2016 Grand Tour set up for Boondocking

[Camerons]

Hi all,
it is with some regret that I am making this post as we are parting with our Airstream. This forum has been amazing at helping us know what and how to upgrade our grand tour. I recall our first trip to Florida where the atkins monitor was telling us the batteries were dying and Lew helped us within 5 minutes of posting (atkins controller was broken, batteries were fine). This forum was and continues to be the first place to turn for support. You folks are amazing and I hope its ok that even if I don't have an airstream any more I drop by and comment or ask questions.

For those of you who would like to eliminate all the effort in getting an airstream that is more capable of being off grid we have done the work. Reason for the sale is we are having an expedition vehicle built based on a Fuso chassis which is more capable of offroading. Below is the standard advertisement. For those on this forum you know that doubling the batteries, 4X the solar etc is required to make an interstate off grid. We have also made several other changes listed below. we are selling the airstream, matching trailer and vespa. If any of you or your friends would like an upgraded grand tour please have them contact me. It was a US vehicle and I imported it to Canada, it would be easy to move it back to USA. Thanks..Cameron. Cameronsturgess@icloud.com

video tour at:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5C2jDKFQMhE

2016 Airstream Interstate: upgraded to be off grid capable

We LOVE our Airstream ! It is stunning inside and outside, beautiful to drive and wonderful to camp in. The inside is a modern contemporary design which matches the beautiful Mercedes Sprinter chassis it’s built on. You can drive easily at 80 mph while enjoying the scenery and an amazing stereo. When you park for the night you can enjoy being off grid for as long as you want. You will never need to plug in ! If that sounds like what you want then our Airstream will be perfect for you. We know because it was perfect for us. Please note, Airstreams do not come this way, they need an extension cord to plug them in within 8 hours of stopping. To us that defeats the purpose of enjoying the outdoors or boondocking in a city. We spent $20,000 and 6 months upgrading ours so that is capable of being off grid.

We are also selling a matching trailer, bike carrier and Vespa. We are avid hikers, kiteboarders, mountain bikers and stand up paddle boarders. On shorter trips we took the Nicova bike/cargo carrier which allowed us to have wet/dirty gear in the cargo box. On longer trips we took mtn bikes, SUP’s, kiteboarding gear and a matching black Vespa. This allowed us to park just outside of cities and use the Vespa to explore the city. The Vespa is very capable of two up riding at 100kph allowing you to tour a National Park or city and park anywhere you want. If you have been to a National Park in the summer you will know parking is at a premium so the Vespa is an amazing addition.

We are selling the Airstream, Trailer, Bike carrier and Vespa.

We have had amazing memories with our Airstream. Its taken us to Banff/Jasper, Yellowstone, Baja, California, Key west, Cape breton and been the perfect vehicle for travelling fast on pavement and a bit slower on gravel roads. Beyond that terrain the airstream gets pushed too much. We are having a more capable 4x4 RV custom built that can get us into the back country. The new RV is bigger and will have a KTM dual sport on the back, so we will no longer need the trailer and Vespa.

Our 2016 Airstream Interstate Grand Tour, trailer, bike carrier and Vespa is for sale: $110,000USD. New they are: Airstream $150+k, Trailer $6k, Bike carrier 2K, Vespa $5k plus $20k in upgrades total $180k. You will save over $65K not to mention the 6 months and trouble of upgrading the Airstream. The Sprinter chassis is good to 400,000+ miles

2016 Airstream Grand Tour
50,000 miles
17 mpg without the trailer
14 mpg with the trailer loaded

Upgrades:

