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Madison Motorsports
Project: Swagger Wagon - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Project: Swagger Wagon (/showthread.php?tid=11190)

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RE: Project: Swagger Wagon - Apoc - 08-26-2019

Many lap belts in RVs are not attached to the vehicle frame and/or tested for crash worthiness, as there are no laws governing them. Most forward facing car seat lap belt configurations also require a top anchor, which nearly all RVs do not have. That means you probably need a three point belt, which, again, is rare to be attached to the frame in the back seats of RVs. The best thing I found is something that has captains chairs in the back, but it just didn't work out for us this time. Matt Leech did a big ass RV around the country with a one year old... so, clearly it can be done and the kids survive. It's just not a chance I'm interested in taking.

https://www.outdoorsy.com/rv-rental/seattle_wa/2019_mercedes-benz_sprinter_109563-listing

It was more than I wanted to pay, but we're in peak season and I made the reservation with only a two week lead time. This is also a company with a couple vans versus some dude renting his van, so we're paying a premium for (hopefully) some customer service. The good news is this rental is 5 min from home, so we're headed there this week to measure a few things out. I used this site because rentals include insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance. I'm rationalizing the cost by telling myself a week of a hotel room for 2+1 wouldn't be any cheaper.
we plan two nights in each state park - https://goo.gl/maps/XHG6y8CRdwUQ4dD27

We've done the full Olympic loop before and the bottom half is a waste of time. This plan keeps up deep in the good bits, while getting a few different landscapes. It also limits us to ~2 hours of driving every other day... which, coincidentally, is my kid's limit in his car seat before he needs a break. We'll probably drive to the coast at least one of those days we're on the west side of the peninsula. Ruby Beach, which is south of us, is really cool but I'm not trying to spend all my time driving.

RE: Project: Swagger Wagon - Apoc - 09-23-2019

I'm gonna go a write up about our trip soon-ish. In the meantime, here are some pics of the freshly detailed wagon. Found a guy nearby whose business consists of him doing one car per day. I wish I took some before pics... but the car was pretty heinous on the outside due to my wife's driving and having the roof box on the car for nine months (mold). The car actual had something like shellac on it - the red dots in one pic. He said he'd never seen anything like it before and had to wet sand them off. He didn't try to remove them from the clear bra, which is why I have pictures. Best I can figure, the neighbors were building a massive deck behind us and there was airborne spray that cleared our backyard and our garage. The guy said he woulda charged us more had he noticed them... nice that he didn't. He also did a decent job of restoring the leather in the back that is malformed due to car seat. The front seat is starting to show some wear due to jeans/buttons; hadn't noticed it before. I'm not really worried about any of this cause we'll probably keep it for awhile. By then it'll be worth that much anyway.

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RE: Project: Swagger Wagon - Apoc - 11-10-2020

A bunch of time has passed and there are no updates here either. It's approaching 55k miles, which is 18k over 4.5 years (4k/year). It's out of CPA warranty, which isn't usually my thing, but it's been so reliable and we don't drive it a TON so gonna ride things out for awhile. At this point it's just oil changes every year. Oh hey, we got to use high beams for the first time in like a year on this trip!

We've finally exited the mass of kid shit phase and can bring a reasonable amount of stuff with us on road trips. There is plenty of space with one preschooler and a roof box. That said, the kid is approaching 4' tall so we're gonna have to move his car seat to the passenger side from the middle (his head block rear view). I think we'll be glad when we moves to a booster. 

We're on the OG all seasons still. This pass says traction tires required, which means you either need studs or 4WD/AWD. We carry chains in the trunk but haven't needed them. This car only breaks loose when I'm really trying and falls back in line when you ask it. I'm sure the weight with a roof box and and three humans doesn't hurt. Fun stuff. 

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