The Marshians 17.56.2 OB
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I suspect mate it might be quite the different story come Christmas time...
At this stage in around 3.5yrs although that's open to negotiation depending on work and long service leave. We're still in the rough planning stage as to the length of trip and what to do with the house and the like. At this stage it's somewhere between 3-6 months, although The Minister for Domestic Affairs is pushing for a little longer...
Using the next 12 months to find out what we like (and don't like) about the van and take it from there.
The list of places to go is getting longer though the more I frequent this forum...
My partner is trying to shorten our long run in the paddock. Were also trialling the new van to get it right. We've only had it a few weeks, and I already feel a bit overwhelmed with what I have to do to get it the way I want, and the limited time with work etc to do it. Im trying to get some of the basics done before xmas, but with the current work project likely to run upto to xmas eve, and us leaving xmas day to head north it doesn't allow much time. Ive just come inside (8pm) from out mucking with the car as it is. We had the 16.49.1 set up just right ... then I went and sold it. But I think a shower/toilet model is probably a better option if we're going to live in it for a while.
Our list of destinations is also growing ........ but I think some of the details can be planned on the hop.
Our list of destinations is also growing ........ but I think some of the details can be planned on the hop.
I hear you @Crusty181... we weren't planning on getting the 17.56.2, wanting the extra bench space rather than a bathroom. But since having one with the little kids, it's a god send. Wouldn't be without it.
So how long are you headed away for?
I've got a long wish list for the van as well, but I figure I've got a little while to work through what is critical and what is simply a "that'd be nice".
So how long are you headed away for?
I've got a long wish list for the van as well, but I figure I've got a little while to work through what is critical and what is simply a "that'd be nice".
Ive avoided "caravans" like the plague, because thats what awaited me in my twilight years ... but this thing we just bought is pretty good (and i can square away the "caravan" thing by having a tent hanging off one end)
Bugger the kids, im stoked with the bathroom.
Were planning on nicking off for around 15 months; leaving the Nov and coming back around the Feb the year after the year after, to coincide with school finish and start (give or take). We arranged an appointment with the Education Dept to sort out the little mans schooling via VicEds remote school thingy
Bugger the kids, im stoked with the bathroom.
Were planning on nicking off for around 15 months; leaving the Nov and coming back around the Feb the year after the year after, to coincide with school finish and start (give or take). We arranged an appointment with the Education Dept to sort out the little mans schooling via VicEds remote school thingy
Nicely done... You know I had never considered a caravan, having just grown up with tents. But I once the thought of the trip was in our head we started looking. The Boss has grown up with caravans so was a fan, I was "so-so". But I don't regret it one bit now. It gives the family a focus and something to look forward to... As for the trip length... wow... that's a doozy. From what I've read, schools are all for it as well, knowing that the kids learn so much more from "life" than they do from a whiteboard/blackboard. Given that the Boss is also a primary school teacher, puts us in a pretty good spot to ensure they get the "curriculum requirements".
Weve been aiming at this for a few years.
Your also in the box seat as far as getting the required educational stuff sorted. My partner is an edu aid, and she is absolutely relentless with our little guy. He's 8, but likely to come back home in his 3rd year of a medical degree.
Vans are a bit of a one way valve ... you cant go backwards in terms of function and luxury. I still cant come to terms with shower, toilet and bloody washing machine in a caravan (The washing machine does my head in) We did have a little Coleman washer previously, but this ones like a auto house unit.
We used the last van a lot, so we are pretty good with not carrying much crap around .... but i think a year + will require some re-thinking
Your also in the box seat as far as getting the required educational stuff sorted. My partner is an edu aid, and she is absolutely relentless with our little guy. He's 8, but likely to come back home in his 3rd year of a medical degree.
Vans are a bit of a one way valve ... you cant go backwards in terms of function and luxury. I still cant come to terms with shower, toilet and bloody washing machine in a caravan (The washing machine does my head in) We did have a little Coleman washer previously, but this ones like a auto house unit.
We used the last van a lot, so we are pretty good with not carrying much crap around .... but i think a year + will require some re-thinking
The van looks great on the pad! So when is the carport going up for it 
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The van looks great on the pad! So when is the carport going up for it
Thanks mate. The carport was the first option but it came back at around $6k and we decided a cover would suffice for now (which ironically is still sitting in the box as well...). Got a heavy duty slab and fence posts installed should I want to mount something on them in the future. I'm in the process of trying to work out how to sort out a shade sail kind of thing as an option.
