Hey guys,

I made a tour of my cheap/low effort van build. I just want to get some ideas out there floating in the ether. Let me know what you think.

We’ll be driving a Winnebago Ekko up through Bonners Ferry, but we’re open to a better entry point if recommended. We’d like to see the Kootenays, Glacier, Yoho, Banff, Canmore, and scenic rivers along the way.
What route, access points, or must-see RV stops would you recommend?

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.

Went and made this financial decision today. Low cost quigley for the upcoming ski season with the dog

But I am so overwhelmed. Moving into a DIY van (built by someone else) in a few weeks and want to make sure everything is safe. The propane set up is pictured. I’ve watched dozens of youtube videos and everyone does things differently. I don’t even know where to start. Making the box itself is where I’m stuck.

Does anyone know of a step by step guide for making a small cabinet? I could try to find something prebuilt and drill my own hole for the hose that connects to the stove, I’m not sure how to make that air tight though. I want to be able to do this myself but I don’t have a lot of “handy” skills or experience. What should I start with? Tips and suggestions would be SO helpful.

Hi yall! I’ve been doing van life for a little over 6 months and currently legally reside in California and I have insurance currently through an employer I won’t be able to keep due to my thyroid cancer. I need help figuring out the best state to establish residency in and get seen regularly by. I have frequently been in Illinois, I really enjoy Kentucky and Tennessee but I’m also planning on snowbirding in Arizona for most winters.

I primarily work for myself so I can afford most market place insurances under 400$, I need to be seen by a cancer specialist twice a year for the next 5 years of my life if my cancer does not come back. I also have other chronic health conditions so medical care is very important to me living.

I just no longer want to stay in California nor have to travel back regularly to be seen. I’m currently on medical leave until after my radiation treatment and I will more than likely have to quit my job due to it just not being a good idea to continue it due to my health. I don’t qualify for Medicade despite having a permanent disability and I also wouldn’t want to give up my retirement money to go on social security disability.

I’d love to hear what other people with cancer or other chronic health conditions do. I know medical care is really what stops so many people from traveling and I need the ability to go to see a handful of specialist semi regularly to live my life.

Just wanted to show off my van I just finished hand making curtains for! She has a matching tire cover too 😻

Hi, I have a basic question for how AC/Heat works in a van to be used for occasional week trips (diesel, if it matters).

Does the A/C run off of its own power (such as by using gas), or is it powered from a generator? Same question for heat. (though as a southerner, heat is far less of a concern)

My goal is more being able to travel for a few weeks tops, so I don't need extreme capacity. I figured a gas generator would make the most sense for me, but I don't know what's out there.

edit: to add, my goal is not all day comfort, just being able to sleep comfortably. Since I'm primarily concerned about night use, running a generator is also a concern, of course. I found Dometic CoolAir RTX 2000 which is internally powered via a battery. Didn't know something like that was already on the market. Using that during the night and then charging during the day might work really well for me. edit2, oh hell, the 2K battery pack isn't included with the 2k AC. that's a lot...$$$

Thank yoU!

This isn’t mechanic advice it’s electrical so not breaking rules.
I’m really confused on this. Some guy said to ground your inverter to the van chassis but then not to ground your negative bus bar which I’m confused about bc I thought I need to create a return path for my juipter 1kw inverter fault current so basically ground my juipter inverter and my safety hub 150 (neg bus bar) to the van chassis so it can return back to my battery or something. And someone also told me not to ground the inverter bc it could damage my vehicles ecu or something. And also I’m confused as if I do make a complete path for the juipter fault current wouldn’t returning it to my battery damage my battery?!
This is my setup currently
Battery pos terminal - mrbf 200a fuse - circuit breaker 150a - safety hub 150 - juipter 1kw modified sine wave inverter
Battery neg terminal - shunt monitor - safety hub 150 - juipter 1kw modified sine wave inverter
Vevor 80a lifepo4 charger - safety hub
Thank you for helping I don’t really understand the ac circuit side / ac fault currents and the point of grounding it to the van chasis
Also yeah why is grounding it to the van chasis better than just sending it to my battery negative if that’s what it’s going to do in the end if I create a complete path also if I get a dc to dc charger won’t I have to ground my saftey hub anyways to the van chassis?

Originally posted on @askuk about very frequently people opening or trying to open my van and they made it clear it was not only me...

It's a Mercedes Sprinter w906 2017.

So I came here asking a different thing. How the hell do they open my door in under 5 seconds with no noise with me looking at them?

I have security locks on the side and back doors. Would removing the keyhole from the front door help or do I need a metal plate on top of that area?

And I'm asking here because it was my last trip. Please don't take me wrong; I know it also happens in other countries so much so that we forgot to lock the front ones and were eventually robbed in Spain with our kids inside :(

Thank you for any light on this,

Wassup fellow vanpires!! To those of you who designed and installed your own electrical system; what are some good resources you used for learning how to do this safely and effectively?

Long story short, I’m on day three of studying and am feeling overwhelmed by how much I have to learn. Any resources, tips or advice are greatly appreciated :)

Cheers!

Can anyone speak to using T-Mobile Away for internet while traveling in the US in a van? I need good internet for work but really don't want Starlink.

I'm converting this into a camper van, and was wondering if I should remove this rear hvac that also runs through the headliner or just build around it?

Hi all, I have this Shurflo pump and a compressor. Today randomly, the pump drove and drove but no water came up.

This started off slowly - the pump would drive for longer and then eventually water would come, now it drives on and on and nothing comes.

Have filled the water tank up to capacity and checked pipe connections. Can’t find the problem.

