Countertop Extension

 I am a cook.  I need countertop space.  The Barefoot is compact by design, which I love!  And I found myself looking for just a little more space to put down a hot pan or dish.  So.....

At first I was thinking lagun table, as I'd seen in T@bs, that would be removable and could rotate to double as a food tray stand.  Like this one:

So I ordered one on Amazon.  From the pics on the side, you'd THINK it came with a leg!!!  Nope.  In retrospect, that was OK because installing a table with the plate as pictured above would interfere with the movement of the bench as it is extended to create the bed platform.  

So I brainstormed Plan B: a foldable shelf that could retract to the wall of the cabinet, to save space in the dinette area when not in use.

Came out pretty good - it actually will serve as a mini-table while seated in the dinette area.  Actually better than a lagun table, in retrospect!

The shelf hardware was installed just to the left side of the outlet, so as to not interfere with function.  I can imagine this being done with a slightly longer platform, but one would need to be mindful of access to the USB and 3prong plugs.  We'll see how this does before I opt to change it.  Conveniently, Vermont has a bunch of places you can buy wooden butcher block cutting boards that would suit this purpose beautifully and perfectly!  But for now, on to other projects...

Roxy as OnlyDog

for the time being.  We will be adopting a little brother or sister for Roxy in the fall or winter.  Sagan will be with us in spirit, from across the rainbow bridge, which he trotted over in December.  I'm glad he got to enjoy both the T@g and the Barefoot.  We miss him every day.... except that I do think Roxy enjoys getting all of the attention ;) 

 

Prepping for Kansas - fan upgrade

This upcoming July and August, I will be "full time" in my little Barefoot in Kansas, while taking an intensive five-week course to become eligible for board certification for Animal Chiropractic.  While the Barefoot is probably primarily intended for shorter vacations, with just a few changes it should be good to go for extended living - I just hope July will be will enough past tornado season to be safe!!!!

The first change was to swap out the three speed fan for a remote control fan with 12 speeds (therefore a true LOW speed - the 3-speed fan in the Barefoot was one of my only items of dissatisfaction, it is very loud on its lowest speed... Nucamp, this would be a welcome upgrade for future models).  The choice was either drop in a completely new fan unit ($$$! whole lotta labor, to pull out the old unit from the roof, plus the cost of a brand-new fan) or retro-fit the existing housing with a roof vent assembly upgrade kit I found: 

Technically I could have done it myself, but the reviews on etrailer.com suggested that for the type of Dometic fan in the Barefoot the wiring for the automatic lid raise would be tricky - so I had my local Airstream dealership do it =) 

Results:  AWESOME!!!!!!!  So much quieter.  And the ability to close the roof vent or change the fan speed without getting up out of bed....  much more conducive to a good night's sleep.

Another super simple upgrade was attaching a handle to the inside of the door - the new Barefoot models actually come with one (nice upgrade!) but there's a super simple solution that the Amazon fairy can bring you: 

More projects in process:  bug netting for the windows to occlude Maine's no-see-ums, a foldable shelf to extend the countertop just a bit, and window dressings for the outside to mitigate the heat of the Kansas summer sun.  Stay tuned.

And, outdoor space....

 Simple, easy setup dog fence to create a semi-circular enclosed area next to the Barefoot:

and

HAPPY DOGS!!!

Side by side comparison, T@g versus Barefoot

LOL may as well, since I still have both.....  have not sold my little T@gXL yet!

It's smaller than the NuCamp T@b320 and MUCH smaller than the 400 (saw them all compared at the Boston RV show).  Yet, the Barefoot is surprisingly very roomy inside.  It's nice to be able to stand up and walk around.

Yes, the underbelly clearance is lower.  Just be careful... and don't hit any potholes in campground access roads like I did yesterday (grrr.) I'm considering the "747 mod" on my front wheel, on the tongue, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get the wheel on and off bc of clearance.  TBC...  With proper care, the reduced undercarriage clearance is a decent tradeoff for the space/height inside.  Probably don't do any crazy offroading with the Barefoot, but that's not really what it's designed for anyways!

Second photo is a bit of a funky perspective but yes, the T@g is wider than the Barefoot.  Inside, the Barefoot is wide enough for me to stretch out comfortably wheel to wheel, not touching either wall, and I'm 5'7".

