Polar Bear Progress Report

It’s been over 9 months since I last blogged about Polar Bear’s status. A lot can happen in 9 months. I’ve invested a fair amount of blood, sweat, and tears.

I laid down new flooring. Currently I have bed liner coating against the metal, a foam later next, wood on top of the foam, and finally a vinyl mat on top. Ultimately, I’ll lay carpet in key areas. This is the single biggest improvement in sound dampening yet.

For a while, I installed a roof top tent on the roof rack. The rack was a huge project, but cost me less than $150.

All 5 doors now have wood panels (soon to be covered in vinyl). The rear door and slider are filled with insulation. The walls and ceiling are covered in Reflectix and will be further insulation and paneled. I made a doghouse cover with thick fabric also improving sound quality greatly. Door seals have all been replace, though this has created it’s own set of door issues that I’m still working through.

Both captains chairs are now installed with kick ass seat covers. The passenger seat swivels to the back. I left the driver’s seat fixed on a boxed base so I can use it for storage. I also attached a mag light pointed towards the fuse box.

I’ve added mirrors, fog lights, and other odds and ends. I repaired a bit of electrical work including the rear brake lights. I’ve slowly been replacing bulbs with LEDs.

The best thing is just how much I’ve gotten to USE Polar Bear. I’ve used her like a van for tons of projects like building a haunted house. I took her to Apogaea, to Burning Man, through Moab, mountain biking in Fruita, up snowy passes just outside of Boulder, and on more than a few snowboarding trips.

Here are a few videos of Polar Bear doing what Polar Bear does: