Lotus Trooper full time living in our off-road caravan
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- In this episode we walk you through our Lotus Trooper tripple bunk off-raod caravan after living in it full time for 18 months. We have been mainly living completely off grid taking our off-road Lotus Trooper to some of the most amazing free camps in Australia. The Lotus Trooper has performed extreamily well given the amount of dirt, sand, mud and corrigations that we have dragged the Trooper through! We have also included a bunch of tips and tricks we have learnt along the way that make travelling Australia full time in a caravan a bit easier.
Great tip about spraying window mesh👍🏻
Yup, works a treat! 🍻👍
mate, smart man! less is more!! spot on! loved the vid!
100% agree, 3.5 years on the road now and the trooper is still going strong with no major issues even though we give it a beating. 🍻🍻👍
Great video guys, good to see how a van is used in real over the advertisement vids.
Yeh mate, the van is a lot less shiny than many of the other vids... Will be 2 years full time travel in it come Easter next year. 🍻👍
We are waiting on our new Trooper due in December and can’t wait. This vid has been been very helpful guys.
No probs, you'll love it when it arrives!
Love our airbags in the van! And with the esc off-road you just disconnect the red anderson . If you have to swerve really hard on road the tow vehicle isn't going to save you, the esc is priceless.
Yup, i think if i had the option of being able to get ESC and switch it on/off while driving that would be perfect. Add it to the list for the next van! 👍🍻
@@VetinaVan yeah that would be the go ! The esc circuit is 30a max so wouldn't be hard to wire a switch in.
Thanks for the honest and frank review.
Any time!
Great video. I’m at 21:00 where you speak about 12v vs 240v and the switching. Our family is having a van currently built and we were offered dual switching on all power points. Which basically is an option that switches between 12v and 240v We have purchased a Btec enerdrive system
Nice mate, we ended up installing a 5kva Vitron automatic changeover switch which did the job! I think most new vans have them now. Good luck with the new van and subsequent adventures!! 👍🍻
I watched this when it came out and again now. Very interesting to reflect on the influence you had on me prior to picking up our new caravan. The first thing I did was swap the hitch over to a DO35, Velcro galore, tyres oh boy you’re right! (They put these Chinese rubbish on) Michelins ATs now and what a difference, I put in an extra fan. Thank you for your valuable input.
No worries! Glad it helped, some of it is a bit dated now. Lotus have fixed heaps of the little bugs and you can get pre-built solar systems with dual solar charges now! Safe travels and maybe see you on the road. 🍻👍🍻
@@VetinaVan oh we don’t have a Lotus, different caravan. Still lots of tips. yeah love to catch up but Not sure I’m brave enough to drive from Darwin to where you are towing the caravan. Even though the school there is screaming for a teacher.
Living and working in a remote community is one of the most rewarding things we have ever done, never say never! 😉
@@VetinaVan sheesh stop teasing me!!!
@@biglap.australia haha, sorry no its horrible.. 🍻👍🍻👍
Nice video. We have same car and similar van used the same way. We do have the stability control fitted and it has saved us before. Its only for on-road use so just unplug when off-road. It pays for itself especially when it avoids a roll over. Plus CIL give a 10% discount off insurance so after 10 years you break even anyway.
Yup, if we upgrade we will have ESC assuming we can get with discs and i will mount a switch in the dash to be able to turn it off and on. 👍🍻
@@VetinaVan good idea. Ours is on a red Andersen so just unplug when we air down and plug back in when we air back up again. Safe travels. Keep the vids coming
Good video.
Hey mate love the videos. Can you do one a walk through on the 76? Would be great to see the set-up
It's in the pipe mate!
Looking forward great 👍 caravan great 👍
Thanks mate 🍻👍
I love the sauna shower lol
lol, yeh you gota do what you gota do! :)
Great tips! Love the run down of the van and it's good to hear someone giving props to not having airbag suspension. We're still yet to order later this year and Airbags were on the maybe list but it's not a necessity!
Yup, I think if you were going for a GVM upgrade on the van then sure thing, but I asked myself, air bags are used in the rear of a car to support additional weight on the rear axle. Air bags in a van are used to support the additional weight when......... oh wait, there is no additional weight, are the OEM shocks and springs inadequate,? Not really.. I am sure others will disagree, but that was my logic.