Cool, sounds like you are where we want to be in a couple of years. It's certainly a bonus having a teacher in the house and there's no way the kids will be pulling any kind of scams with homework with her!
As for the luxury, the washing machine will be an interesting talking point... Obviously we don't have one in the current caravan so will need to work out how to manage 5 people's washing... Our 9kg washer at home gets a caning most days so it will be a challenge.
And yep, the list of what to take and what not to take will be an interesting list indeed.
Like you guys, we have the schooling aspect well covered.
We used the small Coleman single tub washer for quiet a few years, and for the 3 of us it was really handy. Only drawback is it was all hands on, not much in the way of auto functioning. But its pretty low on the inconvenience scale when its sitting around the camp site with you, and a load would take about 20min ... or a read of the paper, or couple of lazy tonics, or a quick game of park street cricket. It could manage the large beach towels too. The Coleman completely replaced trips to the caravan park laundries for us, which saved a small fortune, for about $100 outlay. It punched well above its weight
One good thing about this van upgrade is anything that hasn't been used in the last 12 months has lost its ticket to travel. Even though we're pretty good, some cupboards dont get used much and accumulate some unnecessary crap. One other issue for our long trip is the list of freeloaders that will "fly in" visit us during the trip ... and that requires us carting around the necessary facilities to accommodate them. As it is we only generally have 3 of everything .... including plates and cutlery etc
We used the small Coleman single tub washer for quiet a few years, and for the 3 of us it was really handy. Only drawback is it was all hands on, not much in the way of auto functioning. But its pretty low on the inconvenience scale when its sitting around the camp site with you, and a load would take about 20min ... or a read of the paper, or couple of lazy tonics, or a quick game of park street cricket. It could manage the large beach towels too. The Coleman completely replaced trips to the caravan park laundries for us, which saved a small fortune, for about $100 outlay. It punched well above its weight
One good thing about this van upgrade is anything that hasn't been used in the last 12 months has lost its ticket to travel. Even though we're pretty good, some cupboards dont get used much and accumulate some unnecessary crap. One other issue for our long trip is the list of freeloaders that will "fly in" visit us during the trip ... and that requires us carting around the necessary facilities to accommodate them. As it is we only generally have 3 of everything .... including plates and cutlery etc
OK Mod time...
After seeing a thread on here, decided to take the plunge on an external blue tooth speaker. Solved our "how do we play music?" dilemma... So bought one of these...
http://www.bcf.com.au/online-store/...aker-RV-Media.aspx?pid=364208#Recommendations
Install was an interesting affair... My first dabble with 12V, sika, drilling into the van and internals of the van... It was an awesome day in the Marsh, so much so that it was warm... lucky the van has a built in shade making facility!
Removing the existing light was tricky, but I was going a little soft on it at first. These things don't move with a bit of physical persuasion given the amount of sealant Jayco use... (which in itself isn't a bad thing)
Once off, it was pretty simple to cut some wires, use a little crimping bracket I found in my brothers 12V kit (should've soldered it but baby steps...) and tested it before mounting it on the wall of the van. I didn't really line up the holes too well but in the end it's on there and most of my shoddy work is hidden... I need to work on my sika application technique, but I reckon I'll get better. With a sharp blade I should be able clean it up nicely.
So... how does it perform?? AWESOME!!! This thing is brilliant. Firstly, as a light... here's a before and after from the same spots... It's definitely brighter and a wide spread.
Before
After
And as a speaker it's even better. Great sound streaming simply off my phone. So if anyone didn't get external speakers with their van, this has to be one of the best solutions I've seen. No new holes, no complex wiring... Even doofus' like me can do it.
And while I was feeling bold, I did a first pass of coating the bumper. Primer went on well, but paint cracked. Will try again at some stage but it's an improvent from the "raw blue"
After seeing a thread on here, decided to take the plunge on an external blue tooth speaker. Solved our "how do we play music?" dilemma... So bought one of these...
http://www.bcf.com.au/online-store/...aker-RV-Media.aspx?pid=364208#Recommendations
Install was an interesting affair... My first dabble with 12V, sika, drilling into the van and internals of the van... It was an awesome day in the Marsh, so much so that it was warm... lucky the van has a built in shade making facility!
Removing the existing light was tricky, but I was going a little soft on it at first. These things don't move with a bit of physical persuasion given the amount of sealant Jayco use... (which in itself isn't a bad thing)
Once off, it was pretty simple to cut some wires, use a little crimping bracket I found in my brothers 12V kit (should've soldered it but baby steps...) and tested it before mounting it on the wall of the van. I didn't really line up the holes too well but in the end it's on there and most of my shoddy work is hidden... I need to work on my sika application technique, but I reckon I'll get better. With a sharp blade I should be able clean it up nicely.
