commo shelter conversion help

[m35a2kevin]

hi guys,
im not exactly new to this site, just some email and password problems, so i started a new account, anyway,last year right before aberdeen, i picked up a commo shelter meant
for the bed in an m37. i put it in my m101 trailer, now any advice on how i could turn this into a small sleeper, we used it at aberdeen, my buddy slept in it for most of the week,
but i would like to add lights and a fan, any advice would be appriciated.
thanks
kevin gibson

 

[El_Guapo]

The first question you should ask yourself is what voltage are you going to use. 12VDC is good if it will be attached to a SUV. 24VDC is ideal for use with a MV or a 24V genset. Go with 120VAC if you plan on using a generator.
As for mounting your accessories consider the virtues of 3m's VHB tape. It's strong and doesn't put extra holes in your shelter.
LED lighting would help lower the power needs and help keep it cool during the summer.

 

[IronViking]

Used Rv parts are every where, every day there are free ones on craigslist.
Most give you the option of 120 or 12 volt with a flip of a switch plus
propane for your fridge and stove if you want those.
You could get a free or cheap one and strip it and give the rest to the dump.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/zip/627367785.html
Heres one from my area. you can even post a wanted ad then
people come to you .

 

[Rattlehead]

Is that shelter long enough to lay down in it, say if you were 5'11"? If I ever get around to making a removable mini cargo bed for the tractor, I might put a shelter like that in it for sleeping in overnight trips.

 

[Rattlehead]

Depending on if you are willing to cut into it, you could also put in a roof hatch/vent like campers use, for keeping it cooler at night. A hatch, with some sort of vent opening toward the bottom would give you some natural drafting without use of battery power. They also sell roof vents with fans built in.

 

[mangus580]

FYI, if you PM me, I can help you get your old account back.... (would rather fix the old one up... dont like having duplicate accounts)

 

[Recovry4x4]

Share more of what your plans are and I'm sure we can guide you. I have an S318 that I've spent many a night in. I can share how I did it and how I'd do another. Mine is bone simple.

 

[Michael]

The military has fixed these up with what you want to so you could go with GI parts. I have looked at a lot of these on GL and it seems no two are the same.

 

[m35a2kevin]

hi,
well, i used it last year at aberdeen, my buddy slept in it,he is almost 6 ft,
i lined the floor with the thick heavy padding you see on the floor of military hummers,
i basically just want to rig 12 volt lighting in it, and a small fan,, like the kind you see in
mail trucks. and also rig it with some kind of removable rack system, for keeping
my cot, military stoves, and other odds and ends i would use for camping, or
aberdeen, was thinking of a 12 volt car batteries, ive already got a
power converter, i used last year.
kevin gibson

 

[Recovry4x4]

Here are a couple of pics of my S318. The booth looking table in the last 2 pics folds flat and the entire shelter becomes one big bed (figuratively). You can also see the cheapo window shaker a/c. It has 12V wiring and a small 400 watt inverter in it too. It's not much but it does work fairly well.

 

[m35a2kevin]

thanks kenny,
mine is a hare smaller, but that gives me some very good ideas
thanks
kevin gibson

 

[OPCOM]

A 6000BTU A/C will cool it well on a hot day. If it is fairly airtight and you keep anything in it you might want to consider adding a small dehumidifier to prevent it from trapping moisture and creating sweat/fungus/odors etc. I set my a/c to 85 degrees (summer) and the dehumidifier at 50% humidity (year round), but I have alot of electronics inside. I have some real nice circuit breaker panels which include also a handset cradle, but they are rackmount. Have you decided about putting all your power and converters and breakers in one easy to reach location?

 

[m35a2kevin]

yeah,
im probably going to put the switches/controls, on the wall on the left as you come in,
the door on my shelter is offset, i think the model is a s-144 shelter, not quit as
big as a s-205 but it works
kevin

 

[Recovry4x4]

I believe the S144 is a skinny version of my S318 which is slightly smaller than the S250.

 

[m35a2kevin]

it works for me
its no hilton, but when you got a drunk buddy that cant make it up a duece boarding latter it works
kevin

 

[m35a2kevin]

hi
this is what my shelter looks like right now, inside
kevin