3D printing and RV life? 2025 Winnebago Spirt 26T

[Battle Born Clan]

Last year we started looking at motorhomes to replace our 2023 Cherokee 274 BRB. Like most folks we looked at several models, we made lists of likes and dislikes. So many of those things were more comfort items or just things the manufacture thought people would like but just kind of suck.

We bought our RV last June, got to use it 7 days then it spent 125 days in the shop. So all we've really had tom to do with it is plan what changes we wanted to do.

The very first thing was the shower. The 4 little shelves in there are great but if you move the RV everything has to come off or it will COME OFF and be all over the shower floor. I am sure you all know that. What I wanted was a fix for that issue. I went to Etsy.

I found plenty of great 3D printed fixes for the shower. I started saving ideas for when we got the RV back and I could start upgrading it to our liking. Then I saw people advertising custom 3D printed totes and bins made to your cabinetry and storage spaces. That is great, so I saved that too. After like 50 saves I started thinking why don't I just buy a 3D printer myself, have used CAD and Maya 3D Modeling software for many years in a completely different aspect, so the learning curve shouldn't be as sharp.

Using the shower bars for example, 4 bars will cost 46.00 plus 12.50 in shipping. If I had a printer and all the associated requirements, I could just print what I need. paying 300.00 to 3000.00 seems like a crazy buy to save 58.50, and it would be but I have another need for the printer beyond the RV. But if I had one 90% of the stuff I like I could create, buy a plan for and print.

This is not an idea of my own, when we were camping in Lake Tahoe last August there was a lady 3D printing something. Not something we see in camp grounds so I went ask asked her about it. She was printing an new toilet peddle for her RV's bathroom. She said she'd been using a 3D printer for several years to fix things in her RV. She is an RV full timer.

My question is do any of you 3D print your RV parts?

 

[tderonne]

Our local library has a bunch of printers. You can submit files and pick up the printed parts. There are other places around town that work kind of the same. Our library calls it an "idea lab". I've heard the term "maker lab" for other places. There's also online sources to print things, for a cost. I'd definitely search out someplace local if I needed to print something before I'd pay $50+ for a part that has $2 of plastic in it.

 

[Battle Born Clan]

I will look into that before I pay 50 bucks to get them. I am sure if I asked my niece to do it should would but then I am cutting into her production time.

The more I look into 3D printers the more I can see useful ways to use it for the RV and my other hobbies.

I looked up 3D printing services around me. The closest one is about 40 miles away in Reno (NV), but there a lot of them. University of Nevada Reno has a shop that will print stuff for you or you can go in for training on machine and do it yourself. Although it looks like the training might be tied to current and past students. Apparently some UPS print store will also print files you send in.

 

[tderonne]

Great you found some options, even if they aren't close by.

(Bought my son a cheap printer to see if he liked it, he then got a nice Bambu printer. He's taught himself CAD and how to use a 3D scanner. He has made some cool stuff for me. But I think we may take some of the classes the library offers, always good to learn.)

 

[wahoonc]

I have a nephew who worked with 3D printers in his previous career. He has a low end proffesional unit at home. I can send him files, and he will ship me the parts. I bought him a few filament spools.

Aaron

 

[Battle Born Clan]

I was in the RV tonight measuring cabinets and under cabinets. To do some preemptive planning and building.

 

[Horse54]

This guy does 3D printing for some specialty RV parts. I have bought several items from him and the quality is great. I too have thought about doing it myself but just can't see the return. It would be more of a hobby to make things and learn.

RV

Shipping charge waived over $30 except custom orders and free shipping products. No international shipping.

dragonfly2.net

 

[Battle Born Clan]

That is the route I am going. I am getting one to print for the RV but I am going to integrate to into one of my other side hobbies, making holiday props. It will absolutely be a hobby. My brother in law runs a well paying 3D side business. He makes custom orders, kind of like your guy. Does all the CAD work, prints the customers concept and sells them the part and plans or just the plans.

A 3D printer is not a money printer (for me) its a "prototype" maker. If those prototype work out, all the better for me. LOL This will still be cheaper than my other side hobby, collecting vintage firearms.

 

[Morich]

Beware the hobby which becomes successful!
There are many different stories involving how much work can go into a success that we wind up regretting!
My wife has a long history of different work with fabrics and has a current interest in making dish towels as a low grade, easy thing to do. She gave a lady a few at three dollars each as that is the cost of materials.
It takes in the range of 24 total hours of hand done work to turn out each item. No big thing to charge three dollars for 24 hours of doing a hobby she likes?
The big problem is that now the lady is super upset because she has "sold" eight of the items to others at her church and is now uptight because my wife won't "do the right thing" and make them as she has already collected the four dollars each she sold them for!
Beware! What you may do for a hobby, others may see as a way for them to make money and consider it YOUR fault when you say ""NO"!

 

[Battle Born Clan]

Oh I know this story. I have been a photographer for most of my life. Full studio set up. thousands in camera equipment, back drops you name it I have volunteered my camara and my time to youth sports for years because I loved it. Action shorts shooting was not something I did and I enjoyed learning the ins and out of the fast moving photography. I was methodical about it, I had lists of kids so I could be sure I got everyone equally, so all the parents could see their kids and have the photos. I spent hours editing down photos. posting them to the teams pages, then the requests started. Can you get my kid catching the ball, can you get little Billy running the ball, Ma'am Little Billy is 12 5'5" 200, and a Defensive Guard. I can't make the coach play you kid someplace he's not already playing. It became a real pain so I stopped doing it. Then I got sh*t for stopping.

I donated my time at the games, my kids were not playing in the games. I donated my equipment and my post production time, and I uploaded both the edited images and the RAW images at no cost. It just wasn't enough for some folks.

The final straw was when the team moms had taken my photos and put them on keepsakes for sale to "support" the team. When I started doing it, at the start of each season I made sure the teams knew They could not commercialize my images, if they were going to use them for items for the kids I just asked for photographer credit. That's when I became the A-hole, because I said they could not use my images to sell "merch". Oh the howling started. It got bad enough that I had to contact Pop Warner Corporate with the issue. It turned out they were using the Pop Warner logos without authorization also, that got corporates attention. It was my own fault, I had a hobby that I loved, and other people looked at it as an eternal spring of money with no work.

I do understand that trap that is a hobby that becomes a JOB.