TransitChronicles
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- Joined
- Oct 14, 2014
- Messages
- 15
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Early September, I made the decision to trade in my 2012 Chevy Silverado and my 26 foot 2010 Keystone Hideout on a brand new 2015 Ford Transit. What drove me to do this was 1) debt, I wanted out from under that camper, 2) a simpler solution for camping, 3) interest in van dwelling and the potential for saving close to a thousand dollars a month on rent and utilities.
While I haven't made the decision to live in my van yet, I wanted to have that option and I wanted a simpler camping solution that went with me everywhere I go. I spent months looking around at the various vans and almost let myself get talked into a 2013 Chevy 3500 extended van, but I wasn't sure yet I wanted to do it and it wouldn't have helped me with my camper situation, which I wanted out of.
I considered a number of vans, but one day I noticed that a local dealer had a 2015 Ford Transit 250 sitting on their lot, so I had to go look at it. At that time it was a Sunday and no one came out from the dealership to help. The back end was open so I did a full tour of the van and recorded it for YouTube.
The main selling points:
-I could stand in it at 5'8".
-The floor had a nice insulated rubber textured covering with padding underneath.
-The side walls were covered with plastic panels.
-The van had been designed to be without noise while driving.
-Plenty of d-rings to strap things down with. Huge door openings and windows.
-Comfortable driving seats.
-Limitless possibilities.
-Drives like a car.
The dealership was happy to take my truck and camper as trade-in and so within a week I had made the decision to go ahead and do it. I haven't looked back; I don't miss my truck or my camper.
Once I acquired the van, I set about doing a modular configuration where I could add/remove items to keep the van as versatile as possible. This meant no hard wiring, no tapping of screws or drilling holes.
How I did it:
-Magnets for holding items on the walls and ceiling.
-Spring-loaded curtain rods, except for side curtain which has curtain rod zip tied to hooked magnets.
-Twin Sealy Posturepedic bed with box springs and frame, strapped to cargo d-rings. Comfort was important to me.
-Magnetic LED light sources.
-Magnets with d-rings for hanging light and fan from the ceiling.
-Small desk and office chair with the casters left off, so they wouldn't move around and didn't require being strapped down.
-Replaced factory incandescent dome lights (cargo area) with LED's.
-Four plastic storage bins under the bed hold misc gear; 23x16.25x6.
Considerations:
-Food - Switch to a more of a raw diet, reliant on grocery store fresh produce section. Supplemented with cooking on a propane burner outside the van, at local parks or what not.
-Sanitation - Porta potty (don't have one yet) or always keep a restroom option close by.
-Moisture - Damp Rid and ventilation.
-Odors - Good ole baking soda freezer boxes, no spill, soaks up odors.
-Hygiene - Strategic use of restrooms or a gym membership.
-Power - "Power station" portable rechargeable battery unit/jumping unit until I'm ready to put some holes for solar and a couple deep cell 6VDC batteries. Supplement with locations that supply power (I have many available to me).
-Internet - iPhone personal hotspot with large gig allowance. I have a 50mb connection at home so switching to wireless would be fine. I also have access to countless locations with internet, that's excluding the odd wifi availability which rounds out internet.
-Cooling - Two 200mm or 250mm computer fans using computer fan control, plugged into 12VDC power.
-Heat - Electric heater. Opted not to go with propane due to carbon monoxide. Spend most of my time at locations of warmth (truck stops, etc.) and then retire to the van when it's time for bed.
My biggest obstacle right now is owning pets. I have a 9 year old chihuahua and a 2 year old cat. Neither would fare well in the summer in Ohio. Winter they could survive but summer might be brutal.
That's my 2015 Ford Transit so far... and my ideas and concepts. I'm sure there will be many revisions. So far things are great, but I'm not living in it... yet...
While I haven't made the decision to live in my van yet, I wanted to have that option and I wanted a simpler camping solution that went with me everywhere I go. I spent months looking around at the various vans and almost let myself get talked into a 2013 Chevy 3500 extended van, but I wasn't sure yet I wanted to do it and it wouldn't have helped me with my camper situation, which I wanted out of.
I considered a number of vans, but one day I noticed that a local dealer had a 2015 Ford Transit 250 sitting on their lot, so I had to go look at it. At that time it was a Sunday and no one came out from the dealership to help. The back end was open so I did a full tour of the van and recorded it for YouTube.
The main selling points:
-I could stand in it at 5'8".
-The floor had a nice insulated rubber textured covering with padding underneath.
-The side walls were covered with plastic panels.
-The van had been designed to be without noise while driving.
-Plenty of d-rings to strap things down with. Huge door openings and windows.
-Comfortable driving seats.
-Limitless possibilities.
-Drives like a car.
The dealership was happy to take my truck and camper as trade-in and so within a week I had made the decision to go ahead and do it. I haven't looked back; I don't miss my truck or my camper.
Once I acquired the van, I set about doing a modular configuration where I could add/remove items to keep the van as versatile as possible. This meant no hard wiring, no tapping of screws or drilling holes.
How I did it:
-Magnets for holding items on the walls and ceiling.
-Spring-loaded curtain rods, except for side curtain which has curtain rod zip tied to hooked magnets.
-Twin Sealy Posturepedic bed with box springs and frame, strapped to cargo d-rings. Comfort was important to me.
-Magnetic LED light sources.
-Magnets with d-rings for hanging light and fan from the ceiling.
-Small desk and office chair with the casters left off, so they wouldn't move around and didn't require being strapped down.
-Replaced factory incandescent dome lights (cargo area) with LED's.
-Four plastic storage bins under the bed hold misc gear; 23x16.25x6.
Considerations:
-Food - Switch to a more of a raw diet, reliant on grocery store fresh produce section. Supplemented with cooking on a propane burner outside the van, at local parks or what not.
-Sanitation - Porta potty (don't have one yet) or always keep a restroom option close by.
-Moisture - Damp Rid and ventilation.
-Odors - Good ole baking soda freezer boxes, no spill, soaks up odors.
-Hygiene - Strategic use of restrooms or a gym membership.
-Power - "Power station" portable rechargeable battery unit/jumping unit until I'm ready to put some holes for solar and a couple deep cell 6VDC batteries. Supplement with locations that supply power (I have many available to me).
-Internet - iPhone personal hotspot with large gig allowance. I have a 50mb connection at home so switching to wireless would be fine. I also have access to countless locations with internet, that's excluding the odd wifi availability which rounds out internet.
-Cooling - Two 200mm or 250mm computer fans using computer fan control, plugged into 12VDC power.
-Heat - Electric heater. Opted not to go with propane due to carbon monoxide. Spend most of my time at locations of warmth (truck stops, etc.) and then retire to the van when it's time for bed.
My biggest obstacle right now is owning pets. I have a 9 year old chihuahua and a 2 year old cat. Neither would fare well in the summer in Ohio. Winter they could survive but summer might be brutal.
That's my 2015 Ford Transit so far... and my ideas and concepts. I'm sure there will be many revisions. So far things are great, but I'm not living in it... yet...
