Strutting our stuff ...

Nick had originally considered replacing the Spacevan struts himself and removed both to start that process.  However when he called the local Cub dealership he was given contact details for a gas strut fitter - and organised that fellow to visit.

Once the struts were off, we couldn't pack up the camper so decided to tackle another mission while waiting for the strut inspection.  All three tyres were about 15 years old. We took them to a nearby tyre place, which we've used on a number of occasions since relocating to QLD. It was a simple, straight-forward transaction to fit new tyres. $285.00 and done.

The strut man arrived a day early.  He checked the old struts and stated they were "not too bad". They were a bit uneven and that caused the twisting of the camper as it was closing. One side would close but the other side was still open. After fitting new struts the camper closes evenly.  Well worth $176.00!  (Nick's next job is to straighten the twist with some reinforcing plates).

Cold storage?!

Although we put some things in the Spacevan fridge during our trip, we really preferred using our Engel. Once home again we decided to remove the three-way fridge and convert the space to another storage area. 

We both looked for second-hand cupboard door or drawer options but it was tricky to find the right size, so after much searching we ordered two doors from eBay for just under $134.00 delivered.   

The fridge came out pretty easily. It was mounted to rails on the floor, so Nick slid it out and then removed the rails. I cleaned the floor thoroughly before the next step.

Nick had previous experience with  stainless steel but had forgotten how difficult it was to work with. He says "drilling was a trauma"!  

As you can see, he won out over the doors and we are both quite chuffed with how well they fit the space.  We're not sure yet what we'll use that extra storage for - but we like having it!

The fridge sold for $250.00, which offset some of our other spending. 

Bags not getting dusty!

The hard-floor camper design means the floor flips over to become the roof when packed up. I took a spare sheet to cover the bed for our recent trip, to protect our bed from dirt. 

It worked fairly well and a previous owner had a plastic sheet in the drawbar box, which we used to cover the bed when packing in the rain at Blackall.

The bed still became a little wet, so I ordered a zipped mattress bag for future use. It's yet to arrive but my Drifta camping mat bags were delivered yesterday. Each will hold eight camping mats, including edges - which should further contain dust/dirt/mud. Fingers crossed!

The benefit of these mats is that a lot of dust falls into the holes.  The pics in the collage are from our Roma packup, where much dried mud dropped onto the floor also.  (I took the long-handled broom and pan with us and swept before each pack-up, to limit dirt being distributed through the camper when closing).

We took eight mats on this trip, which had been purchased at Emerald during our Wing-it Wanderings last year.  My plan is to have eight mats for outside use and another eight for inside - with bags marked in some way.  I'll buy a new set for inside use.  Any older mats at home will be good for the garage area.

Organising for more adventures ...

We returned from our adventuring, very keen to start improving (and personalising) the Spacevan. Nick still had a week left of annual leave and we wanted to make the most of his time off.  

One of the main issues while away was difficulty closing the camper when packing up.  We'd initially assumed the problem was due to windy conditions but later realised some pop rivets were missing on a metal roof plate.  

Nick replaced those rivets but the repair hasn't improved the closing issue, so we are now looking to have the gas struts inspected and possibly replaced.

A previous owner removed some of the 12-volt components and we've been researching how best to replace those.

Those are the main larger missions.  Many smaller jobs have been done.  The pull-out exterior pantry drawer lacked organisation, so we purchased two lidded plastic baskets from Kmart and several plastic containers from Coles.  $30.00 well spent!  Our beverage case fits quite well in the remaining space and hopefully there'll be less chaos next trip.

The single interior kitchen drawer became a catch-all while away, so it's also had a makeover.  Bunnings had these small plastic tubs for $3.00.  I bought a roll of non-slip mat from a variety store to sit beneath the tubs - and a few longer items can slide into the narrow remaining space.  

The six small cutting boards were a BigW buy.  $9.00 total.  Nick and I saw a set of stabilising jack pads at an automotive store a week or so ago.  The set of four was just under $60.00.  Nick spoke of cutting a large chopping board into pieces but the mini variety are already the right size.  These are just to sit under the camper's legs in case of soft ground.  I'm sure we've used scrap wood for the previous camper trailer, so the small boards will be an upgrade.  I'll make a carry bag for them.

Our Engels were purchased 11 years ago.  We've always just used them with the main basket, even though smaller baskets were available for better organisation.  On this recent trip one Engel remained in the back of Elmer.  Accessing the fridge involved standing on the towbar or scrambling onto the tailgate.  It was awkward to see into the fridge and retrieve items, particularly as they'd frequently fall into any empty space created by removing something.  

Yep.  We finally caved and bought two small Engel baskets and one six-can basket.  Only one can be used at a time but we're hopeful they'll help.  We use the Engels at home also, which will be a good test of the new organisation. 

We'll continue to take our Engels away with us, so the inside Dometic fridge was surplus to requirements.  Nick removed that yesterday and we've ordered some stainless steel doors to convert the empty space into extra cupboard area.  

What else?  A mini flip-top bin for rubbish, which will sit on the bench area.  Given most of our stops were overnight, rubbish was binned before checking out - so we don't need a big bin.  I've also ordered some magnetic gas level gauges.  (The line had a gas level gauge connector but the gas didn't run with that one in place).

Erin lent us her never-used kettle to take away.  It was a nice shape but whinged rather than whistled and was awkward to fill.  We bought a blue one on special from Tentworld and tested it this morning.  It's easy to fill, whistles very confidently and pours nicely.  Cheers!