radin2son

Interesting video on YouTube regarding 4x4 Sprinter and Ford cutaway, SMB conversions and trek in the Mohave Desert. Go to 4xoverland Mohave Road Trail on YouTube.

I ordered the r6 insulated windshield and drier/passenger window sun screens. $130 with free shipping. There is no cut out for the rear view mirror. If these work out I may order the rear door window and slider sun screens ($135). The standard sun screen (mirror cut out) costs $40. www.eurocampers.com

We have dual (privacy and "black out") accordion shades for the rear passenger side window and widow across from the slider. The rest have cloth shades that snap in; they do nothing to reflect heat, but may keep things a little warmer in colder weather. Mainly, I'm looking for something for the windshield and will probably go will self made ones for the driver/passenger window. The bias tape is a good idea Another SMB owner mentioned the pop top cloth shades are great for shadow puppet shows, but warned us they are not so great for adult activities.

Wollip, do you have the driver/passenger window screens as well? If so, what holds them in place and do they stay in place. EuroVan also sells screens for the rear door and slider windows, but not for the NVP rear windows or window opposite the slider on the driver's side. The photos on their site show a Sprinter with what appears to be full windshield coverage. It's not EuroVan. Go to www.eurocampers.com

Somewhere on this forum, I saw a post about a sunscreen that fits NVs. I think it was from EuroVan, who also sells insulated windshield and driver/passenger window covers for $130. I'm curious about the fit and quality. Are they worth $130?

Dry Camping is the norm on the southwest (at least where we end up...) We just finished a 6 day trip where there were no hookups. We started out with 30 gallons of water, 20 gallons in our tank and 10 one gallon (rectangular store bought bottles that store better) for drinking. I added 3 gallons of potable water to our tank from a spigot in Death Valley. We have maybe 2 gallons left in the tank and 4 gallons of drinking water. Had we stayed out longer, we could have filled the tank from a threaded spigot at Tuttle Creek campground, Lone Pine, CA. Threaded spigots are a rarity; we also could have added water gallon by gallon. The other option is to buy the cheapest drinking water in the next town. In 6 days, we used our external shower twice. A solar shower would probably use about the same amount of water. We stayed in campgrounds because they are convenient and have bathrooms. Pit toilets ironically are often cleaner and not as worn out. If you camp in areas where there are no campgrounds, the BLM rule is "Catholes." Bury human waste 4-6" deep, 200' away from water, trails and camp. Pack out toilet paper. Pee bottles work for men and women; visualize 1 gallon Rubbermaid pitcher, not the trucker's 1 gallon milk jug. Our next trip in April will be to the Four Corners area. There will be few if any hookups.

Death Valley Super Bloom. It wasn't a carpet of flowers over the entire valley; we had to search for the best bloom. (The last super bloom was 11 years ago.) NPS did a great job of letting people know where to look. The primary flower was Desert Gold. When we got out to walk, we found Notch-leaf Phacelia, Golden Evening Primrose, Gravel Ghost and the one we most wanted to see, Desert five-spot. There were other flowers that we have no idea what they are. Most are specific to Death Valley, but we have similar flowers in Arizona.

Since we have 2 active 4x4 owners, 1 with Quigley and the other Advanced, it would be great if we could get some conversation going on how they are used and the pros/cons from the owners.

Dented, is that your NV in the photo or one you saw? If not yours, it probably is a SMB from the Salt Lake area. There was a post long ago from someone there who picked one up from a SoCal dealership. If I had to guess, I'd say that was a solar panel on top.

