Enable me, or talk me off the ledge

So this Fuso intrigues me. I figure that refrigerated box should be pretty well insulated, right? The 453,000 miles might be an issue though. 

Hmmm the Fuso has an "idea forming in me head"

What if you bought a stake/flat bed 4x4 and then bought the appropriate size travel trailer to mount on said bed?

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

I've seen many professional and self-built overland conversions that look beautiful inside.  Duplicating that will always depend on how much skill and resources you have to invest in the project. Like any other project. 

For what you plan to do, finding a smallish Class C project sounds like a good plan.  I wouldn't try to do too much in the way of modifications. Just get it back to 100% operational and use it.  Then you can figure out what features you like and don't like and can apply to your custom build.

My plan is fairly basic. Duplicate this (more or less...) in my E350:

We'll see how it goes.  I have some incentive to get started on it as my mechanic wants the van out of their parking lot.

Tom1200 said:

Hmmm the Fuso has an "idea forming in me head"

What if you bought a stake/flat bed 4x4 and then bought the appropriate size travel trailer to mount on said bed?

That's been done. The main downside is the floor of the RV and the entry door end up really high off the ground. Plus, you can't access the RV from the cab, which is one of the big "pluses" of an motorhome RV vs. say a trailer or a slide-in camper.

So here's a fairly significant question: toilet or no? It's a fairly important one.

Toilets (and usually a shower in the same compartment) take up a significant amount of floor space and an even more significant amount of plumbing complexity. Without a toilet, you only need to carry enough water for cooking and drinking and washing up. You only have to carry a small amount of grey water and no black water. Oh, and think about how close your toilet is to...everything else. You also never have to pump the poop tank.

Our VW Westfalia, like all of them, do not have a toilet or shower. This allows them to be considerably smaller and more wieldy than a Sprinter-based build. When we're in a designated campground (which includes the primitive campgrounds such as Stanton Creek on Lake Powell) we use the pit toilets that are in the area. If we're going to be further away, we have a small chemical toilet and pop-up shelter that live inside a Rubbermaid bin. For showers, we swim in the lake or use the showers at a campground or use a solar shower al fresco or in the pop-up shelter.

If you're building your own, not having to build in all that plumbing and storage makes life much, much easier.

A Westfalia has an on-board propane tank for cooking and (in stock form) for the fridge. Go to a modern compressor fridge powered by solar and you're left with just the stove. You can install a propane heater as well. You have a water tank that's about 13 gallons. And all the rest is room for people. No generator because power requirements are almost nothing and you can live off the house batteries for a long time.

Because it's more space efficient, the vehicle can be smaller. No worries about finding enough room to dock a big truck or overhead clearance or anything, something the size of a Vanagon can be used like a normal car. It also gets 18 mpg :)

A lot of people think that the onboard toilet is a requirement, but realize what it will cost you.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

One of my campers had what’s called a “wet bath”...the sink and toilet were IN the shower! Drain in floor between them, hand held shower hose on sink faucet. Don’t seem em much, because not convienet, but fits a lot in a small space. 

Since I stayed in a ton of campgrounds traveling for work, I’ve got around 200k miles on bumper pull campers, 5th wheels, slide ins, and coaches. 

IanF has the best worded advice; Frenchd’s has some good advice, but has a few hard lines on the sand I don’t agree with. I’m sure it’s quite true with his view, but ymmv...

most folks that get larger and larger, end up going back smaller. I ended up at 46 1/2 feet - not including the trailer! And I wouldn’t hesitate to tow a 25k lb. trailer. But it doesn’t like to be on smaller roads, where I prefer to be. 

Before I got the stretched semi, I was towing with a Freightliner FL50. When we decided to go to a coach, we started to stretch it a bit, and make a Super Class B out of it. I could make you a deal on it, if you were interested in doing my vision

Without stretching the wheelbase, I’ve got a sleeper box from a peterbuilt. Could extend the frame behind the rear, use the sleeper for the back, and “fill in” the space between... not quite than simple, but doable. 

Reading back to the original description - a slide-in camper in a long bed pickup is surprisingly roomy. And then you've separated your house from your vehicle (literally, if you so desire). My in-laws used to use a slider-in in their 3500. They "upgraded" to a proper motorhome and I don't think it ever left the driveway because it was weird and different and more difficult than just dropping the camper into the pickup bed and driving away in the pickup.

Downsides are that they're tall. Upsides are that parts are everywhere - Zach Bowman #vanlifed for a year and lost his alternator on Hwy 50 in Nevada. He drove to the next small town on the twin batteries in the Dodge Cummins and was able to pick up a replacement at a NAPA that was also an appliance store. Only parts store for 200 miles. But they had a Dodge Cummins alternator on the shelf because everyone has a Dodge Cummins.

Consider Class B motorhomes. Some are van conversions built on Mercedes/Ram chassis, some are small versions of Class Cs, with a fiberglass body and van front end. The nice thing about them is that they are smaller, maneuverable, and often have all of the amenities of Class C and larger, including generator, sewer, etc.

Interesting thread as I have been going through some similar thinking.  But now I'm thinking more that it makes more sense to get a small - 16'-20' - trailer and something reasonable to pull it with.  That way I can park the trailer and use the SUV/Pickup as a utility vehicle and occasional driver.  Also, not sure it makes sense to own the trailer given how much I might be able to use it, maybe it's a better idea to buy a better SUV and rent the trailer a couple of times a year.

I love my Class B Van but they tend to be pricey. I do plan on upgrading to a newer one at some point.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I'm ~80% sold on a composting toilet, and we definitely need a shower. That overland rig I shared on the first page has its entryway that doubles as the shower/bathroom(the toilet slides out of the way). As crazy/dumb as it sounds it's a genius solution for gaining an extra ~6 sq-ft of floor space. 
 

