S11.E16: Boho Camper Vans; Bohana Seeds; Grouphug Solar; Safety Nailer

[JTMacc99]

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A stylish and affordable mobile real estate concept; a snack with Indian roots; a portable solution to powering small tech devices; a new way to ensure safety while using tools; an update on apparel company Bombas; Rohan Oza guest judges.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I liked all of the companies tonight.      The trailer rental/sale idea was interesting. but I wonder about the practicality of having an outdoor shower.    That could get interesting on a windy day, assuming there is some kind of curtain device for privacy.     

The water lily seeds looked tasty from the panel reactions, but that's such a crowded space in the market.    I'm guessing we'll see the treats at Target, and Whole Foods, since they seem open to different items.    

The nailer device looked great, I order a couple of the sets.    My thumbs will thank me for that. 

The charger device looked interesting.    I liked the woman, and her back story, and I hope that her device is a big success.    

[LittleIggy]

The camping van looked really nice. Did it have a toilet? Without that and with the outdoor shower, I don’t see how someone could live full time in it.

I wish I had one of those solar charger things. My studio apartment has huge windows that get a lot of sun.

[eel21788]

12 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The charger device looked interesting.    I liked the woman, and her back story, and I hope that her device is a big success.    

It's been around for charging flashlight batteries since the 1980s. I also would have thought that someone would have mentioned that in NYC it is possible to be in a building that is so tall that you get no sunlight through your windows even on the sunniest days.

The camper thing has also been around forever. It's called an RV.

 

[marny]

9 hours ago, eel21788 said:

The camper thing has also been around forever. It's called an RV.

 

RVs are much more expensive and harder to drive. That was the very first thing the entrepreneurs pointed out. 
 

The nail device was brilliant and I can’t believe it’s never been invented before. I felt like the Sharks barely talked about the actual product. Was there even mention of a patent?

[Jax7917]

44 minutes ago, marny said:

RVs are much more expensive and harder to drive. That was the very first thing the entrepreneurs pointed out. 
 

The nail device was brilliant and I can’t believe it’s never been invented before. I felt like the Sharks barely talked about the actual product. Was there even mention of a patent?

And what was that clacker? I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention lol 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The clacker is a toy, that makes a lot of noise when the original version metal pieces hit.    The version on the show is the repelling part of the magnet.    So the metal pieces fly back and forth, but don't touch, and make that annoying click. 

[UsernameFatigue]

The camper van has indeed been around forever. In fact in the 90s my parents bought one to use when they would travel from B.C. back to Ontario for visits in the summer. The one they bought was used and from the 70s. The difference is the other camper vans I have seen have a raised roof (even the one my parents had from the 70s) so you can actually stand up in them. I can't imagine living for any amount of time - even a couple of days - in the one the pitchers make as you would be bent over the whole time you are moving around in it. I was amazed that none of the sharks pointed that out, especially Marc who is 6'2". Even Laurie who is my height (5'4") was bent over. In addition they are converting used vans, so how much of a warranty does it have for those buying - no one asked that either. In any case I would rather pay for a new one with a raised roof and actually be comfortable. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by UsernameFatigue

[KaveDweller]

12 hours ago, eel21788 said:

It's been around for charging flashlight batteries since the 1980s. I also would have thought that someone would have mentioned that in NYC it is possible to be in a building that is so tall that you get no sunlight through your windows even on the sunniest days.

The camper thing has also been around forever. It's called an RV.

 

The Sharks are all rich, so it probably didn't occur to them that some people don't get real sunlight. I am sure none of them have that problem. I really liked the idea of the product and was thinking of ordering one, but they are more expensive than I thought ($149). Was that the price she mentioned on the show.

I also didn't get why the camper thing was a big deal.

[eel21788]

7 hours ago, marny said:

RVs are much more expensive and harder to drive. That was the very first thing the entrepreneurs pointed out. 

If you price it by the square foot, I think they are pretty comparable. The RV builders also have had a lot more years of experience getting the amenities perfected, such as an indoor shower.

