The full featured, overlanding camper van with hydronic heating, the best bike garage that supports up to six bikes with wheels on, recovery points and winch, compressed air system, trail armor including rock sliders and skid plates, electrically lifting queen bed, large roof deck and slide out rear deck and so much more will be on display as a showcase overlanding camping vehicle at Overland Expo Pacific Northwest July 8th thru 11th in Redmond, Oregon. #overlandexpoPNW
Come visit with me and I'll give you a full tour of MountainBluebird the overlanding camper van as well as see other great expedition vehicles and campers at Overland Expo.
Here is a summary of the many, many features of this amazing custom-built expedition camper:
Fully Factory Optioned four-wheel drive with push-button low-range
Heated windscreen, heated front seats on factory swivels, auto-on HID headlights, fog lights, auto-wipers and nearly every possible factory option, additional air bags and safety systems
4-wheel drive with low-range; push-button selectable
Factory D5 hydronic engine heater and auxiliary heater connections, variable idle control
Factory auxiliary battery, powers stereo and exterior lighting keeping dedicated starter battery
Heated rear windows with wipers; trailer wiring and hitch
Full Featured Four Passenger long-distance remote travels in comfort
Carries four passengers in front-facing three-point seat belted comfort seats
AC and DC/USB power ports accessible from any location (over 20 plugs for each)
No wood to rot or steel to rust all-aluminum & HDPE cabinetry bolted to twelve factory floor anchors
All marine-grade materials for wall panels, coverings, insulation, cabinetry, electronics…
Super insulated for noise and thermal comfort, including front cabin with all dash panels and flooring removed and several layers and types of insulation added
Carries four to six bikes inside with wheels on, easy roll in and out, skis or watercraft while containing mud & water within bike tray/500#-capable five-foot slide out rear deck
Queen bed that is always ready and electrically raises and lowers to optimize cargo area
Systems support two people for weeks of unsupported travels, including hot showers, food, drinking water, energy, etc. Have completed extended travels for three weeks without water or food replenishment and ability to drive >800 miles per fill-up
Automatic charging from sun or van motor with single fuel management
Lots of storage spaces for clothing, food, kitchen supplies, bikes, etc.
Walls made of lightweight and strong plastic panels and vehicle specific insulation prevent absorption of odors and water, reduce thermal and noise transfer, and are self-extinguishing fire-safe materials
Installed two CR Lawrence vent windows and MaxxFan
The “House” insulated for all extremes, built to endure any extreme
Three layers of different insulation on walls, floor and ceiling for super-insulated shell that has very minimal connections to exterior walls
MaxxFan 7500 10-speed push/pull and auto on by temp w/remote and shade w/LEDs
Slide-out table for outside cooking, dinning or drinks
Queen bed that raises and lowers 36” electronically and self-levels to provide additional garage head room height or comfort while adjusting to pre-programmed heights based upon items in bike garage; bed lifts support 1,600 pounds with four preset levels
Pull out step to bed with timed off night light for easy access into bed
Several grab handles and towel bars that also act as grab handles
All cabinetry made of custom cut structural aluminum with stainless connectors and panels from various plastics so that water and smells are not absorbed, as well as all materials meet fire-spread and prevent any development of mold, are easy to clean and durable from paws to shoes and gear loading and storage
Cabinets are bolted to the vehicle floor frame utilizing twelve factory anchor points rated to over 1,000 pounds each avoiding screws into walls, floor or ceiling which reduces thermal transfer and ensures rigidity of cabinets while “floating” to allow for wall and ceiling movement
Two-person passenger bench seat with rated three-point seatbelts rotates between forward-facing driving position to camping position with reclining seats & armrests
Kitchen with induction stove, microwave and hot & cold water
Induction stove in hold-open drawer provides more counter space and can be placed on exterior pull out table or elsewhere and microwave with turntable for quick meal prep
Outdoor/indoor accessible mounted bottle openers and drawer storage
Recessed stainless sink with soap dispenser in large butcher-block countertop; hot & cold water, and retractable sprayer that extends outside slider for outside wash downs
Mirror (non-glass) and dry-erase board
