you all safe travels!

**daveb** · 11-20-2017, 10:36 PM

Welcome to the site. Surprised they don't want to install the fan. Did they give you a reason?
Anyway they are a few good threads on vents...here's a few although mostly on Ford Econoline's. Maybe you can get something out of them.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ent-17717.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...nty-17265.html

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-vent-735.html

Mount Branson · 11-21-2017, 10:34 AM

Sportsmobile said they have had a "bad experience" installing vent fans in the Penthouse roof in past. They won't elaborate except to say that the penthouse wasn't designed for a fan. All 3 Sportsmobile locations now refuse to put the fans in. They seem to think we should just get over our fan lust and use an air conditioner, which they will install in the van (but not on top). The Fantastic Fan in our current RoadTrek is one of our favorite features. We only use the noisy power sucking AC in extreme heat.

We found the lack of a Fantastic fan so disappointing that we cancelled the full camper build with Sportsmobile and are now awaiting the Penthouse with bed only from them. Surely the 2 of us can build the camper out ourselves, and then we will know where it is safe to put the fan. Fantastic Fan engineers promise that the fan can be installed vertically in a wall, so we will do that if a penthouse roof install is truly a bad idea. That is why I was hoping someone in he forum with Penthouse experience could share advice in this forum. Eagerly awaiting those comments....

86Scotty · 11-21-2017, 08:46 PM

I'm the author of one of the above posts Dave linked. I completely agree with you about Fantastic (roof) fans but I'm really more impressed with the Maxxair ones these days. I'm about to put two of them in a Transit mid roof.

There is no reason to not put a fan in your penthouse top. I have done it twice and both vans are still cruising around leak free and the tops have not been compromised. When I had the holes cut I scientifically tested the structural rigidity of the roof around the hole for the fan (This means I walked around up there and flexed my weight all around the hole and didn't fall through

) Seriously, the tops are strong. There was no more flex with the hole cut than without.

There are a few other members who have done this too. LenS comes to mind. One of the vans I did was my old van and the other was TwoGone's van. You could PM him. He's happy as far as I know.

I still don't know why SMB won't do this or approve of it but I say go for it. It is a great mod.