Skoolie Newbie Saying Hello!

Tina Best · 01-13-2022, 03:41 PM

Hellllooooo! I hope I'm doing this right. . .

My partner Buddy and I just sold our Starflyte RV and upgraded to an incredible skoolie! We are head-over-heels and can't wait to hit the road with our 3 rescue dogs (the Wu Tan Clan), hopefully in the next couple of months!

Our long-term goal is to boondock out west for the Jan/Feb winter months. Our short-term goal is to understand our solar-powered electrical system, and to feel more confident we're not going to break something in our cool new bus!

I very much appreciate there being a free forum where information exchange is encouraged so that we can learn from the experts!

Jolly Roger bus 223 · 01-13-2022, 04:24 PM

welcome.
looking good.
did yall do the conversion yourself.
also please fill out your full profile at least with engine and tranny that way if for whatever reason you have to ask for mechanical advice then we dont have to guess at what you are working with and we can help you get better advice.

Tina Best · 01-13-2022, 04:31 PM

Thank you!

We did not do the conversion ourselves - the gentleman we bought the bus from did the conversion, lived in it out on the road for a year traveling the US, and then sold it to us!

I will definitely fill out the full profile now - thank you for that tip!

Hilary · 01-14-2022, 02:16 PM

I'll be heading out in April, for the same general area. I just joined the group too and haven't completely figured out how to do everything. Anyway, good luck with everything and maybe I'll see you out there somewhere, with my crazy pup!

Hilary

peteg59 · 01-14-2022, 02:27 PM

Welcome to the site.

That is a good looking raised roof bus.
Someone has some time and money in building it for sure!

Is there a bathroom/shower inside?

Tina Best · 01-14-2022, 03:50 PM

Nice to meet you, Hilary! Thanks for saying hi - good luck on your April adventure with your pup. Traveling with road dogs is the only way to travel in my book!

Tina Best · 01-14-2022, 03:53 PM

For certain - the guy who did the conversion was a Air Force veteran who took the time to do it right and loved this bus!

Yes, it has a Nature's Head composting toilet and a rainfall shower, complete with an instant hot water heater that's powered by the solar panels. That said, I haven't christened either one just yet!

We're still learning our way around it - and the bus had to go back to the mechanic last night as it wouldn't go into reverse after my hubby took it out to air up the tires.

A_Bus_Called_Quest · 01-15-2022, 12:01 PM

Amazing looking bus!! Congrats

I found all of Wil Prowse's YouTube videos extremely helpful in understanding our solar $ battery setup - it seems he is hailed as a pro.
Explorist.life also has some great info, and is how I figured out how to build our electric setup.

Tina Best · 01-15-2022, 08:50 PM

Thank you so much - we're very excited about this new adventure!

And I appreciate the recommendations - we will definitely check out the YouTube and Explorist.life resources you described.

BarnYardCamp · 01-15-2022, 09:50 PM

your bus looks great.

Aspenblu · 01-16-2022, 11:56 AM

Yeah, getting going with the solar setup scares the heck out of me too! I know it's going to be one of the biggest investments we make in the bus...don't want to mess it up!

Tina Best · 01-16-2022, 05:41 PM

EXACTLY!! I've been watching Wil Prowse videos on YouTube today (which was a recommendation from a fellow forum member) - so I'm feeling a tiny bit better about it today. It's all a learning process, right? ;)

LargeMargeInBaja · 01-21-2022, 02:45 PM

re -- interior portrait
.
A big thumbs 'UP!' for no cabinets above waist-level.
We prefer the visual and visceral sense of openness.
Without cabinets above waist-level, the interior is twice as spacious.

Tina Best · 01-21-2022, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LargeMargeInBaja

re -- interior portrait
.
A big thumbs 'UP!' for no cabinets above waist-level.
We prefer the visual and visceral sense of openness.
Without cabinets above waist-level, the interior is twice as spacious.

I can't take credit for the design, but I completely agree with you! It was one of the main reasons we chose this bus after looking for over a year - we wanted an "open concept" bus since we will have 3 run-around dogs traveling with us!

CrownBirdie · 01-21-2022, 10:17 PM

Hey, Tina from a sister newbie. Looks like you totally scored a great reno bus! I hope to do the same sometime in the future.

Enjoy the Adventure...

Tina Best · 01-22-2022, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrownBirdie

Hey, Tina from a sister newbie. Looks like you totally scored a great reno bus! I hope to do the same sometime in the future.

Enjoy the Adventure...

Hey there, fellow newbie!! Thank you for the well wishes! I am sending you the best of luck on your hunt for the "perfect match" reno bus - took us a year to find the bus we wanted, but it was well worth the wait!

You may also like: