After being on the road for a few months its time for a deep clean and a tweak to my rig/set up. This thread is that process. View attachment 234972 View attachment 234973

This current set up was my first go at it, guessing at how I would use it and working with the scrap material I had in the garage at home

You learn as ya go n I have learned quite a bit from my time out here.

So first job was to rent a storage space. empty everything. N get to cleaning. I have limited tools with me so we’ll see what I can get done.

I got a 10x15 space for $29 for a month. Not bad. I’ll work on it a bit. Go out to the desert for a break n then back for more. Before hitting the road again.

So we’re off…

The clean up. Love this little Dyson vacuum. Holds a charge for a long time n the inside of the E gets pretty dirty. Lots of sand.

 

Addressing the thing that bothers me the most first… n not because a certain someone has been making fun of my sag.

( I’m not that sensitive.. n there really is nothing wrong with a little sag anyway.. all the cool kids have been doing it for years! So shut up Lou! 🤨🙂😜)

……………………………………………………………………….

the very first thing I bought was the swivel seat n then right after I ordered the rigid armour swing arm so I could have a full size spare. I also got the bracket for the propane tank n the table. ( it’s a lot of weight ) I was copying what element lifestyle from you tube had. Thinking it was a great set up.

Expensive mistake.

love having the full size spare in case I need it.

love having the wheel well for the donut spare empty for tools.

love having the fold down table. I use it all the time. But.. can’t have everything

hate the weight I’m dragging around.

hate the sag. DEF hate looking at it. ( shhhhhh Lou! ) I scrape on driveways n speed bumps. Some of these washboard roads to these dispersed camping sites are bad n clearance has been an issue.

have not used the propane tank at all. Never even filled it. I have been cooking with electric. N I have canisters for the few times I needed them.

So I worked out a way to put the full size spare inside n get rid of all the extra weight. ( stay tuned for that )

 

Addressing the thing that bothers me the most first… n not because a certain someone has been making fun of my sag.

( I’m not that sensitive.. n there really is nothing wrong with a little sag anyway.. all the cool kids have been doing it for years! So shut up Lou! 🤨🙂😜)

……………………………………………………………………….

the very first thing I bought was the swivel seat n then right after I ordered the rigid armour swing arm so I could have a full size spare. I also got the bracket for the propane tank n the table. ( it’s a lot of weight ) I was copying what element lifestyle from you tube had. Thinking it was a great set up.

Expensive mistake.

love having the full size spare in case I need it.

love having the wheel well for the donut spare empty for tools.

love having the fold down table. I use it all the time. But.. can’t have everything View attachment 234979

hate the weight I’m dragging around.

hate the sag. DEF hate looking at it. ( shhhhhh Lou! ) I scrape on driveways n speed bumps. Some of these washboard roads to these dispersed camping sites are bad n clearance has been an issue.

have not used the propane tank at all. Never even filled it. I have been cooking with electric. N I have canisters for the few times I needed them.

So I worked out a way to put the full size spare inside n get rid of all the extra weight.
View attachment 234976 View attachment 234977

No more sag! ( proud of me Lou? 🙂 ) it feels so much better. I hadn’t driven the E much at all after buying it. So it’s been me n the sag almost the entire time I’ve owned it. It feels like a new car. No more scraping. No more side eye from people thinking I’m dragging an elephant around inside my car. It feels like having a cast removed from a broken leg. A relief.

to anyone else thinking about that swing arm.. give it some extra thought before ya spend that much. It wasn’t cheap.

P.S you should not wear flip flops while removing heavy metal items from your car by yourself. Just sayin.

 

Looking forward to where and how you have the full sized spare set up. I always wanted a full sized spare inside

 

Well THIS would be wishful thinking…😂

 

Good of you to share what you’ve learned. I just do short stints and after each, I think of more ways to refine. And you’re right, the E is a fantastic micro camper, especially when its saggy bottom free.