DEATH VALLEY SUPER BLOOM We decided on short notice to check out the Super Bloom. Death Valley isn't the easiest place to get to. Although heading west to Joshua Tree NP isn't a direct route, it offers great camping and scenery. If you are towing, you'll need to use the campgrounds near the entrances. We stayed at White Tank, 25' limit, which the ranger warned us was optimistic. It was a tight fit, mostly due to the placement of a fire pit. Going to Joshua Tree gave us the option of east or west entry to Death Valley. We decided on the east entrance and try our luck in the "first come, first served" campgrounds at Furnace Creek. Texas Spring is a "no generator," defined space campground that was full. Sunset, just down the hill, is a dirt parking lot with no tables, and there were plenty of sites. there were flush toilets and a sink washing area with potable water. If you end up here and you don't intend to use a generator, look for a site near other camper vans or tents. There are reservation campgrounds and hook ups at Furnace Creek, but they were full. There also are 2 Inns. The Super Bloom was the real reason we all were there, and the Rangers suggested parking your vehicle and walk amongst the flowers. Lots of real photographers; I wish I had more than an iPhone. This is an area where 4x4 is needed to get to the more remote areas. You can rent a jeep or take a tour. One night at Sunset campground was enough, so we opted to stay Wild Rose Campground in the Panamint Mountains, still in Death Valley NP. 25' limit on the road to get there. There is a campground at Stove Pipe Wells, but it also is a dirt parking lot. There also is a motel. The western exit/entrance involves crossing the Panamints, the Panamint Valley and Inyo Mountains. You have to use tow mode on descents or your front end shimmies. If I were towing, I think I would avoid the west exit. No matter which way you go, you have to climb from below sea level to 4000' to get out of Death Valley. When you get to CA 395, you have to decide to head south or north to get around the Sierras. In Lone Pine, there is Interagency (BLM and Forest Service) that can give you all the info/permits you need for the area. We decided to stay at Tuttle Creek, a BLM campground. This is another area where 4x4 would be helpful to explore the Alabama Hills area.

Looks good. Are you traveling alone? I ask, because you have a quite the bin between seats. The other reason is lack of privacy when using your Thetford if you have a traveling companion. We are at Tuttle Creek, a BLM campground in the Alabama Hills, Eastern Sierras (CA). It has 8 or 9, 2 seater pit toilets and only 1 to 3 potable water spigots for 81 sites. Last night at Wild Rose (in Death Valley National Park) campground, There was 1 pit toilet for 23+ sites and 1 water spigot. Many more people were there however, as the other campgrounds weren't open yet. So, it all comes down to what you consider a priority.

Descending west on CA 190 into Owens Valley from Death Valley, at 4000', a jet did a high speed banked turn right over us. My wife saw it coming and bank, but I was looking at the various temp displays, and thought we dropped our exhaust. Maybe it was an NV sighting... SMB did give us brochures to hand out. Kept the last one.

White, if I remember correctly from yesterday, NVP towing 25'+ Airstream on east I-10 west of Blythe, CA. No one on this forum has mentioned towing an Airstream.

Nice gallery. Interesting comment that "Tank" is a truck, not a van. When we got our NV in 2012, the SMB forum group, mostly 4x4 E-Series owners, deemed our NV SMB as "not a van." I was mildly ticked off by this at the time. No longer, with introduction of unibody vans.

Both were poorly marketed, or maybe not at all. It would have been better had NV dealers marketed conversions at/after purchase, similar to the way 4x4 is marketed at the dealer level. Another good example is lift conversions. Nissan Corp could easily add a gallery of van conversions available through dealers. There may have an owner gallery early on, as I remember a blog type post about a couple who drove one of the 1st NVPs to Alaska.

Try idling your engine when you want to use your Microwave. Roadtrek has advised class B owners they can't/shouldn't do this, while SMB says you can. It works. We also like our Coleman stove. There was an post on the SMB forum where "mpg" impact was calculated while using engine idling to power appliances, charge batteries etc, then compared to the instalation cost of solar power. Conclusion was very little fuel used and it would take a long time to get to solar savings. Sort of like the diesel vs gas argument... Lots of variables ignored. There also was a "news" item awhile back where someone calculated the impact of charging your phone while driving. Something like .003 mpg reduction...

Not that people were lined up at Nissan dealers to buy SMB conversions... It appears there are no longer any Nissan dealerships selling them. The good news is that SMB West, maybe the other 2 sites as well, may/will still do the 2 floor plan conversions. Beyond this, it will be a custom build which would be costly. It doesn't appear any of the 30 built were 4x4. Had there been any, they probably would have been Quigley conversions. Advanced 4x4 in Salt Lake isn't that far from Fresno, so there may be some possibilities... SMB West seems more focused on the factory 4x4 Sprinter and 4x4 Ford E-series cutaway conversion, which looks like the 2014 conversion with a slight bump out where they joined the the cab to the van conversion. There are 2 videos on YouTube if interested.

