Monday, March 11, 2024

Roadtrek Play Upgrades (Part 2)

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Here's a few more of the upgrades we've added to our 2023 Roadtrek Play:
In this post:

  • Cab Blackout Curtains
  • Bathroom Door Latch
  • Bathroom Floor Mat
  • Bathroom Door Kickstop
  • Shower Head
  • Bathroom Motion/Light Sensing Puck Light

Cab Blackout Curtains


We learned pretty quickly that the cab window covers included with our Play are not very easy to place and store. They were quickly relegated to the "things we don't need" area of our basement. Like many other Roadtrek owners, we found that it's better to add a curtain between the cab and the house area. 
We used a double-layered blackout curtain. In addition to ensuring privacy, the curtain insulates the living area and keeps the hot air from the windshield and windows in the cab. 
To place the curtain rod, we used these curtain clips from Amazon.  They are "self stick" but we ended up gluing them in place. I used E-6000 glue, and they aren't going anywhere! Bonus....they come in a couple of colors and the black blends in nicely with our Play's trim.
The trim where we attached the curtain rod has a very slight arch, so I bent the curtain rod slightly to fit. It's important to make sure that you leave room on both outer rod clips for the curtain rod finial if there is one. 





Bathroom Door Latch

It doesn't take long to get tired of dealing with that rod used to keep the bathroom door closed during travel. We added this Barn Door Latch from Amazon, and the door is much easier to keep closed. 
Tip: install the latch so that the hook fits snuggly in the catch to keep it from rattling. 

Bathroom Floor Mat

The Play bathroom floor is a tad cold, and can be slippery if wet. 
I used a template from a wooden floor to make a paper template and then cut flooring out of a Non-Slip Poyvinyl Loofa Mat. It's easy to pull out and shake out, and insulated the floor. The mat is porous and so far, we love it!

The Template and the Template Instructions are here for download.



Bathroom Door Kickstand
The bathroom door (particularly the left one) never stays open. This Kickdown Door Stop from Amazon works well for us. I initially ordered the 6" model, but ended up returning and getting the 7" model which is great! There are two in the package, but we haven't had the need to install on the right side door (yet). 


A couple other bathroom improvements.....

Shower Head

The OEM shower head does not have a means for shutting off the water without turning off the faucets. 
This Camco shower head has an on/off switch, and it's an easy upgrade.

Battery Operated motion Light

The light in the Play bathroom is VERY bright....blindingly so if you're up during the night. And...the switch is hard to find in the dark. I picked up these Motion Puck Lights (3 pak) and one of them in the bathroom is a game changer! They stick well, and only come on in the dark with motion. Plenty of light for a quick night-time visit. I put this up well over a year ago and just last week changed the battery. 




That's all for Part 2. Thanks for looking!

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Roadtrek Play Upgrades (Part 3)

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In Part 3 we include:

  • Under Bed Storage Access
  • LED Headlights
  • Rear Door Spare Tire Mount


Under Bed Storage Access

This upgrade has been a game changer!  
The Play has a large, open storage area under the passenger side bed. It's great....except that in order to access it, you need to lift the bed frame lid....including the mattress. That's a lot of weight to hold up while reaching into the storage compartment. After accessing it a few times (and having bruised arms to show for it) we decided to see if there was an alternative. 

Our solution was to remove the partition between the rear door small storage area and the large under bed area. The red line in the pic below shows where a partition was located. We used a jigsaw to remove the partition, thus opening up the entire space. 
It took us about 3 hours....mainly removing all of the screws that were holding the hinged top of the bed so we could access the partition that we needed to remove.


In order to access the entire space from the rear door, we added two metal carts with wheels. They can be pulled out for easy access to stored items. 







LED Headlights

We didn't have our Play very long before deciding that we couldn't tolerate the dim and yellowed headlights. We looked at LED bulbs, but most required making an adaptor our of gasket material or gluing the bulbs in place. 
We instead decided to order the OpenGlass Ram Promaster LED Kit. A 3D printed ceramic bulb holder and high and low beam bulbs are are included. This kit was worth every cent. The installation instructions were clear and the video helped guide us through.
The difference is amazing and well worth the extra money for the OpenGlass Kit. 



Rear Door Spare Tire Mount

We are in the mindset that while we will likely rely on AAA or other roadside assistance to change a tire, we don't want to sit waiting on a busy highway while a service truck tries to find a tire (and rim if damaged). We looked at the under-vehicle kits available to store a spare under the Promaster, but were turned off after reading reports of the cable snapping and bouncing the spare along under the chassis....destroying water lines, propane and more.
After researching, we decided on the Landed Gear Right Rear Door Mount. We wondered about how easy it would be to open the rear door with the spare in place, but Landed Gear's video relieved our concerns. 
It arrived and once we got over the frightening aspect of drilling holes in our new Play, we had it installed in a little over an hour. The kit included a template and a door hinge limiter strap. We purchased an OEM tire and rim and we're in business. 




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