A new start! - Page 3

Cam · 07-05-2013, 10:30 PM

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Currently kicking back at Carcoar Dam about 50k from Cowra, awesome spot!

She's been a couple of trying weeks as Inferno alluded too, thankfully with his generosity (and hookups through his work) I'm back on the road! We are off to Wagga tomorrow, and then I will assess the snow situation before deciding of we will head to charlottes pass now, or after Melbourne..

Oh, and I just realized I will be in Melb for the AFF 'nats, Yewwwww! Hope to meet LOTS of you there!

NickyN · 15-05-2013, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam

VERY true dave... I actually had a couple on a caravaning forum ask me for my bank account details so they can give me a little helping hand. Turns out there are still some amazing people in this world!

Yes, there are some amazing people in this world, you said it! Sounds like you and your son are amazing too!

Hope you're having a safe and fun time together!

rog xc · 15-05-2013, 08:41 PM

Hey Cam, if your heading through Ballarat on the way to SA drop in & say G'day. My middle child Daniel (4) is Autistic, & his older brother Caleb (6) is borderline. Sure I could find a place for your van for a few days if your hanging around too. Cheers!

Crazy Dazz · 15-05-2013, 09:14 PM

Mate, just wanted to say well done. We spend so much time chasing our tails, that we often miss the right moment to get off the Merry-go-round. I can’t help but think how many of us would be waiting till we could afford the 200 Series LC, and the mobile Palace, and here you are doing it in an AU.

If you and your sidekick can tolerate the boredom of the Nullarbor, take a cruise out West, there’s a lot to see in God’s Own Country. It’s not cheap but you may be able to swing some contract IT work.

Not sure if your little mate likes boats, but if so and you ever do make it across, please look me up and I’d be delighted to take you both on a cruise up the Swan.

Cam · 17-05-2013, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rog xc

Hey Cam, if your heading through Ballarat on the way to SA drop in & say G'day. My middle child Daniel (4) is Autistic, & his older brother Caleb (6) is borderline. Sure I could find a place for your van for a few days if your hanging around too. Cheers!

Thanks Rog, I may very well be in the area in 3-4 weeks. Will drop you a message when the time comes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Mate, just wanted to say well done. We spend so much time chasing our tails, that we often miss the right moment to get off the Merry-go-round. I can’t help but think how many of us would be waiting till we could afford the 200 Series LC, and the mobile Palace, and here you are doing it in an AU.

If you and your sidekick can tolerate the boredom of the Nullarbor, take a cruise out West, there’s a lot to see in God’s Own Country. It’s not cheap but you may be able to swing some contract IT work.

Not sure if your little mate likes boats, but if so and you ever do make it across, please look me up and I’d be delighted to take you both on a cruise up the Swan.

It's funny you mention that about waiting until we can afford a mobile palace and a 200 series before doing this kind of thing. I've probably spoken to 30+ couples who are traveling with big 20ft+ vans who regret buying something so big. Even this morning a couple I was talking too regret buying a 24ft van new, and a Navara to travel in. At the end of the day you spend so little time actually sitting inside, it all goes to waste! I told them how I got my AU, Van, installed Solar + batteries etc, New annex roof etc etc and all up it was just under 15k drive away, they looked at each other and just shook their heads!
Because I wasn't sure how Jaiden would cope, I was hesitant to spend big bucks on a van. When I left I did have the option to buy something bigger once I started traveling, but in all honesty with the exception of having an onboard shower and toilet, there was really no point! We have a 12v outdoor shower, and all camps we stay at have at least a long drop toilet. So justifying spending 20k+ on a big van is pretty bloody hard in my eyes!

I would love to do the west, but at this stage (and age!) I don't think Jaiden is ready for that kind of trip. I try to keep "travel days" to about 300k's, with food / toilet stops, meltdowns etc its usually 5 hours. Which gives us plenty of time to pull up, have a play, defrost something for dinner an so on.. I am already planning our next trip, so we may very well take you up on that boat ride offer oneday! (Hell, I nearly bought a Tinny to mount on the roof of my falcon last week

)

Looks like I will be in Melbourne on Sunday (staying at Safety Beach), so if anyone wants to catch up for a beer, BBQ, and a chin wag let me know! (Will probably end up stopping in Albury / Wodonga or Wangaratta Tomorrow night) so shoot me a message, don't be shy (I'm not! hahaha).