Multiple drawers for food and utensils, spice rack, dishtowel and paper towel racks
Large 7 cubic-ft Vitrifrigo fridge with pull freezer drawer on independent cooling systems
Separate kitchen lighting under cabinet and within spice racks
Fold-down and slide out dinning table for all four seating positions
Bike Garage carries up to six bikes with all wheels on and skis and water gear
4’x6’ bike drawer with water-tight stainless tray for water and mud containment with four mounted 1Up bike trays for roll in/out support of bikes with wheels on, lockable open, ski carrier, 500-pound capacity--can walk thru from camper and rear doors
Compressed air connections, bottle opener, AC outlets on each side, stereo speakers, indoor and exterior area lighting, gear netting
A dozen USB power connections for charging bike computers, lights, shifters & other gear
Outdoor hot & cold shower/bike washdown, lighting accessible from front or rear
L-track along walls and rear of cabinets with connections for tie downs and other items
Under van night lighting and service lighting
Plumbing - 40 gallons of fresh water capacity
Internal shower drawer stows away when not in use and exterior showers at rear
Cassette toilet with dual toilet paper dispensers on drawer so stowed when not in use
Kitchen/bathroom sink with hot and cold water and soap dispenser and hot water recirculation to speed time of hot water to sink
40 gallons of fresh water capacity in four connected tanks each with drain valves
All plumbing from water tanks internal to vehicle to reduce freezing and thermal loss
Shower and sink gravity drain as well as pumped via Whale IC grey discharge pump which automatically or manually turns on to pump any rising grey waste water
15 gallon grey water tank has hidden high overflow and outside vent, as well as electronic drain for emptying where appropriate via cabin switch
All fresh water tanks internally vented prevents ingress of smells and contamination
Shurflo pressure water pump activated by switch or pressure, system pressure gauge and Shurflo accumulator to assist in maintaining pressure
Internal water fill keeps water clean & prevents freezing & tampering, filtered thru large high-quality filter
Independent ultra-sonic water level sensors for each tank reduce maintenance
Heating - dual zone hydronic
Hydronic heating with dual fan coils front and rear with independent & variable speed fan control
Dedicated Espar D5 and EasyStart thermostat with redundant factory heater heats all-weather heating loop and heat exchanger for potable hot water. Heating loop and insulated tank heated electronically when connected to shore power, heated by engine once engine temp above 150F, or heated by D5 fueled by vehicle fuel tank provides for one fuel to fill; heat is kept out of cabin except when in heating mode by electronic three-way valve and dedicated heating loop pump
Six temperature sensors monitor internal, external and heating and water system temps
Electrical - 3000 watt AC power, 400 Amp-hours lithium, 350 watts solar & battery redundancy
Victron 3,000 watt continuous (6,000 watt peak) high-efficiency true sine wave inverter
Victron Color Control, MPPT solar controller, BMV and inverter monitored via Wi-Fi
350-watt solar panel recessed into roof rack
100 amp-hr auxiliary battery powers stereo system, air compressor and exterior lighting
Four 100 amp-hr Battle Born lithium batteries divided into dual circuits with integrated BMS and separate battery status and temperature monitoring
Multiple indicator lights for full tanks, low battery, high battery temp, low exterior temp, heater on, awning powered, grey water tank full and others
Can manually separate or combine any combination of House, Auxiliary and Starter batteries via BlueSea battery switches; Starter battery auto-separates to ensure fully charged and dedicated Starter battery
Six GFCI protected 120 VAC circuits via BlueSea circuit panel with dedicated circuits for microwave, stove, hidden exterior outlet and internal circuits for each side and rear
Additional AC circuit powers hot water heating from shore power
Kassmaul 20-amp auto-eject shore power ejects cord when starting vehicle, discreetly located in body color and connects to Blue Sea ELCI circuit protection panel
Five BlueSea Weatherdeck switched fuse panels, fourteen BlueSea fuse panels and one custom main fuse panel divided between six electrical cabinets to reduce wire runs, provide easy access to local power system, and separate loads to specific power sources
Five BlueSea Contour switch panels & several other switches for lighting, pumps, heating, tank empty & other functions
Over 20 interior and eight exterior lighting circuits for light where needed including three-zone illuminated and dimmable frosted ceiling
