Puddletown Sessions #mtblife #vanlife
14:18
Valley Burner 2021 | It Was Brutal!
11:34
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@garzonlaperle9403
@garzonlaperle9403 3 сағат бұрын
I prefer to make with WoodPrix plans.
@jobmxjojo
@jobmxjojo 3 күн бұрын
Is it possible to squeeze through between the drivers seat and the double seat to get to the back of the van ?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 күн бұрын
@@jobmxjojo Not between, unless it’s partially swivelled. But you can shuffle over the top if the folding passenger seat is down
@sergeynikolov4758
@sergeynikolov4758 3 күн бұрын
Great video, thanks!!!
@Kevinmoreau
@Kevinmoreau 4 күн бұрын
very nice jobs thanks à lot for this
@francocavallaro1646
@francocavallaro1646 7 күн бұрын
help me please, i have ford fusion 2005 and i dont have fit
@omerfarukarslan4931
@omerfarukarslan4931 22 күн бұрын
thank you man..
@tcrouth1
@tcrouth1 24 күн бұрын
not being paid but you got to keep 1k worth of gear
@edwardsmotorworks
@edwardsmotorworks Ай бұрын
Do you have to buy from america? how does that work?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@edwardsmotorworks Yeah. But they get shipped from China and typically arrives around 1 week.
@johniban
@johniban Ай бұрын
Does it self support?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@johniban You can safely wind it out about 1 metre without the legs but I wouldn’t leave it out overnight like that. But good for a little shade or rain protection.
@insomniasessions-pt2dz
@insomniasessions-pt2dz Ай бұрын
Put some ferrules on it...💁‍♂
@GC-uq2pd
@GC-uq2pd Ай бұрын
Hi all, I bought that isofix support for a Ford MK1 (2003). The bolt on the Ford MK1 (before 2004) are M8 bolt, while the Ford MK2 (2004-2011) has M10 bolt. Therefore, the ones provided in the package are M10 and I am looking for equivalent M8 bolt. I can easily find M8 bolts at the store, but do you guys know if the provided M10 bolt have anything special to them ? Here, I mean a specific strength in case of a crash, a specific metal type to avoid disformation... ? Thanks in advance In other words, shall I buy specific M8 bolt or standard ones at the supermarket would fit and be sufficient in case of a crash ?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@GC-uq2pd I’d get Stainless Steel ones
@GC-uq2pd
@GC-uq2pd Ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures thank you :)
@mos_adventure_van
@mos_adventure_van Ай бұрын
Thanks for this one buddy, got this job on the list to do. Hope the family is well 👍🏻
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@mos_adventure_van Oooh nice 👌 Thanks, all well - big plans in motion 🤫 And you guys 🙌
@djRockalot
@djRockalot Ай бұрын
Some people think 300 views are great lol
@16mmax
@16mmax Ай бұрын
What i see, You have replacement for main lamps. It's not oryginal? Sonar brand?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@16mmax correct
@16mmax
@16mmax Ай бұрын
write honestly. do they work properly? Are there no errors? Is there a lot of light?
@16mmax
@16mmax Ай бұрын
​@@VanFamilyAdventuresthis mail lights, i mean
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@ Yes, they work amazingly. No errors and tonnes of light - see my shorts and other vids
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@ Yep. They are Transporter HQ lights. Very bright and sequential indicators 👌
@stevensam8834
@stevensam8834 Ай бұрын
Hey, great video. Do you know if you can wire a remote switch to power on an off an inverter. You may be familiar with the Renogy brand inverters. I have a 2000w pure sine wave inverter that came with a remote on off switch. I was wondering if there’s any way it can be connected to the auxbeam switch to have all my controls in one location.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@stevensam8834 Hey thanks. Yes I believe you can do this. If it’s just a signal wire. I’ve seen some guys wire the controller to the leisure side of the vehicle and use it to control interior lights, fridges, heaters etc
@kentgonzalez8612
@kentgonzalez8612 25 минут бұрын
You should be able to use a 200A 4 pin relay to accomplish this.
@Overanalyse_This
@Overanalyse_This Ай бұрын
Oh wait till you grow up and get divorced and the girls get your house
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@Overanalyse_This 😅 Don’t!
@Nxzrr-official
@Nxzrr-official Ай бұрын
that view is beautiful. Btw cool van.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@Nxzrr-official It was beaut. Thanks 🙌
@Ifeelgreyt1738
@Ifeelgreyt1738 Ай бұрын
Will it drain your battery?
