Fitout Finished

Sunrise at Miles

The fitout of my Hace is completed, and I've taken a couple of trips in it. 

These are my conclusions -

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, and 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 AC70P together with an inverter connected to the alternator. This powers a Kings 45L fridge.

Bribie Island

It's good for three days when parked, but you only need to drive it for half an hour to charge the unit up to 100%. You can do road trips, stay somewhere overnight off grid, and live in it without having to use the installed 240V connection.

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 bought a camping sink online which has proved less useful, although it's OK for quick ablutions.

There's also a portable toilet, but for emergencies only. Storage in plastic boxes which are housed under the bed and slide out on demand are pretty cheap and convenient. 

Camping sink - really a vanity only.

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. 

The purchased items are the power unit and the refrigerator. Everything else is material repurposed or found in my disorganised garage. 

The van is surprisingly economical on a trip, using between 11 and 12 litres per 100km, which is OK for a fully equipped camper. 

Columboola veterans' retreat.

Items that need improving include the Japanese head unit (it's buggy, and the radio tuned for urban Japan is 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.