Adventuring as a widower in a classic Sportsmobile Camper Van.

 I have been silent for far too long on my blog, dealing with many complications of life, and honestly I just needed a LOT of time to recover me.

You see since my second to most recent post, back in March 2018, I went through the year of h*ll, which was 2018. Between my wife and I, we lost 20 close friends and family members, including my Dad, her Dad, her brother Eddy, our niece Lisa, the second friend I ever introduced her to while we were dating. I had to support my wife as she ended up hospitalized twice during 2018, to which her company followed up by laying her off shortly thereafter like the two were unrelated... 

We worked to recover from that, which was difficult but we made it, then COVID hit. 

And in July of 2022, Debi got sick, a Telehealth visit after hours said it looked like COVID and get to a testing center the following day.

The following day was July 19 2022. Debi passed away at the ICU that afternoon and NOT from COVID. 

The story is long, and I am still angry, angry that at the time health care providers were calling every symptom COVID. That test meters failed to show high blood sugar, and angry that neither of us thought it was serious enough to take her to the ER sooner. 

I have since as part of my recovery process, gotten myself an old Ford E250 Sportsmobile camper conversion van that I have been fixing up and camping in.

I have spent considerable time and effort fixing this old van, replacing pretty much everything on the front of the engine that spins, replacing the exhuast, tires, brakes, radiator etc... and updating the RV systems with a new fridge, Lithium Iron Phosphate RV battery, a BIG one, and compatible charging, 

My electrical setup here that has been changed and integrated into the existing Sportsmobile system or replaces parts of it are...

• CHINS Bluetooth LiFePO4 Battery Smart 12V 400Ah Lithium Battery - Built-in 200A BMS Amazon Affiliate Link.
• ATEM POWER 40A DC to DC Battery Charger with Anderson Plug Reverse Charge Solar Input MPPT for AGM, Gel, Calcium, Lead Acid, LiFePO4 Batteries of 4WDs, RVs, Campers, Trailers On-Board Charger. I wish I had bought the 60 amp model although this works well enough. Amazon Affiliate Link
• Bussmann CB285-60 Surface-Mount Circuit Breakers, 60 Amps. I tried the Chinese breakers at first. Do yourself a favor... don't bother. Awful experience of repeated failure. Amazon Affiliate Link. 
• Powermax PM3-55 RV Power Converter. 110V AC to 12V DC Converter Charger to support Lithium batteries and replaced OEM 45 amp lead acid only converter charger. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• Dokio 300w 18v Portable Solar Panel Kit. I  have 2 of these giving me 600w of solar charging. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• Dokio Solar Panel Mounting Bracket. Basically kick stands for the portable panels, you need these to keep the panels aimed at the sun. They come in a 2 pack and I have 2 sets so 4 to support my panels. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• 2 50ft SAE 12awg extension cables. These allow me to park my van in the shade, and put the solar panels in full sunlight. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• 25' 8awg black / red bonded hookup wire. This allow connection of the panels to the charger via 50 amp Anderson connectors. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• 50 amp Anderson Connectors. This allows me to create the parallel cable to connect the solar panels to the van and in turn to the MPPT controller. Amazon Affiliate Link.

The solar pass through. If I were to do it over. I would do the same Y cable. and a sheet mteal block off plate sealed and painted, and then cut through for a weatherproof Anderson Connector flush mount and copious amounts of silicone sealant... Amazon Affiliate Link.

Adding a fully modern CB radio with AM, Sideband, and the newly authorized FM modes. 

I am still working on the woodworking shop and DIY stuff, but most of this is to serve the function of supporting my off road and camping addictions... So the Youtube channel has been spun away from Daves Workshop and into Wildersport. 

I am committing now to diving into Wildersport full force, so look forward to seeing more posts, and more videos. I will be improving as I go along, I hope... and with any luck I will be able to provide you with some good information and entertainment along the way. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

YouTube Channel, Affiliate Programs and a new TeeSpring store!

 It has been a while since I have posted to the blog, but that is about to change. It is time for me to get serious about Wildersport and dive head first into making this a going concern.

Wildersport was a shared dream between my late wife and myself, and I have been working on upping my game via the Youtube channel, and starting to develop some merch to sell and just have a good go at it, so here it is.

For those of you that want to follow my adventures between long delayed blog posts here goes.

My Blogger address is http://www.wildersport.biz/

My youtube channel is at... https://www.youtube.com/@Wildersport

My amazon affiliate page is at https://amzn.to/3YAxVCH

My Teespring store is at https://storewildersportbiz.creator-spring.com/

My current concentration is on getting my 1993 Ford Econoline 250 Sportsmobile Pop Top camper van 100% road trip ready and modernized at least to the interior tech, while retaining the classic straight 6 powertrain that is not fast but is oh so reliable...

So come along as I journey through healing, growth and adventure that can only be found with faith, family and four wheels!

Brand name gear fail. Coleman Pack Away camp kitchen.