[JTMacc99]

I got a big kick out of the solar panel person at the end. “I am living proof of the American dream. My parents immigrated here with a hundred dollars in their pockets from Guyana, and look at me now. I just got a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.”

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/21/2020 at 9:13 PM, LittleIggy said:

The camping van looked really nice. Did it have a toilet? Without that and with the outdoor shower, I don’t see how someone could live full time in it.

Plus as others have mentioned, you can't stand up in it, which may not seem like a big deal...until you try it for a while. 

I know quite a few people who have converted vans for living for extended periods of time.  Almost all of them are the Sprinter or Ford Transit type, with a high ceiling, and every one of them was custom made.  Some did the work themselves, and some had it done.  

But those are surprisingly expensive, and the vans on the show were cheap.  No doubt in part because they didn't have toilets or showers or appliances, and they are used vans. 

The idea that what they were pitching would be appropriate for fulltime living is lunacy.  The problem is that there are always outliers--like the guy who works in Silicon Valley and is living in a box truck with no plumbing, and basically just a mattress to sleep on.  Sure, you can do it.  People can do just about anything.  But what kind of life will it be?

There's a whole subculture of van dwellers who make their living on youtube with videos of how easy it is, and people are getting sucked into it.  Or should I say suckered?

I can see using a van like that for a vacation, but even then, I'm not sure Boho is the way to go.  I just checked Cruise America's website, where there is a variety of sizes of RVs to rent.  The van has a camp stove to be used outside, and a cooler instead of a refrigerator/freezer.  The Cruise America RVs have a stove and a microwave and a refrigerator/freezer, not to mention a shower and toilet.  And a roof air conditioner, with a generator to run it (and the microwave) if you're not in a campground with electricity.

Maybe the prices vary, but the Cruise America RV is about $100/day in April in Phoenix, compared to the $200/day the pitchers said the Boho costs.  (I went to their website, but to get pricing, you have to make a reservation to see the price.  Huh.)

And one van's description said it sleeps five--two inside and three in the tent they provide.  ::roll eyes:: 

I think this is not unlike the tiny house movement, where a very high premium is paid for the perception of new and edgy.  I guess. 

 

On 3/21/2020 at 9:13 PM, LittleIggy said:

I wish I had one of those solar charger things. My studio apartment has huge windows that get a lot of sun.

But that thing produces a tiny amount of electricity, for a very high price, compared to buying a electricity from the utility company.  Not to mention the high cost of the damage done to the environment by making solar panels. 

Just pay the two cents to charge your phone the normal way. 

This is the sort of thing that makes people think they're doing good, when they're not.  Apparently like the van--paying a very high premium for a perception. 

 

[eel21788]

18 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Just pay the two cents to charge your phone the normal way. 

The solar panel will pay for itself after you have used it 7450 times!!!! That has to be a selling feature (sarcasm). Did she say how often it needs to be replaced?

Did she say how long it took to charge any device on the show? If she did, I missed it. Usually a solar panel will take all day versus an hour when you simply use a wall plug.

Edited March 24, 2020 by eel21788

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Did she say how long it took to charge any device on the show? If she did, I missed it. Usually a solar panel will take all day versus an hour when you simply use a wall plug.

I don't think it was on the show, but from what I read, it takes about 10 hours to charge it.

I think I exaggerated the cost of electricity, though.  It's probably more like a fraction of a cent for a charge, rather than two cents.

[eel21788]

17 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think I exaggerated the cost of electricity, though.  It's probably more like a fraction of a cent for a charge, rather than two cents.

Well, that blows the number of times I have to use it to break even all to hell!!! (tongue in cheek, in case you can't figure that out)

[seacliffsal]

So, I laughed out loud when the van converters came on as The Profit had an episode about VanLife not too long ago.  At least these guys figured out a "process" that kept their price and timeline down while the business Marcus looked at was all over the place (and ended up going out of business).  I have a friend who converted her own van/camper for road trips, etc.  I also agree that it was interesting that none of the sharks questioned using used vans for these conversions and what kind of warranty they offered.