 

Yeah.. it’s a process for sure. What works for one person might not work for the next. It’s been fun trying to figure it all out. Total MacGuyver thing. The journey continues.. I keep thinking about Alaska 😊

 

Very impressive!!! There's a lot of stuff hiding under your bed! You must have custom built the bed boxes, the Tupperware containers and other items fit in there so perfectly. I like the hinged part at the rear that lets you access the spare tire well. It looks like most of the cargo weight is on the right side. Does your own weight balance that out when you are driving? Does the cargo carrier on top make your rig hard to handle? An E is already tall and boxy and kind of unwieldy in windy conditions. Where is the travel toilet and other "bathroom stuff" hiding? Did you keep the full-sized spare tire? If so, where? I'm sure your E feels very different without the sag. E's are low to the ground for stability, and they bottom out pretty easily in rough conditions, even under no load. I chose the E because it was low to the ground and because of the way the side doors open. My old black Lab had hip problems and it was easy peasy to lift/boost him in there. I am relieved the makeover was about the sag and not a wild purple and lime green camo wrap. I kinda like the black.

 

woke up to a flat tire on a beach miles down a washboard road 💩💩🙂 no fun. Will deal with this after coffee n food.

I have the weight balanced pretty good actually. More pics to come as I finish out the tweak!

I’ve only noticed the cargo carrier being an issue going over the bridge to Coronado island in San Diego and then the back n forth a few times going over the hover dam ( it was crazy windy )

 

Flat tire? What a bummer! Hopefully the full size spare wasn't one of the things you ditched. That would be way too ironic. I love how you've found a use for every cubbyhole. Do you have a 3D printer, or just buy the items from someone who makes them?

 

Yeah. But just like the oil leak.. 💩 happens. Ya gotta just go with the flow. 🤪

it’s crazy cuz the first day I was pulling everything apart I left the full size spare in storage thinking it will be fine for a day or so. I went to camp overnight without it. Glad I have it with me now.

I got those 3D printed door inserts on Etsy I think they were like $15. It’s nice to have these nooks n crannies.

I use these fabric shoe storage bags for a lot of stuff cuz they are so flexible.

 

A lotta goodies packed into that little puke, pretty cool bed/storage system. Did you have an ecoflow heat pump unit? I think you mentioned it but no use. I've wondered how those would do for heating rather than cooling. I've camped a few times in hot weather, surprisingly did well with a mini fan on my face, and the inside cools off nicely especially if u remove the moonroof. If u want to consider diff tires/rims, I know that the set I have works well, 235 with mild all terrains was improvement on gravel/sand, and using 15" offset rims really beefs up the look too, also gives u more tire, good for deflating on sand.

 

Thx. I have two of those little fans n I love em. Haven’t had to use them much lately.

yes I have that wave 2. AC/heater. It’s the reason I have two power boxes n multiple ways to keep em charged. I can’t sleep when it’s hot n I was sure I would need AC. Turns out I didn’t need it. 😂 at least for the AC. We will see about the heater when the time comes. It’s a great unit I’ll do a review on it after I check out the heater.

the E is such a small space to heat or cool. N the window shades I have work great. Hmmmm that’s another review…

it’s funny I honestly thought I would only keep Hiatus long enough for this trip n sell her off when I was done. I’ve grown attached.. I’m keeping her

 

Beautiful spot! I can see why you rushed to stake a claim on it.

I'm sure you'll deal with the tire and whatever else comes up and be fine. You wouldn't be out there doing what you're doing if you didn’t have the skills to roll with the punches.

I didn't realize Hiatus was your car's name, or that it was a she. I thought it was your nickname or "call sign."

Can't wait for the big reveal. Though there are a fairly limited number of places one could store a tire. It wouldn't fit underneath, and it would be a real pain to get out of the cargo carrier. Under the bed? In the passenger front footwell? I will wait with bated breath to find out.

 

…. Continued…

when the “ sofa” cushions are turned for bed mode they overhang the box….i think it’s like 30”s wide.

