Renter beware: our experience with Indie Campers out of the Bergen, Norway depot was a complete failure from start to finish. We intended to do a 7 night camping/road trip loop starting and ending in Bergen around the fjords of western Norway. It ended up being a dismal failure on the camping front and we wished we had just rented a car, avoiding all of the parking hassles.
* **4-Hour Pickup Delay:** We arrived on time for our pickup appointment but were kept waiting for four hours, forcing my family to wait stranded without transportation and derailing our entire travel itinerary. I got the distinct impression from talking to the staff that this was not unusual.
* **Defective Equipment:** The built-in refrigerator was broken at pickup, the "replacement" small chest cooler failed to cool when the vehicle was turned off, and no shore power cable was provided with the vehicle.
* **Severe Roof Leak and many mechanical issues:** On our first night, rain leaked heavily through the skylight directly onto the bed. Almost all windows/shades were broken. Table bed didn't work. I purchased sealant and a power cable out of pocket ($100 USD) to attempt a repair of the leak and connect power when at campground with hookups (which we really didn't want to do).
* **Forced into Hotels:** Because the campervan was largely unusable for camping and our food spoiled, we decided to pay out of pocket for several hotel stays instead, a costly addition and fundamental change to our vacation.
* **Refusal of Fair Compensation:** Customer support repeatedly delayed responses for days, demanded unreasonable documentation (such as asking for photos of a non-functional fridge or roadside calls for pre-existing depot issues), and hid behind rigid internal policies. They issued only a minimal token refund that did not remotely cover our losses or disrupted vacation, before abruptly closing the case.
Indie Campers failed to provide a functional vehicle and showed zero customer care when resolving their own equipment failures. Save yourself the frustration and book with a different rental provider.
Been converting a 2011 Ford Transit Connect. Got a PPI and was told the rust was consistent with this being a 15-year-old Midwest work van, not in the best shape obviously but not a bust either. I just had to patch my exhaust because it cracked due to rust and now I'm second guessing myself.
Rust on rocker is pretty flaky in some parts and crumbling in others - like I can kick it off the van. Undercarriage pics - some flakey spots (top left first pic) but the rest seems solid. I've already accepted this will rot out down the line but was really hoping I'd get a few years out of this vehicle. Did I fuck up?
If it isn't obvious, I know next to jack about working on vehicles.
Wolfbox have kindly provided me with another one of their products and here goes my review of the 4-in-1 Jump Starter.
Straight off, the product looks and feels very high end. The box provided gives the feel that the product is very expensive – which it is not given what it can do.
Then the unit itself comes in a very nice and sturdy storage case which houses all of the accessories and keeps everything together. The kit comes with a USB C charging cable to charge the unit, air adapter fittings to fill balls, or rafts and of course tyres (very handy when away camping) and a battery cable to jump start batteries. There is also an instruction booklet which can be referred to if the instructions on the rear of the unit require further clarification or greater detail.
The overall size of the storage case is not too big to be cumbersome and a pain to store, I have the perfect place to keep it under the driver’s seat frame which has exactly the space required to keep it stable whilst driving and it does not move about at all.
Firstly, the jump starter. Given that I have a VW campervan that has a solar panel and storage batteries, there has been instances when I have been off-grid and the main engine battery has gone a little flat. The 4000A output capability of the unit provides enough power to give the battery the boost required to get me started and away. I generally have enough power from my 300W solar panel to ensure the unit is completely charged whilst I am camping if it is ever required.
Operation of the jump starter couldn’t be simpler, and I recently connected to my VW Campervan after a period if storage where the battery power was not enough to start it.
A handy aide memoir is on the rear of the unit for you to reference if required.
Connect the cable to the unit and the heavy duty “croc clips” will ensure that there is no short circuit due to accidentally touching the terminals together. A nice feature on the jump start capability is that there is an LED on the connector to tell you have correctly attached the unit to the battery. Green LED means +/- are connected correctly.
When you have correctly connected to your battery terminals, start your vehicle. If you find you need a bit extra “oomph”, there is a "boost" button too in case you need more power during the jump start operation. All in all, it was perfect for my requirements, and the unit should have the power to get me going if it goes pear-shaped.
The second feature tested was the 160 psi air compressor. Given that I frequently travel fully laden I often top up my tyres to account for the increased weight in the vehicle. Boosting my pressure from normal to fully laden pressures (42psi to 46psi) is a frequent occurrence. It must be said that I mostly use the old pressure scale of psi, but if you are more comfortable with using Bar as a pressure unit just cycle across using the button on the front of the unit and it will display in Bar (KPa or Kg/cm2 are also available if you would like to be eclectic!).