Both the SV (black bumper and grill) and your SL look great. Let us know what you think of your conversion and how it works based on your use. Looked at Advanced 4x4 web site. Claim to have converted 100s of NVs. Where are they? 1or 2 have posted on this forum. Interesting that they will convert "used" NVs. Something to think about...especially since we have switched out interest from long road trips to exploring places closer to home. 2 commercial NV dealers in Salt Lake, which is good for you if you live in the area. Still a long drive from southern UT or the 4 corners area when exploring that area. Choices for service are Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver and Salt Lake. We have never had any difficulty getting service around the country. But, when in the middle of no where, you appreciate even more how dependable our NVs are.

Welcome. Are you using a Mac or PC? I have not been able to download photos with my iPhone or iPad. If you have a MacBook, export the photo to desktop, jpeg medium and pull up editing options on your post. "Edit" just lets you edit words. You then can chose the "desktop" file and attach it to your post. It will preview the photo you selected. You can also delete if it comes up wonky and try again. There may be other ways... PC users may have a more direct . Where is Murray UT? We are in Utah often and knowing where to find a NV dealer can help. Let us know what you think of the dealer service if you use them.

Same response. Swivel seats are not worth the expense. My VW example should have included why they were difficult to swivel. You cannot get leverage; the door pilar is in the way when outside the van and you are stooped over if inside the van... On a positive note, the swivel mechanism will raise the seat up to be more like the driver's seat. Swivel seats, however, are are a regular option on Sprinter conversions.

With him, it is copper or copper... The conversion is under warranty for 5 years, but I have to drive it to Fresno, CA. Since they install so many systems just like this, it shoulf be a simple fix if only because they know how far they can stress the lines to get to that nut. Next time I am hooked up to water, I will play with it some more. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the info on pex. It probably is the best application for camper vans. The only visible thread is right at the city water connection and face plate. It is one unit that threads into the multiple hose connection. The connector has one of those plastic "nuts," typically found under sink faucets. This is likely the culprit, if I can get my fingers in there... We have a good plumber for our home, but he would re-plumb it in copper.

There was a long ago post from Boston that the oem radio was swapped for "Apple Car" and Pioneer. No details except he gave away the oem radio to someone on this site. Typical of many posts, there was no follow up. CNET has done a review of the Apple and Android versions. My take is that they do nothing more than a smart phone. Pioneer may, however, be a better unit. I think there were some previous posts but no mention if they went ahead with the Pioneer swap and install.

Thanks. If I could take a picture, I would. The water lines come into the interior above the floor and can be accessed via one lower cabinet. (No drawers, just a door and floor.) It is the space between the interior wall and intake that is the problem. If they had only had placed the connector inside the van. They could have used the current space instead for a pressure regulator. Water pressure seems to vary with the type of spigot, the highest being the ones that look like hand pumps. Some are on full or not at all. If/when the system fails, moving the connector inside may be the solution. If I end up doing this, I will ask what I need to make the connections... If it was only that simple, or maybe less complicated. With the van empty, I was able to get a better look. The intake to the water tank, under the couch/bed, dives under the floor to get to the outside fill. Other lines to the sink and "flat plate" heat exchange come in elsewhere(?). This is probably best resolved by Sportsmobile in CA.

Sportsmobile Texas built a 2015 extended high top Transit with an awning across the back, mounted just above the rear doors. The doors apparently function as support or walls, but the area is much too small to be of any use. It looks like a spoiler.. It is for sale, used, with 4290 miles. $76,500. Speaking of awnings or not... We try to park to make our own shade. but the van side facing the sun really heats up the van, particularly the cab area. In Gila Bend it was 85* in the shade, but the van temp said it was 90*. A tarp on the sunny side would help and the ladder mounts will make this fairly easy.