Replacement of all factory speakers and stereo with two amplifiers, high-quality discreet speakers, subwoofer in custom hidden mount, Bluetooth, GPS, back up camera and wired connections, as well as half a dozen USB outlets in dash
System monitoring and voltage monitoring of all three battery systems and battery capacity of the house and auxiliary battery systems
Over two-dozen USB outlets and ten AC outlets provides ease of connecting loads
Electrical cabinet also keeps spare fuses and other tools; electrical cabinet task lighting
Lighting with surround lighting and offroad driving lighting in all directions
Front and rear full “skylight” illuminated and dimmable ceiling lighting
Additional lighting for walkway, on steps and entries, and roof rack: front, rear and sides
Floor lighting for each door opening and reading lights for bed and seating
Six BlueSea dimming circuits with timed off function for undercabinet, ceiling, awning and step lights
Internal 120-degree Rigid flood lights for rear door/bike garage, as well as additional exterior lighting with doors open
“Night lighting” circuit with six distributed small down lights
Many dimmable reading lights and lights inside electrical cabinets and other points
General
Seating for four, all in three-point seat belts, reading lights for each passenger
Fold-down, slide-out table for four, self-supporting and out of the way when not in use
Rear passenger seat independently reclines with arm rests, seat storage, and rotates from facing forward to facing out slider
Multiple stretch bungie storage locations for maps, books and other items and storage shelves, including separate shoe drawer at slider door
Seamless flooring, near seamless wall panels and water-resistant materials
Compressed air system with dual Viair compressors and 2.5-gallon and 5-gallon tanks, pressure regulator, water separator and quick connect ports at front and rear of vehicle with filtered air intakes
Nearly all wiring and plumbing internal to vehicle yet accessible for repairs and changes
Front and rear HalGuard clean agent fire extinguishers
Nest smoke and CO2 detector with wifi alarming
OLED Temperature monitors for outside, inside, heating system, hot water
Exterior and Off-Road Upgrades for long-distance and technical terrain Durability
Van Compass “stage 3” suspension upgrade with larger-than-stock BFG K02 tires
Van Compass rock sliders down each side designed for lifting the vehicle, engine, transmission & transfer case skid plates, and rear step skid plate
Custom Aluminess roof rack/roof deck with recessed 340 watt solar panel, mounted MaxxTrax, tie downs and Custom fabricated front fairing improves aerodynamics
Owl Designs rear door spare tire (full size) carrier and ladder with recovery tool box
Agile Off Road 28-gallon auxiliary fuel tank for >800 mile total range with single fuel fill
Van Compass hidden winch mount with 3/4” recovery points, 12,000# winch with synthetic rope & Factor 55 flat lead and integrated winch light within factory bumper cover on have have recovered many others
KC HiLites Pro6 7-light bar for long-distance forward lighting, Rigid Designs wide/driving LED light bar for wide & fill lighting, and KC HiLites side and rear scene and off-road lighting for surround lighting, each with tree-branch protectors
Dual Viair air compressors and dual tanks (4.5 gallons total) with 150 psi connections front, rear, garage and engine compartment and pressure-regulated outlets
Black painted grille, lower rocker panels and Mercedes badges
Terrawagen hood protector and front wheel arch protectors
13’ powered and self-supporting Dometic case awning with wind sensor and dimmable lighting extends 8 feet with the push of a button and auto-closes in high-wind; tree-branch aero-protector
Dual PIAA air horns replaced factory pathetic horns
Keyless keypad unlocking and locking
Recovery shovel mounted under hood
Cab Comfort, Communications and Driving Accessories
Dash voltage monitoring of all three batteries; lighted compass; exterior temp display
CB and HAM radios with weather bands and GPS; roof rack antennas with dedicated ground plane connection; upgraded factory stereo antenna
Upgraded stereo with two amplifiers, CD player, Bluetooth, video capability, 10” subwoofer on custom underseat mount, tweeters, upsized high quality front and rear speaker pairs; front and rear cameras
Garmin Overland on ProClip mount, ProClip mount for phone with wireless charging, ProClip and custom mounts for lighted compass, HAM radio and engine monitor
Window curtains, including sheer and blackout on all windows
Cabinet above rear doors/bed with storage space, power connections and lighting
Front headliner soft shelf and supporting curtain structure
Temperature controlled ventilation for dash cubby, Rosen visor, ability to shade driver from sun at side using sheer curtains
Much much more