Super simple modification: Screen door!

EASY bug solution for those who like to have the door open!  Got the idea from friends who sail - they used this for easy in/out to the cabin of their catamaran.  Magnetic closure.  This is the one I purchased years ago for my own porch door, it's no longer available but there are updated versions:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H3X7FFE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Barefoot has a little lip above the door which makes it amenable to simple clips.  You can find edges on the underside of the trailer, left and right of the door, to use for affixing the bottom of the screen to create a bugproof seal.  I used these:

Fold up small for easy storage in one of the overheads: 

In action: (note that it does close completely when the bottom clips are in the right location, this was a "quick and dirty" installation for the purposes of this post)

The Alde System..... warm toes in the morning

Seriously.  This is living.  I was cold while camping, and turned on the Alde in the middle of the night to warm the cabin.  Swung my feet off the bed onto the floor and ooooooohhhhhh!!!!!  THE HEAT VENT IS PERFECTLY POSITIONED TO WARM YOUR COLD TOES IN THE MORNING!!!!  Holy crap.  I can never tent-camp again.  

To think, I haven't even really had a need to try the air conditioning yet.  That'll be the first week of July...

Finally got a decent photo to capture the size of the sleeping area.  Roxy is nearly 70 pounds and average for a Labrador.

Next project will be replacing the curtains.  Unfortunately, the fabric has separated from the ring hangers with minimal use.......  good thing I was planning to replace them anyways.  (Note to Nucamp, y'all need to use a stronger fabric!!!!)

Barefoot and Free... and efficient!

 Dry camping, Pillsbury State Park, Washington NH

And...

 

My sister's response to this was hilarious.  "That's better than my boyfriend's truck, WITHOUT a trailer...."

A few little electrical projects..... without zapping myself =)

Three of the "modifications" I wanted to do to my new little Barefoot Eggy right off the bat were (1) install my brand-new Battleborn 100Ah that I had purchased for my T@g, because I had no intention of letting that go to the T@g's new future owners!!  (2) get the Battelborn lithium hooked up to solar panels, since the Barefoot has a solar port, and (3) install a Smart Shunt battery monitor, because I'm anal retentive.  LOL.  Joking, not joking...  as a former recovering scientist, I love data and the little plug-in doohicky does not provide enough for decision making purposes.  Specifically, real-time amp draw, which allows one to estimate how much "time" you have left on the battery until recharge - a parameter that I personally find useful!

Because one of the most interesting problems in these little rigs is how to make sure you have enough power to last X amount of time, without plugging in to "shore power."  That's often referred to as "dry camping" or "boondocking." Since I have a loooong history of camping away from traditional campgrounds or electrical outlets, this is the most natural style of camping for me to pursue.  Sure, it's nice to plug in - I mean, holy luxury!!  But if I want to go out west and find some National Forest or BLM land in the middle of NOWHERE and still be self-sufficient, I need to know that my heat source will not go out in the middle of a cold night because I drained my battery.  (Not that I've done that.  Ever.) Also it's super-nice to be able to camp in the non-electric sites, away from the big rigs.  Having off-grid power gives a lot of flexibility in terms of site selection, for sure!

The T@g originally came with a "marine" lead-acid battery, and I had never used one of those- was a bit surprised to learn that although it *says 100Ah, you can't actually **use** more than 50% of that without damaging the battery? Seems a bit mislabeled to me, then! Ugh.  So I started learning about lithium and how it gets around that problem.  (OH, also lithium requires no maintenance, and can stay in the trailer, even in winter, without a trickle charger...  and hey, I like easy.). In sum, I surmised that although it's more of an investment, lithium would allow for longer "dry camping" with less worry - so when I killed the OEM marine battery from the T@g (oops), I opted for lithium! Of the most salient brands, I was considering Renogy and Battleborn since those were the two the majority of the folks on the Nucamp Owner's Group on Facebook recommend.  Plenty of cheaper ones out there, but you often get what you pay for, and, um lithium can explode?  Also, going with a well-known company allows for the opportunity for technical support.  In the end, the folks at Battleborn were SUPER helpful setting up the lithium in the T@g - guided me through all of the parameters I needed to change on the Victron MPPT, and on the Victron battery monitor (BMV) I had installed on the T@g.  I may consider Renogy more next time, since their bluetooth battery monitor is integrated therefore without a need to purchase and install a shunt.  

