radin2son

Weather also influences what we think of campgrounds. Arches National Park has a beautiful campground close to several trail heads. In mid- November, 2012, we got several hikes in before an early winter storm hit. High winds, snow and a temperature in the mid-teens. We had to pull down the top and all our water froze, except for 2 bottles in a ratty old LL Bean ice bag. We had enough to make coffee and waited for the sun to warm things up. Will we go back? Probably not, due to no dogs on the trails and having to drive to/park at most trail heads. Should you go there, absolutely! The cold didn't deter us from staying in the area, so we went to Canyonlands/Sky Island. When I asked the ranger if there were any sites available, she told us we would be the only ones. The sun was out, but it was cold. Icicles were hanging under each of the pine logs of the ramada (shade for summer). Beautiful! Too cold to hike, so we may return. (Just before you enter the NP, you pass Dead Horse Point state park. 4x4 roads here, actually all round Moab.) Bring lots of water! Some campgrounds are better due to the weather. The sun was shining and it was warm when we arrived at Liard Hot Springs, BC on their first long weekend (Queen Victoria Day). We were told to stay where ever we could find a place because all of Canada would be camping. Mostly right. This was our one and only (for me) hot springs experience. I got out of the water too fast and did a face plant on the newly remodeled decking. The next day, not heeding the advice, we continued our journey to AK. At a RCMP safety check point, I had to explain what happened to my face. Cesspool was his description of hot springs, but he liked our NV. We had trouble finding a camp site. Even closed campgrounds were full. We found one at Destruction Bay, YT. Mile Post described the campground as popular for swimming and sun bathing. The entrance sign said boil your water for 10 minutes and no tent camping due to Bears. The lake was frozen solid and there was blowing snow. It was beautiful; we had a site. Only 2 other campers there and we picked a sheltered site away from the lake. We used our water. Later, a large grizzily bear walked by, just 2 sites away. We just watched, and he didn't bother to look our way. (In Fairbanks, AK the university museum has a stuffed grizzly 8' + tall. This means he would be looking me in the eye while looking out the pop top window.) The weather got worse and RCMP shut down the road before we could reach AK. Ended up in the RV parking lot of a gas station, convenience store and laundrymat. The only thing missing, a restaurant and bar, which you will find at many. Was this a great campsite? Yes, we had power and water until both were lost due to the cold. No problem, we took showers earlier and had fixed dinner. We were however cold...

In the last 2 months we have camped in the same no service campground in a canyon. The first time I left my iPhone on, only turning it off when we called it a day; otherwise, it lost all power due to it being cold (30*). We used one phone for a camera and a second older phone for gps (runkeeper). No battery half way through our hike. I spoke with a friend who told me to put it on airplane mode to stop it from constantly searching for a signal (wifi was off). On the second camping trip, I tried it and didn't have to charge the camera/phone at all the 3+ days we were there. We didn't bother with gps because we were familiar with the area. At night, I keep the phone in the bin (slightly warmer?) rather than next to the cup holder. Seemed to work. If you already knew this, great. If not, hope it helps.

We had to think awhile; not that easy a question. We define a good NV campground as one with fairly level sites, available water (power and shower always appreciated), access to trails or beaches and dog friendly (for now, just don't tell our dogs). Kirk Creek (USFS) Hwy 1, Big Sur. Found this in the late 60's and went there often through the mid 90's. On bluff with beautiful sunsets and 2 ways to get to the beach. Also trails across the road (new and harvested old growth redwoods. Banana slugs.) No sites at Kirk Creek, just drive up Nacmiento road and camp on the mountain ridge or go all the way to San Antonio de Padua mission on the National Guard base. Planned to go there again in December 2012. Now there is a reservation system, no water and a camphost who will sell you water. No flowers for your hair. Winter storms there and here kept us in the desert. Others in no particular order: Humbug Mountain, OR, Sisters municipal campground, OR, Beverly State Beach, OR, Hoh rainforest/Olympic National Park, WA, Dosewallips State Park, WA, Kodachrome Basin State Park, UT, Canyonlands/Neddles National Park, UT, Big Bend National Park, TX, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, FL, Ten Mile Island, BC, Liard Hot Springs, BC, and the list goes on and on... KOAs can fall into this as well when you need a shower, laundry or you run into school breaks. The one in Milton, FL was more like a park, plus they gave us a free breakfast. Some individually owned parks are very good as well. One we really liked was Caribou RV south of Whitehorse, YT. Worst: Most campgrounds along the California coast, the worst being parking lots. Generally, they are overused and worn out. Any campground anywhere you are next to big rigs that must run generators and their hvac. Nothing like hearing a furnace cycle on and off through the night. National Parks can fall into this category as they often are the worst placed and most poorly run. The campgrounds are dog friendly but the trails are not. Our problem, not necessarily yours. No specific worst campground because you always have your NV tent or whatever. Much, much better than a bad motel.

