Finally I get to take my new camper van conversion on its first camping trip. We go to the Queets Rainforest in Olympic National Park to test all of our new van camping systems, and for some forest and wildlife photography.
With a mix of rain and sunbreaks forecast for the next several days, I pack up the Delica camper van and head to the Queets Rainforest, in Olympic National Park. These are perfect conditions to try her out in typical Pacific Northwest weather, and to photograph old-grown forests and wildlife.
Overall, everything worked pretty well. The awning collected a lot of rainwater and needed to be pitched at a slope to prevent pooling. The mini-awning was quick to set up, and kept water out of the slider door. The ventilation fan didn’t do much by itself, but worked great in combination with the diesel heater. I expect the ventilation fan to be more useful when I’m cooking inside the van, or if I bring in a lot of water on my clothes or equipment … which I didn’t do on this trip.
The magnetic bug screens kept rain out of the pop-out side windows, and the custom rubber floor mat kept the floor tidy.
Walking the 3 mile Sam’s River Trail Loop led to a couple new old-growth forest images. The open grassy parks helped to simplify the usual cluttered forest by separating the trees out a bit and by providing some foreground interest.
A male harlequin duck frequented some large boulders in the middle of the Queets River each evening. These boulders are probably excellent roosting sites by providing protection from predators at night.
More on Delica Campervan Conversion
See more posts on my Mitsubishi Delica camper van conversion
Delica L400 Campervan Conversion
My reasoning for choosing the Mitsubishi Delica L400 for my campervan conversion.
Details the layout and build of the campervan interior, including seating, sleeping platform, general storage, secure storage for photography equipment and swing-arm mounted table.
Detailed description of mounting a Rhino-Rack roof rack and Yakima awning to the roof of a Mitsubishi Delica L400.
Also includes design and build of a quick-deploy “mini-awning” that can be set up in 30 seconds just to cover the side entry door area when the full-size awning is not needed.
We make custom bug nets to cover the camper van’s pop-out side windows for both insect and rain protection, with easy magnetic attachment to the van.
Campervan Ventilation & Heater
This post covers development of a custom ventilation fan and use of hcalory portable diesel heater to keep the van well ventilated and dry, thus protecting it from moisture, mold and mildew.
We make a custom rubber floor mat to protect our van’s floor from the Pacific Northwest’s rain, mud and snow.