@Vet in a Van Also do you have a link to the Raspberry Pi you have on your TV please? Also did you velcro it to the TV? 😜
@@GrabLifeByTheGourlays it can get a bit technical but start with the link here: kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_on_Raspberry_Pi once up and running you don't need to change much but it is quite technical for the first setup.
@@VetinaVan cheers for that! Where did you get your enclosure for the raspberry Pi? Oh and happy Father’s Day on the road!!
It was one of these core-electronics.com.au/argon-one-v2-raspberry-pi-4-case.html but the 3rd generation raspi is out now so there are probably better ones.
Run a lead from your inverter to your 240 inlet all your power outlets work just turn off your battery charger. Works for us. Nice van.👍
yeh mate - we did look at that, but in the end we added a changeover switch and re-wired so it automatically switches when you plug in, just need to remember to unplug the 240v charger.. I think i can get a relay that will automatically cut the charger when the 240 is plugged in - there is always something more to do!
Hmm good walk thou it’s a change from another review I’ve seen ,
Thanks mate, glad u got something out of it. 👍🍻
Great video mate, a bit of a off topic question. We have a 79 series & are purchasing a Trooper shortly. Do you tow in 5th gear when it's easy going or always in 4th? We've had a couple of 79's which have always towed over the years & haven't given any trouble but the Trooper will be the heaviest van.
Thank you
Hey mate, i don't have a tune in the 76 and tow mostly in 4th, occasionally go to 5th but our general cruising speed is 90-95 and the power is not there in 5th if you need to accelerate out of something. Would be different with a good towing tune but you are probably up for a new clutch and gearbox if you are towing long term. Good luck and safe travels! 🍻🍻🍻🍻
Thanks mate
Starlink! WOW!! No showering, stinky much?
Yeh we have had Starlink for a while now, the mobile version was not abailable when i made this video well over a year ago. And swimming every day keeps the smells at bay.🍻🍻
Luv this video. So helpful for newbies before build.
yeh, we learnt soooo much AFTER we got our van..! It's always hard when you are getting your first van, we are not experts, but feel free to ping us on insta / FB if you want our opinion on anything. :)
Thanks guys , great video. Just bought a 2nd hand trooper and your video helped so much understanding the van especially the solar side with adding an addition redarc dc2dc. We are about to go on our first trip which has 180km of dirt each way which involves quite a bit of bull dust where the van will be engulfed as the speed will slow. How have you found the front dust flap on the van, never had one and unsure on if we should open it or not.whats been your experience. Regards Anthony
Hey Anthony, Grats on the new trooper mate! We found that the main entry points for dust was the door and floor ventilation under the sink, we just taped some chucks wipes over them and all good! The little top vent has done the job for us so far as we have never really had any dust problem after 2 years on the road. That being said, we know other people with similar lotus vans that have had dust issues. Not sure why there is a difference! Maybe we got a lucky build! Something like DRS or carafan will make a difference if you are really worried about dust, but we have not found a need for one of them yet. Good luck and safe travels! 🍻👍
More info on the raspberry pie and your signal booster pls.
Hey Dan, It can get a bit technical but start with the link here: kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_on_Raspberry_Pi once up and running you don't need to change much but it is quite technical for the first setup.
Thnx for the walk through, excellent. The Misso would like to know what are the circular things hanging near the window about the sink? Thanks rob
Hey Rob, they are just light prisms, in the morning we open that window just a bit and they reflect light rainbows all over the inside of the van. Good home schooling physics for the kids too!
@@VetinaVan cheers. Will need to watch more of your vids. Travel safe & enjoy
Camec windows and screens are midgeproof and not concertina. they seal on felt on the sides. Not many Victorian manufacturers use them but Queensland ones do.
Thanks Mark - will be a total MUST for the next van! Seems so odd they don't use the midge proof ones - we would have added it if we knew it was a thing!
Thanks helpful video, interested in how MIMO wifi has gone and which modem/antenna
Hi doc can you tell us where you get your water when on the road 🎉
We can fill up from any fresh water source, creeks etc. Also, use wiki camps to locate refil water points dotted all over the country. 👍👍🍻🍻
Hi enjoyed the vid, yeah Stone Stomper all the way came up the Birdsville track in September road quite corrigated and rough no damage to cuiser or van worth every cent. How many watts of solar is going through the manager 30? Safe travels Ian.
