bajadulce

I hear ya on the underpowered. I was referring more to the general engine compartment size and the room to work with as opposed to the lack of space in a Toyota. When I say old, I was referring to something like a 1950's or early 60's truck that you would just "cruise" around in locally etc. F250 as opposed to an old F100 etc was just because we're talking in a camper forum. Those Isuzu's look pretty nice and looked into putting one of those in a 66 Ford had. Was yours the Turbo or NA? And what transmission did you use? When I was exploring this, everyone was using adapters as the "true" 5speed wasn't available in the U.S. (or something along those lines). Bottom line is I have limited space to work and live in a pretty nice neighborhood. I can't be having junkyard projects laying around my driveway as if I lived out in the country or a farm. The camper in the back alley is pushing it w/ some of my neighbors as it is. You guys are lucky like that! I'd prob have 20 dozen projects going if had the space and free reign.

No offense at all. I've never owned a diesel so can only discuss based on what I've read. You seem to have a solid grasp and experience as to what it takes and have had success w/ these swaps. It is all foreign to me and only commented on what I've read. I do love the campers these guys have made w/ these diesel FJ70's? same Kzte 3L I suppose? (www.tourfactory.de is their site) and if these trucks were available for us I'd prob find a way to cough up the $ for one to build a camper on too. Little toyotas are the bomb and I've owned a couple of these little trucks now. I too can't see myself in a full size truck agree. At the same time, the Sunrader seems a bit pushing it on these little rigs to me at least. They (the camper shell) just seem so big compared to the truck? The Chinook and/or other popups seem to be more manageable? I could definitely see putting my rig on a full size truck (maybe w/ extended cab) w/ 8K+ carrying capacity... but it won't ever happen as well. I'd probably build a smaller camper before owning a big truck. The best bet for lifting your camper off the truck might be to spear the rear window openings w/ a beam as well as a second beam across the front overhead cab where it meets the back of the cab. Maybe screw some blocks w/ some decent width to the top of the beam where the beam meets the window so as to prevent any tearing? You prob could do all the work without having to clear the car (move it forward out of the way). That's all I could come up w/ at the time and how removed mine. It was a bit sketchy and maybe you can come up w/ a less nerve racking method. I had the luxury of putting the camper on the ground once I got it off truck knowing I was set on coming up w/ a means to make the shell portable. I think once you get the shell separated from the frame (not necessarily isolated, just separated) you'll see some of the shortcomings of the underlying support system. Mainly the supports don't extend all the way to the perimeter of the shell and are prone to tearing into the underside of the floor as a result. Also the support area around the gas filler is really butchered. In general there are some really big spans that push the floor to its limit.

Heya Steve. Been meaning to respond, but just been so preoccupied. As mentioned, was very skeptical of "rolling" on an auto finish, but was floored by the results. Again my thinking is that it is meant to be a camper, not a show car. Knowing that I can easily touch up any major scratch or ding by simply breaking out my can of paint and roller is comforting. Google the $50 dollar paint job Derek always alludes to and you can make it as "smooth" as you want it to be depending on elbow grease exerted. Make a test run on a similar surface (prime/wetsand primer etc) and you might be surprised as well. Never waxed it, rig is in full sunlight every day for past few years (3 I believe?). Pressure washed it last year, but other than that has held up decent enough. Has lost a little sheen, but plan to repaint every 5+ years or so to pickup some of the bodywork missed as well as any dings/scratches from general use. You should definitely fasten them somehow! I fiberglassed galvanized light weight L-framing brackets to the ceiling and then nut and bolted cabinets to these about every 2 ft. There is also a ledger. The doors and "shelf" are 1/4", the frames 3/4". It's a challenge to refrain from stuffing these cabinets without regard to weight as the overhead storage is just so convenient. But really try to stick to keeping the lightest stuff up there. Save the pots, pans, and batteries for the floor! Dunno what to say about washboards, 10 miles now and then won't be an issue, but after 100+ miles of washboard, there's not much you can do... things WILL fall apart. I don't have many detailed pictures of the subfloor, but it is 1/2" 5ply plywood glued/screwed to redwood 1x joists that are then encased in a strip of fiberglass cloth. The topside of the plywood (inside of rig) is then covered in 1 layer of glass as well. The underside is painted w/ normal house paint. Also note that the shell'rides on a flatbed and thus the subfloor is shielded from road wear. A sheet of FRP glued/glassed to the underside might make a cheap and durable road guard otherwise. I assume you're describing the metal trim that went around the camper where the 2 halves joined together? If so, then I "cut" that overlap out entirely. Basically the 2 halves sit on each other and are melded together as one piece (not overlapping) as seen in that picture with my fingers separating the 2 halves. Camper has now been through 3 winters without any sign of leakage. It is currently sitting on blocks in the alley as have needed the truck for some errands. Unfortunately another year goes by without returning to Baja and so am a little disappointed in that. The truck was fully tested out and ready this year, but other crap seemed to get in the way. Have a few fun modification ideas planned for the spring/summer. thnx for the interest, feedback and support. Hope your project is coming along well!

