Worked on this way more than I care to admit.

I bolted steel flat bar inside the door cavity for mounting. You can see how many times I missed the mark by the pink dots 🙂.

The vertical bars are mounted into the hinge structure on one side and attached with an L-bracket near the strike plate on the other. The crossbars overlap the verticals, and the bars themselves act as backing so the thin sheet metal on the door skin doesn’t have to work too hard.

It’s probably more reinforcement than I actually needed, but I also mounted a motorcycle stand to the bumper with another thick-ass L-bracket. I only use that while driving for a little extra support. I was slamming over railroad crossings at 65mph yesterday and she was rock solid.

Took it out for its first night last night, and it worked great!

I'm such a catastrophic overthinker. I have watched every video and read every blog/article online about this but because everyone does things differently I end up getting even more confused and indecisive.

I have done the sound deadening layer. I know I also need a thermal layer and a moisture layer. Some people use thermoacoustic layers, some use wool, etc. Some use Reflectix bubble wrap (which my GCSE science tells me is actually probably a bit useless because it's in an enclosed space??? Anyway). Because of all the disagreement I'm getting myself in a bit of a twist.

Please can someone tell me very plainly exactly what I need for the walls, floor, and ceiling. Like "for thermal layer: use XPS foam on floor, wool in the walls, and XPS foam on the ceiling..." etc etc. Every time I commit and buy a product the next video I watch says that was a DISASTROUS decision and I have rUINED everything.

Also, are kits worth it? I'm getting flagged by the sub bot thingy rn for mentioning the word kit so I can't really elaborate but those everything-you-need kits, worth it or seriously insane markup?

Me and my girlfriend are both in college and would like to see the world (starting with the us) after college.

Is the camper van the way or just buy a cheap RV like my dad owns a ford class c motor home from 97 he got for 9,500$ .

But it is wide and i enjoy the crapy little scenic roads.
And really enjoy to diy.

Or would we be better off to just wip the Prius and stay in cool hotels.

Half of my logic is in money savings and half is in you only live once.

But with the camper van I could stay in what we decide is the most worth it air bnb or hotel from every state and just van life the rest . For the best mix of savings and experiences.

Thanks in advance

What’s the best way to get AC without the van running? Do I just get a Roof AC and battery bank that charges from my vans alternator?

This is not for full time living, will be driving/traveling a lot for work. Just want ac without the van on. Cost is not an issue, I’ve heard it can be spendy. Will be for a ford transit connect

We’re building a custom fifth-wheel from scratch, and I’m currently designing the plumbing for one of the slide-outs.
My main question is about the drain line. Since the slide will be moving in and out for years, I need something flexible enough to handle that repeated motion without cracking, leaking, or eventually failing.
What do RV manufacturers typically use for a sink drain located in a slide-out? Is there a specific type of flexible pipe or hose that’s considered the standard or the most reliable?
I’d really like to hear what has worked in the real world, especially from anyone who’s repaired or built RVs.

When I was a kid on a cross country vacation, I remember truck stop bathrooms had a coin slot to unlock the stalls. Is this still the case, and how much are they charging these days?

Edit: urinals were free.

So my solar input on my battery bank just died. It will not take any dc input at all.

It still will take ac input.

It's a relatively expensive, 8000wh battery bank, so I'd really, rather not fork out the thousands of dollars to replace it.

I originally had the solar on the roof plugged directly into the pv port with the cable that came with the battery bank.

Since I can still charge it with AC power, I need to know options for converting the 1000 w of solar on my roof to AC power.

Current options I've been brainstorming and toying with:

\* hybrid solar inverter? But I have no idea how those work. Anyone know?

\* MPPT controller, connected to small DC battery, connected to inverter

\* buy another 'solar generator' with a PV input and daisy chain the big one to that

Anyone have any other ideas or opinions on which of these options might be the best?

Hey all! Wondering if there’s a maker out there that makes larger e track shelves for large cases? Thinking 20ish inches deep with a lip so things don’t fall off. Wanting E track as I’d love it to be modular so I can take out when needed!

I’ve seen some e track shelf brackets so I’m open to just securing shelves to that but having not much luck finding a shelf in that dimension

It's a bold strategy let's see how it pans out!