Yeh mate - I need to get myself organised and fit a stone stomper, cheaper than replacing the rear windows! The Redarc BMS30 will max out at about 32.7 amps from what I have seen, then the BCDC50 generally matches the BMS30 charge.
Great review and walk through. Interesting that you don't use the shower. Not to go into detail, but what do you use for showering?
Ha! Maybe better not to ask.. Nothing refreshes the skin like a good salt water swim! We are pretty much always camped on the beach these days so are in and out of the ocean all day, which is no substitute for a shower, but off-grid living comes with some sacrifices and we just don't have the water for the shower to be a regular thing. Makes them all the better when we are plugged into water!
@@VetinaVan cheers guys. Enjoy the travels. Thanks for the entertainment whilst we’re in lockdown.
Ey mate, where did you get those stabiliser feet at 4:57 sitting onto of your gas can
Hey Pete, it's a high lift jack base, very useful. You can get them at supercheap. www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/ridge-ryder-ridge-ryder-high-lift-jack-base-plate/321456.html
I want this lifestyle so badly. I'll take the good the bad and the ugly over this society bullshit.
I hear ya mate, we were working long hours on the road to 'success', all the time not seeing our kids and each other. Then we just went fak it, sold everything and took off. You can always find work on the road, everyone needs less stuff and 'keeping up the the Joneses' is a road to unhappiness. In our opinion. Good luck following the dream mate, see you on the road! 👍🍻
Also info on tooth brush holders please.
hey Dan, pretty much like these ones: www.groupon.com.au/deals/partner-electronics-tech-132 just google "electric toothbrush stick on holders" and you will find heaps.
@@VetinaVan thanks a lot mate!
Mate, can you fill me in on what you do for showering then? Because my major concern with free camping is showering “use of precious water”
So what do you do instead of showering?
Hey mate, We'll use the shower if hooked up to water but we're mostly off grid so aiming to save water, our tanks last us 2 weeks if just used for drinking, cooking and an inch for washing up once a day. We're usually near water (river or ocean) so a swim is as good as a bath and I Tania can wash her hair in 1L of water in a tub as needed, otherwise a quick wipe over with a face washer is sufficient. The washing machine uses a lot of water too so laundry gets done either with wool wash, so no rinse needed, or just wait for water top up. We've gotten very economical with water over time 👍🍻
@@VetinaVan cheers for the reply 😁 one more would you recommend second toilet cassette? How long do you guys get out of one. We are living in our trooper in preparation for the big lap once sydney lets us free just want to know if i should grab a second cassette
Arrrr yes.... We would LOVE an option for longer lasting cassette. We don't have a second one but have often thought about it. It is my job to do a run into the dump point every few days if we must use it. Usually good to get water and refil 40lt on the trip too but it is one of our main free camping restrictions.
How do you have enough water ‘off the grid’ for everything inc showers.
We usually swim every day so the shower gets very little use unless we have good access to a water source. Sounds gross but swimming every day is more than enough to keep clean. The water we have on board is used mainly for drinking and washing the dishes (in about 1cm in the sink). This gets us about 2 weeks before we need to get more water. That being said, we carry 40L on the car and will refill whenever possible and top up the van which makes it last even longer.
In the sticks you'd probably use the external shower so you pull water from 9ltr bucket to control usage so fast showers become normal and PARDON' THE GROSSNESS but in the middle of nowhere you'll probs shower every other day. If your next to a water source you can pull direct and shower twice a day and keep all your tank water for better things
What spare parts do you carrie? What would you recommend for the Trooper. Thanks
Hey Tania, not a great deal actually, we have a spare water pump, full electrical gear (solder, soldering iron, 12v wire of different gauges, fuses etc), general tools (including a good torque wrench) and the three main essentials, duct tape, zip ties (metal and plastic ones) and wire. We have been lucky enough to have not had any major issues other than busted tyres so far. Hopefully this remains the case! :)
You turn electronic stability control off when in offroad situations. Doh! 🙄
Yup, this vid is a few years old now but in hindsight I would mount a switch in the cabin to allow it to be turned off easily. I still don't think they are doing it with new vans as yet though, most just have it on all the time..
Location no perfect.