I think this is the first episode in quite a while in which all of the presenters ended up with deals.

[UsernameFatigue]

Regarding the Boho van guys, I was wondering what kind of warranty they had on their vans, so checked the website, Turns out they only buy the vans that they are outfitting and renting. If you want to buy one of their camper vans,  you actually purchase the van yourself and they charge $30,000 to renovate it - that is for the standard model, and it goes up from there.

The one my parents had in the 90s which was built in the 70s had a toilet (can't remember if it had a shower), fridge, stove top range, counter, and kitchen table which then folded down to make the bed. They were quite comfortable in it, and as I posted above it had a raised roof so they could stand and move around comfortably. 

[sasha206]

Group Hug?  What a stupid name for solar charging company? And yes, solar power is great.  But I can't believe it's going to be a fast charge. 

Safety nail was smart.  

I wouldn't mind trying the water lily pops.  I don't know why, but Lori annoys me with her healthy eating type of comments as if she's the only one that ever eats healthy, the one who knows the most about eating healthy.

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, sasha206 said:

 Lori annoys me 

'nough said.

[Quickbeam]

On the van front....I have a 13’ travel trailer (Skamp) and while it’s great for a road trip for a few weeks, you’d lose your mind living in it. The outdoor showers are usually just to rinse sand off....I see them a lot in RV parks but no one is taking a full blown shower with them. A lot of people have screens set up around them.

[jabRI]

For the van, I'm surprised they had a full size bed rather than a murphy type.  Too crowded for me, I'd go bonkers

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

 The outdoor showers are usually just to rinse sand off....I see them a lot in RV parks but no one is taking a full blown shower with them. A lot of people have screens set up around them.

If you remove all the cloth from a standard umbrella frame, you can hang it upside down and attach a shower curtain around the spokes (the spacing of the two is identical) for a private shower cubicle. Should I send my audition video to Shark Tank?

[saber5055]

I caught this rerun over the weekend; it was new to me. The Boho vans ... that segment had to be heavily edited or else all the sharks are totally oblivious to the fact that camper vans have existed for decades. Yes, the pine wood was pretty, but otherwise they were no different than any conversion van anywhere. I got a laugh out of the shower head being out the back door, no problem taking a shower while standing in mud somewhere.

The biggest problem, as noted above, is you can't stand up in the thing. I've camped plenty in a Ford Econoline van. Try changing your clothes without standing up, getting dressed while laying on the bed. You'd really love that, Lori and Barbara, getting into skirts and panty hose while flopping around on a mattress because you can't stand up.

I'd skip the pretty wood paneling for a Turtle Top. And for that price, they sorely need a roll-out canopy. All the other van have them, why not Boho.

Does everything Lori eats have to have fiber in it? WTH girl. Buy some Benefiber and get over yourself.

I loved the nail holder since I routinely hit my thumb when nailing anything. I use pliers to hold the nail, and I guess I'll continue to do so since the $10 price tag for that little thing that cost you 40 cents to make was a bit steep. Although I should have listened to myself since just yesterday I busted my left thumb open while nailing a fence ... and NOT using my holding pliers. Eh.

[DEL901]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/business/van-life-covid-19/index.html

Camper conversions have taken off.  I can’t remember if a shark invested. 

[ljenkins782]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:12 AM, DEL901 said:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/business/van-life-covid-19/index.html

Camper conversions have taken off.  I can’t remember if a shark invested. 

I'd be curious to know if the Gabby Petito case made any impact in the genre, the wall-to-wall media coverage definitely brought new publicity to the #vanlife movement, but not in a good way.

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I wouldn't mind trying the water lily pops.  I don't know why, but Lori annoys me with her healthy eating type of comments as if she's the only one that ever eats healthy, the one who knows the most about eating healthy.

You are not alone there. She is so desperate to be admired for her appearance, which is average even with all the money spent on hair, makeup, stupid dresses with zippers up the back. And every single time there is a new "healthy" product, you just wait for Lori to inevitably pipe up about how healthy she eats, it could be a drinking game, it's so predictable.