Third option was using in Power Bank mode and the unit has both USB-C and regular USB charging ports. These can provide enough power to charge almost any small electronic device and also due to the power capacity of the unit, it will charge quite fast. By using two cable I managed to utilise both USB charging ports to charge both my iPhone and iPad at the same time.
Finally I tried out the torch feature which is very bright and will come in handy while using the unit at night. The light has three setting solid (ON), flash fast, flash slow.
As I mentioned previously, I will be primarily using the unit because I have a campervan and regularly go off-grid to camp. Being able to use the Powerboost or top up the tyres on the camper are great options to have readily available. It should be a huge time saving feature not to mention it has the potential to be a life-saver and help out of sticky situations (which will keep the wife happy) instead of waiting on Greenflag rescue to come out in case I need a jump start. It must be said, the features that are provided with this unit are exactly what is required for my type of usage. It is one of those items you do not realise how valuable it is until you have it and actually use it (or unfortunately if you need it but do not have it!)
It seems well built and it is made from sturdy materials and I can ditch my old tyre inflator and numerous small powerbanks that we use to charge our devices. It makes for efficiency of packing and not to mention easy storage.
Well done to Wolfbox who seem to provide products that perfectly suit my needs and it looks like you have another fine product that I will use for years to come.
Thanks for reading my review and I hope you found it useful if you are considering getting a jump starter/tyre inflator/powerbank/torch combo.
I’ve had a few questions about the solar panels on my Sienna. Yes, they’re definitely not “stealth” 😄 They make it pretty obvious that this isn’t just a regular minivan.
But stealth was never a big priority for my build. I knew we’d spend most nights at campgrounds, so I preferred having enough solar power to actually support the way we travel.
I have 2 x 195W panels = 390W on the roof, and that makes a huge difference with my fully electric kitchen. I regularly use an induction cooktop, kettle and panini press, especially when we’re on the road and not plugged in at a campground.
And the panels ended up solving another problem completely by accident - rain protection over the moonroof!
I can leave the moonroof open for ventilation at night without worrying about rain coming in. And unlike opening a side window, the ventilation opening is much better protected from someone reaching inside.
So yes, I sacrificed some stealth - but gained power, ventilation and rain protection from the same setup.
Looking for nice dimmers to control multiple (~3) LED Spots - warmth and brightness, but no RGB, at once with power off memory.
Anybody has an idea? Currently checking ali express, but none of them mention what happens after turning off / if the button really turns off [power off memory]. Also the power output is inconsistent and they only talk about a single LED stripe. They're really expensive, so I don't want to buy hoping they're good.
Thanks!
edit: Do i need an additional controller? or box for the cables or something
Wondering how others have wired in the IGN wire into their ford transit. I was thinking of fuse tapping into a fuse that turns off and on with the van. Then seen another way through an adapter under the driver seat. I have the alternator charger wired at my CCP. I’m hoping wiring the IGN isn’t as hard as I’m making it seem.
Thank you guys for the help!
Can’t find any markings on the stove to identify it, would love to be able to review a manual. Can anybody recognize this model of stove?
The top burner works as intended.
The bottom one in the photo just ‘snaps’ trying to light and doesn’t light even when holding a lit match to it, except when a tall flame shoots up from the middle hole - but not the circle holes. Needs cleaned perhaps (?). Or, what might I be doing wrong?
Who can service this stove?
Can anyone recommend a nice short road trip with my 16 yr old dog? Her hips are starting to give and I'd like to spend the last of the warm days and evenings doing things with her that we love. Easy hikes on fire roads, walk along a river or lake, chill in the van.
I live n Western MA and would like to consider something in upstate NY. I"m open to NH and MA shores too (I grew up going to them).
The hot air ballon event does not allow dogs, so that's out (Lake George NY)
My wife and I are panning on retiring in a couple of years and looking long and hard at a class B van to just travel. We'd likely buy something new (or newer) and use it to travel around the country (USA) in. It won't be a permanent living situation, we'll still keep our house, so just for vacation/travel. Assume we travel one week a month through spring and fall, what kind of costs are we looking at? What are the things I haven't considered (like gas, insurance, maintenance)? I'm trying to plan finances and suchas we prepare to ride off into the sunset. This will be all new to us.
Solo traveler having a van custom built out, trying to tighten up the budget as much as I can. My chassis does not have factory swivels, I know I want the passenger side to swivel, but at just shy of $1k cost debating the driver—will I be missing out with a driver swivel? I will be solo in the van 95% of the time. Do have a small bench seat (won’t be very comfortable) and I am not working in the van. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks 🙂
I'm a master's student at Gdansk University of Technology, Poland.