You saw the chipboard subfloor in the video. It is always interesting to see the build process and the purpose for the vehicle. They are climbers, so the 2 drawers/boxes work well for their gear. We prefer to have it open to put individual duffle bags and an outside kitchen duffle bag in the same space. Move 1or 2 of the bags, and I can fit 1 of 2 breakaway bikes there. You are not alone in your build approach, which really is the way to go. You can build what you want and add what you need. SMB has a home build thread. No NVs to my knowledge. Footage from several of their climbing videos appear in the "Magic" video. Check out the one on Cochise Stronghold.

If you haven't see this video, it is worth it... Magic on Vimeo Vimeo.com/79569858 You might want to check out Sportsmobile and look at their many floor plans. (Only 2 for Nissan however, but that won't deter you.) You can also print a van interior and everything you might need and play with fitting them in... Check out David Anderson's other videos. We did and realized he was a teacher here and taught our daughters in k and 1st grade. Back to the videos; worth watching even if they have nothing to do with NVs. Or maybe they do... Too deep.

There is no bracket; it is a molded plastic part. (If it had only been a rubber gasket...) Unless you can glue it in yourself, it will have to be replaced for $230+. This is where cheaply made, efficient parts and expensive replacement meet our wallets. Left out of this process is universality.

Sounds like you had a good test ride. You will have to post progress reports when you start your build. Maybe your boxers thought they were flying. I had to get something from the back while my wife was driving on I-10. I felt like I was in a passenger plane. The van seemed to float. The pop top, although not that noisy, contributed to the sensation. Without windows, I imagine it might be like a cargo plane. No one has mentioned what the sound level is in the passenger NVs. I would think they are quiet. The absence of back ventilation would bother me when parked.

Utility and meeting expectations trump just about everything.

We also have been looking at camping at Parker Canyon Lake while the weather here is so much better than most areas of the country. We were in Sonoita 2 weeks ago; we had never seen so many Border Patrol trucks. Even forest service officers are heavily armed.

If you have the time during the 5 days, throw your sleeping bag, stove, food and water into the back and drive the 113 miles to Cochise Stronghold campground. You will get a good mix of interstate, 2 lane paved and a dirt road into the stronghold. If the campground is full, not likely, return to the entrance. Just before you get to the info sign you will see a dirt road on the left (west) for free, dispersed camping. Even if you don't camp it will be a great test...

While waiting for full US coverage and a decent phone battery, the tech/nav package works everywhere... I just wish it would enable searching for a city destination without the specific street etc. Often, despite the slow scrolling, I pick an intersection or something at random to get close. I rarely use it, but it will help on a trip east this May to Charlottesville and DC. One thing nav always shows is a compass. A friend whose family were homesteaders in AK had a great story from the 50s. While driving north, returning home on the AlCan, a driver heading toward them was frantically waving his arms for them to stop. "Which way is Alaska?" If he only had the nav package...

iPhones/iPads also have off line GPS capability, but require downloading an app. (We mostly rely on paper maps, unless trying to get through a major city.) Basic iPhone maps aren't GPS; you would think Google maps would be. No matter what smartphone/tablet you use, you still have mount it where you can see it, unless you just need audio. That is why the tech option is good, still not great, or you can scrap it and put in a better unit. I like how Nissan Commercial has recognized that passenger nav is mostly useless for commercial drivers and has reimbursed buying commercial nav units. Do this too often and it may be permanent option.

For those of you who don't regularly travel through "no service" areas, your iphone will not work at all. No maps, no phone. The tech package is good, not great, for GPS. I would like the screen to be bigger, to have it initially show the whole route and show more of the road ahead. It also has an interstate orientation and frequently routes you off secondary but more direct routes. The backup camera is a great feature. The bottom line is that it is a package but not as costly as other vehicles who package unrelated items or force a move to the more expensive vehicle. It would be great if we could special order vehicles with only what we want...

I never considered Cooper tires, but I can see why you would go back to these if they worked well

I have the 2500 with V8 with the same 3.54:1 first gear ratio as the 3500. The 2500 has Firestone HT LT 245/70R17 tires ($201 ea.) while the 3500 has 245/75R17 tires ($216 ea.). Both are E rated. (Prices are from Firestone's web site.) My question is based on payload. GVRW for the 2500 is 9100 lbs. Camper conversion/travel weight adds about 2000 lbs. to the NV vehicle weight of 6000 lbs. Is the payload difference significant between the 2 sizes? If so, would it be better or safer to put on a set of 245/75R17 tires.

