Just got home with our new 2012 NV hightop...Navy Blue...tow package, tech package, etc. It was one of the last of the 2012s and they made us a deal we could not refuse...Planning on creating something based on my experiences as a 7th fleet sailor...I want a van I can sleep comfortably in, pull a fishing boat and the next day...reconfigure to haul a load of furniture for one of the kids...etc. Also do industrial photography and sometimes need to haul equipment cases, 9 foot rolls of background material...etc. Our "shakedown cruise" is this weekend. My wife and I are driving 4.5 hours to the fabled Elkhart, Indiana for three days of information gathering...seems to be the heart of the RV world but I've never actually been there. Hoping to find some ideas on the following. A. we want a second deep cycle, kick-butt battery setup like emergency vehicles are configured, so we can use it when the motor is shut down for my bipap machine, fans, radio etc. and still start the van in the morning. B. some type of simple bed that isn't too hard to take in and out of the van. B. would like to have spray foam insulation done and paneled over. C. other stuff we haven't even thought of yet.... I did manage to have a "special" switch installed in the dash that turns on the back camera while rolling down the road in Drive...the camera is mounted above the rear doors in the center of the red tail light assembly...works very well. Does anyone know much about Elkhart...is there a place there that would do small stuff like I need or are they all "motorhome" types...? Any recommendations? I'm trying to make an all purpose, simple, erector set type of van using space somewhat like a Navy ship does...I want it KISS simple...
