...continued from "Going Boondocking" in the intro section

[gizmotron]

Are you sure you want an actual shower installed in your van? I've seen videos by other VanLifers stating they regret including a shower because it takes up so much space, continuously, all the time it's not being used. They even speak of planning to remove it!

Hm? I have over 20 years experience full timing it in a 35ft Holiday Rambler. I person aught to know what it is that they like. I also went out for a while with a home made pop up for 2.5 years. I even moved into my car with no living improvements at all for 6 months way back in 1995. I just slept on a lumpy uneven set of fold down seats out in the forest. It was winter, no heat. People do what they have to do to survive. Now I'm in a position to do exactly what I want and to get it right the first time. I want a full blown all electric power station so that I can flip a switch and I can cook in skillful style. If I need to take a dump, I just move a few feet and there it is. I have a wet bath. I sit on my toilette to take a shower. BTW, it's done. It's fully enclosed in water proof FRP and caulked with 35 year silicone. I'm getting a 4 gallon water heater that recovers in 20 minutes and uses 1440 watts AC. I got a bathroom for 29 inches of van length. The entire back end is dedicated to luxury living with it's dual use mechanical room and outdoor kitchen.

If I want to cook inside I can. I have a bomb proof, 80MPH for wind, small tent room that sets up at the back or the side cargo doors. I can shower standing up in it if I want to. I carry two tables that can be set up at a 9 foot work bench, 5ft, 4ft, and or 3ft. These have multiple heights from 22 inches to 38 inches. These tables are meant to work inside or out. I didn't fall for the ubiquitous bed over the garage at the back and the kitchen / sink / and counter cabinet at the side door full of pumps, drains, and water tanks.

I have 34 gallons of fresh water all pumped with a 12v Shurflow RV water pump. I have a shower pan that drains outside or to an outside external recovery tank. I have a 31 gallon black water tank that is inside the van where it can't freeze. It's all hidden from sight behind the side and under the toilette. There are no outside RV style drains that can be seen. Yet it still has them.

I have four small 12v fans ducted so that I can control air flow in stages of need. I can move air out of the living space, the bathroom, the mechanical room at the flip of a switch. I have a bed that doubles as a couch. I can sit there and cook if I want to. There is nothing between the edge of the bed and the side door. That was the primary design of the living space. It can function as a place for a guest to sit in a reclining lounge chair, a regular chair for eating meals, or just a bunch of moving around and stretching out space, All my storage is under the bed. I took out the passenger seat and have a flat floor for a fridge and storage boxes. If you look up at the pictures you will see that the bathroom is done except for the spray nozzle for taking showers and a shower curtain. Maybe someday a glass door.

This cracks me up. You suggest that a bathroom is a mistake. When I take a crap, I just pull a lever and it goes away. The fan takes the smell out. I'm a happy camper. I can stay out for weeks without going to a dump station. I don't have to carry a cassette tank to some bathroom. I don't have to bag it. I don't have to separate the ingredients. I don't have to go to a gym to take a shower. I can stay out in the wild and enjoy not having to go into town.

I have more useful floor space than most van designs, It all comes down to what you want. Being a builder and a craftsman with decades of experience and designing houses for customers I have no difficulty knowing that I can have anything I want. I'm not using the roof fan that just about everyone uses. That allows me to use the entire roof for solar panels. I have a real RV door and a screen door that keeps the bugs out. It's not blocked by a kitchen cabinet. I don't care if Martha Stewart doesn't like my kitchen.

I'm thinking that you are more inclined to follow the crowd and the usual designs. Not me. I designed my van around my lifestyle. When I'm not cooking I'm driving my music station. It sets up on those tables I mentioned. There will be YouTube videos once I get out there. It fits right into the space the usual kitchen cabinet goes in just about every van conversion I have ever seen.

It really matters to know what it is that I want. I've seen what other people think they want.

 

[Termite]

Wiring is easily pulled through using some dishwashing liquid at jobsites. FYI.

 

[CosmickGold]

gizmotron,​

You are so very far advanced in your project from where I thought you were. I found page one (with a space for me to reply at the bottom) so I thought that was the only page there was, and thought your pencil drawing on paper near the bottom was as far along as you were in your plan.

Then I was a bit stunned to find my comment jumped to the bottom of page SIX, and that you've done a ton of work already, including installing that shower stall. So I'm embarrassed, feeling silly that I didn't notice there were more advanced pages you had already written; and the great things you've done with your van. You are quite the master builder!

 

[gizmotron]

Wiring is easily pulled through using some dishwashing liquid at jobsites. FYI.

