Inverter Bypass

I don’t like that the inverter is always on when the van is plugged into shore power (too easy to accidentally start the stove, etc). 

I've learned that by changing the inverter’s ‘PS’ setting to ‘PS4’, you can turn the inverter off while plugged into shore power. 

Full details are in pages 25-27 of the Inverter Rev 2 manual (CSW2012-X), found here.

Freezer Door

We find it difficult to maintain a consistent temperature in the freezer because the freezer door flops open very easily, and freezer items try to slide out. I recently bought some of these Camco cabinet bars and applied one to the freezer door - - it works well at keeping the door shut, and the freezer stays colder.

Also, we've found that objects slide around on the shelves and bump the thermostat. In order to stop this, I got one of these to make a little 'wall' around the thermostat. A piece of feedback I'd have for the fridge manufacturer is that the thermostat turns too easily for a bump-prone vehicle. 

Toilet Miscellanea

Gosh, we really LOVE the cassette toilet in the Revel, seriously. It's so incredibly convenient and easy to empty it in any toilet (pit toilets, campground bathrooms, etc), and is not icky at all. I empty it every morning, then rinse it out using the back garden hose, and put half a liter of water and some non-toxic chemical treatment in it for the next day.

We've been using this eco-friendly chemical treatment for our cassette toilet, which is made by Thetford, the manufacturer of the Revel's toilet. We have a URINE-ONLY (and no paper) cassette, so it works extremely well for that. The pouch can be stored exactly where you see it here, and not inside the passenger compartment. We previously used the green stuff in the little bottle next to it, and that worked well, but prefer the pre-measured approach of these little pouches.

Pro-tip: when removing the cassette, you do not want to see the gap and/or black gasket here. If you do, the 'blade' is not closed completely, and you will have a leak when you turn the cassette upright. For some reason, this keeps happening to us (the blade doesn't close all the way), and I had to learn this the hard way.

This is how it should look.

Level Revel

We sleep, cook, and drain the sink better with a level Revel. I like to use this bubble level that I place on the floor when I'm parking the van for the night, others like to place it on the stove. For a high-tech solution, there are phone apps that use the phone's accelerometer for this function, too.

I am also a fan of Lynx Levelers. I've used them for several years, and never had a failure. After using them for a while in conjunction with the bubble leveler, you can quickly get an idea of how many blocks and where to put them for a level vehicle, and have it done in a few minutes.

Shower Miscellanea

After an initially icy start to my first shower, I discovered that you also need to select Furnace in order to have a hot-as-hell shower. I must confess that the interaction between these 3 switches confuses me, and the manual is not very clear about how all of these work together. I can confirm for you here, though, that you want these three ON for a very hot shower.

We try to keep everything small in the van, and like these travel towels from REI. They absorb a ton, dry quickly, and don’t take up much space. YMMV.

So now what are you going to do with a wet shower curtain in your small van? Stick it in a trash bag for that awesome mildew experience, or let it leak on all your other stuff? We travel with a braided elastic clothesline, and improvise our way forward.

The nice thing about the braided elastic clotheslines is that you don’t need clothespins. When we were in the sunny high desert, our stuff was dry in about 20 minutes.

Another victory for the portable clothesline and the elevator bed: being able to dry your wet shower curtain inside on a rainy day.

Gravity Fill

We had our first tank refill on the road, and I elected to use the gravity fill because I don’t have a pressure regulator for the ‘tank fill’ port yet. I discovered that the owner’s manual is incorrect when it says that the tank will let you know when it’s full by venting and draining under the vehicle. At least with the gravity fill port, it just backed up into the footwell that you see here, so I had a little cleanup. (Actually, I've found that it will drain under the vehicle if you fill it more slowly.)

If you’re going to do gravity fills, then I recommend getting one of these. As you can see here, it has a shutoff valve, which makes it easier to do by yourself without crimping the hose.

4x4

4x4 worked fine, but I had trouble getting it to engage every time I needed to use it. I’m glad I traveled with the MB manual for our first trip, as it suggested putting the vehicle into N, engaging 4x4 button, taking your foot off the brake, then dropping it into D. Worked like a charm, light went to solid red, and we chewed through some gnarly desert terrain. 

Battery Life

We pound our batteries, running all the systems throughout the evening, and always have plenty of power by the morning (never less than 65%). This handy chart helps us calibrate our usage, and I posted it next to the Zamp gauge on the wall. It is found in the Battery section of the Supplemental Owner's Manual.

Floorplan Flexibility

My wife is serious about her yoga, and that was one of the reasons why we bought the Revel over other models. In our research (>6 months), it was one of the very few (only?) class B’s on the market that had an aisle wide and long enough for her to lay her yoga mat out. This is important for days when the weather is too inclement/buggy outside — she just moves a few things in the garage, unrolls the mat inside, and can do her modified practice in warmth and comfort. (The bee in the sink is an example of why she moved indoors this day.)

Bathroom Door Latch

This damned thing will surely be revised soon. The grapevine says that this was a last minute addition to the Revel in late September 2017 after some early beta testing. It does a good thing, which is to keep the bathroom door from vibrating, but it is easily loosened, and requires frequent tightening and adjustment — in our experience, about every 3 days. I’m not a mechanical engineer, but it seems over-engineered to me, and could/should be done more simply, with fewer moving parts.

The key is to not over-tighten it by turning the black knob past its maximum point. (You have to operate it by feel.) To fix it, you need to keep adjusting the nut nearest the door.

Rear Fan, No A/C

If you do not order an air conditioning unit, you get a 2nd fan in the back (both of our fans are non-reversible 8501K's). One upside to this is that you have a small skylight over the bed, which we've enjoyed.

Keeping the Van Clean

Call us prissy, but we have a NO SHOES IN THE VAN rule. Keeps it super clean inside, and we run around in socks or slippers inside. To make this work, we have a thick, rubber-backed doormat that we always drop outside the sliding door. Take off shoes, step onto mat, hop into van. At night, we bring the shoes inside, too, and store them in the footwell of the sliding door. (A small dustpan and broom are also useful for us.)

Tip: Front Privacy Screens

There are no instructions for the window shades, so I’m here to tell you that it is WHITE SIDE OUT. The magnets are oriented maximally for that configuration. Also, open the door to put the shades on. They readily stick to the frame, then just close the door.

White side out!

Tip: Fan Vent

Pro tip: pressing these two buttons simultaneously will open (and close) the vent without starting the fan. It's a shortcut for opening the vent without reaching for the remote or starting the fan, then shutting it off.

Hidden Snaps

The FitRV reminds us that behind every one of these 'buttons' lies a snap that can be used for storage or modification. Also, the screw head that the snap/button is trying to hide usually is a fastener for a panel that you may want to open and check behind.