Egg Camper Propane & Other Mods

[coastsignal]

Hi All,
Just bought a 2012 EggCamper and am outfitting it for a Southern USA Winter trip. My first task is heat and hot water for boondocking. Until we decide if this camper will be a long-time keeper, We are going to try to keep it simple and inexpensive for now. We plan on doing some boondocking, but only up to about 3 days max at a time. We may install a solar system and additional batteries in the future but, the existing all electric design limits heat and hot water options if boondocking. So, this year's plan is to take along a 20# propane tank (and some spare 1# tanks) and use a buddy heater and propane Coleman style camp stove with quick disconnect fittings. The Coleman stove would do double duty for both cooking and heating water for a shower. I'll have a gas detector inside and the 20# tank will be outside the trailer. Would like to use a 10' hose after the low pressure regulator on the tank and drill a hole through the fiberglass to accommodate that hose. Then the quick disconnect at the end of the 10' hose inside the trailer, and use the heater and stove, but not at the same time.
Comments and suggestions please
Thank-You
Mark

[cpaharley2008]

I'd forget the short cut and install or have someone install a propane heater, either a Wave III or an Atwood 8012. Then once the propane line is installed run a "T" for a propane built in stove top. Several other Eggcamper owners have done this, myself included. Another option is adding solar and dual batteries and use 12v heated blankets for nighttime use and boil water outside on a portable stove.

[rgrugg]

We found the all electric unit to be unacceptable for cold weather and or boondocking. Had a propane furnace and cooktop installed. No one has showered in mine nor will I ever do that. Just can't see anyway to get an acceptable shower from a 2 gallon water heater. For that and other reasons, I'll be getting an Escape 19 in the spring at which time my EggCamper will be for sale. BTW, the dinette bed is too short for an adult. Otherwise, the EggCamper is a great trailer.

[Bob Miller]

I agree with cpaharley
Just bite the bullet and get the propane appliances installed now. Now only will you have a lot less risk than with a Disneyesque arrangement, you will vastly improve the salability of your trailer should you not like it after a season of use.


Hereabouts there are a few with "Fear of Propane" and want an all electric FGRV, but the majority of future buyers will expect a propane system and, without a big price concession, most will walk away from an "All electric" trailer.


I think that "All Electric" and "Boondocking" are mutually exclusive terms.

[cpaharley2008]

Actually it is a 4 gal water heater, I replaced mine, obtained replacement from Home Depot.

[coastsignal]

Thanks for the comments--Jim, Bob R & Bob M! I really like Bob M's point about future sale-ability.
No fear of propane here, but a good healthy respect. My wife and I have a "mom and pop" hardware store with a propane station, so we fill all kind of RV's and loose tanks.


Here's another mod/repair question: Our EggCamper is missing all the white strips that cover the seams on the inside and the gray sealing material is showing. I'm looking at a product on our store shelf--Tub & Floor Caulkstrip--white (vinyl?) trim strips with siliconized caulk on one side, 1-1.5" wide, 5-20' long. Will this product work? Is there a better product? What are the original strips made of and how are they attached?
I saw a picture of an EggCamper showing the middle ceiling between the seams with what looked a type of material or short carpeting of some type. Anyone have that in their EggCamper?


Any comments on this -and- more comments on adding propane are appreciated
Thank-You
Mark

[kirkman]

I also have a egg camper that the PO added propane hot water, heat, and solar. It was these mods that made me jump on it when he decided to sell. I do a hole lot of boon docking and would not have bought it with out the propane up date.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[David B.]

Mark, we to have an all electric trailer (Lil Snoozy) and camp almost always off the grid. I added 200 watt solar & large capacity battery, propane tank and a SMEV two burner stove so far. I knew that we wanted a permanent stove even though we have a coleman two burner stove for tent camping. I thought about adding a propane water heater and a furnace, or a combo unit (Aldi), but we are going to try to just use our coleman black cat catalyst heater and boil water on the stove to add to a new bug sprayer along with cold water to desired temp, to take a shower. We have only had the trailer since June, so if we tire of these methods I will install permanent units.
Keep us posted, and good luck.
Dave & Paula

[coastsignal]

Hi David and All,

Sorry this took so long to answer. We camped most all of Feb. and March, and never used any propane--for the heater nor stove. We boondocked only a couple times, and it was warm enough without heat. The rest of the campgrounds had , at least, electricity, and we did use the Eggcamper built-in electric heater. We used the wonderful 12 volt fridge, and the microwave a lot. But, we were tourists, not staying at any campground more than 4 nites, and stopping to eat at fast food or supermarket deli's so the only meals we had in the camper were mostly sandwiches, snacks, fruit, etc. I gave my full 20# propane tank to a friend in Florida so we didn't have to haul it any further. Still, in the future, we will continue to carry a (new) Buddy heater and a few small propane tanks for boondocking heat.

Mark

[coastsignal]

Forgot to mention that I did install high pressure Propane hoses with quick disconnects for the low pressure application in the Eggcamper, so we can operate off a 20# or larger tank, or from the small tanks, but we have no tank or appliances hooked up to them at this time.
Mark