2023 TerraVia the Adventure Continues
We had poked around the perimeters of this option for a
couple of years, looking at various “cruiser” types. We settled on focusing on small pull behind
trailers that our aging yet perfectly fine 2001 Ford F150, “The Rig,” could
pull.
By September 2022 we had found a trailer that hit 90% of our
checklist. Short (enough) and lite
(enough) for The Rig, walkaround bed, and large, “U” shaped dinette in the back
with windows on 3 sides. We wanted the
look and feel of our covered cockpit that we have so enjoyed on ExTerra without
the need for Pam to climb over the top of Carl to get up every morning.
We purchased a 2015 Keystone Passport Ultra Lite
234QBWE. That translates to a 20’ box
with walkaround queen short bed in the front and the coveted “U” dinette in the
back. 3900 pounds “dry,” a far cry from
ExTerra’s 17,000 pounds dry weight.
We set about making it our own. An automated search on Craigslist found a new
to us short queen sleep number basic mattress.
That was something we eventually put on ExTerra which made for a
wonderful sleep experience. From there
it was just some basic changes since the trailer was in excellent shape. The first and only other owner had taken great
care of it and had used it minimally.
The big-ticket item was a conversion from lead acid tongue
battery to an in the cabin lithium-ion battery with options to convert and use
solar as well. Carl thoroughly researched
the topic and we set about making a bunch of appropriate cables out of 4 “0”
(read thick and hard to work with yet critical) wire. We plumbed all the wires into places they
needed to go, cutting holes in the floor and cabinets to accommodate the
install. Carl recruited a local
electrical vendor/craftsman, Nik, to purchase materials from and give us tips
and oversee the final installation.
Having the system nearly complete we had to say “hold your horses” while
we went to look at a different trailer.