Based on some dimensions I found online I think a 7'x16' box is as small as we can go - presuming I can build in some storage compartments underneath. I've not seen any slide-ins that are close to that size? 

My only experience with slide-ins is climbing into my in-law's and going "wow, this is a lot bigger than I thought". I did not measure the floor space - but the key is the fact that the double bed is above the cab. At least, it was in theirs. So take that into consideration with floor space requirements.

I've been toying at one of the bigger class Cs on a medium or heavy truck chassis. They should be a good compromise between a maxed out E350 and the complexity of a full size bus conversion.  It should be roomy enough to live in for longer stays but not too big and maintenance heavy. 

or

In reply to 03Panther :

I'm not sure I can afford to care for a heavy duty truck, but what are you asking for it?

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

Those look great, but even older ones seem to bring big money & I've only seen a couple listed. I doubt maintenance would be cheap, but the running gear should outlast the rest of the rig!

Do the animals have any specific needs? From Facebook I see suger gliders and turtles but I don't know about their care.

I'd go the box truck it UPS/Uhaul truck route and build it to how I needed it. Apparently it's very hard to get a UPS truck but I almost bought one years ago to turn into a band tour van. They do come in 4 wd too

Since you mentioned cabover Isuzu/Fuso in the first post, I thought I would drop this picture here. Grabbed it just the other day from a scammy-looking Craigslist post because it was interesting.

I like the idea of a very short wheelbase and short overall package for maneuverability. But I'm not exactly sure how you're supposed to maintain it, since the cab can no longer do it's front flip tilt. 

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

Those are generally known as "Super C" class.  They definitely have advantages over regular Class C RV's - mainly because they are built on a larger than 1 ton truck chassis, so the driving position is typically nicer than in a van. They usually have towing capacities of at least 10K lbs. And because truck cabs are usually lower than van cabs, the cab-over bed is usually lower to the RV floor for easier in/out.  The big downside, of course, is they are pricey when new and still pricey used. 

The toilet/shower debate really depends on what one wants out of their RV/camping experience.  After much back-and-forth debate, I am firmly on the "want" side of the argument, but I have my reasons not applicable to this discussion. If you want to have some fun, go over to the Home Built Campervan Facebook group and ask this question - and watch the proverbial poo fly... although for the most part, most home builders are on the "no" side. The other debate is "Composting Toilet vs. Cassette Toilet."  Personally, I plan to do a standard black tank toilet - but again - I have my reasons.

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Trucks, big Semi's  with about 500,000 miles on them are only 1/2 worn out if they have the Cummins or Caterpillar engine in them.  Yet they tend to be old enough that the price on them is near the bottom. I've seen Whites and Frieghtliners sell for $5-6000 while Peterbuilt and Kenworth command almost twice the price.  Once they get over 750,000 miles they tend to go for the same price but bought for a specific job and sold again for the same price.   
needless to say don't buy those. 
 

But since you don't want to be a trucker ( you don't do you? ) you should realize the clever ways Trucks are adapted into RV's which entirely change the licensing requirements.  One of the absolute requirements is a toilet!!? I know but a bed and A toilet  plus whatever other things you want to do to make it your home. 
I've seen campers, trailers, home made cabins etc. The coolest thing I did ever see is what appeared to be the stern of a Wooden Chris Craft cabin cruiser from the mid 1950's.  

I've been in a 40ft skoolie full-time for almost a year now.

Wife and I converted it slowly over about 18 months, net cost including significant drivetrain repairs is about $10k.

Build thread.

It is absolutely not an off-roader. Gearing is less than ideal for highway use. But I have a little over 300 square feet of living space with on-demand hot water, full propane stove, shower and toilet, and sufficient battery capacity for me to run unhooked for several days. I haven't had any trouble with insurance, but I'm also not 100% sure they know what I have.

If I had another $10k to put into it, I'd upgrade the batteries and inverter, finish the solar panel install, add more underbody storage, and put marine-grade skylights in.

Living in one long-term is a big lifestyle change for a lot of people; have to relinquish a lot of ties to material stuff. Define what you (the collective you; y'all, if you will) want to do with it, then list out what you need it to have/be in order to live in it for a protracted period.

In reply to JohnInKansas :

Your build is one of the reasons I researched schoolies first. :-) We definitely don't plan on living in it full-time though, just 2 or 3 weeks at a time, and realistically that probably won't happen for a while. 

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

There are several issues for the critters - while the gliders & torts have specific diets(and each tort has completely different diets), for vacations we could likely find someone from our rehab group who could feed them. However, the gliders bond to their owners so it wouldn't be practical(or safe) for a stranger to attempt to get them out of their cages for exercise. While that would be ok for a day, their well-being would suffer over a week or more. Plus we'd still have to deal with potential evacuation situations. 

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

Based on some dimensions I found online I think a 7'x16' box is as small as we can go - presuming I can build in some storage compartments underneath. I've not seen any slide-ins that are close to that size? 

12ft is about as long as you're going to find in a slide-in, but most of the truck campers at that length are also going to have at least two slideouts, so will be larger than the static footprint.  Also, a 12 footer will have a LOT of overhang, even on a long bed.  If I were to go this long, it would be on a cab&chassis long wheelbase with a custom flatbed.  Ours is a 10ft with one slide.  

A truck camper is a pretty versatile solution, but they also have the least floor space of 'traditional' RVs, though are probably at least as roomy as most 'expo' rigs.  You get to keep some of your towing capability, and without the camper, it's still a truck.  If you can use a truck as your vehicle, you don't have to register/insure/maintain a separate vehicle.  It was the right solution for our needs, but everybody is looking for something slightly different.

There's a few threads on truck campers here on GRM, and a couple of articles.