Double the batteries (320AH total)
4 x the solar (400 W rigid panels)
Automatic Generator Starter (will start and cool van if it’s hot or start to charge batteries)
Magnum ME-ARC and shunt (shows true State Of Charge and discharge/charge rate)
Victron solar charger (see the charge rate on your phone via bluetooth)
Tinted driver/passenger window
Rain deflector driver/passenger
110 dB horn
20” Rigid light bar: shines light 1km down road, helpful for avoiding deer and moose
Insulated fresh/grey water tanks: so they won’t freeze at -10C
Temp sensor on water tank: alarms if it gets too cold
Temp sensor in van: can alarm if van gets too hot, helpful for pets
Full set of insulated window covers: reflecting one side, black other, insulation in middle
Insulated fabric wall with zipper between driving and living area: keeps extreme temps out of living area and blocks light
Temp sensor with alarm on fridge and freezer
Fridge and freezer insulated: the original installation will spoil food and consume your battery
Added 5 more drawers in cabinets: hugely helpful for organizing storage
New garbage drawer adds 4 times the usable space
32” Roku TV that rotates 90 degrees: stream movies from your phone or netflix
WiFI and Cell booster: you can pick up wifi from 1km, cell booster adds 1-2 bars
Kenwood Stereo (original Airstream stereo reboots constantly, it’s terrible )
Upgraded speakers in driver area (original Sprinter speakers are awful)
Subwoofer in driving compartment (Airstream installs a subwoofer at rear which is useless)
Quiet Generator (added sound insulation and resonator, three times quieter than original)
Reliable generator (original installation broke every 6 months with upgrades, it’s reliable)
Warm floors: added 1/2 foam flooring which is warm and soft to walk on. No more cold feet.
Temp controlled fan: allows hot air from furnace to be forced back where you need it
Cover for roof fan: allows it to be vent while driving
Parasitic loads eliminated: added switches to turn off battery draining loads
Suspension upgrade: Sumo springs help lift the van 2 inches and help in cross winds
Alignment: Airstream wears front tires out in 6000 miles, currently ours last 40,000 miles
Custom shelves at back: greatly improves the storage at the rear of van
iCarsoft diagnostics: full diagnostics in case you’re in remote areas
WeatherTech custom floor mats: helps keep the driving area clean
Tire sensor monitor: alarms if tires get low on air or too hot. Critical for safety
New Tires on van/trailer/Vespa. 7500 miles on van/trailer 200 miles on Vespa
Upgraded the ECU to eliminate speed limiter at 80mph (this is really helpful in Texas)
Front Bra: shades front from sun and allows bug free breeze via driver and passenger windows
Screens: driver and passenger: provide bug protection when not using bra.
Seat covers for driver and passenger: easy to wash when dirty, cooler to sit on when warm

2017 NicoVa combo 101
Carries two bikes covered
15 cu feet lockable dry storage
Swings out of way to open rear doors
Lights


2017 Neo Trailer 6 x 12 enclosed
Upgraded to electric brakes
Side air vents
Lights in trailer
Tracks on floor and walls
Wheel chock and tie down for Vespa


2009 Collector Vespa 250 GTS
9375 miles
Matching rear cargo box
Side stand
110 dB horn
Small and large windscreens
2 helmets

[sheakev]

Hi,
Great video! This looks like a great setup, who ever buys it will have a great setup!
How did you get the generator so quiet? If you replaced the one that came with it, what did you replace it with? Also as to the insulated water tank, how was that done? Perhaps there are threads here from you, if so I will search for them.
Thanks

[Camerons]

Hi Kevin, to quiet down the generator and stop it from breaking here is what we did. Disconnect the gas, and electrical, then lower the generator onto a dolly, slide it out from under the van. Remove the cover. check the contacts inside. you may find them corroded if you camp near salt air or if you drive on roads that have been salted. remove or replace contacts then cover them with battery protector, then spray foam them to ensure no salt air gets to them. cover the outside of the case with Dynamat. cut the exhaust down and install a resonator. then reinstall the generator, once you have rewired it cover the contacts with battery contact sealant and then spray foam around these contacts. otherwise sand and gravel from the road will quickly remove the coating on these contacts. once this is completed you will find the generator more reliable and quiet.

