After six months of full-timing in my Alto, I have made some changes and still working on others. As of now, this is the short list of planned or desired modifications.
Trimetric battery monitor – Right now all I have is a voltmeter, so it doesn’t show the % of battery charged, which would be really helpful when I have to use the generator and propane to charge it up. I’m getting this installed end of December, thanks to a generous friend’s offer to do the wiring and installation work.
Portable battery charger – Just got this and will be working with it to charge my battery in two ways: off the power pole when I have hookups and directly from the generator when I don’t. My expert says the latter will be more efficient than charging the battery from the Alto’s electrical system (using the yellow power cord that came with the trailer). We’ll see, and that Trimetric will help me assess how things go.
Closet shelving – I am still figuring out how to best use the front closet space. I have hanging shelves, but they are sagging badly and on rough roads they spit out the contents quite predictably. Not sure how to proceed, but I’m thinking about it.
Roof rack storage – I’m looking at Yakima or Thule roof boxes as a way to store things I don’t use all the time (bedding, big table, etc.) but I need to measure my roof and make sure that when the back opens up, it doesn’t hit the roof storage. While I’m in Santa Cruz for the month seems like a good time to make a decision and get something delivered.