This 2016 Ford Transit Ext was built for full time living in a Canadian winter. My wife and I comfortably spent a year in Saskatchewan with over a month of -40 weather. The spray foam insulation and propane heater (propex) stood the test.
The forced air heater has external air intake and exhaust to eliminate chance of carbon monoxide poisoning seen in other heaters. This heater does not add moisture to the air as some do. Instead it makes for very dry air. With the heater on and the fan venting, ski gear from a day of riding, or even wetsuits after a day of surfing or kayaking will be completely dry by morning. This also eliminates risk of mold.
A sliding bulkhead door provides privacy, insulation and is less obvious than window covers when you’re trying to lie low.
There is plenty of storage under the bed for equipment. Fits multiple bikes, surfboards and/or snow skis.
The 39 gallon water tank lasts close to 3 weeks between fills. The innovative inflow port allows for refilling without heat loss and no exterior valves for stealth sake. Two 6 gallon jugs under the sink serve as a grey tank.
220 amp hour battery bank (new)(can run for several days without charge), 300 W solar (run system and net positive charge on relatively sunny day), shore charger (plug into 110v or 220v to keep house battery full), alternator charger (battery will be charged on any drive over an hour), 2000w inverter (pure sine). Fuse or breaker at every unit. Each electrical draw is extremely efficient, allowing several days of run time without a charge.
Carbon monoxide & gas detector.
Dometic fridge is large enough to store a weeks worth of groceries, a three burner propane stove/oven allows for limitless cooking and the deep sink makes doing dishes easy. The maxxfan functions as a ceiling fan, AC unit and range hood.
When using the maxxfan for air-conditioning there’s a vent through the floor to draw cool air in from the shade under the vehicle, this also makes for incognito ventilation, you don’t even need to crack a window. The cabin is insulated enough to trap cold air for hours after running the vehicle AC.
There’s a compost toilet under the sink that pulls out into the main living area. a fan is constantly venting to the underside of the van, this creates negative pressure to eliminate smell. the fan draws negligible power from the bank. No nasty cartridges or chemicals to clean, when it’s time to empty the reservoir (every other month or so) it is just dirt.
All vents are covered by steel grate for rocks and bug mesh to keep critters out.
The van was built with head room in mind. 6’5” standing room and a long bed to match. A custom, firm, memory foam mattress was designed to extend into the living space to save on room throughout the day and fold out to maximize bed size at night.
There’s a 6 gallon propane tank (new) mounted under the drivers side that powers the heater and stove/oven. In -40 the heater runs continuously and tank will last 3 days. In normal winter conditions the tank will last approximately a week. There’s also a thermostat that will turn on an electric heater if propane runs out (electric heater not included. You should be plugged into shore charge if running electric heat*).
All components are top of the line, no expense spared for quality. Each charging component does so at a rate dependant on the current charge level (bulk, absorption and float) to prolong the life of the battery. AGM was selected as the most suitable battery for cold environments. Forced air heater is the best form of RV heater because it doesn’t add moisture. The accumulator tank ensures efficient use of the pump with less cycling. A top loading fridge was selected for the efficiency provided by not dumping cold air onto the floor as front loading fridges do.
Stove- Dometic RV Range Oven Cook-top RV-1735 BBPX2 Part# 52883
Fridge- Dometic CFX3 95DZ Dual Cooler/Freezer
Propex heater- HS2211 forced air heater.
Fan- Maxx air Maxxfan deluxe, 10 speed
pump- pentair surflo & shurflow accumulator tank
Toilet- Nature’s head self contained composting toilet
battery- 220 agm
shore charge- Samlexpower 12v 50amp model SEC-1250ul
alternator charge- Sterling Power pro batt ultra 12v-12v 60A input
solar charge computer- Viltron energy MPPT 100/20 bluetooth
solar panel- 300w mono crystalline
inverter- samplexpower pst-2000-12 pure sine
Battery monitor- viltron energy BMV-700 blue tooth battery monitor.
Gas/CO detector- Safe T Alert RV combination carbon monoxide and gas alarm
