(The earlier promised Gallery didn't materialize. We'll do that here.)

The Brakes are Done. So What's Next?

Replacing the front calipers.
New front brake calipers and pads resolve the issue.

Everyone knows: When you buy a used car, you are going to find things you didn't know about that need attention. The Tug is no different.

1) The brake problem came out of nowhere. The rotors and pads had obviously been serviced in the recent past. One stuck slide pin created a new serious issue. I now have new re-man calipers and new pads on both front axles.

2) There are holes rusted through the floor pan on the driver's and passenger's side, right where snow-covered boots sat day in and day out for ten winters or so. I will be patching those holes.

3) There had been a parasitic drain (load) on the battery. Someone decided to address the issue by installing a remote battery disconnect under the hood. That's obviously not going to remain. I've already removed it and identified two different culprits, one being a horribly corroded fan resistor pack, and the other being a problem with the head unit (radio) which caused the CD player to run its eject cycle repeatedly even when the key was not in the ignition.

4) The seats, especially the drivers seat, are shot. I'll be replacing all or part of both before too long. Again, no surprise and no problem.

5) I have one broken exhaust stud at the passenger-side manifold/pipe junction.

The Van Has a History

I discovered evidence in the van that it started life with the Washington Area Metro Transit Authority in Washington, DC. At some point it was involved in an accident resulting in it getting two new front fenders and a new grill/headlights assembly. It looks great. The frame appears to have been unaffected.

As stated earlier, it was sold and wound up in south Alabama. That's where it was when I discovered it. The dealership drove it to Pensacola where I bought it.

I'm not worried about any of the things I have found.

The issues that presented thus far are not remotely troubling. Overall, this vehicle is in very good shape. I can deal with all of these things. The rust can be stopped. The electrical problems are right up my alley. No problem. Suspension and steering parts wear out. No problem.

I'm enthusiastically optimistic about the future of Tug. I believe this is going to be a very useful and capable vehicle very soon.

The Gallery

Things get old. They wear and have to be repaired. This is just normal life to me. The Bug Tug may not be a Thing That Works today, but it will be soon. I'll be seeing to it.

The Beginning

Published: Wed 04 November 2026
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Away: The Tug Pages

(This is the first post of The Tug Pages.)

The Bug Was Complete.

The Bug-out SYSTEM was incomplete.

We needed a way to care for two cats that would not drive the two humans crazy.

The solution would be a van to tow The Bug …
read more
A Reading Lamp for The Bug

Published: Tue 28 April 2026
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

The cabin lights are great. But when I'm sitting at our tiny table, I'm in one of the dim spots, so reading is not pleasant. I must fix this.

This Has Been An Ongoing Problem.

Many times during the building and first uses …
read more
The Bug Gets an AP

Published: Sun 22 March 2026
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

The Bug's BugPi gets an assist from an outdoor AP. You can see the two antennas sticking up on the top.

The GL.iNet Portable Travel Router was almost enough.

Remember BugPi? My intention was for it to be a connected part of …
read more
BugPi & More

Published: Sun 14 September 2025
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

This is BugPi in all its glory.

The industrial/steampunk aesthetic of The Bug appeals to me.

It was always my intent to build The Bug to be spartan: strong and capable, but devoid of anything existing only for visual appeal. It was …
read more
Bug Control

Published: Thu 19 June 2025
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

tags: projects diy problem-solving recycle reliable

I recently did a four-day trip to South Georgia and back. Spent three nights in The Bug. It was wonderful.

We Don't Like Bugs

We have been very fortunate thus far. Our few real uses of The Bug have been pretty bug-free. Insects have pretty much left us alone. But …
read more
Shields Up!

Published: Sun 04 May 2025
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

tags: projects bug reliable solar

The Bug has two new forward solar panels, and now it has deflector shields to protect them from flying debris.

Forward Shields are up, Sir!

The Bug originally had two solar panels. After some time it became apparent it would be worth adding two more, so that's what I did …
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Shakedown for The Bug

Published: Sun 03 November 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

tags: projects diy problem-solving recycle reliable

We traveled to Mississippi and did an overnighter at a KOA campground 150 miles away. It was a good test of The Bug's systems.

The Bug Proves Its Metal

This project has FINALLY reached its end. We just wrapped up a 300 mile round-trip overnight shakedown test of The Bug …
read more
The Air Conditioner

Published: Sun 20 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

I Did It My Way

We are spoiled. All of us. Anyone born into the world of air conditioned summers is spoiled by that experience. We just don't want to even imagine life without that cooling hardware.

The Problem

Have you priced RV …
read more
Galley

Published: Sat 19 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

It's a Galley When It's Mobile

One of the more important functions of our Bug-out trailer is meal preparation. So a full 30% of the interior space goes to food storage and cooking and cleanup. No surprise there. We all love to eat …
read more
Propane

Published: Wed 16 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

We Have a Really Good Case of Gas

If you got bad news, you wanna kick the blues,
Propane.
When your day is done, and you want to ride on,
Propane.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie.
Propane.

Camping without …
read more
Water

Published: Tue 15 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

Water: The Simplest System

When I was thinking about fresh water, hot water, cold water, city water, water storage, water pump, water heater, etc., I was feeling a tad overwhelmed. It seemed like so much.

Turns out it was one of the simplest …
read more
Bathroom

Published: Mon 14 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

Head, Crapper, Showers, Bathroom, whatever.

It seems a bit of a stretch to call this toilet/shower combination a 'bathroom', but 'shower/toilet combination' is just too hard to type over and over.

I could revert to Navy lingo and refer to it …
read more
Power and Light

Published: Tue 08 October 2024
Updated: Sat 26 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

Here is a recent photo of all the pieces and parts.

Like everything else, it starts with pen and paper I write it down if I even think it might be important. Ideas are cheap and disposable. On the left are my earliest …
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The Bug: Tanks
Published: Sat 28 September 2024
Updated: Fri 18 October 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

Three Shades of Water

There are three tanks every RV needs:
- Fresh water: holds water for washing and maybe drinking.
- Gray water: holds kitchen and shower drain water.
- Black water: holds the really nasty smelly biohazard stuff.
I purchased all three of my …
read more
The Bug: Planning The Layout

Published: Mon 16 September 2024
Updated: Mon 16 September 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

This is a good place to be. It took a LOT of work to get here. Learning never stops. Never.

I have a long history of managing projects as I go.

This project, however, was obviously too big to handle that way.

So …
read more
First Steps - Disassembly

Published: Sat 14 September 2024
Updated: Sat 14 September 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

The trailer had neither insulation nor a ceiling. First order of business: strip it down to the frame on the inside.

I stripped out everything down to the steel frame on the inside of the trailer. Then I used a foil-backed foam board …
read more
The Trailer Has History

Published: Sat 14 September 2024
Updated: Sat 14 September 2024
By Dr. Gerg

In Bug-out.

Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

The Bug started life as a working trailer.

From 2006 until 2014 I was the sole proprietor, CEO and Chief Systems Engineer for Full Circuit Technologies, LLC. I normally flew everywhere and lugged my tools in huge Pelican cases in and out of …
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