I was gonna install a slat pull out like you see a lot of people do to support that overhang…

… but I had those 6 dometic water jugs…they were slightly taller than I needed but could work. I needed to store 3 more of them somewhere and the weight would be over the axel.. so done deal!

not perfectly level but that’s alright. Wrap those cushions in a sheet to pull them all together. That L shape notch where my feet go is not as wide for a few reasons… it gives me elbow room when I swivel my seat to face the rear and I don’t need the bed to be as wide below my knees. 🙂

I topped it off with this thing.. which is amazing. I think it’s made of latex.. I’ll look it up. With all those holes it breathes and keeps the bed cool. It great.. I think it was like $75 n I cut it down to fit.

wrap all that in a second sheet n bam! .. REALLY comphy bed!

 

…. Continued…

View attachment 235044

when the “ sofa” cushions are turned for bed mode they overhang the box….i think it’s like 30”s wide.

View attachment 235045

I was gonna install a slat pull out like you see a lot of people do to support that overhang…


View attachment 235046

… but I had those 6 dometic water jugs that were slightly taller than I needed but could work. N I needed to store 3 more of them somewhere and the weight would be over the axel.. so done!

View attachment 235047
View attachment 235048

not perfectly level but that’s alright. Wrap those visions in a sheet to pull them all together. That L shape notch where my feet go is not as wide for a few reasons… it gives me elbow room when I swivel my seat to face the rear and I don’t need the bed to be as wide below my knees. 🙂

View attachment 235049

I topped it off with this thing.. which is amazing. I think it’s made of latex.. I’ll look it up. With all those holes it breathes and keeps the bed cool. It great.. I think it was like $75 n I cut it down to fit.

View attachment 235050 View attachment 235051

wrap all that in a second sheet n bam! .. REALLY comphy bed!

top that off with a sleeping bag.

I store my window shades under that when traveling

Add a wool blanket just in case..

 

I love this thread. My only caveat to doing this would be storing my folding wheelchair within reach inside the Element. It takes up a lot of room. I think I wouldn’t need as much stuff because I’d only sleep in the car when I travel cross country. My setup would need to be flexible depending on whether I’m hauling something inside.
Has anyone used the existing seats to make a bed comfortably?
I do have a tiny flat trailer that I used to pull behind my CanAm Spyder Touring when my wife & I traveled to different states. I put a car top carrier on it raised up with 80/20 just enough to slide my wheelchair under it. It worked well except in heavy winds. I no longer have the Spyder, but wished I did.

 

I love this thread. My only caveat to doing this would be storing my folding wheelchair within reach inside the Element. It takes up a lot of room. I think I wouldn’t need as much stuff because I’d only sleep in the car when I travel cross country. My setup would need to be flexible depending on whether I’m hauling something inside.
Has anyone used the existing seats to make a bed comfortably?
I do have a tiny flat trailer that I used to pull behind my CanAm Spyder Touring when my wife & I traveled to different states. I put a car top carrier on it raised up with 80/20 just enough to slide my wheelchair under it. It worked well except in heavy winds. I no longer have the Spyder, but wished I did.

Great! I’m glad to hear. I thought it would be good to have one thread with the complete set up. from start to finish. Keep it all cohesive ( if you can follow my rambling 😂) ya never know when just one small idea can help someone else out.

I bought this car from a guy who bought it from a guy that used a wheel chair. The front drivers seat was broken because of that.


stay tuned for how I now store my full size spare inside because it might just be the answer you are looking for. Even if you have to tweak it a bit. 🙂

The journey continues….

 

I use the existing rear seats (1 of them) as bed, but I camp only 1 or 2 days at a time. I change the setup frequently (this never ends), but I push both front seats forward to gain big space and make it easy to open/close the front and side doors, and I use my cooler as the bed extension for legs feet. I put a folding foam (kinda thin) on top, then a thermarest on top of that... I have a pic in one of Hiatus' threads, the foam thing is under the moonroof and orange thermarest rolled up on the side. I actually find this comfortable, using the reclining feature but often have trouble sleeping... but a couple key items: 1) the width is a bit narrow, so I removed the plastic shelf on the side where the lever exists to remove the seat (gives more arm room) and put something soft there, and 2) i just upgraded from a mini backpack pillow to a much bigger one and wow what a difference, only used it my last camp and I was super cozy and slept well.