Nice find and you'll have plenty of job security w/ the project! The price seems about right (4K still seems a tad inflated, but it's in the ballpark at least.). I've followed a few of the Mercedes 5cyl swaps on youtube and they seem like a decent choice for something like an old full size F250 truck you'd cruise around in. Seems a bit bulky for a Toyota tho and a lot of modification compared to the Toyota KZTE etc import. Agree w/ Jdemaris in that don't see the gain for a recreational vehicle that you prob won't put that many miles on. How about returning it to the easy to find 22re or even get a full size diesel truck for the shell? Tho I imagine the p.o hacked the crap out of all the motor mounts, wire harness etc with that GM 4.3L swap. Since the vehicle is for the most part gutted, now would be a good time to remove the shell from the camper to address the notorious floor issues. The subfloor framing/support is particularly suspect.

Sorry, gave mine away @ a toy rally in Southern California a few years ago to Tika I believe. She said she knew someone who was in desperate need of one. Whoever ended up w/ it, I hope they didn't "pay" anything for it, cause I gave it away for free. Happy to see it go. That knob-plate thing is just asking to bruise a rib on or catch/rip your clothes and send you tumbling in the night. I bought a brand new standard RV dual type (deadbolt + latch) for around $30 bucks on ebay. You'll have to do a little fiberglass modification to your door, but will be so worth it in the end to get rid of that protusive knob and plate. Just tossing out an option other than replacing w/ stock style.

lol guess this thread got really quiet after all the bots were chased away and not allowed to come back. Btw, in case nobody has noticed, the CAPTCHA has been disabled for over a month! Just goes to show you that image captcha is a scam Forum software companies like Invision Power Boards will try and sell "updated anit-bot software" in the form of "image captcha" The banner for the "IPB.Board" is missing btw. And those other skins w/o banners are still visible as well? Doubt any guests trying to register would happen to change to one of those skins, but you never know w/ end users. I'd axe those skins tho just as a service to the members who will invariably change to one of them by accident and then later have no clue as to how that happened or how to change back. Forum cookie security issue looks still to be present as well. Might want to upgrade to the latest IPB to close that hole.

seems like a lot of work, but it's gonna be nice. I'd prob just go get another truck (maybe F250 ) and put your tricked out Sunrader on that. Or even a truck that already has the 3.4L such as the older Tundra or even a newer toyota v8. You're still going to have a "1980's" truck when this is all done. With something like a F250 you could lose the dualies, have a modern comfortable ride, diesel powered, gain 1+ K in carrying capacity, towing... etc etc . Prob close to the same $ too in the long run as an engine swap.

@ FEB 3rd posting: Ok wow re-reading this days later, I can see that I was pretty upset that the offensive co-ordinator for the SFrancisco 49 er's and his ridiculous play calling @ end of Superbowl got my blood worked up.. Sorry if my remarks came across as being a bit rude. guess I was out for blood that night. Van is pretty cool and I can understand how this would be great for somebody touring. @jd's reference to a super generator/alternator as "cooking w/ diesel" indirectly: That makes sense. Didn't look at it that way. good point.

Ya agree that's a tuff one to evaluate. 10K worth of labor could be a steal, a rip-off, or fair depending on what and who did it. I'd imagine something like Nolan's rigs are easily worth $20K+ labor if not more. I've seen a few "shells" on Craig's list and have been tempted ... but then woke up. If I had the space and didn't live in such a yuppie neighborhood, I'd prob go for it for fun. My neighbors would freak tho if I brought another rig home. I'm sure they've had enough of my last camper project to last a lifetime. If you're referring to this one, he spent 80K. Worth it? It's all relative. If he get's plenty of use out of it before his time is up on this planet, then who cares it's just money (assuming it didn't break his wallet). btw: The owner (or rather Father of owner) of this rig for sale is a member of this forum. I've seen posts from him describing that very same truck/camper and more details. Just can't remember his member name.

