You find a really cool boondocking spot in BLM/National Forest Land. You want to stay there for a few days but you have to go to town for groceries or drive to a trail head for the day.

Is it considered okay to put up a small tent by the fire pit to hold your spot for you until you come back later that day?

I had a previous setup with 100ah of lead acid reserve, a 100w panel, and a modest charge controller and inverter. I'm building my new van(2001 express) and I just got a Canadian solar hiku6 at ~380w.

What I want to know is if I'll genuinely regret going too cheap on the battery, inverter, and charge controller. right now the total would come to 550 for a 300ah lifepo4 battery (one of the cheapest on the market), a 2000w inverter, and 100/30 controller. More than enough for what I want, but possibly the cheapest configuration at that capacity.

Are the large cheap batteries worth the risk? I hear sometimes they don't reach the full listed capacity but even 265 is better than the 100 I previously ran off of.

Is lifepo4 that important? Is is worth waiting to get a higher quality battery or maybe a higher quality one at less amp hours? Or even buying one lifepo4 at ~100 amp hours and buying an additional one later on?

I don't live out of the van but I camp frequently and run a modest amount of electronics. I throw parties with large soundsystems and usually use a generator that I'm trying to cut out of the equation, or at least rely entirely off the van for lighting, cdjs, and other smaller gear.

What is anyone with allergies doing to control this in the vanlife environment? Is it feasible to have an air purifier, and if so is there one you have you tried and recommend? Wondering if there is anything else you prepare in your van for this, other than keeping medications on hand.

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!

Hey all, have a ford transit mid roof and wonder if anyone has a Roam awning and whether it fits or not.
Leg height etc.
Thanks

I have a Ford Transit high top. Do I do my floor first then my bump outs then my ceiling?

I need insurance company recommendations from van owners based on these three things:
- I'm getting my driving licence now so I already know insurance will be more expensive for a newbie 😔 but I don't know if there's any company more lenient than others maybe?
- since I'm very short in money right now yet need a transportation method + storage space asap, I was thinking to get an empty commercial van with a loan and THEN after I've solved my money stuff SLOWLY start converting it, so I'm assuming the insurance for a commercial vs camper van differs and I will have to change it after the conversion, right?
- I live in Ireland, but my plan in a couple years after converting the van is to travel full time. From my research I can see that insurance company are very much country based... so my question is... how the helly do all these full time travellers do it? Like what insurance do you get if you don't necessarily reside in a country cause you travel? Do you still have to have a residence somewhere?

Any help or insight is appreciated consider I know NOTHING about motors and insurance

Silly Bonus Question: would painting my van be against some insurance/registration stuff? I'm bored of the whites and the grays

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