 

I use the existing rear seats (1 of them) as bed, but I camp only 1 or 2 days at a time. I change the setup frequently (this never ends), but I push both front seats forward to gain big space and make it easy to open/close the front and side doors, and I use my cooler as the bed extension for legs feet. I put a folding foam (kinda thin) on top, then a thermamattress on top if that... I have a pic in one of Hiatus' threads, the foam thing is under the moonroof and orange theermattress rolled up on the side. I actually find this comfortable, using the reclining feature but often have trouble sleeping... but a couple key items: 1) the width is a bit narrow, so I removed the plastic shelf on the side where the lever exists to remove the seat (gives more arm room) and put something soft there, and 2) i just upgraded from a mini backpack pillow to a much bigger one and wow what a difference, only used it my last camp and I was super cozy and slept well.

Burp.. excuse me… I just finished my frozen mango cups!

I have one of those square pillows n I love it.

I just met a guy here on the beach who has been over-landing for the last 10 years straight.. that’s a lot of nights!! He gave me a list of some cool places to check out. I may stop at one when I leave here.

 

After being on the road for a few months its time for a deep clean and a tweak to my rig/set up. This thread is that process. View attachment 234972 View attachment 234973

This current set up was my first go at it, guessing at how I would use it and working with the scrap material I had in the garage at home

You learn as ya go n I have learned quite a bit from my time out here.

So being thousands of miles from home the first job was to rent a storage space. empty everything. N get to cleaning. I have limited tools with me so we’ll see what I can get done.

I got a 10x15 space for $29 for a month. Not bad. I’ll work on it a bit. Go out to the desert for a break n then back for more. Before hitting the road again.

So we’re off…

Hey all.. I need some helpful input with a tire situation I’m having out here in the boonies on a beach.

I posted in the “problems” threads.. any constructive responses would be great. Thx!!

 

Alright.. I got the tire situation sorted n a plan put in place to get safely back on the road. I’ll take a deeper dive when I get to a bigger city. Lots of lessons learned. It was pretty cool to get some quick info here. I appreciate everyone who responded. I’ll pay it forward. EOC is a great resource.

 

…. Continued

I use this cutting board as a lap desk. At night I make a nightstand out of it.

I put this wider gel bath mat up top of the cutting board cuz it’s wider n I gives me more surface area for a light n my I pad. It’s a nice little set up.

( the gel bath mat serves double duty. When you are sleeping in the E the temp that is outside radiates through to the inside. That mat works great as a buffer for that. Like mobile insulation )
I have a couple fans clipped onto the handles at the ceiling.

 

So now comes the tweak of fitting my full size spare inside.



this is the location it’s gonna live in.

the flip up cubby with the piano hing needs to be cut down in order to fit over the tire.

remove the rear cubby. Set it next to my spare. Use my cutting board as a straight edge. Do a mechanical transfer of the height.

Use this cheap hand saw to trim this down

reattach the cubby n do a test fit

to be continued…

 

View attachment 235122

Still plenty of room back here for kitchen stuff

just needs some 2x2s to help support the bed.

 

Setting my fridge in that same location just elevated up off the floor onto the tire

Using that scrap piece of wood I cut off n a Matt to level it out. N keep the vibration down.

I only need one of those dometic jugs now to help support the cushions for the bed.. but still need to fill this gap…

I use these yeti luggage storage cubes for clothes. Usually they live in the cargo carrier. But I’ll use a few as shims to fill in that gap…

The fridge is now level with the top of the bed n it now becomes my nightstand..and the bed is more level now than it was before. Easier access to the fridge at night.



to be continued…

it’s like a thick comfy hospital gurney set inside an Element!



to be continued…

 

nice n orderly 🙂

To be continued…