So... how does it perform?? AWESOME!!! This thing is brilliant. Firstly, as a light... here's a before and after from the same spots... It's definitely brighter and a wide spread.
Before
After
And as a speaker it's even better. Great sound streaming simply off my phone. So if anyone didn't get external speakers with their van, this has to be one of the best solutions I've seen. No new holes, no complex wiring... Even doofus' like me can do it.
And while I was feeling bold, I did a first pass of coating the bumper. Primer went on well, but paint cracked. Will try again at some stage but it's an improvent from the "raw blue"
Took the van out to Eppalock for a few days of R&R before the New Year. We worked out this is its 6th outing in around 6 months of ownership so we're pretty happy with the hit rate. With another trip in a fortnight planned, we've certainly enjoyed the lifestyle changes it has "imposed" on us. Lots more family time and adventures to be had.
In summary (before the pics) a few things we loved this time around:
The set-up... got a nice drive through which is always handy
The water was low, but that didn't seem to bother most....
Discussions between brothers about the bird life... or was it a plane?
Despite the wind and rain, #1 want to fish. Who am I to stifle the enthusiasm?
Anniversary Roast
Weather improved for fishing downstream of the wall... still no fish though...
Watching the big kids play with their RC toys WAY past bedtime...
And once again... there's hardly a place I'd rather be than...
In summary (before the pics) a few things we loved this time around:
- The shower - got its first use with the two little ones and was much better than using the facilities according to Mrs Smergs. I still doubt I'll use it as I really have trouble even fitting in it, let alone washing, but it's great for pre-bed showers for the kids.
- The Weber - a roast dinner for our anniversary which we celebrated whilst out, and was just about the best roast pork I've had. Simply brilliant, and just as good in sandwhiches the next day
- Bluetooth speaker - worked a treat and provided the nice back ground noise during the day to drown out the laughs and fun from the jumping pillow up the way
- Hose on A-Frame - I bought a cheap $7 hose from the local hardware shop with a trigger on it. Proved excellent in washing muddy feet and rinsing dishes! It's yet another hose, and I might shorten it, but another valued addition to the kit.
The set-up... got a nice drive through which is always handy
The water was low, but that didn't seem to bother most....
Discussions between brothers about the bird life... or was it a plane?
Despite the wind and rain, #1 want to fish. Who am I to stifle the enthusiasm?
Anniversary Roast
Weather improved for fishing downstream of the wall... still no fish though...
Watching the big kids play with their RC toys WAY past bedtime...
And once again... there's hardly a place I'd rather be than...
Sounds like you are getting the van all set up to your liking now. Great write up and pics again.
Yeah we are starting to find our way around it mate. A few things caught us out this time such as the fridge really struggling to keep cool on the hot days. I think either something is wrong with it or we need those exhaust fan things to help it through. Was fine over night and on the cooler (<30deg) days...
But you know, two sites down was a brand spanking Work N Play... the search alerts have been set...
After the big dust storm and rain that hit us in Eppalock, it was finally time for the "Big Wash".
2hrs later, I had a nice spanking clean Expanda which looks as good as the day we bought it. Well worth the effort but I'm not going to do it every month that's for sure.
It's amazing when you get on a ladder and look at things closely, you see small "things". I noticed this cracking in the roof when starting to clean (hence the dirt). Is this a common thing on Expanda's (or fibreglass) or do I have a much bigger problem on my hands? Doesn't look too bad, but if there's something I can do to stop it/slow it down, I'll do it.
Also gave the awning it's first clean... tips I picked up off here worked beautifully, and results can be seen here...
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/cleaning-a-awning.6288/#post-102578
A good day "on the sponge".
2hrs later, I had a nice spanking clean Expanda which looks as good as the day we bought it. Well worth the effort but I'm not going to do it every month that's for sure.
It's amazing when you get on a ladder and look at things closely, you see small "things". I noticed this cracking in the roof when starting to clean (hence the dirt). Is this a common thing on Expanda's (or fibreglass) or do I have a much bigger problem on my hands? Doesn't look too bad, but if there's something I can do to stop it/slow it down, I'll do it.
Also gave the awning it's first clean... tips I picked up off here worked beautifully, and results can be seen here...
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/cleaning-a-awning.6288/#post-102578
A good day "on the sponge".