First of all to everyone, thank you so much for the wealth of knowledge and experience you're all so willing to share! I'm honored to have such activity on my thread, and can't wait to show you all how my build goes!
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Dwight - That's a really good point about any low hanging tree branches and that kind of stuff. I think that was my main concern along with the parking garage thing. I would hate to be out on a back road or something somewhere and all of the sudden be stopped dead in my tracks because I'm too tall.
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GaryBIS - Yes! I've seen your site before and believe me I've studied it and used it plenty! It's a great and invaluable resource of information and ideas. Honored to be chattin' with you! That's a good point that I hadn't really thought of. Perhaps with some Renogy panels or some other thin panels I could keep the roof entirelly stealthy from sidewalk/pavement view, with the exception of the roof fan.
I'll definitely need to do the mock up too. So far I've built God only knows how many versions with the spec'd interior cargo dimensions in SketchUp, but something tangible would surely be more helpful. As for the shower situation, I don't know that I'm really wanting to dedicate such an expanse of interior volume to the shower. There are a few products I've seen that could alleviate bathing needs out camping and such, and when in the general area where I live there are plenty of gyms and such to take care of that. Plus I can use the kitchen sink for face washing, brushing teeth, etc. Anyway, thanks again for the reply!!
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RDinNHandAZ - Oh awesome! That dinette size worked out pretty well then! I'm anxious to keep up with your build and see how it comes along. Like I said above, I don't know that I want to devote that much space to a shower, but who knows. That, for me at least, necessitates another whole layer of complexity having an interior shower. My biggest issue is having enough room for all of my gear that I want to have with me. I'm looking to have a bicycle and longboard surfboard with me, plus all of my backpacking gear. I'm really hoping I can cram all of that in there without needing a storage unit or anything like that. Hopefully that's not just a pipe dream.
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otbiker57 - That's a really good point. That's something I'm kind of struggling with; anticipating that amount of interior volume removed merely due to insulation. I do think at this point the high roof is the more intelligent and reasonable option for what I'm trying to accomplish.
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Kip-on-truckin - Oh wow. I've only driven the 136 HR so far, and I liked it a lot. I was surprised at how nimble it was, it truly did feel like a car. Having said that, that was already the largest vehicle I've drived (aside from the occasional U-Haul...). If that's the case though, that the 159 handles and feels essentially the same, I think I'll go with that. I am just paranoid that I won't find parking spots for it, or it'll be too unwildy on dirt roads or something. Not sure how rational that concern is, but it has been a concern nonetheless. That's also a really good point in terms of storing everything. From what I gather, storage and organization is key, both to success and sanity of vehicular living. I guess in my van dwelling trolling, lol, I've seen so many people in Westfalias and the like and those things are freaking tiny so in my mind the small Promaster was already huge comparitively. You're right though, the extra space I'm sure means the difference between permanent roughing-it, and at least some degree of comfort. 2500 it is! And for you're last statement, "In fact, a white van is **** near invisible to the fuzz.", I surely hope so!!
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Zoomyn - That is a whole dimension I didn't even think of! : \ Excellent point. Yeah, I really really want to avoid the hassle and overhead of dealing with a huge vehicle like a normal RV, or at least start to approach the same territory in terms of legal requirements. Thanks for that!
So I've made what I feel to be a more functional layout in SketchUp that I will try and upload later today or tomorrow for anyone that is interested. I know, I'm a total van nerd, lol.
Huge thanks again to all of those who have even made it this far, and for all that have contributed!! I'll be watching and taking ideas as your builds come together!
Happy vanning!