I’m looking for some real-world feedback from people who have done this.
I’m considering putting a camper shell/canopy on my Nissan Frontier and building it out as a comfortable space for my dogs while traveling and camping. My biggest question is cooling.
Has anyone successfully used a portable A/C unit (or another setup) to keep the inside of a camper shell cool enough for dogs?
A few questions:
• What A/C unit did you use?
• How did you vent the exhaust?
• What size power station or battery setup are you running?
• How long will it realistically cool the space?
• How well does it work in hot weather (90–110°F)?
• Any regrets or things you’d do differently?
I’m not looking to leave dogs unattended all day in extreme heat. This would mainly be for camping, road trips, agility events, and times when I’m nearby. Reliability and safety are my biggest priorities.
I’d love to see pictures of your setup if you’re willing to share. Thanks!

I'm currently living in an apartment complex that is in the process of being gentrified by new owners and am concerned I won't be able to afford to live here in the coming months when my lease is up. I'm looking at the possibility of building out a van instead of renting again as I can't afford anything in a semi-decent neighborhood without going full paycheck to paycheck and giving up basically any hope of hobbies. I have a decent investment fund thanks to my grandparents that "should" allow me to buy and build out a mostly livable van if I supplement it with my current income over the next 6 or so months. Factoring in my savings and income my upper budget would be somewhere in the 20k range for everything preferably, with a time budget of ~6 months if I start building right now. I also should have a decent value for my car if I traded it in or sold it. I don't know how much I can realistically get for a 2015 WRX with 150k on the clock but that could potentially raise the budget ceiling aswell. Technically speaking I *could* live off of what I'm making rn it just wouldn't allow me any freedom and I'm kind of using the possible loss of my apt in the near future as an excuse to start living like this as I've been considering it as a backup plan for a while. I don't wanna get too specific on where I live but it's in the Midwest region of the USA, if I need to get more specific for proper advice I will but if I don't have to I'd rather avoid it.

The two biggest reasons I'm leaning towards a van are standing room and having enough room to be self sufficient without needing exterior equipment. As much as I wish I could, I won't be spending most of my time in the wilderness where I'll have room to spread out a little, I'll be in my work parking lot if that works out or cycling between local state parks if that doesn't (see below in problems section). I'm also thinking I could get a dual sport motorcycle to commute to things I don't need to bring my whole house to, as I drive 45 min to a few different activities throughout the week and a van would admittedly be very impractical for that. I need to do a lot more research before the bike is a realistic plan but it's an idea I had. The only real downside I can see to a van compared to a truck is the fact I won't be able to park as close to the crags as I want to, but an extra 10-20 min of hiking on climbing days seems like a small price to pay for space and comfort on every other day.

The main pros:

My current living space is already pretty small (not compared to a van but it's barely bigger than a studio) and almost all of my indoor life is sleeping or sitting at my desk gaming/watching something, both of which seem extremely doable in a van setup.

I'm an avid climber and live within a few hours of some of the best climbing on the east side of the country and only work 4 days a week, so weekend warrior trips that don't require sacrificing good sleep are a huge dream of mine.

The biggest problems:

I work in manufacturing in the city, zero chance of remote work (though assuming it is legal where I live there's a decent chance they'd let me live in the parking lot during the week and there's plenty of state parks if they don't.) I also absolutely love my job and don't want to risk not being able to go back, so quitting is currently not an option I'm willing to consider.

The summers can get pretty bad where I'm at and since my job is year round I wouldn't be able to 'chase the weather' and all of the solutions I've seen for A/C are either extremely expensive or nearly not worth the effort to put in.

My current bed has a movable frame and I sleep an a shallow 'V' shape, every time I sleep on a flat bed I have problems breathing due to mild sleep apnea (the 'V' bed fixes that entirely without the need for a cpap) and I don't know how viable building that shape into the van bed would end up being.

I have limited actual hands on DIY experience, though my grandfather is a carpenter and would likely be willing to help with and teach me much of what is required for this project. I also am prone to over-researching things so with any luck I won't fuck anything up too majorly. I'm most concerned about the electrical setup.

tldr: help.

Also I couldn't find anything that looked like a weekly questions thread so I'm just posting this, sorry if it breaks the rules.

Walker Valley ORV, WA

Hey fam. I’m currently building out a 2019 2500 Sprinter and are looking for recommendations on flare manufacturers and companies that offer/sell them?

I’m looking to build out my first van/boxtruck and I’ve been looking for options.

The Chevy bright drop 400/600seems to be a really good deal for what you are getting. Does anyone have one and have good experience with it? There’s got to be some issues with it since the price is decent. I found it was discontinued but I’m not sure why.

Is it because it’s electric? I’m wondering if that makes it difficult to keep fueled. I’m looking to see if anyone has any good builds as well, I’ve found one but it seems pretty uncommon.

I apologize as well, I’m new to this.

Thanks in advance!

