Any GTAM'ers have a tiny/micro camper? | Page 16 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any GTAM'ers have a tiny/micro camper?

When I think of micro:
LSsUNixl.jpg

It has to be this or smaller.
The tandem obviously isn't micro. Just interesting the lengths people go to for a constant source of power ( I think mostly unnecessary). If you can't go for 24 hours camping without a 3000 watt generator and a solar setup, imo you need to modify your loads/capacity (eg led bulbs, larger house battery etc).
 
The tandem obviously isn't micro. Just interesting the lengths people go to for a constant source of power ( I think mostly unnecessary). If you can't go for 24 hours camping without a 3000 watt generator and a solar setup, imo you need to modify your loads/capacity (eg led bulbs, larger house battery etc).
A friend is towing his 30 footer to a no power, no generator site for a week. He's replaced the bulbs with LED's and the fridge is propane and only needs control power. Tests in his driveway indicate he should be OK. If he needs to recharge he'll have to run the pickup for a bit. Solar could probably handle the top ups but camping usually means trees.
 
for anybody thinking of adding solar, do your homework. A lot of the lower cost panels loose their efficiency if even a leaf drops onto the panel , the shaded part of the circuit stops half the panel from working. And many of the lower priced panels don't like the vibration and racking involved in some traveling RV mounts.
 
I notice you’re not using the Volt @PrivatePilot ? Also is that camping or just stopping where you can drive up to water on crown land?

The Volt wasn't going to be up to the task of towing in the insane grades out in the Gaspe region - some of them are pretty brutal. I know it would physically do it (and likely a lot better than the Kia for that matter for spurts) but the weak link in the chain is the generator - it just would not keep up with demand, it would be just running at the governor in reduced propulsion mode for hours on end which wouldn't likely have ended well and made for a potentially slow trip. The Soul huffs and puffs on the huge grades and in the headwinds but as long as you're willing to let it do it's thing (and be buzzy sometimes), it gets the job done without any drama. I did add a transmission cooler for this trip though and it's quite happy with that.

The Volt is fine for our flat roads here in Ontario...mountains, not so much.

Winds can be brutal as well. Once we got back to the main westbound road on the top of the peninsula from Highway 299 (Where the camping pictures were from) we were bucking 50+kph headwinds - the Soul was locked in 3rd gear with the torque converter unlocked even for some stretches. Worst fuel economy we saw across one tank was a brutal 23L/100KM, although with favourable winds the best tank was 12.5L/100KM yesterday the whole way from Quebec City to Cornwall. It goes to show you that wind resistance makes a big deal on a trailer moreso than weight.

That camping spot in the photos was indeed Crown Land. We spent 2 days there boondocking and the only people we saw were the fish and wildlife wardens stopping by to check on us and see if all was well. One fellow was from Whitby, small world.

If anyone ever has the opportunity to drive Highway 299 in Gaspesie between New Richmond and St Anne du Monts, do it...it's incredible. A postcard moment at every turn. It's our second time up that way (and second time boondocking in there) and we'll go again I'm sure.
 
A different shot:
swgQL0Ll.jpg
 
The wife and I ended up getting a pop up this season. Just a little one, 1400 lbs dry, 8ft box, Queen and double bed with electric mattress heaters, 3 way fridge, furnace and indoor/outdoor stove.

Heading to the Sandbanks this weekend .

It’s a 2012 and cost $6k



ad9569bf41f13555597ccf2d3ed62f7a.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
The wife and I ended up getting a pop up this season. Just a little one, 1400 lbs dry, 8ft box, Queen and double bed with electric mattress heaters, 3 way fridge, furnace and indoor/outdoor stove.

Heading to the Sandbanks this weekend .

It’s a 2012 and cost $6k



ad9569bf41f13555597ccf2d3ed62f7a.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
It looks like A/C on roof or is that just a giant fan box?
 
Cool. Anything you can get away camping in is something that'll make memories. Having had massive and glorious and now tiny and not very glorious, both have made awesome memories in different ways. Both our adult kids still regularly talk about our trip to the west cost in 2008, for example. My daughter the nature nut still waxes poetic about our many east coast trips - I'm pretty sure it was one of the driving forces that caused her to pursue outdoor studies in college now.
 
Great. Way better than the gen1 so far as the drivetrain. Maybe was just wind conditions yesterday but our Gen1 seemed more stable, but it was still all good, just felt some movement with the wind howling yesterday on the way here.

The more powerful drivetrain however really became evident.

We were planning to stay until tomorrow afternoon, but the weather has other plans for Sunday so I suspect we’ll bail early unfortunately to avoid driving home in slop tomorrow.
 
Did you get a new mobile home @PrivatePilot ? This thing looks like a nightmare with any crosswind. Is anybody surprised that there is a gofundme link on it? He's an architecture student. The knobbies are a nice touch. This thing would be a joy offroad.



267201363_10220759821966632_4608354540126455695_n.jpg


27669454_1518387378.1779_funddescription.jpg
 
Interesting, but seems like it's trying to fix a problem that doesn't need fixing. Put 2 wheels on the thing and just tow it like a normal motorcycle camper.

Those with deep pockets own these, same manufacturer as my camper.


But there's a lot of simpler/cheaper options that kinda accomplish the same thing as this pod without all the potential pitfalls...like rolling over in the middle of the night and knocking your bike over because of the forces. I'm guessing it needs all sorts of stabilizers to hold the bike upright and stabilize the camper itself? Or...just getting in and out of it - looks to me like you'd have to do a Dukes of Hazzard getting in, and a Humpty Dumpty getting out.
 
Forgot to post this pic after returning from our winter camping adventure from the earlier photos.

This was the fuel economy on the new Volt towing the 166km back home. I did of course charge the car at the campground so it was full when we left, but I ran in Hold mode for the first bit 100% on the engine (to heat things up) and then depleted the battery at about the half way point of the trip - I think it got about 50KM or so IIRC before switching back to gas.

Most importantly, we drafted our friends pulling their square-box camper, and I had the Volt on adaptive cruise control set to the "closest" setting to maximize the drafting effect.

Needless to say I was pretty impressed with the fuel economy overall - 8.8L/100KM.

1642118482499.png

The strictly gas portion while drafting on the way home was 10.4L/100km. Pretty impressive on it's own honestly.

The trip up, bucking a headwind and with nothing to draft:

1642116811598.png

Still not bad honestly.
 
Last edited:
14.7/100L? my F150 does better than that pulling 5000lbs

Probably not with the 80kph headwind directly from the north, while headed directly north at 90kph.

We basically couldn't even have a fire the night we got there. Tried to drape up a tarp between trees to make it work but there was no hope.

Sadly we ended up sitting inside our friends bigger camper and playing board games and cards instead.
 

Back
Top Bottom