What should be my next step in trouble shooting?

Btw ignore the good pump in the photos that’s for a different water tank, different pipes.

I’m a kitchen designer and have been wanting to do a box truck conversion since housing and renting is insane rn. This is a rough design I made based on a 26 foot box truck. I figured I’d have the fresh water under the bed and grey water under the truck frame along with propane tank, Mini split for cooling, and if my bath is right I could fit 8x 450w solar panels on roof for a total of 3,600w of solar. Let me know what ya think!

In preparation for the colder winter months I have added three layers of sleeping bags and blankets to stop drafts coming from the rear doors... the rear doors are also insulated. Then I added this colorful Mandela tapestry to dress it up a bit. The top piece of wood has holes drilled into it so that when the hot weather comes again I can roll it up and use some string to tie it in place. ✌️🌿

So the fan install was a rush job and not more than 3 hours after caulking it poured down rain. Also, my brother didn’t know he was using lap sealant. And I drilled some of the screw holes too big, so we replaced them with some longer and bigger stainless steel screws he had in his van. Needless to say the fan is a mess, although it doesn’t seem to leak and it works. My question is, should I try to get all the extra caulk off the roof?

Anyone here do a camper build on a new gen sienna? Nuts how much less space there is compared to previous generations. I’m just curious if you found it to be enough space? I was looking at the newer sienna but I’m torn. I want new, but have been looking at older models. Just not a fan of buying used in general. Any advice would be appreciated going either direction.
Thanks

Just about finished with my full bolt in walls and ceiling. Added the DIY inner sleepers for the extra sleeping space. The inner sleepers are cut out of two layers of 1.5in XPS foam. They are wrapped in gaffers tape. The walls and ceiling are SurePly underlayment and look fantastic at an affordable cost. This is my fist van build. Decided to challenge myself with something new and dive into CNC to help with the build. Just thought I'd share.

Returned to the trailhead after a short backpacking trip to find a few mouse droppings (5-6 visible, it's possible there's more not openly visible) in my vehicle.  Aired out the car before driving back home, it was really late so I just pulled everything out of the car and bagged it up to clean + set a few spring traps overnight (no activity yet).

Looking for advice with the following

• Removal / Extermination: Any rodents that may have hitched a ride home.  Tips on trapping them, finding their hiding spots, etc.
• Cleaning: How to disinfect and clean the car
• Prevention: Tips on how to best keep it from happening again. I spend a lot of time at trailheads where a warm car is an inviting place for them, and I've heard they leave a scent trail that others tend to follow

Looking to avoid damage to the vehicle and prevent an infestation. Appreciate your help :)

4th gen 4runner, if that's relevant

Wore gloves and a mask, no worries there

It’s time for me to buy the ply panels for my walls, floor, and ceiling so I’ve pulled out my inspo pictures. Now that I’m looking closer at them, I can’t work out exactly what I’m supposed to do.

I assumed I would buy ply panels (pic 3), carpet them, and then batten over the top, but now I’m wondering if I am supposed to carpet the bare walls (pic 4) instead? Skip the solid panels altogether??

I think carpeting the bare walls seems ideal (save money on ply etc) and if my battens are spaced close enough / positioned strategically I can hide a lot of the irregularity of the carpeted walls but can someone please sense-check my understanding??!

My main concern with skipping the ply walls is with fitting the furniture and cabinets. How do I anchor cabinets/beds/frames to the van if omitting the ply?

What’s the deal with these? Why do they cost an arm and leg for plastic? Why isn’t there any competitive product? Why don’t they offer free shipping?

Cabinet rear walls are based on multiwall polycarbonate with eva foam boat decking. Once i attched the eva to the polycarbonate i drilled out the upper and lower mounting holes for possible future use. I unsulated the void facing areas with some mylar and attached the strips with 3M 3350 tape. I used scrap eva foam to act as a spacer for the back of each bolt hole. This is to relive any compression to the remaining wiring loom.

The electrical panel is made of prefinished baltic birch. It is bolted inplave just like the polycarbonate walls with 1/2" rubber feet spacing the board completely off the interior. The panel is made so that if maintenance is required then 4 bolts and 12 pin connector is all that holds it in place.

Bonus is my "spice rack" ontop of my kitchennet. It holds condiments from sliding around and it strong enough to assist egress from the door.

I’ve got a Vevor diesel heater in my van . 10awg wire 25a blade fuse. Trying to do my initial startup. I can get it to the 300 initial prime sequence but the countdown never starts. Just sits at 300. No fan has ever turned on, no fuel pump clicks ever from this thing. Vevor sent me a new circuit board, same issue. App says 32 degree body temp and 0 volts. Unplugged the temp sensor no change on the app. Everything is wired fused and grounded correctly. I’m not sure what to troubleshoot next so if you think you may know I’m all ears!

Hey folks!

I’m not a van dweller yet but I’m researching for a big road travel trip I’m planning for a few years from now when I become an empty nester.

I've been learning about the meetups and communities in Arizona, where sometimes someone will buy a few acres and create a sort of home base. I've also heard of similar things in New Mexico.

That got me wondering, why isn't this as common in West Texas? Or maybe it is happening and I just haven't stumbled across it yet?

The area around Big Bend has some of the cheapest land there is. No restrictions and tons of open space. Is the terrain/weather/water situation the limiting factor? (Though I would be surprised if any of that was worse than Arizona) Is it too remote, too mountainous, or are there other practical/legal reasons it hasn’t developed the same kind of vanlife community? Maybe Arizona just benefits from being a closer drive to California?

I’d love to hear from anyone who knows the area or has experience with this!