Thanks for the kind words all, much appreciated!

Crazy Dazz · 17-05-2013, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam

I would love to do the west, but at this stage (and age!) I don't think Jaiden is ready for that kind of trip. I try to keep "travel days" to about 300k's, with food / toilet stops, meltdowns etc its usually 5 hours. Which gives us plenty of time to pull up, have a play, defrost something for dinner an so on.. I am already planning our next trip, so we may very well take you up on that boat ride offer oneday! (Hell, I nearly bought a Tinny to mount on the roof of my falcon last week

)

Just a thought, but with winter approaching it's s good time to visit Qld and the top-end. You could always take the scenic route into WA. If you ever make it that far, Lake Argyle is a must see, 80 times the volume of Sydney Harbour and all of it Fresh. There is a van park right on the edge. Further West Broome is also an awesome spot.
(That's about it though. Between Broome and Coral Bay, there is an awful lot of nothing and ugly mining port towns.)

Franco Cozzo · 17-05-2013, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam

Thanks Rog, I may very well be in the area in 3-4 weeks. Will drop you a message when the time comes

It's funny you mention that about waiting until we can afford a mobile palace and a 200 series before doing this kind of thing. I've probably spoken to 30+ couples who are traveling with big 20ft+ vans who regret buying something so big. Even this morning a couple I was talking too regret buying a 24ft van new, and a Navara to travel in. At the end of the day you spend so little time actually sitting inside, it all goes to waste! I told them how I got my AU, Van, installed Solar + batteries etc, New annex roof etc etc and all up it was just under 15k drive away, they looked at each other and just shook their heads!
Because I wasn't sure how Jaiden would cope, I was hesitant to spend big bucks on a van. When I left I did have the option to buy something bigger once I started traveling, but in all honesty with the exception of having an onboard shower and toilet, there was really no point! We have a 12v outdoor shower, and all camps we stay at have at least a long drop toilet. So justifying spending 20k+ on a big van is pretty bloody hard in my eyes!

I would love to do the west, but at this stage (and age!) I don't think Jaiden is ready for that kind of trip. I try to keep "travel days" to about 300k's, with food / toilet stops, meltdowns etc its usually 5 hours. Which gives us plenty of time to pull up, have a play, defrost something for dinner an so on.. I am already planning our next trip, so we may very well take you up on that boat ride offer oneday! (Hell, I nearly bought a Tinny to mount on the roof of my falcon last week

)

Looks like I will be in Melbourne on Sunday (staying at Safety Beach), so if anyone wants to catch up for a beer, BBQ, and a chin wag let me know! (Will probably end up stopping in Albury / Wodonga or Wangaratta Tomorrow night) so shoot me a message, don't be shy (I'm not! hahaha).

Thanks for the kind words all, much appreciated!

How did you go with the solar setup? I'm trying to do the same thing on my GMC Sierra.

Cam · 17-05-2013, 07:10 PM

I spent 6 months researching what I'd need before I bought a single thing (I'm a bit of an analytical bastard! Haha).
My solar setup is perfect for my needs, as we are BIG power users.. I spent considerable time working out how much power everything draws, and how many hours a day I am likely to use it..
If I can offer ANY advice, keep inverter usage to an absolute minimum. Especially for TVs, laptops and phones. By the time 12v power from the battery is "converted" to 240v, and then say your laptop charger "converts" it back to say 17v (average lappy charger) the power loss is considerable. Not to mention an inverter idling will chew about .8ah by itself..