The charge controller in the Barefoot is able to "auto-detect" lithium versus lead-acid, and switch to optimized charge parameters according to whatever battery it sees - so I knew that for that first step, transferring the Battleborn to the Barefoot should be straightforward.  (I think I covered that in a previous blog?) So that left hooking the Battleborn up to a solar panel, and adding a battery monitor, even though some folks on the Nucamp Owner's Group were of the opinion that the plug-in was perfectly sufficient (more on that later).  

I should note that I had an ace card up my sleeve for this project:  my dad, now 81, was an electrical engineer and his specialty was actually power conversion, with a ton of product knowledge in both lithium and solar.  (This stuff is not intuitive to me, personally.  FFS, I am a PhD biochemist turned chiropractor, not an engineer...)  I'm so glad to have resources to turn to!!  You know, supervisory influences that help me to know blow things up or zap myself.  Tee hee.

The kind folks at Nucamp confirmed that just hooking my Jackery 100W panels (from my Explorer 1000 station/package that I snagged on Black Friday last year, which conveniently serves as backup power for the Barefoot and as an inverter) directly into the solar plug (my original thought) would be a, haha, *bad idea* (I learn new stuff all the time!  Good thing I ask questions, I seriously would have just plugged it in and assumed it would work fine....) and also confirmed that a Victron MPPT 75/15 was sufficient for my purposes, max two 100W panels.  The next question was, do I splice that in to the wires going into the controller *inside the cabin, or *outside the cabin?  I opted to not alter the Barefoot's tangle of wires under the dinette bench because i was absolutely just too intimidated by the prospect of finding the right wires.  I mean.... it's out of sight for a reason lol!   

Instead, I chose to splice into the DC 8mm female to SAE connector wire that I found to connect from the Jackery panels into the solar panel in the side of the Nautilus box (above), but I had to solve a little problem first:  Polarity, because apparently it matters...  Which adapter end (above) should I use to get the current from the solar to the lithium?  So I dug around in the Nest-O-Wires under the dinette bench and found the black and red coming from the Nautilus box...  Red wire on top! and was able to use the product as pictured above, no adapter.  

Speaking of polarity, when you plug the red and black wires into the Victron MPPT, look carefully for the + and - sides.  I had all the wires cut, trimmed, and into the module and handed it to my dad for double-checking and he chuckled and said..... try again! Haha.  Again with good thing I have supervision.  Because if you wire it backwards, it won't work =) That said, Victron states that if it is wired incorrectly, the MPPT will heat up but will not send backwards juice to the lithium, which is a good failsafe!

And here's the final setup.  I will plug this in only when I want to juice the batteries with solar, otherwise the panels fit so nicely into the storage area by the Barefoot's door.  Did I mention that the Barefoot has really well-designed sneaky storage areas?  Here's the MPPT plugged into the solar port inside the Nautilus box:

And... drumroll... Functionality confirmed via Victron bluetooth app!!! Had to set the parameters for lithium, which I had done for the T@g so I already had them in an old email.  See, THIS is why you should save old emails....

So now I have the ability to recharge my lithium on-the-fly, via solar input!  Very glad Nucamp included a solar port on this little rig.  I recognize that due to the shape of the hull, solar panels on the rig itself would have been a very challenging engineering problem - and frankly, in the past I have had a bit of frustration positioning the T@g such that the solar panels were in an optimal position for recharging, given that the sun sort of moves though the sky?  Now I can easily reposition my solar panel(s) for maximum efficiency!

The SmartShunt installation was a bit trickier.  See, here's the thing:  the custom-made battery box that Nucamp designed for the Barefoot, quietly tucked under the right side of the dinette (shown without cover, that screws on the front,

is very nice looking for sure and I love the tie-down strap and the slide-out shelf, but it's a bit of a challenge to add the battery shunt because as you can see you can't add it inside the box (no room), you can't add it on top (no clearance, the bench pull-out slides across of the top of the battery box) and you can't stick it on either side because you really can't access those spots.  And in any case, you'll have to drill a hole in the box to get the wires thru.  So I opted to drill a hole in the front cover (haha extra ventilation, I guess): 

to pull the wires through.  Since I had wired a Victron BMV before for the T@g, I actually had an extra jumper cable appropriate for the task at hand, albeit the "wrong color" (hahaha), so I literally wrote "BLACK" on the red cable to remind my future self that yes, I had done this on purpose.