First things first, full disclosure, the Coleman Pack Away camp kitchen that we own was purchased probably 12 years ago. However it is ben very lightly used, and stored dry, never exposed to anything aside from normal southern humidity that, well everything around here is exposed to.

The Coleman Pack Away camp kitchen is a well designed, well thought out compactly foldable little table with just the right tack on thing a ma bobs to be really handy on a camping trip.

The entire thing folds up to roughly the size of a long laptop bag, and folds out to provide ample food prep area, with a perfect spot for your Coleman liquid fuel camp stove.

There is an adjustable height pole with hook for hanging your lantern, An upright, well goal post sort of thingy with 5 S hooks that are ideal for hanging your cooking utensils for easy access, and a mesh "shelf" under the table top for holding your camp dishware. All in all a fairly good setup for keeping the family fed on those trips where the campground picnic table is going to be occupied...

There are 2 areas where this camp kitchen fails, and does so pretty massively.

The first, and it's a pretty major flub from Coleman considering they sell WAY more propane stoves than liquid fuel these days, is that there is no suport for a propane bottle, or hose, so if you are using a propane stove, YOU will have to MacGuyver some way to support the fuel supply.

Coleman's own product photography shows the product being used with a propane stove, witht he fuel bottle just hanging off the regulator in mid air. This puts a LOT of leverage on that aluminum line. At best, this will over the long term, cause the regulator line to bend. At worst, it can cause a fuel leak while the appliance is in use, causing a fire, or potential fuel explosion. Long story short, DO NOT USE YOUR STOVE LIKE WHAT COLEMAN PICTURES!

I've talked about this in some of my videos in the past, I use a hose / bulk tank rig, and I support the hose with the legs of the table to keep pressure off the fuel regulator. 

You can see where I discuss this in my description of the Brinkmann Stainless Steel 2 burner camp stove. 

The second, and more annoying to me issue is one of quality of materials. The framing is high quality aluminum, the legs etc.... all are well made, it's the laminated MDF top pieces that are, well an incredibly poor choice of materials for any sort of durability in an outdoor envioronment.

In the case of mine, less than 3 camping trips and years of storage have resulted in tops that are badly bowed in, and in need of replacement.

Now I could just replace the unit, but let's face it. I am going to end up with EXACTLY the same problem. So instead, I am looking for inexpensive, sufficiently large plastic cutting boards that I can trim to fit, and then get busy with a router, power drill, and riveter, and modify this. I seriously doubt coleman left me with a lwide enough slot to do it internal to the frame, so I will just tack them over the outside... But I have yet to find a suitable cutting board....

In the mean time, I use it as is... but I am honestly not really thrilled iwth the quality corners that were cut...

Long story short, I do not really recommend this unless you are going into it knowing the shortcomings, and are willing to address them on your own.

Top surface replacement options could be any of a myriad of plastics, aluminum, or even if you have the funds, stainless steel.

Best of luck, 

Should I spend more to buy the brand name gear?

It really never ceases to amaze me how often I see this question. It's not unique to camping gear either... But for the sake of this blog... we are talking about camping gear...

The anser is pretty complex, and really is, maybe, maybe not. Let me explain...

The big issue, is what item specifically are you talking about?

Is it fairly complicated, or likely to need service or replacement parts sometime in the future? Things that need replacemen parts are things like camp stoves, lanterns, grills etc...

If the answer is yes, then absolutely you need to buy quality brands. Specifically, and I don't want to sound like a brand snob here as they really are middle of the road cost wise, but Coleman products have great reliability and parts support, but to top it off, I will give you another example...

Tents...

I have a large number of tents, from different manufacturers, they are...

Coleman
Stansport
TexSport
Eureka
Sierra Designs
Swiss Gear
Ozark Trail.

There are 3 of these brands that stand up well to foul weather, and hard use. They are, in ascending cost category...

Coleman
Eureka
Sierra Designs.

I cannot personally attest to the truth of this, but there have been enough stories written up about it I tend to believe this, but the Oaark Trail tents are reportedly only intended, and supported by their manufacturer for use in ideal weather, and make no claims whatsoever about storm worthiness.

The Texsport, well, that thing is a joke. The poles are so thin they basically fold under and collapse with the slihgtest breeze.

The stansport tent in all honesty has been durable, and held up to lots of use, but even with lots of seam sealing, it leaks like a sieze under a hard rain.

Same goes for the Swiss gear. VERY sturdy construction, but with the complicated design with a huge number of seams, it leaks, badly, under a Texas spring rain storm... Not much fun to be trying to sleep with a steady stream of rain pouring on your head...

Mind you, there are some very innovative ideas going on with these brands, like Ozark Trail has the Dark Rest tents, that do a great job of blocking out sunlight, and much heat gain at least early in teh day, as well as some models in the past have had AC ports for literally using a window unit Air Conditioner in your tent! I know camping purists hate the idea, but let me tell you, as a camper in Texas, I LOVE it...

