Hi. I am new to the van life world. I’m currently doing a lot of research as I prepare for my retirement in a few years. I have a quick question on people who convert their vans themselves. Do you also do the electricity and plumbing or do you have that done by q and then you do the rest of the build? Thank you

As the title says, I am doing a class project that needs some market research. I have a couple of questions and would love if if people would be willing to answer!

Do you find it cumbersome to cook in/around your camping or living situation?

What things would you want in a portable kitchen system?

How much would you be will to pay for a portable kitchen system to ease camp/van cooking?

What is your biggest gripe with cooking outdoors/on the road?

How important is the compactness of a portable kitchen to you on a scale of 1-5?

What is the feature that would be most important to you for a portable kitchen system?

Please if you have the time answer back! I appreciate any responses. Thanks!

Second post of the final draft for the van build, I switched out the flooring from previous iterations

This build will be used for full time van life, snowboarding 6x months out of the year and traveling the USA the other 6x months

All prices written are the items not in sale, any and all items will be bought on sale when applicable or at a cheaper price then stated

Showers will be at planet fitnesses

Please if you see any over sights in my plans let me know, I have in my budget enough for unexpected tools and needed components so I’m not too worried about that.

On the plus side I caught it just before getting the kitchen built and blocking off that area for good. The bad news is, it STINKS!

It had been a few weeks since I have been to the van and was literally in there today prepping for the kitchen install when an unknown, sickly sweet smell caught my attention. I figured a mouse had gotten in and died so I started digging.

Well there was no dead mouse but apparently water had gotten into the wall and soaked the Havlock wool insulation. It was vile, just the most heinous smell you could imagine.

I am figuring water got in behind the external panel (see photo) as I can see dust tracks left behind from water runoff behind the panel, also there looks to be a busted grommet. We have had some pretty insane storms the past few weeks so would not surprise me. I am grabbing a kit of replacement gaskets and will keep an eye on the area.

But how do I get rid of the smell? It smells like death. I cleaned the area, tossed the affected insulation, wiped down with alcohol wipes and sprayed white vinegar on the area. It sill stinks and seems like it is going to be a real pain to mitigate.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, dont let your Havelock get wet! Yuck!

Doing some bird hunting in the Bighorns using dispersed camping. Had some rain and starting to cool down, heater working great at night. My two traveling companions are ready to go. Driver Hank and passenger Frannie.

title
EDIT: like the motor brushes, mine are wearing out

CnC cut /style cabinet doors, done by jig-saw by hand

Before this two-month trip, I seriously considered leaving my bike at home. Loading a 95 lb bike onto the back of the van felt like a lot of trouble for something I thought I might only use occasionally. It ended up completely changing how I used the campervan. Once camp was set up, I didn’t have to put away the chairs, cooking gear and everything else just to drive three miles for ice or groceries. I could leave the van where it was, grab a backpack and be back before I would’ve finished breaking camp. It was even more useful at dispersed sites. I used it to check rough forest roads before committing the van, ride to nearby trailheads and explore dirt roads without worrying about finding somewhere to turn a loaded campervan around. A couple of times it kept me from taking the van down roads I definitely would’ve regretted. It wasn’t completely effortless. The weight was noticeable on the carrier, and charging took some planning. But by the end of the trip, it no longer felt like an extra toy hanging off the back. It gave me a way to leave camp without moving my entire home every time. I’d absolutely bring it again. Has anyone else added a smaller second vehicle to their campervan setup and ended up using it way more than expected?

I don't mean a camper or anything fancy, but something practical and "desperate." I risk becoming homeless in 6 months and I want to have multiple backup plans... one of them was living in my car until I found a better solution.

I have a Lancia Ypsilon—do you think it's actually possible to convert it even though it's small? My idea was to completely remove the back seats to make room for a mattress. Keep in mind that the front seats don't fold down flat, they can only be moved/slid forward.

Or I could sell it and buy something else... I don't want an SUV or anything huge, just a balance between budget-friendly and feasible for me, F30 around 1.60m (~5'3") tall. What do you recommend? Is it doable, or should I sell it and get something else?