Here's the outside, all wired up and battery box re-sealed -  so yeah, there's a "bend" in the cable but it's not sharply crimped so I say fair game.  I will just have to remember to never put anything conductive in that storage area next to the battery box.  Fortunately this is where I store the 2" memory foam topper which is NON-conductive! 

and, for the finale, after inputting the parameters for the lithium into the Victron app......

Back to the "anal retentive" comment.  I don't understand why these two are not showing the same battery voltage.  Going to email Battleborn about that to make sure I have all of my parameters correct.  That said, as a control for my experiment, I confirmed the battery voltage with both the multimeter and the plug-in, and they all give the same reading.  So YES, the plug-in will allow you to check battery voltage with pretty good accuracy!  FYI a multi-meter will not work well for monitoring a battery in a Barefoot due to the position/location of the battery, unless you want to open the storage compartment and un-screw the face off the battery box every time you want to check the battery.  What the smartshunt gives you that the plug-in does not, is amp draw and a simple calculation of "hours left." Unfortunately I did not take a screenshot of that in the app, so I will post it later on.

VERY happy with this seemingly small project (which was a big deal to me!!) A few suggestions for Nucamp to consider:  Having the rig "solar-ready" with an MPPT integrated would be a nice upgrade for future models, and salespeople/dealers should be trained to be clear that the solar port needs an MPPT to safely input from a panel to the battery.  (I was not told that.) And while the battery box is lovely (very nicely made!  Vented on the back and bottom, too!) a pre-cut opening on the front would be nice, both for handling the front of the battery box while taking it off/ putting it back on, and for egress of wires for a battery shunt (or additional batteries? That's an interesting question unto itself, it looks like there's room for a few more Batteborns as a battery bank in that storage compartment....) 

So with these upgrades, and my Jackery 1000, I am now ready to dry camp / boondock WITH the two-way fridge for maybe a week?  To be continued, once I gather some more data =)

Barefoot in the Wild

 Trip #2 was a great success.  My major goals were to see if my lithium battery / Jackery Explorer / plug-in battery monitor system was sufficient to power the camper (and accoutrements) for five days, and to see if I could stretch the fresh water tank (and the cassette toilet) for the same duration.  Check, on all counts =) The Barefoot is indeed Boondockable!!

Oh and I also had a goal of completing a draft of the Discussion and Conclusions section of this monster paper I'm writing.  Check!  My work-from-home station was quite adequate, thank you....  complete with Roxy and Sagan the Lab Assistants 😍

Highlight of the weekend: cool ocean breeze coming through the windows while sleeping, and a Labrador under each arm.  😍 

First, update on the battery situation.  The plug-in Innova monitor, according to reviews, tracks with multimeter data - so, imo, fair game.  Yes, it's plugged into the 9V receptacle, so it reads voltage *after* it has been distributed thru the fridge, etc - therefore it provides a "low end" estimate.  Hey, better that than a false sense of security with a false-positive high end estimate!  So maybe this will suffice, rather than installing a shunt / bluetooth?  I printed a SOC charge for lithium and taped it to the wall for quick reference.  Knowing that Battleborn states their batteries can be drained to a low SOC without impact on battery life / # of cycles, I did allow the battery to drain to 12.8 (17.8%) at the lowest, then plugged the camper into the Jackery portable via a 15-30A adapter.  Easy peasy.  So the "timing" question will be balancing charging up the Jackery in daylight, with maintaining enough SOC in the camper.  

Loving the Jackery setup.  It was supereasy.  I should mention that recharging the camper only drew the Jackery down to about 45%, which was easy to replenish during daylight hours.  So there's some wiggle room here.  My major power draw was the fridge - I only turned the water pump on while using it, and ran the vent fan occasionally.  I'm a little nervous about running both the fridge and the vent fan overnight, since I'm not starting with 100% charge (see next paragraph) but I'm fairly confident that I can solve that hypothetical problem next.