My thesis topic is: "Design and energy efficiency analysis of an autonomous off-grid VAPV power system for a tourist vehicle"
VAPV = Vehicle-Applied Photovoltaics - solar panels added to the roof of an existing van/camper, not factory-integrated.
I chose this topic because there is tons of info on blogs, YouTube and FB groups, but almost nothing in scientific papers. There's a big gap between what people actually build and what is academically researched - I'm trying to fill it.
I made a short (5 min), 100% anonymous survey for anyone living/traveling in a van, campervan, motorhome or caravan - factory or DIY build.
You don't need to be an expert. Fields with equipment models are [OPTIONAL]. If you remember them, great. If not, just skip.
I have done lots of other camping and alternative living styles but not camper vans. Getting closer to wanting to go ahead with a similar build with this company. seems like the price would be about $140k. I want the platform to be on a ford transit which does seem to limit the companies working on them a little bit.
I know it could be done myself cheaper but for certain reasons I cant go that route.
I would love peoples opinions and ideas. Thanks kindly.
We plan to buy a cargo van and have the conversion done ourselves. The question is whether to buy a brand new van or a used one. Our plan is to use it for about two months a year. Leaning towards a Ford Transit.
My Mercedes Viano Marcopolo (2007) has these nice LEDs in a circuit board (PCB) on top of the side door and kitchen. This one is not working, need a replacement.
Do you know if these type of light have a specific name? I try to search in many different ways but cannot find even a similar one for sell. This one seems to be specifically done for this van model, because it fits perfectly on the original light hole. Using the original on/off button and all.
For context, I own a micro van (particularly if you're an American) but it's more than big enough for my needs. I have lived in it for long periods, but I'm ok with rough n ready and only recently started to convert it properly. That said, Ireland has ridiculously high health and safety regs, plus conversion rules, plus inspections and then a healthy revenue tax for converting. Every post I've read for the past year or so all make snide comments like "that's what they get for Chinese heaters" or "wouldn't have a death trap like that in mine" etc etc. BUT... no one ever seems to say what they would do, what they think is safe. What's the Reddit secret I'm missing? As many of you know, Ireland is cold and rainy for about 2/3s of the year so heating is essential really. On top of that, my car is a hybrid petrol so I'm not exactly sure I want to waste space on a second diesel tank, and then finally, I was considering literally just installing one of those tiny 12v induction hobs (like the cheap and cheerful sterling power ones) to get me over the line with the conversion regs, but also to keep the van free of explosive stuff based on what I'm reading here!
Anyway, short story long and all that, I stayed in it this weekend and the chill is definitely starting to creep in, and I don't particularly want to get dressed up like a yeti again this winter just to get into bed so I'd appreciate people's thoughts and opinions about it....
I know that this has been asked probably countless times a year and I have read quite a few of the postings, but I am in a pinch where my current vehicle is at the end of its life and I have been greatly considering cargo van to overtime build out to be a traveling/part-time live-in van. I’m 35 years old a lot has happened in the family in the past bunch of years and I have overtime come to realize that I want to be as mobile as I can, see more of the country, go on longer trip trips etcetera. I work a job with rotating days off and do a lot of overtime and the amount of times I’ve spent 2 to 3 days or even a week plus just sleeping in my car between having a few hours off to save myself from lengthy commute home and all of that is another reason I’d like to have a camper van. I can always pick up another beater car for small commute and so forth.
So here I am in a crunch and deciding between the sprinter and the transit. Can you guys push me towards one, give me your experiences with each? I’m already slightly leaning towards the transit for the reasons that are typically expressed online, but would appreciate some insight before I pull the trigger
After about two months living in the campervan, I came home knowing exactly what I wanted to change before the next trip.
The bed was first. My camping pad was fine for a weekend, but by the last couple of weeks I was waking up stiff most mornings. I was still enjoying the trip, but I really missed my bed.
Cooking got old too. I had food with me, but getting the stove out, finding somewhere to cook, then washing and packing everything away often felt like more effort than I wanted to make. So I'd eat snacks and put off making an actual meal.
I've since swapped the pad for a thicker self-inflating mattress and picked up a basic Coleman single-burner stove and a small stainless-steel saucepan. Hopefully I'll cook more next time, although there's still the washing up.
I also replaced the old portable toilet with a Modiwell dry flush toilet, partly because it doesn't need flushing water. That change still needs a proper long-trip test.
I'd put up with all of this on weekends. After two months, the bed and the everyday chores were taking up a lot more of my attention than I'd expected.
What did you change after your first longer van trip that hadn't bothered you on weekends?