I didn't read the entire article, but from the looks of what I've seen, this is another yuppie "Earthroamer" type rig that's great for RV shows and conventions and those touring I'm sure. Real boondockers.. I mean guys that hang out in the sticks for 2+ months at a time, don't have setups like this. Here's a guy who has parked his rig 100' from the pacific ocean on a wind swept point 50 miles from the nearest town for the past 25+ years. Every year he spends upwards of 3 months here. EVERY year. The car never moves in those 3 months. How long would that van last getting beat by salt spray? Just sayin that unless you're going to the moon or mars, high-tech = not what get's the job done. AND if shit hits the fan, you can't fix high-tech, yet alone walk away should circumstances dictate. Electric stove top? That can't be that efficient? If you have diesel engine, diesel cooking would seem more prudent. i.e sailboats etc. but maybe there is more to it. dunno, but you can cook a long long time on a gallon of propane... weeks. run the engine for 20 minutes a day? How much fuel will that consume over a long stay? Heading into town once a month to fill up a 1 gallon propane bottle and resupply seems easier. If you need to start your car to sustain your "boondocking", then you aren't doing something right. 12v fridge (top loading preferred), propane (or diesel) cooking, led lighting, decent battery storage + decent recharging (PV or wind or both), simple water storage (portable is best as you can fill up w/o driving to town) = gold standard for boondocking & 3rd world travel. Low Key .. what b.s. I dare them to leave that van parked unattended in some remote place. How bout staying out in the field FOREVER! That can't be efficient. Even if this is "instant on demand", the water will need to be run for awhile before it's hot. A drop of water wasted in a desert "boondocking" environment = that much closer to having to pack up and LEAVE. WATER is everything. http://www.tourfactory.de/ These guys know how to do "high tech" and yet keep it practical.

@ site remembering your login This is a bug w/ Invision Power Board. I imagine it has been reported and they are working on a fix for security reasons. I don't suppose it's much of a security issue to us other than the fact that your wife or anyone else using your computer will be able to log on to toyotamotorhome.org as you at any time. The main security issue: On public computers (library for instance), the next person who should happen to visit the same IPB board will auto login as last user (account, emails, etc etc... and just hope that there is no Paypal integration or whatnot w/ the board. (Doubt many ppl visit toyotamotorhome.org BUT it will be listed in the computer's history.) SUPER critical: An admin of one of the many IPB forums was the one who used a public computer to log in = ouch. EDIT found this: http://community.invisionpower.com/topic/377626-remember-me-working-even-when-not-checked/ and more here: http://community.invisionpower.com/resources/bugs.html/_/ip-board/cant-sign-out-r40372?st=0#comment_108939

Looks good w/o that facebook and status update menu. Will have to upload a picture of what was referring to about building a "recently updated Toy Rally" block for the sidemenu where the calendar, facebook, and status update used to live. @ Logo/Banner. I like yours as well the logo from the art contest is still there (on the IP.Board skin which is no longer the "default" one. You could just right-click "save picture as" and then add it to the "default" one. Personally I like the IP.Board skin slightly over the "blue" default one just because it is lighter overall. Tho the rich blue is nice too and it's all just comes down to individual tastes). Looks like you have a few experimental skins you were goofing with (Crazy & Dark) that are pretty wild. Might be a bit confusing if some member happen to switch to one of those by accident (those skins have their own logo's as well btw none of which contain the "slogan"). Maybe you might want to disable those and leave permissions just for yourself if want to continue to work on them. They look like something you were just goofing around with and didn't mean to have available to members/guests? I don't seem to have permission to do anything template/skin related other than change logos. So I can't disable any of those skins nor make the "IPB" one the default. Look & Feel > Template > Skins or something like that. Also Linda mentioned that spammers/banned members were still being able to update their "status". I tried to look at "manage groups" to check the permissions on that, but don't seem to have access to that anymore. I haven't logged on as a "guest" nor as a "member test" account, but banned members should be hidden from the member list as well as members not being able to look at those profiles of banned members (esp banned members who are able to still be able to update their "status" w/ malicious links etc). @ SPAM CONTROL: Looks like the bots are totally stumped as there have been only 7 new registered since the banner/question update. And all of those look like legit members who've managed to answer the security question and find the answer they needed. ... Go 49'ers.