One thing that needs improvement in my system is being able to fully charge the lithium - plugged into 15A shore power at my house, the monitor is not showing above 13.6.  I *think* the WFCO automatically re-set to lithium?  Gonna dig under the bench today to look for the blue-red light combo that confirms that. Alternatively I do actually want to set up the 100w panels to directly charge the battery.  My understanding at this point is that I will need a solar controller to modulate that input.  I really wish NuCamp had made the rig "solar ready," and that's an improvement I will recommend.  The Victron MPPT 75/15 would be sufficient for my needs, the awesome folks at NuCamp confirmed this for me: "the listed capacity of the 75/15 is 220W, which should be fine for (2) 100 w panels:) " So the question would be WHERE to put it.  Do I dig around in the inputs to the WFCO?  Or do I splice that in-line to the 8mm to SAE converter for the solar port?  I kind of like the setup I found on the interwebs (see photo).  TBC....

So have I mentioned how much I love being able to take a hot shower?  Yeah, "Navy shower," but whatever, that's fine.  Hot water, and that feeling of "clean" going to bed - HUGE upgrade to my camping experience.  I've been a camper for 33 years - my first backpacking trip, I was 17.  Yes, I absolutely know how to "rough it," and I've been known to cowboy-camp (including on a sandstone mesa in Moab, in case you were curious - the stars were aaaaahmaaaaaaazing) Yet, I'm turning 50 this year.  And life is about experiences..... creating GOOD ones, to be specific!  I want to be outside, in the fresh air and sunshine, creating adventures.  *And* i like creature comforts.  So, what's the word that folks use.... "Glamping."  I'm in 😁

The cassette toilet....  Still some work to do there.  Apparently the RV Digest stuff I poured in, well, let's just say it did not fully digest.  Was not able to fully empty the cartridge, so I packed it back in and headed home - today I'll try the "empty in the toilet" method (haha, yes, I have a strong stomach) From what I've read, one of the "issues" folks have with RV toilets is odor.  Well, if "things" are not being properly emptied, yeah that would create an "odor!" Again, TBC...

Still not entirely pleased with the ceiling fan I received with the camper (first photo, transparent blue shroud)  The more I think about this, the more it does not sit well with me:  The unit I toured at the Boston RV show had an upgraded vent fan, with a remote control.  I remember this well, since that was the final factor that sold me on the Barefoot.  (I even have video, and may have found the actual fan that was installed! https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Fantastic-Vent/FV807350.html Very similar, and comes with a remote.  See second photo - compare the knobs used to raise the cover) The second photo, at the RV show, is clearly not the same unit as the first photo.  "One of these things, is not like the other!...." Look at the center hub, and the dial used control speed, as well.  Am I wrong to expect that the floor model should be the same as what you receive, unless otherwise specified?  Because if not, wouldn't that be.... false advertising?  Writing a letter today to Pete's RV and Nucamp to request a solution to this problem.  Because, frankly, I really wanted the remote control and fan upgrade, that's what I was sold on and that's what I expected to receive.  It was a LOT quieter than the fan I received - and to have a remote control, clutch, really.

Again, TBC......  let's see if Pete's and Nucamp will make this right.  (I have my bets on Pete's having installed the fan for the RV show, but I could be wrong - either way, it's misrepresentation)  

Oh and here's my mileage (big grin) up to Maine from Nashua:  Fully loaded trailer, probably averaging 60mph, some stop-and-go.  Very happy with this!  Confirmed, this is better mileage than I got with my T@g.  The Audi Q5 pulls the Barefoot SO easily.  Only the tiniest little bit of sway when being passed (closely, cough cough) by an 18 wheeler - self-corrected quickly.  This suggests that a sway bar was not requisite for my specific setup - yay, because of the failure at attempted installation!  Also fair warning, the electric brakes on the Barefoot are very strong (and that's a good thing!) I have to dial the gain way down so that the trailer brakes are not pulling the Audi to a stop in traffic - and I dial it down to 0.5 when parking or reversing.  I imagine these strong trailer brakes will save wear and tear on my expensive Audi brakes, which clearly I like!  

Lastly, just because she's pretty.  More glamour photos (and dog photos!!) over on the Insta:  https://www.instagram.com/phosphorescentspirit/ This is such an efficient and complete little camper.  I'd go so far as to say it's a great "girl" camper, because it's small and manageable..... but I don't want to pigeonhole the Barefoot into a target market ;)