regarding water tanks, our heating mats were broken so I removed them and reinstalled new ones. once the new heating mats were in place I used 1" pink styrofoam insulation to surround the fresh water and grey water tanks. The styrofoam was held in place with PL construction glue, then the edges taped with aluminum duct tape (not fabric tape but the aluminum tape). once that was all done I installed a couple of start sensors (http://www.sensorpush.com) so that I would know the tank temperatures. Once I insulated the tanks they stayed 5 degrees C warmer than the outside air. It was also helpful to see if the heaters were working. once everything was installed I sprayed these tanks with black rubberized undercoating. They have been to Baja and back and are still secured in place. hope that helps.. if you want pictures I can crawl under and take some

[eyechip]

Seriously loving that bike/cargo system. I own a black AI as well and it looks seamless. If you are interested in selling that alone and are ever down in the DC/Mid Atlantic area let me know.

[sheakev]

Originally Posted by Camerons

Hi Kevin, to quiet down the generator and stop it from breaking here is what we did.... hope that helps..

This helped a lot! I have installed the resonator, and while it helps a little it is no where close to what your AI sounds like in your video.

No time for us to do sound proofing of the unit itself or the water tanks since three weeks from today we head to Alaska. So the upgrades are done for now and further changes will need to wait for our return. We did add two batteries so with the four we will be able to keep the refrigerator, freezer, etc. running when we are not plugged into shore power.

Thanks again for sharing info on your setup!

[Camerons]

Hi Kevin. Enjoy the trip to Alaska. It takes a long time to get an airstream just the way you want it. At least it did for us. Sound deadening generator and making it reliable was really helpful. I’d climb underneath the airstream and protect the contacts on the front of the generator before that long trip. Grease them then spray foam them. If you have to replace the ends of the battery contacts it’s a total pain. The wet dirt from the Alaska roads will create an electrical bridge across the contacts and fry the ends of the generator wires very quickly. (Airstream if you are listening this is an easy fix and you could sell it as a feature).

[wachuko]

Very useful tips. Thank you. And best of luck with the sale.

[Tronadora]

On the topic of quieting your generator, I did try this using a Noico sound absorbing mat of about .140 thickness. I did not remove the generator and was only able to apply it to about 2.5 sides of the generator. I took sound level readings very precisely positioned before and after and got absolutely no difference whatsoever.



Sounds like Cameron did a much more thorough job... maybe used a thicker mat too. I mention this in case you are thinking that a quick fix is waiting for you. (By the way, a 3db change is a halving (down) or doubling (up) of the sound pressure level, not 3x). Attached is a picture of two mat sections after I installed.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by sheakev

This helped a lot! I have installed the resonator, and while it helps a little it is no where close to what your AI sounds like in your video.

I agree with this comment. The resonator install made only a slight difference in my noise levels, but the sound is a bit lower pitch and more soothing. Worth it, but just marginally. And nothing like the reduction in the seller video.

Good luck with your sale Camerons. Just don't take any checks for way over your asking price and then wire the excess funds to some foreign bank account.

[Camerons]

It isn’t that hard to drop your generator and it’s required to fix corrosion on the interior contacts . It’s just awkward to lower it and slide it back in place.

Once it’s out we used dynamat Xtreme on the outside of the green plastic. The green was completely covered by dynamat. That took care of the sound. Then deal with contacts as you see fit.

The metal brackets holding the generator in place were cleaned off and covered with dynamat extreme as well. The idea was to stop any resonating. The material is thin enough to allow the generator to slide back in place.

True the resonator only changed the tone of the exhaust. The dynamat did sound deaden.

So far I’ve only gotten one fraudulent call regarding the sale, lots of lookers and a few people who are serious.

We picked up the Mitsubishi Fuso chassis yesterday. The ride is absolutely horrible. The truck is 6500lbs with s suspension and tires capable of 14000 lbs. (ie we could put an airstream on the back). Without any weight on the back it’s a horrible ride. Glad I ordered suspension seats. About to start sound deadening the cab, ordering super singles, install suspension seats and getting ready for driving it to vancouver to get the box out on . Makes the mods we did to the airstream seem like a warm up !