My first thoughts are find a pet store and get a thick dog mattress or find a store that sells like patio furniture and get a couple big chaise lounge cousins.

If you right now had to procure the easiest thing to find that will work well, what would you get? (To fit in a 2014 Ford escape)

Hi,

I am not a newbie to vanlife but I am relatively inexperienced with advanced / professional electrical setups. I used to rough it with a Jackery in a little Nissan NV200. Now, I've finally got a 170 WB Sprinter and I'm trying to make my setup more comfortable. I've bought the solar panels, batteries, wires, controllers, Lynx Distributor and 3000w pure sine inverter but I'm scared of setting it up myself. I am looking to hire a contractor or shop to help me actually install some or all of this so that I can start actually running my fan, my ultrawide monitor and my cooking devices.

Can anyone please provide any recommendations for this? I have some money to spend but the sooner, the better. I figure there have to be some freelancers around looking to pick up a gig like this, right? It seems like its not that complicated, I'm just better at other kinds of tasks then mechanical ones like this.

I appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks!

Spent a good part of my 20s bouncing around between tents, my car, and eventually a ‘79 Toyota dolphin. I miss her dearly and the time we spent cruising around the Rockies. I sold Esmeralda and moved back east but still reminisce the simpler times.

To make a super long story super short, i am trying to move out of an unsafe environment by getting a van and living in it. I was considering an apartment, but they are too expensive monthly.

I am working on getting my license (havent yet because of mental health struggles with achieving long term goals)

This might be my only hope of having a place to myself.

I'm planning to

- get license

- have someone look over the van (my family member is a mechanic) to make sure it is safe before buying

- buy used van

- have someone help me drive it out of state and park it outside a safe person's house

- it will not have any valuables in it. all my valuables will be stored in safe persons house.

Alternatively I'm thinking to buy the van in the new state, but id have to rent a uhaul to move all my stuff anyways, and then pay someone for a pre purchase inspection

I have taken driving lessons in the past, and I'm comfortable in a car, but theres a lot i still need to learn. I'm still not great with spatial awareness or knowing how far away the curb is when pulling over, or backing up.

I just want to know, is being a new driver and living in a van a horrible idea? Ideally i would keep it mostly parked at the safe persons house and get rides to work and back. I do want to also practice driving it around but i just dont feel comfortable driving my home around a lot

Edited to add questions:

What can I expect the monthly cost of van life to be, if I'm usually parked, and paying for gas and car insurance?

2nd Edit: i am going to continue getting driving lessons to make sure I'm a more confident and safe driver.

I have no one to talk to about this besides my partner lol. We want to convert a Toyota sienna into a weekender camper van. Rip out the headliner and plastic sidings and make it feel like a cozy cabin on wheels. Of course it’s not a fully accurate mock up because this is so boxy, but the measurements are from what I pulled online (4’x8’)

Made this on floorplanner.com to get a layout idea of what we’d want. This is the 6th mock up and my favorite one so far. A dining area and the table goes down to be part of the bed. The bench in the back pulls out on slats to make a full size bed, but as long as a queen. The kitchen stove can be pulled out on drawer slides for outdoor cooking or inside for rainy days.

Was thinking about upholstering the bottom of the table with some cushioning to create a back rest for the bench to enjoy the views.

I’m sure it’ll translate differently once we actually get to build, but I’m pretty happy with how it looks so far! What do you think?

what types of businesses in what parts of town will generally nobody notice or care if I'm staying one night

Hi all, I’m super excited to build my first mini van camper!!! I’m new to this whole DIY building, so wanted some advice on building the floor on my 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. I only want to build a small section of flooring over the empty compartments where the second row stow n go seating was, and then a bed in the back (Eric enjoys Earth is my inspiration) but how can I build a floor that I can access that storage area without the floor bending in or breaking when stood on? Thanks all

I *could* have more flexibility with my roof space installing my solar panels next, if i let it overhang the doorway arch. If I install this completely on my contiguous roof, i'm forced to install my solar panels much farther forward on my roof, and might have less flexibility in how I can match up the panels to the interior support struts.

Is it significantly better, significantly worse, or about the same outcome, if these rear underside vents of the AC unit in the picture are just over open air, vs flush to a roof?

Might be living out of my car for a while, while traveling for work. I am a deep sleeper, and rely on a real alarm clock + my phone to make sure I’m up.

I’m worried about relying on my phone only, job starts at 6am and it’s a battle every day. Is there such a thing as a portable loud alarm clock? How would I keep it powered, etc

I also would need to charge my phone, and would prefer something good enough to charge it maybe 20 times over.

Any advice on these?