How to Enhance Your Airstream RV Adventure: Top Hacks to Make Your Journey More Enjoyable

SmartShunt Mounted

Negative Splice

Nuisance Wire

Inverter Factory Location

Inverter Relocated

Temperature & Humidity Sensor

Rubber Washers

LevelMatePRO

Propane Tank Sensor

Wood Panel Divider

Acrylic Panel Divider

Door Stopper

Couch Wall Panel

Couch Wall Panel

Screws Couch Wall Panel

Battery Heating Pad

Discover the ultimate RV/Airstream hacks for a seamless journey! From door stoppers to SmartShunt installations, these hacks will level up your adventure.

H1. Installed Paper Towel Holder

Replaced the roadside acrylic panel divider separating the galley from the bedroom with a custom birch plywood panel to securely mount a paper towel holder. Even though we didn't have all the right wood working tools, success was achieved using a jigsaw and a Dremel. The wood was treated with a clear satin sealant to protect against water damage.

H2. Relocated Pure Sine Power Inverter

The electronics bay is not sufficiently sized to properly house the inverter and the 12V distribution box, therefore, the HEAVY inverter sits on top of the distribution box attached to the trailer's interior wall.  Not the best solution. Our inverter wasn't even attached, just resting on the distribution box.  Preferring routine and easy access to the 12V distribution box, the inverter was moved to the adjoining storage compartment and a small safety block installed to protect the inverter cooling fans from accidental damage. 

H3. Installed a Victron SmartShunt Battery Monitor

The Shunt provides real-time analysis of power usage & battery capacity and is typically collocated with the batteries allowing for separate monitoring of each battery. This was not a suitable option for our trailer, no room in the battery box. Moreover, for our purposes, monitoring each battery individually was not a necessity. After confirming with Airstream (responsive and helpful), the Shunt was installed within the electrics bay by splicing into the negative terminal running from the batteries to the negative bus bar in the 12v distribution box. A dual rated mechanical lug was installed to complete the splice. The Shunt requires power with built-in power cable that easily connects to the positive bus bar. Excellent Bluetooth connectivity and monitoring through the APP.  *CAUTION* - There is a small black wire connected to the bottom of the solar controller easily that easily disconnects when moving the entanglement of wires and can be a nuisance to reattach.

H4. Installed Battle Born BBGC2 Battery Heat Pads

The heat pads ensure uninterrupted battery charging at temperatures below 24°F, the point at which the integrated safety mechanism stops the batteries from accepting a charge.  However, the batteries will continue to discharge down to -4°F which could fully deplete the batteries of any energy to power the furnace and/or damage the batteries. In addition to the heat pads, a 1/4" thick neoprene pad (not included w/heat pad kit) was attached to the battery bottom increasing the insulation effect and to prevent the batteries from making direct contact with a wet battery box. 

Overall, mixed views about the pads and their efficacy summarized in the following bullet points.  Hopefully field tests will validate the high price point.  Battle Born's online installation instructions are pretty easy to follow and their staff is very accommodating but must be contacted directly for any military discounts. 

• The pads do not appear to be manufactured specifically for the batteries. 

• The installation guide seems to suggest the pads are installed by attaching to the battery's bottom and two sides.  This installation orientation is not feasible with the Caravel battery box.  The pads were attached to the back and two sides instead.   

• The heating elements are only on the two sides of the battery.

• The bottom, top, and front of the battery remain exposed to the ambient air.

H5. Installed Magnetic Door Stopper

The door stopper secures the closet storage door open when necessary or preferred. Easily to install and works as expected.

H6. Installed Rubber Washers on Water Pump

There water pump produced a fair amount of vibration noise which was mitigated by stacking two types of rubber washers: a (5/16" x 1/8") Rubber Tank Bolt washer + (1/4" x 1-¼") Neoprene washer. In addition to the washers, standard hardware store foam insulation was added to the cold water line running along the wheel well and underneath the sink. Positive noise reduction effects were achieved, but still not as quiet as we would prefer. Also, aligning the washers and the water pump with the same screw holes can be a bit tricky, spatially the plumbing bay is very constrained.

H7. Installed Square Wooden Dowel under Acrylic Panel Divider

The acrylic panel dividers separating the galley/living area from the bedroom space when seated in the bottom mounting brackets barley make contact with the roof mounted bracket. Inserted a custom piece of 1/4" square dowel in the bottom mounting brackets raising the acrylic panels sufficiently enough to ensure they were properly secured in the roof mounting brackets. Used medium strength Blue Threadlocker to prevent the set screws from loosening and backing out of brackets.

H8. Custom Side Pillows along Bed Edge

Because the exterior storage bay is actually part of the trailer's interior space, a cold draft creeps up along the bedside adjacent to the trailer wall which can be a bit uncomfortable if you are the person sleeping on that side of the bed. Deconstructed a body pillow into two tubular pillows that can be easily squeezed along the bed edge preventing cooler air from drafting up.

H9. Couch Wall Panel Repair

The couch wall panel is attached at the factory with two support brackets using four pocket screws, staples, and one screw into the interior sidewall.  This is likely a suitable construction design until one attachment point becomes compromised. The full repair included reinforcing all staple attachments with screws, reusing the small L-brackets between the wall and seat panels, adding a bracket to the midpoint vertical floor panel, butt joining the bottom of the wall panel with the vertical midpoint panel using three slim countersink screws, and drilling a new hole for the self-tapping screw into the interior side wall.