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures Ай бұрын
@@Ifeelgreyt1738 No as can only be switched on via the controller which activates when ignition is running. See my controller vid 😉
@speedsweets67
@speedsweets67 2 ай бұрын
Is it so, that that beautifull nice blue colour, is never going to be seen ;-) Nice build by the way.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@speedsweets67 Thank you ✌️
@alanbenham4139
@alanbenham4139 2 ай бұрын
Great job 👏
@adamcoffee738
@adamcoffee738 2 ай бұрын
You should've run the correct sized cable from the start, the correct way is use a midi fuse holder to drop the cable size down to the 16mm² cable the Orion can accept. Also don't use Circuit breakers use an actual fuse.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@adamcoffee738 In hindsight yes, but the XS wasn’t available and believed 16mm2 to be correctly rated at the time. I’m right on the 5m limit, probably would’ve been fine but better to increase the cable. MIDI fuse is ok. Mega fuse is what I had available. Circuit breaker is blue sea and supplied by BSPK solar whom I trust for supply and advice on the install.
@adamcoffee738
@adamcoffee738 2 ай бұрын
@VanFamilyAdventures yes your correct the XS has only just recently become available on the market. Are you aware that a DCDC/BCDC charger can potentially pull upto double its rated output, in saying that keep this chart handy it will help you out alot in future expansions/builds enerdrive.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/E_D_BS_Cable-Size-Chart_REBRAND-2024_V1.1.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoq5AQQ1NAy_6lWiMvE-kRCPMx-lMSOL2Ku8OmBSxfUqfodgrWyZ
@carolspencer5844
@carolspencer5844 2 ай бұрын
great video, thank you. Tell me, what is the reason with setting the lock out values. I had them set to 10.4 and 10.8 as i had seen those recommended, so a bit confused. Maybe thats why my battery never really charged very high....? thanks.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@carolspencer5844 10.4-10.8 is low. And your starter battery should be 12v else your vehicle won’t start. So I’d set the lock out below that and restart at 13.8+ as that’s the likely voltage when you start the engine. What battery is it? AGM or LiPo?
@carolspencer5844
@carolspencer5844 2 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures hi, my leisure battery is LiPo,that charges ok,its the van battery never gets up to voltage,maybe because im feeding all the power to my dc charger. I will adopt your setting and see how it affects it. It can only be better. Thanks for the info.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@carolspencer5844 Ah I see. Might be a sign the van battery is starting to go. Also worth getting a multi meter on the van battery first to see what you get there vs the input voltage on the Orion. Check the terminals, connection points and cable sizes.
@exploresandtosummit
@exploresandtosummit 2 ай бұрын
Do you actually need a remote cable, normally the victron dc-dc auto detects. My ones been working fine without a remote.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@exploresandtosummit You don’t NEED it. But I have found on long drives the charger would switch off as it thinks the engine is off. The remote signal gets around this and keeps it charging.
@exploresandtosummit
@exploresandtosummit 2 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures thanks , I wasn’t aware of that. 👍
@exploresandtosummit
@exploresandtosummit 2 ай бұрын
That looks amazing. 👍
@cerysek11
@cerysek11 2 ай бұрын
hi.past for Ford Fusion?
@overlandready
@overlandready 2 ай бұрын
err, still relays... please be honest in titles and not fundamemtally lie.
@madflyer1093
@madflyer1093 Ай бұрын
Except he’s not wrong, you are. There is no mechanical relays in the box. Just a bunch of transistors. Which essentially do the same function as relays, are not classed as such
@keilmillerjr9701
@keilmillerjr9701 11 күн бұрын
​​@@madflyer1093a transistor is a type of solid state relay as opposed to an electromagnetic relay. This unit still uses relays to provide power to your added devices. I can literally point to them on the PCB.
@regmcguire5582
@regmcguire5582 8 күн бұрын
Would you be happier if he said no more individual relays for each light you have to wire and install yourself separately? Or is being pedantic just your thing….
@overlandready
@overlandready 8 күн бұрын
@regmcguire5582 if you can't be factually correct, don't put it. To be totally honest, individual relays are much better, replace a failed relay not the entire unit, place relays where you need them, alter how they are powered and usable as logic circuits, so maybe scroll on and learn a few things. Do the job properly and economically. Right is right, fads and wrong are usually dangerous, why my work lasts a long time, 34 years ago I built circuits that still work as intended, can you say the same? Basically, work on your comments.