Actual photos make it look better! Nissanusa has it up as well. For those who do not like all the chrome on the NV grill, the same as body paint looks good.

Truck Trend has a Titan xt first look, but on my iPhone, I thought I clicked on Ford truck of the year. Must be the headlights, the "computer generated (?) photos or the 2/3s format I my phone (site won't let me enlarge it). Great that you have a PO, one of many I would guess...

Here I go responding to my own message... Sort of. Bates and Chris, as Titan info comes available, please post it. Regarding 4x4 NV conversions, you will have to hope the new Titan parts work and that the plant in Mississippi will get on it. There was a post on the SMB forum complaining about a conversion using too many current Titan parts.

It will be interesting to see which parts are shared or can be shared. Most of the "new" oil 4x4 fleet trucks with the flags on back have been Fords. Few Dodges, fewer Chevys, fewer still Tundras and no Titans. This new Titan could change that. You should do well.

Keep taking it to the next level. Complain to Nissan USA and whatever consumer protection group you have. May not help you, but... Also, get an auto body repair/paint shop that you trust to look at it and see if they have any idea what caused this and what it will cost to repair. Hard to believe that such a toxic bomb could do this in one spot and only this spot. Awhile back a bunch of new cars were crushed because the computer missed a too many welds to fix. Guess robots are human after all. Where on the roof is the problem in relation to the supports (don't know what they are called)? Can you see anything from inside that looks like a fix?

Mc2guy, Lived in Boston as an adult. Grew up in Venezuela, Cuba, NY, Quebec, and NC before moving west. Driving the San Diego/ LA corridor, even Phoenix, is the same... I am not interested in arguing with you, telling you how drive or comparing retirement with vacation time. In reality, we are saying the same thing. Going with the flow to me is the same as going 70-80 mph if that is the speed other vehicles are traveling. In city interstate travel, I would guess that I rarely look at the speedometer. We also have done many staton wagon/VW camper cross country trips with our children and knew the need to make haste, only to have them dawdle in the morning, sleep during the driving portion and be ready for action at the end of the day. The good news is that the NV is a great drive. Since this is a discussion on mpg, going 65 mph would probably increase your 13+ mpg estimate. At 65 mph, rpms are 2200 and at 75 mph, rpms are 2500. Maybe the mpg difference would be marginal? Without real time mpg, it would be difficult to determine, and then it would only be for that NV under those conditions. Have a great trip. No, that sounds too much like an insincere "Have a great day." Enjoy your trip.

I would be more interested in Nissan sponsored events. Nissan/Quigley in Moab? Diesel intro if they ever get around to it? AZ test facility tour? Seeing 50 NVs in Chris' lot?

Mc2guy, No need to go with the flow unless you are near a city. 65 mph is a perfect speed out west. You will slot in nicely with semis and tow vehicles, which often have a much lower posted speed limit. Or you can go the posted 85 mpg in some states. If you have the time in June, get off the interstates and take some of the historic US Highways. Dustin, think of all the stuff you can carry. You can expand...

Another factor is when you figure mpg. When I say there were 20 fill ups on a trip with a high of 18+ and low of 14 mpg per fill up, that's not all that accurate. Based on miles driven and the needle on the gauge, I can sort of guess how many gallons are needed to fill the tank, but I have no idea whether or not the tank is full when the pump cuts off. I don't continue to fill the tank, if the gallons are close to what I expected. I end up with a guestimate mpg per tank full which is less than what the computer reads. Later, I can add up the gallons pumped and the miles driven, do the division and come up with 15+ mpg. So altitude is a factor for better mpg. Yet, we are paying $1.99 a gallon not the low lander $1.76. So, who feels the pain?

You will like your NV. No one has mentioned a "car top" tent, but I think it would be a great alternative to a travel trailer or pop top for a passenger NVs. (Provided the passenger model has the ladder rack mounts.) Main advantage to a pop top is no hole in the roof and it can come off when not needed. You could still modify the interior of your van. No standup room unfortunately... One thing I would add is the C. R. Laurence windows to the sliding door and window directly across from it for ventilation. Skeeter Beater makes screens for the front doors. Check out CVT at www.cascadiatents.com They are in Bend, Oregon. We considered buying an awning from them, but decided against using an awning.