That's really nice. *Suicide overhead pop-up is pretty slick. For fun I did some modifications to the shell's design. Looks like the rear tire shrunk a bit in the process *suicide meaning it opens up into the wind ala suicide doors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_door

Randy, log out then immediately try to log in and check to see if the little box "remember me" is checked or not @ the login page. dunno. Cookies might not have been working properly before and now are w/ the IPB update.

I was apprehensive about the registration page displaying the banner (should not bee seen on registration page), but would need access to the .php files on the server to do anything about that. That prob is overkill tho. I see only 2 members have registered since the new banner password system in the last 4 days as opposed to 35+ daily new bots that were pouring into the forums! Need to keep monitoring tho, as there are no other steps in the process of becoming a member. There are a few things still "broken" on the site, and some things that might be improved on, but overall seems to be good. For instance, would be nice if instead of the facebook sidemenu portal wasting valuable sidebar real estate, a menu that automatically displayed any new thread in the Rally forum (sort of a news portal) would be a nice feature and a way to get a little more attention/heads up for the advertised event. A sidebar feature that displayed the 5 most recent posts in all the forums would be useful as well. The current "status" update window/bar is somewhat annoying as ppl aren't using it as intended. Rather replace it w/ the aforementioned idea. Has anyone noticed that I axed the "Calendar"?

The forementioned maintenance items have been taken care of again and hope the boards see a dramatic reduction in spam bots. As you can see, the banner w/ the silly slogan has been reuploaded. The artwork as well as the slogan are from this ancient thread. Nothing is set in stone, but it is something. The registration answer is contained in that slogan and thus makes up a complex and unique string. Please don't hesitate to offer a better slogan or upload artwork you'd like to consider for that matter. Registration is still OFF atm. The banner is displayed on the registration page and would like to change that, but I'm too tired and don't want to screw something up. Tho I doubt bots could string those words together even if it was right in front of their face. Bots are definitely scanning images on the registration page tho and why test them!

Yep.. It was one of those OH CRAP moments to be sure! The sad part of all this is that I had spent a good chunk of time doing a slew of maintenance and was for the most part DONE for the evening. if interested: The main issue right now is getting all those new registered users from Jan5-Jan11th (registration is off right now) flagged as spammers asap. Maybe only a handful of that group is legit and is pretty obvious. So that would be the first order of business again. EDIT/UPDATE: I'm going to head back into the ADMIN panel and try to take care of some of this stuff I mentioned above. Just as an example, take a look at this ONE page. There are nearly 5 pages just like this one = representing members joining between Jan5-11th. I've circled a single member that is legit. The PINK represents members that have been flagged by you moderators as spammers. The rest have an open invitation to post crap all they want. So this time rather than delete these guys and risk screwing up, am simply going to quarantine them to the banned group as per Greg's suggestion (we can deal w/ them another time if needed). You moderators will be able to do the same @ the forum level here soon as well. IF a legit member who signed up during this short interval gets "banned" I apologize. I am looking out for obvious usernames/email addresses, but likely I will mistake an unusual member name as a bot.

Thnx John. Tho don't spend too much time on the issue. You guys shouldn't have to be doing this. Just now reading this. Ok will look into. MIght have enough access to be able to fix that right now.Edit: That forum's permissions has now been updated. Did have access to that. Now members can reply to topics there, but can't create/start new topics. Probably what Greg had planned, but just missed/forgot to add reply permission. Also, I just left a message w/ Greg's cell 7:30 pm our time.

All of us members really appreciate your efforts! Thnx.... But I'm afraid it's a lost cause at this point. You'll soon be overwhelmed as this will only be compounded as more and more bots get through. You are no match for a computer that can process millions and millions of instructions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You'll lose, and it's not worth it to even try at this point.Cheesy Analogy: We need to fix the hole in the fence, kick out all the dogs that are using our backyard as a bathroom, and then go about cleaning up the mess they've already left. Otherwise, we'll just be cleaning up after the same dogs forever. I will call Greg tonight (in a few hours) Let him get a chance to get home and eat dinner. This will be taken care as soon as I get a hold of him. All these bots will be gone and no new ones will get through the new registration system proposed.

http://toyotamotorho...view=getnewpost This would solve this issue once and for all. Please read and offer feedback/comments if you get a free moment. I don't have access to the boards as needed. I only have semi-admin permissions, but have started a conversation w/ Greg, Linda, Derek, and John and hopefully Greg will respond here soon. All this can be taken care of pretty easily.

