Re
fitting the Accomodation Unit.
Friday the 25th of May 2001. 10.00 am. The
sound of a large engine outside our appartment in The Hague. In the
street below a large yellow truck rumbles to a halt, and two men get out
and ring our doorbell. 'Nosey' has arrived and with him comes a work
schedule that will take me through to the end of August!
.
The view above is the living area, four individual 'captain's
chairs' and a wooden table. The guys are two of the previous owners
who went to China in 'Nosey". At the back of the truck, four bunks
and a two burner gas stove/sink unit. A fridge and two cupboards
make up the rest of the furnishings. The water supply is a 70 litre
balloon, (which started leaking) connected to the sink by a Sureflow Trailmaster
pump.
.
Simplicity itself. Unfortunately just a little
too simple for my wife and I. We are intending to spend about 12
months living in this truck, so our requirements are a little more demanding!
We draw up a list of absolute basics. Shower, toilet, cooker and
a double bed. These are the minimum specifications for a long
haul.
.
The work starts. Out come the seats, the table
and the bunks. The cooker/sink is dismantled and put aside
for re-fitting later on. The left hand side cupboard is stripped
of one of its sides and its shelves, leaving just one side (attached to
the fridge unit) and the door on its hinges. The bunk frames are
removed from the left hand side to make way for the bathroom.
.
In place of the table and four chairs, caravan style
seating that converts into a double bed. We decided against having
the conventional layout with a table in the centre which drops down to
form the base of the bed. A seperate fold up table is more useful,
as it can be moved outside when we are parked up. We like the spaciousness!
The bed base is in two pieces, and is stored under the left hand seating.
Marine ply was used throughout the construction. It costs more, but
is stronger, more durable and generally less likely to be a problem that
the ordinary stuff.
The front seat conceals a 150 litre plastic water tank.
A 'Sureflo 10' automatic 'demand' pump will supply water to the shower
and toilet, at 2.8 bar. The system is not connected
to the 80 litre potable water supply. Enough for two people for ten
days, in even the dryest conditions. Take into consideration the
150 litres in the shower/toilet system and you have enough water to last
for 30 days in an emergency. For the 'belts and braces' effect, the
water from the shower and kitchen sink drain into a 70 litre holding tank.
Not only does it keep us nice and tidy in our 'waste disposal' but it also
gives a little more water for those desperate survival nighmares that can,
and do, happen! The Seagul
filter system is so effective, our waste (kitchen & shower) water
can be reused if necessary! We're crossing three major deserts, and
intend to hear the clinking of ice cubes in tall glasses across all of
them!
If you think our water supply is excessive, remember,
without food, you can live 60 or more days. Without water in a desert
environment, you'd be lucky to live 60 hours.
The filler for the tank is below a window, on the inside
of the truck. No chance of our water being polluted by some saboteur!
.
.
Oh yes, food. The kitchen is another 'exterior
ply' construction, with the original sink/cooker. Under the work
top Ikea storage boxes nestle in their racks. Loads of storage space
taking up not much room! An Electrolux fridge (12v/24/gas/230v) next
to the left hand seat provides the essential ice cubes and chilled drinks.
A 24v coffee percolator gives the necessary caffine to start the day.
Cooking of other items can be done on the two burner gas stove which are
fuelled by a 6 kilo gas bottle (three are carried) under the cooker.
Two individual gas stoves provide back up and also allow cooking outside
the vehicle. Microwave cookers, though often fitted to campers, are
expensive, use huge amounts of power, and are not really that useful.
My wife cooked fabulous meals on the two gas burners and insisted that
she was quiet happy with the arrangement. Many modern kitchen appliances
for campers are really just a waste of money. Only a 'fridge really
earns its keep!
.
.
The original metal frames of the bunks were modified to
provide a framework for our kitchen. A limited budget meant we had
to use whatever we could to save money. Sliding doors were fitted,
and proved to be OK on all but the roughest roads. When really put
to the test, the doors jumped out of the plastic sliders, allowing the
contents to spill out. Deeper, aluminium sliders, (about 1.5 centimetres
deep) would be perfect.
I used a plastic caravan shower floor for the bathroom.
This just wasn't up to the job. Somewhere in India it cracked, allowing
water to leak through to the kitchen. I had a metal one made to replace
it. The twisting of the truck body place big stresses on interior walls
and fittings. Next time, I shall used marine ply for the bathroom
construction, sealed with high strength silicone sealer. A good quality
paint will seal the wood grain against intrusion by soapy water etc.
I will also, if space allows, make a seperate toilet compartment.
It's much more convenient, especially in the morning when you are parked
in a busy urban area, and your wife gets into the bathroom before you do!
Think about it!
So what would I do differently
on our next truck?
Well, solar panels to charge up the batteries, allowing
longer periods without running the engine. Costly, but well worth
the expense. Maybe even fit a wind turbine, (such as those used on
boats) for winter travelling.
Build the shower using more robust materials. Definately
no plastic. A seperate toilet compartment too. I'd fit a boiler
for hot showers, if the budget allowed. Wasn't a problem on our last
journey, but in cold climates, quite necessary.
I would fit the kitchen with drawers instead of sliding
doors, making sure there were good locks on them.
But, as always, just how much money is available to build
the truck will dictate what it has!