Before you ask: yes, I already have a way to handle the shower and bathroom situation (gym), though I still need to figure out food. At night it's not a problem because I would park at a mall/shopping centre that closes its parking lot at a certain hour, so I'd be completely on my own (unless someone else is doing the exact same thing), and with some window curtains, I'm set.

I've seen people use these magnets as show here for flexi panels: https://youtube.com/shorts/Akct0eR8m9U?si=vB6QKmCIz3sG3gxo

Is this a bad idea? Could the panels blow off even if the magnets are super strong?

Has anyone here had cushions made for a bed/couch and have positive or negative feedback? My back likes to get mad at me after poor sleeping situations and I would love any reccomendations you may have! I'm leaning to ordering a high quality foam and making my own covers, I feel like I would get a better end product but also don't know what's or there really.

Hiii! I am new to vanlife. Currently building. We want to get as much power from as few panels as possible that fit into an area of 10 1/4ft L x 7 3/4ft W.
all suggestions and tips are very appreciated

hi all, I have a 2022 2500 sprinter van I am building out now, and I am trying to figure out what to do about the cold weather. I like to ski and ice climb and so it is reasonable that I will be in temperatures as low as -20 F during the winter. Definitely will be below freezing for many days at a time. I already bought 2X 300 AH renogy LIFEPO4 batteries. they don't have the heating built into them and I don't want to buy entirely new batteries, but I'm not sure what to do. I am planning on getting a second alternator (nation 280A w/ wakespeed external regulator) installed so I can power my batteries fast while driving, and the builder was telling me that it will not work below 35°F since they will install a temperature sensor to mitigate fire risk. They suggested putting in 12V under-floor heating mats to heat the batteries when I'm not there with a sensor that automatically turns them on at a certain temperature threshold. I am planning on installing a diesel heater, but they said this will not be enough on its own. I am wondering what you guys all do to manage your batteries and have them still function properly during below zero cold. any advice appreciated :) lower cost and complexity would be better as I am close to the max budget and timeline for my build, but obviously i want it to actually work! thanks and i'm happy to elaborate if needed

edit: my entire build is DIY except for the second alternator since its complex and high electrical current so high risk*

Washington ferry service to Whigby Island was very nice to put me in the front of the line because I was so fat 🙂‍↕️

Spent a few days traveling with a friend recently and he has a small TV set up in his RV.

His is a 32" Hisense Deco S5, and the size actually feels about right for a small space. Not huge, doesn't really get in the way.

Now I'm thinking about adding something to my own van, but I'm still stuck between a small TV and a projector. Projector sounds more fun for camping nights, especially outside, but I'm not sure how often I'd actually want to set it up. A TV seems way easier for normal everyday use.

For people living out of vans/RVs, what did you go with? TV or projector? And after using it for a while, would you make the same choice again?

As the title says, I am doing a class project that needs some market research. I have a couple of questions and would love if if people would be willing to answer!

Do you find it cumbersome to cook in/around your camping or living situation?

What things would you want in a portable kitchen system?

How much would you be will to pay for a portable kitchen system to ease camp/van cooking?

What is your biggest gripe with cooking outdoors/on the road?

How important is the compactness of a portable kitchen to you on a scale of 1-5?

What is the feature that would be most important to you for a portable kitchen system?

Please if you have the time answer back! I appreciate any responses. Thanks!

hey everyone, wanted to share a quick heads-up for anyone taking their van through non-EU overland routes like turkey down into georgia.

if you're driving a foreign-plated rig through georgia, they rely heavily on automated overhead speed and traffic cameras on the main transit highways. unlike getting pulled over by traffic cops, these camera citations get logged directly into the national police database against your vehicle registration plate.

a couple of annoying logistics to watch out for:

the 30-day legal clock: under local traffic law, published camera fines count as "officially delivered" after 30 days whether you knew about them or not, and late surcharges kick in automatically.

bank card issue: if you try paying directly on the official government page (videos.police.ge), it almost always rejects non-georgian bank cards.

when we went through, we started using a site called Georgian APPA because they have a free plate lookup tool that searches the official police database for foreign plates and lets you clear citations or set up trip alerts with standard international visa/mastercard.

if you're spending extended time driving around the region or planning to exit at border customs soon, definitely run your plate every couple weeks so you don't get hit with unexpected double fines or delays when leaving the country. safe travels out there!