We gotta do something about this bot issue asap before it gets any worse. We can expect 100+ new registered users a day here soon. Gotta turn off registration completely right now and come up w/ a new process. I talked w/ some buddies and they all agreed that image captcha is near worthless these days. Spam bots are only getting better at filling in registration forms and reading images. A strong security question that is unique (*read below for an idea) seems to be the only method. Our current question with the key words "president" and answer "Obama" is pretty poor. Was something to come up with at the moment as our previous arithmetic question was compromised. integer answer is a poor string. But "Obama" is a poor string as well. Here's the best route: *Security question: Place a slogan w/ a unique word in the banner. The banner is an image. There are no text characters etc to read. And unlike image captcha, it is not displayed on the registration page (which is key) Bots are only scanning images on the registration page for captcha NOT outside the page. This makes it easy for the users to "find" the answer as it will be in the banner clear as day. Bots will have no clue. EDIT: Here's a website (A programming site nonetheless) that uses this banner concept. Check it out, try and register there! http://board.phpbuilder.com/index.php Here's their logo/banner: And here's their security question: Q: Fill in the blank, from the forum logo: PHP " _______ sharing knowledge since 1999" And their answer "php developers" is a complex string containing spaces etc. No bot will brute force that. We need to come up w/ something simple like that as well. Toyota Motorhomes "Sharing knowledge since XXXX" Q: Fill in the blank according to our site logo: Toyota Motorhomes "Sharing knowledge _______" Answer: "since XXXX"

TOPIC merged w/ topic in general forums. Got several emails notifications from members alarming of the recent spammer bot invasion and am looking into helping. The issue is the ease of which a bot can register, become an instant member, and immediately start posting spam! I don't have access to the required board sytems to make those kinds of changes. (Admin > System > System settings). So Greg will have to set this up or will have to get in touch w/ him. I can't temp turn off registration nor change the current question atm. ... to be continued. Post comments/suggestions EDIT: LindaS just informed me that she doesn't appear to have the ability to flag a user as a spammer. This auto bans/auto deletes the members account and ALL content which is a quick and easy way to fight spam bots. But I also don't seem to have permissions to update/modify Member groups as well. So will have to hold up on that as well.

Been on vacation so took awhile to respond: @Giant: Eventually some lightweight storage would be nice for underside, yes. Am about to build a fiberglass box for the rear of the camper out of PVC and FRP to hold all the awning materials (poles, screening etc) plus some basic things like rake & shovel that I don't want to carry indoors. Maybe even dirty clothes. @Roy/Steve Yes the Rustoleum High Gloss paint sold @ Home Depot in liquid form. Rolled on w/ foam roller. Paint has held up well including sheen. The plan is to paint every 5 years or so depending on how beat up the camper gets while in use. With as much bodywork as this entailed, there were plenty of scratches, dings and waves that never got the full prep attention as ran out of patience as you can imagine. And so some of those might get fixed next go. Rustoleum Primer sold in the gallon can was used as well (rusty metal brown as they were out of gray) applied w/ a roller. This primer coat was then wet sanded w/ 400 before the 2 coats of Gloss rolled on. This type of paint is very thin and self-levels very well. This is the 1st time I've rolled on an "automotive style" finish and was skeptical, but had freinds paint sailboats w/ rollers and was impressed w/ results. It is a camper after all bottom line. Not a show car. No idea how thick sunrader fiberglass is, but its pretty darn heavy and prob could have been made thinner. Being "shot" with a chopper gun tho, I'm sure the thickness and quality varies depending on the worker. Here's best pic have of thckness which doesn't really show much detail: @ front windows: I think read somewhere that there were 2 sizes of windows for the sunrader (the older ones being larger I believe)? Mine happen to be the 1980 syle and maybe the huge void including the center piece removed make it look as tho the overhead cab dimensions have been altered, but they havn't. True, the overlap of the clamshell construction is gone as is the side window moved further forward w/ the absence of the wrap around. But still the same stock interior overhead dimensions. @laminating 2 sheets of FRP together: Never did that, but that's a great idea and would have worked well! Didn't think of that. For the roof panel and the panel that covered the window, 2 layers of matted glass were added to the roughed up textured side applied w/ a roller. Sorry no idea of the thickness (a friend uses it for a waterproofing business on decks) Maybe 8oz? Its pretty standard looking if there is such a thing. Not the woven, but chopped up looking mat. For the majority of fiberglassing, used cheap Home Depot polyester resin. For the roof, floor, and wrap-around window panel, diluted the resin w/ some acetone for roller application otherwise used straight w/ brush. Here's picture of roof panel w/ 2 layers of glass rolled on drying in the sun: Used 2 sizes of R-Tech for insulation. They sell 2 sizes at Home Depot. The majority of use was the thicker for walls and immediate ceiling. The thinner was used in the overhead compartment ceiling as well as sandwiched under the additional frp subfloor below the mattress. Also the 2 transitional areas rear and forward ceiling. No, didn't bother gluing any of the foam to the walls, but it prob would have been a good idea. The foam fits extremely snug and tight and there just didn't seem a need. Also the R-tech has this layer of plastic that might delaminate anyways on the one side if glued to. I just used it as one would in a home building project. Condensation between the foam and shell? I don't think so as it is very tight fitting as mentioned. But it wouldn't hurt to use glue that's for sure. The first go around before cutting the camper in half, the walls were made of cheap laun that was used identical to the now FRP interior walls. It was glassed around the perimeter (ceiling, floor, seams etc) and there was no need for any stringers. The cabinetry, windows, and benches seem to do a good job keeping it from "bowing" out if that's a concern. There really wasn't any need for additional wood stringers and the walls feel very solid. Yes, the ceiling and wrap-around window replacement panel have studs and beams that the interior panels are glued and screwed to. The 2 transition areas use "nailing surfaces" in the form of PVC pipe as well. The 2nd go around, FRP panels made more sense for all the fiberglassing and was much easier to work w/ than the laun. The roof was replaced originally because an AC unit had severly damaged the rear ceiling: And the 2nd go around it was redone for several reasons. One being that the camper was cut in half and both the floor and roof being removed made it simpler to join the 2 halves. Also, the camper would be portable and be able to stand on its own so the floor needed joists and some structure. This meant the already cramped interior headroom was going to be even shorter. And so the roof was redesigned as it was with a little inspiration borrowed from the SuperCamper's roof lines. I believe the interior was measured to be 6'3"? I haven't met anyone who can't stand upright in the camper. Hope that answers all. Thnx. Always appreciate the interest/feedback.

