Is my idea a little too special?

[Waldi]

Hello everyone... I'm new here and have only read the rules for the forum so far. And the rules are nice

First of all, I would like to say a few words about us: We left Germany with our 3 children (11, 10, 4) two years ago and currently live in southern Spain. We are already very experienced in traveling and before we had children we also had a camper. It was an old Mercedes, 6 meters long and built in 1975.

In about 2 years we want to start a very big adventure and drive from Canada to Argentina with a Skoolie. It should be a skoolie because we just need SPACE.

We have very specific ideas for the Skoolie. In the attached photo the Skoolie is very close to what we imagined. We would like to have 2 half Volkswagens on top of the roof, which should become the "children's rooms".

I would like to exchange ideas with someone who has already done a similar setup. Is there perhaps already a post on this topic here in the forum? Or do you know a school bus conversion company in the USA/Canada/Mexico that can build something like this?

Since we will probably stay in Spain until we leave, we are looking for a company that can build something like this for us. Or at least the basic structure.

I'm happy about any information...

[Albatross]

That's an interesting design, and while I haven't seen too many people doing something like that here, I would worry about your height clearances on that journey.



In most of the USA, your typical clearance under overpasses is only 13' 6" (<411.5 cm), and especially in Central America and the northern half of South America, it's pretty much going to be whatever they can reach or build to accommodate--and I'm not sure that you'll be able to get through the Darien Gap or what comes after that with something like a 16' (488 cm) tall skoolie conversion.

[Waldi]

Hello Albatross. Thank you for your quick response.

Yes, the height and length issue will certainly be our most exciting topic. In Germany a maximum height of 4 meters is allowed and even if we have no plans to ever bring the Skoolie to Germany, I would still try to stick to this maximum height. The two children's rooms will therefore not be as high.

Despite these restrictions, we continue to pursue the idea for two reasons.

1. I have exchanged ideas several times with a woman who does guided trips on the Panamericana. They offer these trips primarily to German travelers and also organize shipping for them. She looks back on about 20 years of experience and told me that everything between Costa Rica and Colombia gets more difficult, but remains doable. However, you will have to be prepared for the fact that in many places you can only drive on the main roads. (Fun fact: She told me that they only allow RVs with a maximum length of 7 meters and a height of 3.20 meters in their convoy )

2. Traveling with children is different than our previous trips. We usually head for a specific place and stay there for weeks or months. For this planned trip, we assume that we will usually drive longer distances at once and then stay longer at the destination and be able to prepare the next route well. We don't have any time pressure.

But if everything doesn't work out so well, we have come up with an alternative. There is a possibility of shipping from Mexico to Buenos Aires. (Throughout Patagonia, height and length should not be an issue)

The focus of this trip is less that we want to see as many countries and cities as possible... more that we want to have a wonderful, unforgettable time with our children.

[kromboy]

It's definitely a lofty goal, and with the added difficulty of finding a reputable skoolie builder that will deliver on time.

Why not a class A RV? It'll have the same amount of space, if not more than a skoolie and likely also be cheaper when you factor in the cost of paying a skoolie builder for all that fabrication work that'll be needed.

[AlphaHare]

I just love pictures like this, and I have a Pinterest with many of them - very romantic notions of what can be done. I learned to drive and spent my high school years in a VW bread loaf bus.... ;>)

That said, IMHO the practicality of your journey should come first. Do what ever you can to go NOW, and don't wait for 'what might be cool'. As much as we are all focused here on building skoolies, I hope that most of us plan to use them to go places and be outdoors, not just to live inside them.

There is an adage in boats that I believe applies to skoolies as well: get the smallest one you can afford. Smaller gets used more, they're easier to maneuver, build cost and expenses are often lower. The kids will be very happy in their own bunk beds - the US Navy does the same on submarines for months at a time.

[Iceni John]

If you want to drive the entire Panamerican highway (except obviously the Darien Gap), you'll be going through countries that may not have the ability to service your US-made vehicle. Are you going to find parts for it in Colombia or Uruguay, for example? Once you're south of the US/MX border most buses are Mercedes Benz, MAN, Volvo or Scania, with virtually no American ones at all. Likewise trucks: MX has lots of US trucks, but further south it's almost all European ones. I suggest you use a make of vehicle with universal repairability, i.e. M.Benz, Toyota or Isuzu. What do almost all the RTW travelers drive? It's mostly G.Wagens, Sprinters and Land Cruisers, or bigger European expedition trucks such as DAF, MAN or Iveco.

Viel Glück!
John

[Albatross]

Originally Posted by AlphaHare

The kids will be very happy in their own bunk beds - the US Navy does the same on submarines for months at a time.

Can confirm this. Generally, when I was in, on the boats I was on, you wouldn't even get your own rack/bunk until you were on your second enlistment, or worked in the galley. Three guys would share two bunks, and we made it work. Having your own bunk is pretty much all a person needs with the right mindset.

[cadillackid]

good luck insuring something built like this.. a beetle-bus smacked on top of a school bus roof is prob going to make most insurers shake their heads these days

[TaliaDPerkins]

There literally is no paved, contiguous roadbed for about 66 miles of what was once to be the Pan-American highway. You have to charter carriage by ship around that missing road...
...or leave you vehicle behind, walk it, and get a new vehicle on the other side.
***

good grief, "event", not vent.

[kidharris]

Originally Posted by Waldi

Hello everyone... I'm new here and have only read the rules for the forum so far. And the rules are nice

First of all, I would like to say a few words about us: We left Germany with our 3 children (11, 10, 4) two years ago and currently live in southern Spain. We are already very experienced in traveling and before we had children we also had a camper. It was an old Mercedes, 6 meters long and built in 1975.

In about 2 years we want to start a very big adventure and drive from Canada to Argentina with a Skoolie. It should be a skoolie because we just need SPACE.

We have very specific ideas for the Skoolie. In the attached photo the Skoolie is very close to what we imagined. We would like to have 2 half Volkswagens on top of the roof, which should become the "children's rooms".

I would like to exchange ideas with someone who has already done a similar setup. Is there perhaps already a post on this topic here in the forum? Or do you know a school bus conversion company in the USA/Canada/Mexico that can build something like this?

Since we will probably stay in Spain until we leave, we are looking for a company that can build something like this for us. Or at least the basic structure.

I'm happy about any information...

Seems like having kids overhead would be like having squirrels in the attic. If I wanted a separate space for them to be at night, when stopped, I would put the vw Type II on a trailer and tow it. If it was a working vehicle, then you could also use it for exploring or shopping.


A tent would be cheaper, if safety was not a concern.