Attached are a couple of pics. Two are the truck today. Third one it what the box will look like installed on the back.

[Camerons]

Rowiebowie we did get an interesting call saying the price was too low and they would sell it for more and help with financing. All they wanted was $350 to build a web page and advertise it. When I asked to talk to a reference customer who used their service they refused stating confidentiality. They also refused to let me call them back stating it was a one time offer and I had to take it now.

So I decided to proceeded with the transaction as I didn’t want to miss out on the “deal”. Now they wanted my details.

Them. What’s your legal name ?
Me. Fred
Them. Last name ?
Me. Flintstone
Them. What’s your address ?
Me. 20 quarry way, rockpile
... still they don’t get it and don’t know who the flintstone are.

Me. Excuse me. But before we continue any more can we discuss currency ?

Them We only accept USD.

Me. That’s a problem as I am paid in clams

Them. “Clams”. What kind of currency is that ??!!

Me. It’s what I get paid at the quarry when I go to work with Barney.

Them. Sir you wasting our time. We only accept USD.

Me. Do you have an internet browser ?

Them. Yes.

Me. Search on. The flintstones.

Them. YOU have wasted my time pretending to be someone you’re not !!!!

Me. Wait. Like you are pretending to help sell my airstream when in fact you’re just defrauding me of money ?

....click ... phone call ends

[Camerons]

It isn’t that hard to drop your generator and it’s required to fix corrosion on the interior contacts . It’s just awkward to lower it and slide it back in place.

Once it’s out we used dynamat Xtreme on the outside of the green plastic. The green was completely covered by dynamat. That took care of the sound. Then deal with contacts as you see fit.

The metal brackets holding the generator in place were cleaned off and covered with dynamat extreme as well. The idea was to stop any resonating. The material is thin enough to allow the generator to slide back in place.

True the resonator only changed the tone of the exhaust. The dynamat did sound deaden.

So far I’ve only gotten one fraudulent call regarding the sale, lots of lookers and a few people who are serious.

We picked up the Mitsubishi Fuso chassis yesterday. The ride is absolutely horrible. The truck is 6500lbs with s suspension and tires capable of 14000 lbs. (ie we could put an airstream on the back). Without any weight on the back it’s a horrible ride. Glad I ordered suspension seats. About to start sound deadening the cab, ordering super singles, install suspension seats and getting ready for driving it to vancouver to get the box out on . Makes the mods we did to the airstream seem like a warm up !

Attached are a couple of pics. Two are the truck today. Third one it what the box will look like installed on the back.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Camerons

It isn’t that hard to drop your generator and it’s required to fix corrosion on the interior contacts . It’s just awkward to lower it and slide it back in place.

Once it’s out we used dynamat Xtreme on the outside of the green plastic. The green was completely covered by dynamat. That took care of the sound. Then deal with contacts as you see fit.

The metal brackets holding the generator in place were cleaned off and covered with dynamat extreme as well. The idea was to stop any resonating. The material is thin enough to allow the generator to slide back in place.

True the resonator only changed the tone of the exhaust. The dynamat did sound deaden.

So far I’ve only gotten one fraudulent call regarding the sale, lots of lookers and a few people who are serious.

We picked up the Mitsubishi Fuso chassis yesterday. The ride is absolutely horrible. The truck is 6500lbs with s suspension and tires capable of 14000 lbs. (ie we could put an airstream on the back). Without any weight on the back it’s a horrible ride. Glad I ordered suspension seats. About to start sound deadening the cab, ordering super singles, install suspension seats and getting ready for driving it to vancouver to get the box out on . Makes the mods we did to the airstream seem like a warm up !

Attached are a couple of pics. Two are the truck today. Third one it what the box will look like installed on the back.

You missed out on a great deal Fred. They coulda helped you sell it for more.


That final picture is quite imposing. You can roam the tundra in that thing.