@christofferraa935
@christofferraa935 2 ай бұрын
Nice video and piece! But you should get some proper tools for the cable lugs, that's a disaster waiting to happen.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
Thanks. You’re right in the vid I used the wrong tool as my crimpers weren’t to hand. On bigger lugs I do have a heavy duty crimper.
@sophieboisvert
@sophieboisvert 2 ай бұрын
You don’t have to tell the life story just get to the point. Out time is limited and we want the Info we came to get nothing else I am clicking out
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@sophieboisvert Thankyou for your time to leave a comment.
@speedsweets67
@speedsweets67 2 ай бұрын
Your one click away, buzz off! Typical consumer with no regards of people taking an effort to tell a story. Go to a dealer and pay for the service.
@AdelaideInvigilation
@AdelaideInvigilation 2 ай бұрын
I often wonder why a control unit with relay and fuse is not always one unit. But I am confused about the controller in the cabin, I would have thought that installation of any other accessory lights, whatever was a straight forward wire to the box in the engine bay and process was done no more fiddling with wiring into the cab or connecting to more existing fuse boxes.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@AdelaideInvigilation That’s exactly what the control panel does. Only wire to the fuse / relay board into the correct slot and the control panel simply activates it.
@123bugness
@123bugness 2 ай бұрын
I love the vid, just one critique, if I may....the autofocus on your camera doesn't work the way you think it does, lol. Keep up the great content!
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@123bugness ha ha! Thanks, yeah that lens has been playing up lately not focussing and then I dropped it and it smashed… so new camera inbound ✌️
@silvanocometta9760
@silvanocometta9760 2 ай бұрын
Very nicely done and extremely compact result. Congrats to such a masterpiece.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@silvanocometta9760 Thank you ✌️
@hergaster4443
@hergaster4443 2 ай бұрын
Can they swivel clockwise? (Both directions)
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
I don’t believe so as the back of the seat catches on the pillar spinning that way
@raydavison2972
@raydavison2972 2 ай бұрын
Did they remove the truss reinforcements in the end as in your final shots there is no sign of the flat section of ceiling which would otherwise exist? Tou would also have lost the top section of the gable end glass..
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@raydavison2972 Not removed as such but designed that way. So the last 60-70cm there is a gap so the ceiling meets in the apex and the flat section is boxed in thus allowing the full gable end of the glass. As there is reinforcement through the middle and the perimeter structurally it’s solid and 8yrs later still standing.
@raydavison2972
@raydavison2972 2 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures Thanks, it's hard (To me impossible) to see that in the video due to the angles and all white decoration. A shame to lose that ceiling height feature but presumably no way to avoid it structurally with the Guardian system. At least they did install the reinforcements though as some systems don't seem to which would be a real worry with the extra roof weight and the anticipated snow loadings. I have a gable ended conservatory that I'm wanting to convert to a solid roof in the next year or so but I'm finding it really difficult to find a system that gives me confidence structurally as well as in the installers at a sensible price. All the manufacturers seem to distance themselves from even their 'approved' installers!
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
Correct, the only other way is to add x3 cables across the widest points but we didn’t want that so we opted to had a proportion of the ceiling flattened for the structural braces. It works well and is high enough and the gap at the end means you can still see 95% of the gable window in the end from the lounge. We found it hard to find a supplier and the guys who did ours have since gone bust plus the first team that started the project had to be sacked. Hope you find a decent installer
@WIKDstixofcheese
@WIKDstixofcheese 2 ай бұрын
These are a great bit of kit 👍
@davidr8424
@davidr8424 2 ай бұрын
Great video, they look immense. :)
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@davidr8424 Cheers bud 👌
@laurieclarkson9180
@laurieclarkson9180 2 ай бұрын
holy moly those are amazing!! They say the freaks come out at night..not in that beam! I love them! You're gonna get a tan! You're going to call every moth for 500 miles like a batman spotlight...Oh I definitely want to get those when I get a rig!
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
DO IT! 😂✌️
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
Products in this video: Auxbeam DRL Pod Lights: shrsl.com/4px99 Auxbeam 3" Pod Lights: shrsl.com/4px9a Auxbeam Switch Panel: shrsl.com/4px97 Scanstrut Multi Deck Seal: transporterhq.co.uk/vw-transporter-parts-styling-accessories/scanstrut-cable-seals/
@laurieclarkson9180
@laurieclarkson9180 2 ай бұрын
Thanks for telling me about a new product and showing me a close-up detailed install! I'm a new subscriber and this whole topic is new to me. Are you in Europe? Are your electrical connections in the van different than the U.S? Just something I'd like to keep in mind when watching.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@laurieclarkson9180 Hey thanks for joining 👋 Yes I’m in the UK. The 12v side of the system is / should be the same and connections in the van similar, just might be on the other side. The AC side of your electrics will be different plugs / cables but same principles.