Let me school you, being a pro and all. You use a big enough conduit to do the job. I had a primary entrance for a buried main line to a house I built with a 700 feet run in. I was required by the electric company to run a nylon pull rope inside the conduit for the service entrance. So I took a radio controlled car and had it drive heavy fishing line the full 700 feet. I used that fishing line to run the big nylon rope. Back in the day when I did apartment complexes they would use a vacuum cleaner to pull a parachute cord wrapped around a paper plug. The shop-vac would pull a line through so that the main lead in to the sub panel room was easier to pull through. Ever heard of a fish tape? It's not for catching fish. The last thing on planet earth I would do is introduce moisture, even a lubricant, to the inside of a conduit. But I'm all for it if my competitors use it.

 

[gizmotron]

You are quite the master builder!

There goes my reputation. I'm retired, living with heart failure, and hope to not go back to work and get even more tired.

 

[Malamute]

The last thing on planet earth I would do is introduce moisture, even a lubricant, to the inside of a conduit. But I'm all for it if my competitors use it.

I havent heard of any issues using actual wire pulling lube, its standard in the electrical trade as far as I know, and I know some wires Ive had to pull would not have happened without it.

 

[ohbejoyful]

Hm? I have over 20 years experience full timing it in a 35ft Holiday Rambler. I person aught to know what it is that they like. I also went out for a while with a home made pop up for 2.5 years. I even moved into my car with no living improvements at all for 6 months way back in 1995. I just slept on a lumpy uneven set of fold down seats out in the forest. It was winter, no heat. People do what they have to do to survive. Now I'm in a position to do exactly what I want and to get it right the first time. I want a full blown all electric power station so that I can flip a switch and I can cook in skillful style. If I need to take a dump, I just move a few feet and there it is. I have a wet bath. I sit on my toilette to take a shower. BTW, it's done. It's fully enclosed in water proof FRP and caulked with 35 year silicone. I'm getting a 4 gallon water heater that recovers in 20 minutes and uses 1440 watts AC. I got a bathroom for 29 inches of van length. The entire back end is dedicated to luxury living with it's dual use mechanical room and outdoor kitchen.

If I want to cook inside I can. I have a bomb proof, 80MPH for wind, small tent room that sets up at the back or the side cargo doors. I can shower standing up in it if I want to. I carry two tables that can be set up at a 9 foot work bench, 5ft, 4ft, and or 3ft. These have multiple heights from 22 inches to 38 inches. These tables are meant to work inside or out. I didn't fall for the ubiquitous bed over the garage at the back and the kitchen / sink / and counter cabinet at the side door full of pumps, drains, and water tanks.

I have 34 gallons of fresh water all pumped with a 12v Shurflow RV water pump. I have a shower pan that drains outside or to an outside external recovery tank. I have a 31 gallon black water tank that is inside the van where it can't freeze. It's all hidden from sight behind the side and under the toilette. There are no outside RV style drains that can be seen. Yet it still has them.

I have four small 12v fans ducted so that I can control air flow in stages of need. I can move air out of the living space, the bathroom, the mechanical room at the flip of a switch. I have a bed that doubles as a couch. I can sit there and cook if I want to. There is nothing between the edge of the bed and the side door. That was the primary design of the living space. It can function as a place for a guest to sit in a reclining lounge chair, a regular chair for eating meals, or just a bunch of moving around and stretching out space, All my storage is under the bed. I took out the passenger seat and have a flat floor for a fridge and storage boxes. If you look up at the pictures you will see that the bathroom is done except for the spray nozzle for taking showers and a shower curtain. Maybe someday a glass door.

This cracks me up. You suggest that a bathroom is a mistake. When I take a crap, I just pull a lever and it goes away. The fan takes the smell out. I'm a happy camper. I can stay out for weeks without going to a dump station. I don't have to carry a cassette tank to some bathroom. I don't have to bag it. I don't have to separate the ingredients. I don't have to go to a gym to take a shower. I can stay out in the wild and enjoy not having to go into town.

I have more useful floor space than most van designs, It all comes down to what you want. Being a builder and a craftsman with decades of experience and designing houses for customers I have no difficulty knowing that I can have anything I want. I'm not using the roof fan that just about everyone uses. That allows me to use the entire roof for solar panels. I have a real RV door and a screen door that keeps the bugs out. It's not blocked by a kitchen cabinet. I don't care if Martha Stewart doesn't like my kitchen.

I'm thinking that you are more inclined to follow the crowd and the usual designs. Not me. I designed my van around my lifestyle. When I'm not cooking I'm driving my music station. It sets up on those tables I mentioned. There will be YouTube videos once I get out there. It fits right into the space the usual kitchen cabinet goes in just about every van conversion I have ever seen.

It really matters to know what it is that I want. I've seen what other people think they want.

Due respect, you're traveling in a 35 foot vehicle. Cargo vans run around 20' more or less, so space is at a higher premium.

 

[gizmotron]

Due respect, you're traveling in a 35 foot vehicle. Cargo vans run around 20' more or less, so space is at a higher premium.

I can read a tape. You must be smarter than the wood.

