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I think you can absolutely do this trail in reverse. Lots of hikers get off the train at Needleton to hike into the Chicago Basin for the 14ers there. It’s a slightly more gradual climb up to the CDT from the Elk Park stop. I think it mostly depends on the train schedule and your anticipated timing to catch the train back to Durango, since it only comes through once a day. This is a great backpacking trip and still one of the hardest trips I have done but worth it!

Thanks for watching!

We have a single 250 amp alternator. You can program the Victron’s to turn on at different voltages which helps to reduce the load on the alternator during initial startup. It does take some playing around with to get them to turn on at different times. You can go onto the Victron forum to find tips and suggestions.

We ordered it with the kit from AVC Rig! It also camw with the black trim for the back door edge as well.

It took me a lot of internet searching to find someone who would had this laminate and who would also sell it to me! We did purchase our laminate and banding from Dakota Hardwoods. They are a large distributor with several locations, and there was one in Houston where we are based so it worked out well for us to be able to go pickup. However, it was worth the hassle as we absolutely love the look and feel of the Fenix laminates in our van! Good luck!

We did make shims from the extruded 80/20 that we used for framing initially. We moved to a solid piece of 80/20 because it had more surface area which made the shim more solid/sturdy when used. But yes, you could absolutely use what you have on hand!

Here is a link to the structural steel we purchased from Titan Vans- www.timbervankits.com/products/structural-assembly-transit-panels

We installed a Webasto Heater under the seat for added heat when parked for cold conditions. It heats the van similar to a furnace heating your home, and that one vent puts out a ton of heat! It is a gasoline heater that has a line tapped into the sender unit of our van gasoline tank to draw fuel from. We also have a level sensor in the gas tank which will shut off the webasto in our gas tank drops below 1/4 tank--so we don't get stranded somewhere if we are out boondocking away from civilization! We have a video of that install if you are interested ---- studio.ruclips.net/user/videoj4P8hM8s3ls/edit

Thanks for watching! Here is a list of the parts we used from propane bottle to exiting the box--hope this helps! We ordered some parts from Amazon and the rest from RV Panther products. They don't see to carry the brass adapters we ordered through them, but you could easily go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick them up there. Marshall MER Type 1 36-48 in pigtail propane hose pantherrvproducts.com/type-1-pigtail-propane-hoses/ Solenoid Lock Off Valve LPG Propane 12V FUELOCK LOCKOFF Liquid Vapor Gas Volt LPG 151 www.amazon.com/dp/B077XQX9YJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Marshall excelsior Megr-298P 2 stage regulator www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CZ2YU56/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Marshall excesior mounting bracket www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K24B742/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Marshall MER613-12 LP Supply Hose 3/8" Female x3/8" Female 12" pantherrvproducts.com/mer613-12/ AMC 704018-06 Brass Flare Forged Nut Fittings - 3/8" 9 (ordered 6) pantherrvproducts.com/----not currently available AMC 704044-06 Brass Propane Tee Fitting 3/8" Flare pantherrvproducts.com/----not currently available Marshall ME488 Propane Disposable Cylinder Brass Adapter pantherrvproducts.com/----not currently available MB Sturgis 204163 Propane Elbow Adapter - 3/8" F. Flare Swivel x 3/8" M. Flare pantherrvproducts.com/----not currently available Good luck on your build!

@@blazingwanderersyou're awesome, thanks, so much!!

I don’t disagree with you that using 80/20 aluminum is expensive compared to just wood, but we did budget for this in our build. Our major concern with all wood framing and cabinetry was the structural integrity. We read several posts online through various forums of van cabinets splintering and detaching from the van wall due to collisions. The last thing we wanted was to have a cabinet or wood spear slamming into is in the front seats. I hope that never happens, but we wanted to be sure we would be safe. Another reason was the weight. All wood framing is heaving, and using aluminum helped reduce some weight as well.

The choice of the cable pass through depends on gauge of solar wire. We used either DS-HD6-BLK or DS-HD10-BLK. I wrapped the wires with wire harness tape. I then positioned the wires so they were not touching the metal and used the sealant to fill in the gap between the wires and the roof so that the solar wire would not abrade over time. I also used sealant around the cable through for a bit of extra protection. This pass through was more expensive than some of the cheaper options on Amazon but had better reviews regarding leaks.

Link here: www.scanstrut.com/rv/cable-seal/horizontal

And a window! Don’t forget about the windows! 😂 no regrets for us!

Thanks for watching!!

Yes we did consider trying to drill through the pillars, but the time/cost investment wasnt worth it to us. We were able to run in down through the back pillar which was very helpful in giving us a clean look in the back against our wall panels, and our wall panel kit had enough space allowance behind the panel to fit the bundle without having to do all the work as you detailed here. I would have loved to run it through all the pillars, believe me! It was something we were willing to do without though. Good luck!

Yes-chalk it up to poor detailed instructions from the manufacturer and beginner skills!!

@@blazingwanderers But if the video isn’t corrected, maybe it should be taken down. People watch RUclips to learn how to do it, and this one teaches them to install the ladder incorrectly. So it is worse than the manufacturer’s directions. Right?

Good suggestion- we can work on amending the video to correct this

Our van is a Ford transit cargo high roof extended wheel base--the longest they offer. If you have similar van, the 10 ft would work. Fiamma also makes awnings that are longer and shorter than this one, so you can choose whatever length will work for your van. Our awning is manual, but is very easy to set up--takes about 2 min! I think they may offer an automated version as well.

Ours is the 10 ft length. Thanks for watching!

