Our Wheels

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

Tigger Factory Specs

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
Onboard air compressor
Spare battery with designated triple charger solar panel
Aluminess Front Bumper with Brush Guard and Winch
Two inch receiver in front bumper
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 with jounce bumper
17 Inch Gatlin Liquid Metal Flat Black Alloy Wheels
LT 265-70 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 and 3 Jerry cans, with “step” for access to roof
Removed hot water tank for additional storage
Covered tankless hot water heater on back with an outside shower attachment
Engine wired to charge coach batteries while driving
Added hour meter to generator
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
2000W Two way transformer to convert 110/220 power
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
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 vinyl flooring
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
Shelves in closet for better use of space including space for table top
A 1000W inverter with fan and remote switch
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
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

After returning from Latin America we decided we wanted (and deserved!) more room. Upon reviewing the options for quite some time (we began before we left) we opted for a truck and trailer (bumper pull). Doug did a great deal of research and we ending up going for a brand new 2021 Toyota Tundra SR 4×4 – this is the “work” model with a double cab and not a huge amount of bells and whistles.

It has a 5.7 L V8 engine that gets 13-17 mpg and has the towing package standard. It’s a six speed automatic with a 60/40 back seat. The only extras we added were a lock for the spare tire and under seat storage in the rear.

Comes standard with AC, Cruise, power mirrors, locks & windows, bucket seats with a seat in the middle that folds down to a console, stereo (with 3 months free Sirius) and a US, port, phone charging ports and two cigarette light ports (one in front and one in the back), tow hitch and hooks and 18″ wheels. Overall, we area very happy.

How we’ve made it our own:

Our “new to us” home is a 2019 Coleman Lantern 202RD – it’s 24′ 11″ long from the bumper to the nose of the hitch and has plenty of space for us – especially after living in Tigger for nearly seven years! We have a walk around queen sized bed (with inside storage underneath) with closets and side tables; a three piece bathroom with a small tub; the kitchen has two sinks, small counters but has an insert to cover the sinks, a three burner stove with an oven and a microwave, large fridge/freezer and a tall pantry, a dinette table (with storage under the benches) as well as a jack knife sofa with more storage room under the left side (right side has the water heater and pump). In theory it can sleep 6. The awning is almost the complete length of the trailer and there is a huge pass through storage area up front under the bed.