 

[gizmotron]

So today was the day from hell. When I drilled the vent holes for one of the steal conduits for air handling last winter. A piece of plywood fell between the 30 gallon water tank and the Livingroom wall. I discovered it and tried to get it out with a vacuum cleaner's hose through the five inch hole in the space between the outer wall and the bathroom where the tank goes. That did not work so I used a 26" stick and epoxy. That worked. But I got all the switches done in the living space for the DC stuff in that service panel.

 

[gizmotron]

Due respect, you're traveling in a 35 foot vehicle. Cargo vans run around 20' more or less, so space is at a higher premium.

Did you see Bob Well's latest video on 20 ways to save gas? One item was down size. I've gone from 8 miles to a gallon to 16. I have an outdoor kitchen, And an indoor kitchen, A full bath / shower, indoors or outdoors, a DC 12v fridge, a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker, air fryer, broiler, slow cooker, and an induction cooktop. I have a 4 gallon water heater. It all come down to knowing how to make it all fit. This van build is proof of that. Most people are still motivated by what a house or an apartment is. So they do the kitchen thing and the garage thing over the bed, Then they carry junk. I don't. All you need is food, clothing, a place to sleep, and a place to go and clean up. I want the best. So I did it my way.

 

[Cagey]

Thanks for sharing this very interesting build with us. It's great to see rational opinionated non-groupthink design vision (and build!). The van is your canvas, and the only one that has to live with your design decisions is you.

Apologies if this has already been noted, but I could not find this critical design parameter: how tall are you?

 

[gizmotron]

I was 5'8" there for a while but gravity has had its way with me so I'm an inch and a half shorter. I decided to not go with a first planned high roof. I then had the idea for a pop top raised roof only in the bathroom. Then I saw Foresty Forest's videos. He lives very well inside with no high roof. He has the bed down the hall behind the driver seat, just like mine. I knew then that if I could use my toilette without a pop top that I could use all the roof for solar. You should watch a few of his videos. It's convincing. I tested my toilette height and discovered that I only need to tilt my head down two inches or less and have no problem with the height.

 

[gizmotron]

Got back to work on my slow build. I installed a screen door latch, went after the roof over the mechanical room in back and where the vent for the black tank goes to the outside. I also finished expanding a closed area hole where one of the vent fans sends air down. Got to install a wall between plumbing and electric next.

 

[gizmotron]

Did some more work today on the van. Installed the partition in the back section beyond the bathroom I refer to as the mechanical room & outdoor kitchen. Installed the open and closed conduit for the shower drain / shore power access, seen as the white pipe with thread on cover, with one of the down draft 12v DC computer fans. That wall separates the plumbing from the electric. I built a support to hold the water pump and mounted it. I built the battery stand and closed that in. I installed the slide valve on the 31 gallon black water tank. Once I complete the vent through the roof for that with one of those nifty turbo vents I will be able to use the toilette.

When you need to take a crap in ten seconds it's nice when you are over 70 and can get to the toilette in nine seconds. There is a price to pay for the best street tacos anywhere.

 

[Termite]

My little slice of heaven. A 2000 cutaway bus with a lift for my scooter. Everything I need bed,micowave/stove ,sink ,shower,toilet, bed ,fridge.

 

[Termite]

My little slice of heaven. A 2000 cutaway bus with a lift for my scooter. Everything I need bed,micowave/stove ,sink ,shower,toilet, bed ,frid

 

[gizmotron]

OK, had some beers, was dreading going into that junction box with all the switches, and BLAM! I did not have to wire it because I already did it. So I installed the sheet-metal ducting and wired the fan to the switch. The living space is almost done. I need to wire it for a 12v DC fridge box The wire for that is already routed through the under bed storage area. I need a couple of pieces of aluminum trim to finish off the bathroom shower stall. All that crud can be done on the road. It all comes down to finishing the mechanical room's electric, plumbing, and outdoor kitchen storage. The good news is that the mechanical room is in the shade all summer in the cool mornings.

 

[gizmotron]

OK, I'm real on this topic. I spent two years as a starving artist in Florida doing a free internship in the music business. It's a colossal story on its own. But it was on the extreme downlow. I was actually hungry at times. So I junked that runaway dream and went back to what I know. Lately I have been dabbling in the Eurorack / Modular world of almost completely unknown synth artist that make bleeps & bloops/ atmospherics / and electronic synth music. I even submitted my own contribution to this year's Modular World Anniversary show.

This sounds the best the loudest that you can turn it up without clipping:

 

[gizmotron]

Did some more. Now when I set the outdoor kitchen up at the side cargo doors I have AC power without having to leave the RV door open for an extension cord.

 

[gizmotron]

Glad I slowed down. I decided to stick with the 400 watts and the one 200ah Lifepo4 battery. I'm going to get one of those small 800 watt BLUETTI EB70S Portable Power Stations with a 200 watt folding portable panel as a second system. I like the idea of a portable for easy quick stuff away from the van also.

Here is a picture of the dump station black water tank hose for easy clean out.