Bigfoot Camper - Major Modifications I'm Considering...
So I've had my Bigfoot for several years now and have been generally pretty happy. In recent communication with another member here, I've thought once again about some major changes I have toyed around in the past. I thought I would spell them out here and see what others think about the idea.
1. I want to change out my AC unit. The current one I have sits 17" high off the roof and stands out like a sore thumb. It's also very noisy. My first thought was to go to a 12v DC unit. More common in the trucker world but starting to be more available due to the Sprinter camper craze. Expensive yes but lower profile and allows for running off batteries.
2. Alternative to changing out rooftop AC unit is eliminating it all together by combining it with the furnace. I do not know if there are ready made solutions out there but I have considered doing my own fabrication project to combine these two units together. The clear benefit is not having a huge AC unit on my roof anymore for trees to snag and I can either add another fan / vent in the opening left behind or just glassing it closed.
3. I currently have 200w of solar and a single 100AH LiFePo4 battery. I can easily add another 200w of solar, maybe even close to 400w if I eliminate the AC on the roof for a totall of 400w to 600w of solar. I have plenty of space to add another 300AH of LiFePo4 batteries. Going this route would allow me to run my AC on batteries which really is the ultimate goal really. Nothing fancy or unusual here.
4. Eliminate the generator and possibly 1 of 2 20lb propane bottles. Right now the generator is almost never used. It is bulky, loud, and heavy. Yes, convenient once in a while but with a much larger battery and solar setup I can't see how it would every be used. If I eliminated the generator I would consider finding a fiberglass shop to close off the outside access panel completely. I could then repurpose that space for better under counter / sink storage with full width drawers or something. Eliminating one of two propane bottles just frees up additional space and more weight savings. A single 20lb bottle should last at least one if not two weeks for just fridge and stove duty.
So those are the thoughts I am kicking around. Some of these paths are well traveled, others not so much. None of this is really necessary to improve our current camping lifestyle, much of it is for kicks and giggles. So with that, I'm putting it out to all you "seasoned" camper gurus for your own thoughts.
1. I want to change out my AC unit. The current one I have sits 17" high off the roof and stands out like a sore thumb. It's also very noisy. My first thought was to go to a 12v DC unit. More common in the trucker world but starting to be more available due to the Sprinter camper craze. Expensive yes but lower profile and allows for running off batteries.
2. Alternative to changing out rooftop AC unit is eliminating it all together by combining it with the furnace. I do not know if there are ready made solutions out there but I have considered doing my own fabrication project to combine these two units together. The clear benefit is not having a huge AC unit on my roof anymore for trees to snag and I can either add another fan / vent in the opening left behind or just glassing it closed.
3. I currently have 200w of solar and a single 100AH LiFePo4 battery. I can easily add another 200w of solar, maybe even close to 400w if I eliminate the AC on the roof for a totall of 400w to 600w of solar. I have plenty of space to add another 300AH of LiFePo4 batteries. Going this route would allow me to run my AC on batteries which really is the ultimate goal really. Nothing fancy or unusual here.
4. Eliminate the generator and possibly 1 of 2 20lb propane bottles. Right now the generator is almost never used. It is bulky, loud, and heavy. Yes, convenient once in a while but with a much larger battery and solar setup I can't see how it would every be used. If I eliminated the generator I would consider finding a fiberglass shop to close off the outside access panel completely. I could then repurpose that space for better under counter / sink storage with full width drawers or something. Eliminating one of two propane bottles just frees up additional space and more weight savings. A single 20lb bottle should last at least one if not two weeks for just fridge and stove duty.
So those are the thoughts I am kicking around. Some of these paths are well traveled, others not so much. None of this is really necessary to improve our current camping lifestyle, much of it is for kicks and giggles. So with that, I'm putting it out to all you "seasoned" camper gurus for your own thoughts.
