Calder Escapes

June 2011 – we drove to Minnesota from Utah and purchased our 2005 Provan Tiger CX.

The Factory Specs

2005 Provan Tiger Chevrolet 2500HD Ext Cab CX 4wd with 8.1L Vortec V8 16v OHV SEFI Gas Engine and Allison 1000 5 speed automatic transmission

Our rig has the typical Provan coach set up that has a side door leading to a passenger side fold out couch with storage below. There is a full pass through to truck. There is an over the cab double bed. On the driver’s side, there is a bathroom with shower, sink & toilet and a ceiling vent at the back and a galley kitchen including cooktop, double sink, microwave and 12V fridge/freezer in the middle. There is also a coach mounted Fiamma awning on passenger side, a roof top air conditioning unit at rear, and a Fantastic Fan over bed. We are the third owners of this rig. We have chosen to call it “Tigger” because it’s bouncy and lots of fun!

Upgrades done to “Tigger”

Some of these were done by the original owner but most by ourselves.

Exterior & Truck Upgrades

Volant air intake/filter
ARB front & rear air lockers with onboard air compressor
Two Optima Yellow Top batteries under hood; one isolated to operate as a backup
Aluminess Front Bumper with Brush Guard and Winch
Two inch receiver in front bumper – where spare tire is kep
Hella driving lights relayed to switch under dashboard
Bug Deflector
Porch light by cabin door
Heavier duty tie rods for off roading; Pro Runner monotube front shocks
Air Lift Load Lifter 5000 air bags in rear
17 Inch Gatlin Liquid Metal Flat Black Alloy Wheels
LT 285-70 R17 Class E, 10 ply tires with spare on hitch carrier
Anti-sway bar and rear tire spacers
Tube side steps
Holding tank heaters; switch in coach
Skid plates under pans, holding tanks and coach batteries
Four 100W solar panels with two 6V batteries (300 amp hours) stored in truck wheel well
Hi-lift jack mounted and locked to front bumper
Custom built rear rack for 2 storage boxes, picnic table & 3 Jerry cans, with “step” for access to roof
Removed hot water tank for additional storage
Tankless hot water heater on back with an outside shower attachment
Engine wired to charge coach batteries while driving
Upgraded generator wiring to engine & modified access door; added hour metre
Reflective tape on storage bins on the back for better visibility and on front Aluminess Bumper
Removable mosquito/bug screens – “Skeeter Beeters” which allow us to keep cab windows open
Transformer to convert power from 220/240 to 110v
Grounding wire
Rain gutters over most window to help stop streaking and allow us to open windows wider in the rain

Interior Upgrades

Pioneer AVH-X3600BHS HD stereo with DVD player, Bluetooth & MP3 player
Tiger striped seat covers with matching steering wheel cover
Under floor storage behind front seats to level floor with exception of walk through
Ultra efficient 12v Nova Kool fridge/freezer
LED coach bulbs and LED motion sensor
Convex lens added to back window
Canada, US and Mexico provincial/state maps with national park stickers
Installed Cyclone plumbing vent to draw holding tank odors into wind
Replaced 15″ TV with swivel mounted 19” LCD HDTV flat screen
Replaced carpet with tile
Added latches or magnets to all cupboard doors and drawers
Two additional towel rods in bathroom
Bathroom floor grate
Four mini dehumidifiers distributed throughout coach
Removable Mylar for all windows and Fantastic Fan for darkness and climate control
Fabric cubby on bathroom floor zip tied to pipes to store larger bathroom items
Rubbermaid lockable storage cabinet with three shelves behind driver’s seat; on back side are attached with Velcro: lawn chairs, broom, squeegee and shovel, all accessible from outside
Under counter/over fridge pull out shelf for added counter space
Bottle opener near front door – a necessity!
Indoor/outdoor thermometer – upgraded in 2018
Rack on wall over sink for daily necessities in bathroom
Two file pockets above coach door to store files and provide white board for notes
Hooks on side of exhaust fan to hang wash cloth/gloves
Ledges above kitchen blind to hold lighter etc. and under TV for remote
Shelf in old hot water tank area for water purifier & storage; insulated the door
Custom built cabinet that sits on a small table over a cooler (used as our “library” and back up fridge), with cubbies for cameras and outside hooks for coats
Extended glare visor driver’s side
Shelves in closet for better use of space including space for table top
A 1000W inverter
Installed a small fan behind the fridge to keep the condenser from overheating in the heat with a switch in the coach above the fridge
Installed a medium sized fan to lower shelf in closet to help keep inverter from over heating in hot weather
Installed a remote switch for inverter to be able to turn on from the cab of the truck
Had two new bathroom walls replaced due to leaking water
Had two living room walls replaced due to water damage
Had jerry can holders reconfigured for new plastic containers
in 2018 had new floor, counters and table tops done

Beefed up security: (before going “south of the border”)

“Jimmi Jammer” on driver’s door to prevent lock bumping
“Jimmi Jammer” hood guard to prevent opening
Heavy duty chain and locks purchased to prevent opening front doors
Hasps installed, chain & locks purchased to prevent opening coach door
Locking safe compartment for valuables
NVR with 4 motion detector cameras & bilingual “smile you’re on camera” stickers
NVR secured against theft
Locks on almost everything!
Fake stereo face plate
Theft proof bolts on license plates
Tamper proof lug nuts on all tires
Laminated copies of license plates to replace real plates to prevent theft
Padlocks on front doors