Just got back from vacation and dc-dc converter package was waiting. Results based on a T61 laptop without internal battery pack : Following based on AC/DC powerbrick in tandem w/ a fanless 300W DC-AC inverter AC-DC powerbrick (standalone) ~.5amps ~6watts Idle desktop ~2.2amps ~24watts desktop running program ~4.0amps ~48watts Following obtained w/ a small DC-DC converter set to 20.5DC (identical output of powerbrick) DC-DC converter (standalone) ~.04amps ~1watt idle desktop ~1.6a ~19watts (approx 5 watt savings vs inverter/converter) desktop running program ~3.3amps ~40watts (approx 8 watt savings vs inverter/converter) So roughly about 5-8 watt savings vs the inverter route or about 1/2 an amp. Worth it? The little gizmo cost about $4 including shipping. The voltage of course can be regulated w/ a little screw, and haven't done any tests to see what minimum voltage laptop actually needs to run (tho am curious for sure and will). I doubt the draw would change significantly or at all w/ a lower voltage. Unfortunately, some electrical component of this cheapo dc-dc converter is putting out a high pitch squeal. It's not deafining loud, but definitely annoying. Will have to investigate. Prob a case of "get what you pay for" So that's that and might look into some additional DC-DC converter info on the web. Anyone have a DC-DC converter to comment on? @smaller computer/tablet etc: Sounds like a good option. TV commercials seem to constantly bombard us w/ some new "must have" tablet or phone that's for sure. Myself, I like to play computer chess and wife has her own low processing power games she enjoys. So a non-laptop might be all we would ever need to fullfill our occasional entertainment needs. @Powerpack 600: That sounds like a pretty handy all-in-one power source for a lot of different uses especially the portable uses you describe. I can see how it would be very handy for the typical RV'er.

oh!. gr8, did you mean to write "LOL I had no problem returning them" instead of "LOL I have no problem returning them"? Because if you returned some faulty batteries, then you have every right to do so and I'm glad things worked out. I mistook your typo as also agreeing w/ the policy of returning merchandise that you ruined over and over as well. I apologize for any snide remarks I wrote. my apologies. ...And with that I take leave of forums for a few weeks. Off on needed vacation. I had to ask my wife what smarmy meant too btw.