On some other items, the differences may or may not be so vital. For example my family cook set is Ozark Trail branded, but really a rebranded Texsport set, that I have had for 14 years now, with only one issue, and that is that a pot metal wing nut and screw rusted up and broke, easily replaced at Home Depot, although I had to trim the screw short to match the original, and yes the metal is thin, but judicious use of heat settings and all is well with my cooking, and cookweare... And ithe whole set weighs about 1/4 of what one cast iron skillet weighs...

This whole issue has been brought up to mind most recently, not by a lower cost alternative, but a brand that just isn't standing behind their product. At least not the way their competition does...

I am talking about Brinkmann. You see back in late 2004, early 2005, I bought myself a beautiful 2 burner propane camp stove, but not just ANY 2 burner propane camp stove. I bought a Brinkmann because, it was priced right about where Coleman had their self ignition model, but the brinkmann had a feature that the frequent beach camping I was doing then called for. Stainless steel construction.

Now I've going on and on particularly in my videos about how much I dislike 1lb propane cylinders. About the risks they pose in the waste stream, how much more expensive they are than either liquid fuel, or bulk propane etc... I would never knowningly buy any propane appliance that I could not run on a refillable bulk tank.

Well the first time I hooked a bulk propane tank hose up to the regulator of the Brinkmann, and turned the gas on, the regulator simply quit working. The stove was new, and Brinkmann send me a replacement regulator. Fast forward some years, and I am looking for a replacement regulator again... None to be found anywhere.

Now mind you, regulators for Coleman stoves have pretty much been the same for, well my entire long lifetime. I can walk into just about any sporting goods store that sells campign gear, or a Walmart, Target, whatever, even many grocery stoves and buy a replacement regulator for a coleman, and be assured it will fit and work...

So long story short, it's not really the COST of the item that makes the difference, but rather the company, and the care they give the customer after the sale, long after the sale that make the difference... I mean if Brinkmann had been usable, and maintainable, not only would I have bought a second stove from them for more in depth trips, but I would be recommending them due to the stainless construction. but since they are, well planned obgsolescence, I am not doing business with them from now on...

Too bad. I really like my shiny silver stove...

What Wildersport Outdoors is all about, and unboxing an iRegro wood gasifier stove.

A quick video about Wildersport Outdoors, what we are all about, and the unboxing of a pretty cool new wood gasifier backpacking stove.

Mr. Heater Portable Buddy pilot fox.

So our mr. Heater portable buddy that we use camping fishing in the shop pretty much everywhere finally decided that the pilot wasn't going to work we did a little research and found the fix here it is to share with you.

Reliable camp lighting.

We've been through many interations of camp lighting over the years, The experiments were

1. Propane lanterns
2. Flashlights
3. Mag lights in lantern mode
4. Headlamps
5. kerosene lanterns
6. White gas / Gasoline lanterns
7. Butane lanterns.
8. Candle lanterns
9. and most recently. The Tac Light lantern. Those super bright LED lanterns.

All of them have their advantages, and disadvantages. And just like the liquid fueled / gasoline / white gas stoves, we come back to white gas / gasoline every time.

Simply put, While the tac light lantern is a good lantern, there are many imitators, and the light, well, it's too stinking bright close up to be anything but blinding, but does not disperse well enough to make a good area light.

Propane has proved over the years to be expensive to use with any frequency, especially with the fuel consumption that we deal with in propane lanterns. 

Kerosene works well, but produces too limited of a light be to useful beyond a small camp kitchen, or a tent / cabin room. And considering the fuel isn't used on anything we own other than the lantern, it is a bit hard to give serious consideration to use... Having said that, if I could re jet the stove to use Kerosene, it would be a GREAT option for international travel. And with a stove like the MSR XGK you can do just that. Kerosene is readily available pretty much anywhere so you would never need to worry about fuel but...

As we prep our gear for the spring camping season that is almost upon us here in Texas, we are getting the gas lanterns ready White gas is hard to find outside of the US and Canada, but unleaded gasoline is readily available. SO a dual fuel model makes for great fuel availability. 

Our prep work as you might recall includes testing for leakage, and doing a pre burn at home to insure that the lantern lights and operates. We have two of them, one of which had a failed pump seal that was easily replaced with parts from our local big box retailers sporting goods section, and it simply took a few starts to clear the cobwebs out.

It should be mentioned that we stocked up on fuel a long time ago, thinking white gas would go through fairly quickly. We did not find that to be true.

In real world use, we would burn up 2 1lb propane cylinders in a 24 hour period in the lantern. We could fill up the white gas lantern 8 times with a 1 gallon can, and each fill up lasted for 2 days. 

The results in fuel usage are similar with the stove. Have we made our point clearly enough on why we chose gasoline / white gas over propane yet?

So now that the lanterns are ready to go and stuffed back in their cases, we await delivery of our replacement packings for the stove, and we get that leak fixed, and we are ready to go.