Lorin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2010
- Messages
- 1,535
Next year we're off in April for 6 months touring through South Eastern Europe. As we'll be travelling with a 4 year old and a large dog, packaging in an 80 is a challenge to say the least. So, I've made a few changes to my setup in preparation for this trip and am currently 'testing' on a leisurely jaunt through Brittany.
The main changes are: a larger tent; a large fridge freezer; redesigned shelving/drawers; and more solar. There is also a swing-away carrier in development to carry the spare when needed, the bikes and the gas.
The new tent is a Tembo 1.9 Tourer https://www.fd4x4centre.com/webshop_en/tembo4x4-rooftoptent-tbhrt19t-tourer.html. This was chosen after two visits to Abenteur and Allrad to properly look at different options. Options big enough to sleep three in relative comfort are not that extensive and all have their compromises. This particular tent came out on top due primarily to the quality of its build, its relative light weight and a really positive review from someone who used one continuously for 12 months. So far the tent has proven a good choice, having endured some significant wind and rain without issue. It sets up well and the quality is as we remembered. The only negatives were that it arrived with aluminium swarf throughout the tent requiring quite a bit of effort to remove, the assembly instructions are so poor as to be more a hindrance than a help, and my experience of buying through Adventech https://www.adventech4x4.com/nl/product/tembo-4x4/ was one of the worst I've had.
The new fridge freezer is a Snomaster EX67D. This would not have been my first choice as I wanted a National Luna but two things meant this was the only option. Having had 3 fridges to date, an Engel 40, Waeco 50 and a National Luna Weekender 50 Dual, one thing that has become really apparent is that quoted power usuage figures are of no real use at all. When considering which option will use less power, I now believe the primary concern, even over how efficient the compressor is, is how well insulated the unit is. We've been in mid to high 30s and seen all our fridges running almost continuously at times. This meant that insulation was a key factor in choosing our fridge freezer with a minimum of 60mm being indicated. I also wanted a double door, so that the freezer wasn't opened every time I accessed the fridge and I wanted separate fridge freezer temperature controls. Taken together, these factors reduced options to either a National Luna or a Snomaster. The fridge I wanted was the NL 72 but for some unfathomable reason it only allows the larger of the two compartments to be run as a proper freezer (-18C). That coupled with with an eye-watering price left me with the Snowmaster EX67D. This also has the benefit of 70mm insulation - the most of any available camping fridge. I bought through Tuff Trek which was painless. First impressions are good. It holds temperature well, the compressor is quiet, quality is okay if not NL standards, and consumption doesn't seem too bad. The only issue I'm experiencing is with significant voltage drop when the compressor runs which I'm assuming is my wiring and needs further investigation.
My shelving unit is in its 5th iteration and is pretty close to how I want it. The biggest issue is with my workmanship (combined with B&Q plywood) meaning the fit and finish is poor, and the drawer slides are binding a bit. I'm going to resolve this by getting someone skilled to remake it for me using quality ply!
I've also fitted a 100W flexible solar panel on the bonnet. This is to help the leisure battery when we park up with the fridge. It is further augmented by a further 100W (two 50W panels) that I can deploy when we're set-up. So far it all seems more than adequate for keeping up with demand.
Some pictures
The main changes are: a larger tent; a large fridge freezer; redesigned shelving/drawers; and more solar. There is also a swing-away carrier in development to carry the spare when needed, the bikes and the gas.
The new tent is a Tembo 1.9 Tourer https://www.fd4x4centre.com/webshop_en/tembo4x4-rooftoptent-tbhrt19t-tourer.html. This was chosen after two visits to Abenteur and Allrad to properly look at different options. Options big enough to sleep three in relative comfort are not that extensive and all have their compromises. This particular tent came out on top due primarily to the quality of its build, its relative light weight and a really positive review from someone who used one continuously for 12 months. So far the tent has proven a good choice, having endured some significant wind and rain without issue. It sets up well and the quality is as we remembered. The only negatives were that it arrived with aluminium swarf throughout the tent requiring quite a bit of effort to remove, the assembly instructions are so poor as to be more a hindrance than a help, and my experience of buying through Adventech https://www.adventech4x4.com/nl/product/tembo-4x4/ was one of the worst I've had.
The new fridge freezer is a Snomaster EX67D. This would not have been my first choice as I wanted a National Luna but two things meant this was the only option. Having had 3 fridges to date, an Engel 40, Waeco 50 and a National Luna Weekender 50 Dual, one thing that has become really apparent is that quoted power usuage figures are of no real use at all. When considering which option will use less power, I now believe the primary concern, even over how efficient the compressor is, is how well insulated the unit is. We've been in mid to high 30s and seen all our fridges running almost continuously at times. This meant that insulation was a key factor in choosing our fridge freezer with a minimum of 60mm being indicated. I also wanted a double door, so that the freezer wasn't opened every time I accessed the fridge and I wanted separate fridge freezer temperature controls. Taken together, these factors reduced options to either a National Luna or a Snomaster. The fridge I wanted was the NL 72 but for some unfathomable reason it only allows the larger of the two compartments to be run as a proper freezer (-18C). That coupled with with an eye-watering price left me with the Snowmaster EX67D. This also has the benefit of 70mm insulation - the most of any available camping fridge. I bought through Tuff Trek which was painless. First impressions are good. It holds temperature well, the compressor is quiet, quality is okay if not NL standards, and consumption doesn't seem too bad. The only issue I'm experiencing is with significant voltage drop when the compressor runs which I'm assuming is my wiring and needs further investigation.
My shelving unit is in its 5th iteration and is pretty close to how I want it. The biggest issue is with my workmanship (combined with B&Q plywood) meaning the fit and finish is poor, and the drawer slides are binding a bit. I'm going to resolve this by getting someone skilled to remake it for me using quality ply!
I've also fitted a 100W flexible solar panel on the bonnet. This is to help the leisure battery when we park up with the fridge. It is further augmented by a further 100W (two 50W panels) that I can deploy when we're set-up. So far it all seems more than adequate for keeping up with demand.
Some pictures