@exploresandtosummit
@exploresandtosummit 2 ай бұрын
Don't put them on near an airport, you'll have planes landing on your roof!!! 😀
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
@@exploresandtosummit Ha ha ha! Yeah good point 🫣
@UKsystems
@UKsystems 2 ай бұрын
if anyone has questions i have experience with victron and can answer
@stco2426
@stco2426 3 ай бұрын
Very nice. Lookiing to fit some STEDI external light and wiring them up with relays and dash switches would be quite complicated. I've heard of the Auxbem panels and having built in solid state relays is great. Handy that they include the re-settable relay and some cable, but I'd need something different for my cable runs. Thanks.
@kennethcroll6972
@kennethcroll6972 2 ай бұрын
hi, heres how i wired up my spots ( 5 pairs (3 pairs on the roof, 2 pairs on the bumper)) relay 1 (boss) pin 30 constant fused 12v, pin 85 ground, pin 86 switch12v ( taken from the full beam wire ), pin 87 up to the switch panel daisy chain that wire to all 5 switches, then i ran 5 wires from the switch panel to the workers, one wire to worker relay 1 pin 86, one wirer to worker relay 2 pin 86, one wire to worker relay 3 pin 86, one wire to worker 4 pin 86 and the last wirer to worker relay 5 pin 86, doing this way will no over load the full beam wire that feeds the boss relay as the extra load on that wire would be around 0.0150 Ma. i use fused relays with a wired plug but the wires are to short so i bough uninsulated female spade with locking tab and made my own using 5 amp wire for the low current side of the relay and 15 amp for the high current draw (pin 30 and 87 of the workers. pin 30 of the workers when to a distribution block/ bus bar
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 2 ай бұрын
To run with dash switches you may need to look into Canbus modules to prevent interference with any OEM LED lights. My laser lamps are wired into the main beam switch but there’s a separate relay for them.
@kennethcroll6972
@kennethcroll6972 2 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures true, i only tapped into the full beam wire down at the plug at the head light to feed the boss relay that added around 0.0150Ma extra load on that wire
@chris329a
@chris329a 3 ай бұрын
Don't often comment but having watched tonnes of similar videos i wanted to thank you for the clear explanations in a well presented manner. I was also looking into Clayton and similar systems but when i build my moto-van next year will be copying your design i think as i also want to go gasless. I agree about redundancy should a part fail and the costs don't work out for what you get. Keep up the good work 😉
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@chris329a Hey Thankyou. Glad it helped. I’m literally about to order an Orion Xs S to swap out the existing DC charger so point proven again when it comes to modular system builds. Enjoy the build ✌️
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
Links to all the products used are below: Auxbeam Switch panel and Controller: shrsl.com/4px97 Auxbeam XP-Ultra 3 DRL Pod Light: shrsl.com/4px99 Auxbeam XP-Ultra Pod Light: shrsl.com/4px9a
@Sussexman.
@Sussexman. 3 ай бұрын
Is there an option for just a single seat
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@Sussexman. Yes. We have the R&J single on the drivers side, though it raises the seat quite high to navigate over the handbrake but does avoid any further modifications.
@Sussexman.
@Sussexman. 3 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures thanks for that. I need to source a single seat for the passenger side.. any ideas
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@Sussexman. FB Marketplace or the Crafter forum but they’re ££££’s. Maybe an option to go for a pair of Range Rover or Golf seats.
@kenmackenzie7338
@kenmackenzie7338 3 ай бұрын
I am definitely going to copy your idea 👍 Can I ask where you got your box carrier from? What year is your crafter? Hopefully the dimensions are the same as my 2015 Sprinter
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@kenmackenzie7338 You’re welcome. Rear rack is from Wheeliams and it’s a 2020 Crafter. Worth measuring the doors but should be a similar fitment.
@paul__burrows
@paul__burrows 3 ай бұрын
Great, another thing to add to the to do list 😂 ps ours is a door nipple.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@paul__burrows You’re welcome 😘✌️
@MK-yeah
@MK-yeah 3 ай бұрын
Great idea 😁 I just wonder if the gas strut can take the load of the door with some wind behind it in "tension". Perhaps put in a flexible (leather?) door swing restrictor 🤔
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@MK-yeah The original thought I had was a chopped up seatbelt - may still do this as a backup. Cheers for watching
@pauljohnson3650
@pauljohnson3650 3 ай бұрын
No 100N force in stock, could 200n be used ? 2021 Crafter
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@pauljohnson3650 Potentially but that’s twice as powerful. Unless you’ve got loads of weight on the doors I think they’d fling open pretty fast. And be mega stiff to shut.