Yes, it is something that might be cheaper to do yourself, although having the CNC cut on the bottom insulation to fit perfectly vs cutting and placing by hand is a real time saver, and since we could afford it, we wanted to save some time so we could use it in other parts of the van build. And, as you may well know, everything in a van build never fits right the first time and usually takes about 4X longer than you originally estimate. Thanks for watching though! 😁

You’re correct we used plus-nuts in the roof cross rib supports. The plus-nuts we used were 5/16-18 X .020-.280 steel pre-bulbed purchased from Amazon (S31MG280). I talk through this briefly on our ceiling and lighting video. You can see a plus-nut location through the furring strip at ~3:04 in that video. This did require some planning for both the cabinets above the sink as well as our cabinets above the bed. There are only so many places to mount the plus-nuts in the Transit roof support ribs. This combined with the limited number of roof support ribs and the hole locations for lighting are important considerations to consider when planning for the cabinetry. You are correct that the bolt going through the 80/20 aluminum extrusion will have a slight angle relative to the extrusion for the roof connection supports. Thank you for watching!!

@@blazingwanderers Thanks for the reply! So the bolt head isn't going to seat flat on the inside of the slot - that's not an issue? That trick using two corner brackets - that's sneaky. I like it. I'm tucking that one in the back of my brain for when I get to this point myself.

The bolt is just ever so slightly at an angle but will not pull through. We haven’t had any issues either at this point. Good luck with your build!

That’s a good suggestion!

Great idea on the supply line tubing!

I couldn’t agree more! They have those inner cavities which are perfect to run through- just not a priority for them I guess but it does make it a pain for van builders like us!

Its not about care. Its about speed and ease of production..

That’s a great thought and something we may look into if we need to take off the seat to do some maintenance. Thank you for the suggestion!!

Well, it worked for us, and all of our cabinets are perfectly straight and level. We made adjustments for when we stepped inside and on our gently sloping driveway. Lucky for us, our build turned out great and we would do this again in our next build. You don’t have to use our tips(although several folks have with lots of success) but thank you for your constructive criticism.

@@blazingwanderers ... 1:30 ... I also think using a level on a moving structure may not be the best thing. Similar to using a level on a boat. You know the floor flat, on a single plane, if the horizontal members were to be parallel to the floor or at a right angle, (for the most part) wouldn't that be a way easier way to take measurements and adjust things then fasten them together? Thank you for the video. . Jeff .

You absolutely can level off using the floor. We also used a square to check our measurements and right angles.

Glad you enjoyed it!

we used 1/4 in baltic birch as part of a wall and ceiling panel kit from AVC Rig!

You can do this!!! I won’t lie - it is a ton of work, but very manageable. Just take your time! It will look great I’m sure! 😊

Yes! Just the addition of the KilMat made a huge difference when we were driving the van around. After the Thinsulate and the wall panels were installed (which also are covered in Landau foam and fabric) the sound just got better. We went from hearing every little rock hitting inside the wheel well (which was very loud!) to not even being able to notice it at all.

That is a great question and I totally get it!! There are two places that come to mind that are a bit scary- the first is Hailey Pass. Going up was not an issue but coming down the back side was steep, and we had to come down very slowly because it was all loose pebble and gravel. A little nervrwracking, but manageable if you take your time. The second place is coming down from the Bears Ears towards Bear Lakes. This was just after the hailstorm for us. It is a good path, but narrow in some places and it is a very steep drop off the side in a few areas. I think I was so focused on getting down together lakes during the storm that I didn’t notice it so much. Other than those two places, the rest of the trail up and over passes is fairly easy!

Thanks for the update to the installation. We have had ours installed for almost 2 years, and have had zero issues with our system, but if I had to do it again we would definitely use your recommendation. Thanks for the info!

Thank you for watching and we appreciate the comment!😊

As you may have seen in the video, the cutout in the van roof is notched so the antenna can’t move/turn and it is screwed in with one screw underneath

Thank you! So, the first panel nearest the front is held in place by 6 fasteners-a row of 3 near the edge and then another row of 3 in line with the lights. They are screwed into furring strips attached to ceiling. There are no attachments near the front of the panel. We are just relying on the curvature of the van ceiling to ever so slightly bend the front part to hold the panel in place. So, essentially the front edge is just floating. We have had no issues- the panel doesn’t move or squeak, and it fits up nicely against the headliner.

So, we have now had our rack on for 2 years (we installed it spring 2022), and so far no real issues. We haven’t had any leaks or dirt coming through. The inside frame of the door is relatively clean overall. We have also slept in cold weather and I didn’t notice any cold drafting in. Our van is also very well insulated, including the back doors, and so it is very comfortable to sleep in the back. The only issue we have experienced was just in the past few months when we had the tires rotated, which included taking off the back spare and rotating it with the other tires. We found that doing this caused the left door to shift ever so slightly making the right door hit the plate when closing. It’s very subtle but we will have to adjust the left door hinge a bit- on the to-do list! We are not as familiar with the Owl or Rover models, but in general we have been very happy with this tire rack/ladder mount and would be likely to order again if we had too. Hope this helps-thanks for watching!

@@blazingwanderers Yes, yes, helped very much! Appreciate the detailed response. Very 👍 grateful. Here’s a sub for what it’s worth. 😉

I don’t know how this compares to a foam mattress sitting on slats, but what I can say is that we briefly tried the foam mattress on the plywood platform directly and it was really hard on my hips and shoulders. The Froli system made a huge difference in comfort level when we added it. And despite being plastic it is surprising sturdy-nothing has broken and it is much more comfortable on my hips (I’m a side sleeper!)

We just went through the van to check valves and tighten fittings recently. Evening has been working well and we have not had any issues yet with the water system!