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| Sunrise at Miles |
I've finished the fitout of the HiAce, and have done a couple of trips in it.
My conclusions are these.
It's comfortable, both to drive, and to sleep in.
It cruises well on the highway, the only exception being its performance in high winds. It feels more like a yacht than a van under those conditions, and the options are to stop and wait until the wind drops, or keep the speed below 80km/h.
The system I bought to allow for off grid camping works well It consists of a Bluetti power unit connected by an inverter to the alternator.
This lasts about three days when I'm powering the refrigerator, but you need only to drive it for half an hour to charge the unit up to 100%, so it's feasible to do road trips, stay off grid overnight, and live it it without having to use the 240V setup.
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| Bribie Island |
I use a portable gas stove with pressure cans and it does the job well. Washing up is a bit of a pain, but the collapsible bucket I found at BCF does the trick. I ordered a camping sink online which has prooved less useful, although it's OK for quick ablutions. There's also a portable toilet, but it's for emergency use only. Storage in plastic boxes which are housed under the bed and slid out on demand also are pretty cheap and convenient.
I use occy straps to keep everything located, and haven't had any problems with this method so far but always wear eye protection when working with them.
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| Camping sink - really a vanity only. |
The purchased items are the Bluetti power unit and a Kings refrigerator. Everything else is material repurposed or found in my disorganised garage.
It's surprisingly economical of on a trip, using between 11 and 12 litres per 100km, which is OK for a fully loaded camper.
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| Columboola veterans' retreat. |
Items that need improving include the Japanese head unit (it's buggy and the radio pretty useless) and the interior appearance. At the moment it looks a bit like a jumble sale.
Still, my daughter has given it her seal of approval after attending a music festival in it.