@jonathanlodge4117
@jonathanlodge4117 3 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures the speed shouldn't be much different - this would be most noticeable when needing more force to close the door and greater constant force on the hinge pins that could wear. While at it I would have mounted them the other way around - larger diameter on the door with the pin down instead of up. This would allow the threshold pin to be lower without so many washers and for less chance of the rod getting dirty. Some struts can be quick release without the need for a very loseable clip meaning the door can be opened further when needed.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@jonathanlodge4117 That’s a good point, it’s the returning force 👌 I might try the struts the other way, easy to swap. But I thought they looked better this way.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
Links to the gas struts and brackets in the description box 👆
@SuperSushidog
@SuperSushidog 3 ай бұрын
Sweet. That looks like a clean, compact install. We live off grid full time in an older motorhome that doesn't have much basement space. Our 95-gallon freshwater tank is under our bed, taking up a lot of space but we were still able to put a row of 320ah Prismatic cells on oner side in a 16s configuration. We also have a 560ah 2p4s 12v battery made from 280ah cells that we carry under the steps where our original 2 GC-2 lead acid golf cart batteries used to reside. We mounted a Sungold Power48v 5000w all-in-one inverter/100A charger/charge controller mounted on the wall in our bedroom. We get a little fan noise from it at times, but it's not as bad as some fans I've heard. We chose this brand as it supports 500voc solar input and we have a 400voc, 4,400w array on our roof we use to charge our 48v battery. We also use a 620w liftable side array to charge our 12v battery. This is sufficient for our needs, as we can run everything in our 35ft Class A MH, including both A/Cs as needed without ever having to run our bank-up generator. We usually run our 12k EG-4 28.5 Seer-2 heat pump all night long as it's super-efficient and uses very little power. At night, in A/C mode it uses about 300watts and in heat mode about 500 watts, so our 16.4kwh 48v battery easily lasts us all night. I like the simplicity of your system. One of the things I sometimes find confusing with ours, as I'm 68yrs old and not an electronics whiz, is there are over 60 parameters we can set on our all-in-one inverter/charger. I found it was actually easier to design and build our system than get all the settings are right to make it do what we want. The manual is helpful, but I had to call tech support a couple times to get them to explain a few things before I figured it out. Simple is better, I think.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@SuperSushidog Thank you. Theres quite a bit of config to do via the app and to make the inverter active after install it requires a special cable and I got remote tech support to help make sure I had set all the parameters correctly. But since then I haven’t had to touch it and it just works. Sounds like you’ve got a well considered big power system to maximise the space. Are all the panels flat on the roof or are some at different angles?
@SuperSushidog
@SuperSushidog 3 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures The first 2, 550w panels are at a 9.5-degree angle. dropping down to meet the roof where the fiberglass cap ends, and the roof begins. The other 6 panels are mounted horizontally, 15" off the roof, just above my front rooftop A/C shroud, allowing lots of cooling air underneath. Not only do the panels run cooler, producing more power but the RV is always in the shade, so it stays cooler too. This eases the air over the array, creating a laminar air flow that is superior to the turbulent airflow from all the things that once protruded from the roof, so our MH actually has less aerodynamic drag than before. It seems a little more stable when driving down the road too. My mpg hasn't changed, despite the additional weight.
@VanFamilyAdventures
@VanFamilyAdventures 3 ай бұрын
@@SuperSushidog That’s a win in my book. Fuel is cheap anyway right? 😂
@SuperSushidog
@SuperSushidog 3 ай бұрын
@@VanFamilyAdventures Our motorhome only gets about 8mpg on regular gas, which isn't too good, so we learned to limit the number of miles we drive each year. When we started out, we were still in vacation mode, driving 7-9,000 miles a year. We have been reducing this annually though. Last year we only traveled 4,500 miles, though we went from Arizona to North Carolina - almost coast to coast. This means that we spent under $2k on gas for our coach at an average of $3.50/gallon, less than we spent on gas for our 30mpg toad which is our daily driver. If you compare this to what most people pay for housing, we are way ahead of the game. Plus, gas is a controllable expense. When it's high we move less and when it's cheap we travel more. Since we switched to a residential fridge and now supplement our space heating with our heat pump, our solar system saves us about $450 a year on propane too.