I ended up with a 200w fixed panel, 120w portable, 20amp solar controller, 150ah AGM battery, 600w pure sine inverter (400w would've done in reality), and then you've got distribution panels etc etc. We run everything off 12v (eBay is great for 12v chargers, and well everything else mentioned above) with the exception of a hand held food processor (making milkshakes) and my 2 way 240/gas fridge when I am driving.. We have 2 laptops, 2 iPads, a phone, 3G router, tv and LED lighting throughout.

We've done 5 days of downpour (absolutely NO sun) and at the end of the 5th day the battery was at what's considered 0% (11.8v). In saying that AGM batteries do have a MUCH longer life if they are not discharged more then 50%..

If you were an average power user, a single 200w panel would be more then capable of keeping a 150ah battery charged, or you could look at a dual setup with smaller batteries, but then you need to factor in a battery management system, which can be pricey..

Hope this helps!

InfernoSR · 18-05-2013, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam

She's been a couple of trying weeks as Inferno alluded too, thankfully with his generosity (and hookups through his work) I'm back on the road!

I just wish i could have offered a spare bed, or somewhere to park the van... sorry i couldnt this time.

Franco Cozzo · 18-05-2013, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cam

I spent 6 months researching what I'd need before I bought a single thing (I'm a bit of an analytical bastard! Haha).
My solar setup is perfect for my needs, as we are BIG power users.. I spent considerable time working out how much power everything draws, and how many hours a day I am likely to use it..
If I can offer ANY advice, keep inverter usage to an absolute minimum. Especially for TVs, laptops and phones. By the time 12v power from the battery is "converted" to 240v, and then say your laptop charger "converts" it back to say 17v (average lappy charger) the power loss is considerable. Not to mention an inverter idling will chew about .8ah by itself..

I ended up with a 200w fixed panel, 120w portable, 20amp solar controller, 150ah AGM battery, 600w pure sine inverter (400w would've done in reality), and then you've got distribution panels etc etc. We run everything off 12v (eBay is great for 12v chargers, and well everything else mentioned above) with the exception of a hand held food processor (making milkshakes) and my 2 way 240/gas fridge when I am driving.. We have 2 laptops, 2 iPads, a phone, 3G router, tv and LED lighting throughout.

We've done 5 days of downpour (absolutely NO sun) and at the end of the 5th day the battery was at what's considered 0% (11.8v). In saying that AGM batteries do have a MUCH longer life if they are not discharged more then 50%..

If you were an average power user, a single 200w panel would be more then capable of keeping a 150ah battery charged, or you could look at a dual setup with smaller batteries, but then you need to factor in a battery management system, which can be pricey..

Hope this helps!

Thanks mate, I'll send you a PM so I won't derail the thread.

NickyN · 01-07-2013, 06:43 PM

So how are you and Jaiden doing? Where are you now?

I saw this online and thought of you and your son and that time he got to go surfing and loved the water. Just wanted to share with you.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-upbe...4449.html?vp=1

Cam · 21-10-2014, 08:45 PM

Well, I'm back!

Back on AFF, and back in a house!

After the van copped some damage earlier in the year I made the call to stop traveling due to lack of funds, I spent so much time broken down the idea of being stuck and broke wasn't one I could entertain..

The thought of life back in "The big smoke" was a great thought, for 20 seconds... I'm now on a 9 acre rental property in Blackbutt, 1.5hrs from brissy, now driving a busted assed EB 5sp Wagon on Dual fuel, and a ED 5sp sedan for parts.

It's a different old life, I really miss the traveling lifestyle and meeting new people daily and being able to give Jaiden new experiences every day, the financial constraints of not working (I'm Homeschooling Jaiden) mean things are pretty tight limiting outings we make, not to mention having a 5 year old sidekick 24/7 makes it hard to meet "mates"!
But I get to wake up and spend every day with my boy, I've not laid eyes on a server (was an IT Tech) in over 2 years, so can't complain I guess :-)

I also had Australian Caravan & RV ask me to write an article on our travels which has just been published on a big 6 page spread, we even made the front cover so keep an eye out :-)

View from our dam

Look forward to catching upon progress with some members cars! (Prasac, if you're reading this I nearly shed a tear watching the Capri go into the wall on Youtube!!)