What do you consider the most valuable upgrade in your TC?

300 watts of solar.
Xantrex PS2.0 2000 watt inverter/charger (sine wave)

I forgot to mention the backup camera in my original post. That has been very helpful too.

Lots of people have been talking about a bottle opener, on the outside of their camper. I had mentioned it earlier and how I mounted it. Long time ago I had mentioned I was done posting pics on RV.net, due to their archaic way to post pictures (if you post a picture in your signature, the modern way of using a browsing box is used, so RV.net has the capabilities/done with rant).

I am a big believer of the KISS method and mounting a Bottle Opener (Coke) is really easy if you have Jacks on the outside of your camper. I just found bolts that matched (approximately) the bolt holes in the Bottle Opener with a pair of bolts on your Jack (as pictured above). You might have to elongate one of the holes (as I did pictured above), to allow the existing bolt to match. By drilling the bottom hole and finish with a Rat Tail File, it was done and my friends keep coming back to drink beer, with me. I am sure it is that fancy bottle opener (it catches the lid so you don’t have to pick it up off the ground) that brings my friends back for some Table Racing.

b

Mooney wrote:
What's the best change you've made to your TC?

I do certainly get a lot of benefit from the electrical system mod's I've done, and I always enjoy reading about these upgrades by fellow TC owners... solar, batteries, inverter, etc... all very handy! But we could still travel & camp comfortably without those niceties; e.g. We have a small battery powered LED lantern for light and a down comforter to snuggle under when it's cold.

But we are a family of four, and that means lots of stuff in the TC. So the "best change" I made to the TC was to make a place for all the stuff by building out the wardrobe in the cabover area. This storage solution has worked out so well that this winter I'll be building a similar set of cubbies on the driver's side. :D

Cheers,
-Mark

BEFORE:



AFTER:

sleepy wrote:
I think the most essential option on our TC is the built-in generator

It works in the middle of the night, and on the cloudiest of days. It charges batteries, and cooks our food in the microwave....

The 10 year old AGM batterries are still wonderfully maintaince free, and carry a 100% charge.

The battery blankets keep them at the optimum 77 degrees F (25 C )

The LED lights allow us the luxuray of unlimited light

The Tri Metric battery monitor is priceless... essential

The 255 watts of PVSolar panels are more usefull day to day than anything else... quietly doing their job of keeping us going 24/7

The PlatCat vented heater saves huge amounts of electric power for 90% of our heating needs.

The two Fantastic fans (Model 6050) are worth their weight in gold.
Rain sensors, thermostats, and insulated smoke colored domes

My list could go on... but the best things on our camper won't be soap dispensors, or bottle cap removers

NOTE: a church key with attached magnet works fine and doesn't require all of that mind numbing engineering

Some of the mods to my truuck and camper have been with me for 10 years... I use them every day thar we are traveling but never give them a thought.

I created the Airfoil 10 years ago... it has saved a lot of fuel... and prevented a lot of bugs and dirt from the bulkhead and the rear of the truck camper.

The front hitch as been good in several ways... peace of mind... I can get to the spare if needed, the forward position of the spare shifted a little weight to the front wheels (My front on gains 400 pounds when the TC is on the truck

The rear cargo carrier is locked in an up position... people can't get into the generator dept easily. It hauls my leveling blocks.

The air bags assist by adjusting the load

And... I will never drive a T/TC again without the Lance Struts (dampers)

Inside the TC are a lot of useful but not essential mods... The side of my bookcase has a mariner (spring loaded) brass hook for my outside clothing... ready st a moments notice (I guess that this could be my essential bottle cap remover)

Our dinette table has a lamp with lamp shade... (I made a clip to hold the base at the back edge of the table) it lends to the home feel... again just touchs, not mods... decorations aren't essential... but on a 6 month long trip they are comforting.

Mooney asked a good question... I've been watching... and learning.

Stupid cheap/ little things, but always make me smile:

1. We (still) have incandescent lighting, and our stock lamp lenses are clear. It made a very harsh, shadowy light. I spray painted the inside of the lenses with high-temp white paint. The "frosted" lenses now throw much nicer light - my eyes can sweep past a fixture without getting blinded.

2. We have foot rest (box) under our couch. The lid is hinged for storage underneath, but the whole thing is carpeted with nothing to "grab" to open it, I screwed a little loop of nylon strap inside the top front of the lid to provide a finger pull.

3. I put an access hole in the top of our (under-step) water tank. Several times it's been hard/ inconvenient to fill the tank from a hose while camping, so I add 5 or 10 gallons to the tank thru the access hole using a funnel and a 5 gallon water jug.

1. Glow Steps
Technically not a camper mod, but more of a supporting mod:
2. A front hitch for the truck used for a cargo carrier.

INSAYN wrote:
The cot/bunk I designed, built and have kept the kiddo's happily separated a bed time for several years. Daughter is now 16 and son is 12, and survived our 7500 mile, 20 state adventure this summer with ease.

The entire addition added only 14 lbs to the camper, and comes down quickly and stores completely out of sight when the dinette is setup.

Even at only 14 lbs, it will safely support my 215 lbs with ease.

I remember when you first posted that. I always thought it was one of the slickest mods I've seen!

The cot/bunk I designed, built and have kept the kiddo's happily separated a bed time for several years. Daughter is now 16 and son is 12, and survived our 7500 mile, 20 state adventure this summer with ease.

The entire addition added only 14 lbs to the camper, and comes down quickly and stores completely out of sight when the dinette is setup.

Even at only 14 lbs, it will safely support my 215 lbs with ease.

Most valuable upgrade would be the hitch hauler under the back with built in step and extension for a bike rack.



But also valuable are:

LED lighting retrofit
Second battery

Sleepy-esque Airfoil :C
Air to air heat exchanger


and front rack for the portabote.