How to build it right, the FIRST time!

[jacqueg]

One of the things I didn't anticipate until I actually got my van (Chevy Express) was just how curved the sides are. I was thinking of everything in terms of rectangles. I knew the measurements... but I was assuming (naively) that I would have that many square feet, extending in a straight line up and down.

Also: I knew about the wheel wells. I knew I was gonna have to subtract that space. But I wasn't counting on the thingy for the gas filler. You can't shove anything flat against the drivers side where that gas filler is.

Yup.

I do make use of that space though. I have a couple of dressers, which are strapped in, and not permanently attached to the walls. Because of that wall curve, I have space behind the dressers to store oddly shaped and/or rarely used items. I find this so handy that I doubt will ever attach any storage unit to the walls. I use those ratchet straps that truckers use, and because I also don't have insulation or wall paneling, I just make use of the dozens of holes that came with the van. Not pretty, but it works, and is obviously totally flexible.

 

[dreamrunnerjt]

If you are referring to any hole that go through the walls then please get them fixed before water ruins everything in your build.

 

[jacqueg]

If you are referring to any hole that go through the walls then please get them fixed before water ruins everything in your build.

Hardly! I don't know why there are so many holes, I assume it's for various things like wiring and attaching walls. This is my third year fulltiming, and my van is quite dry.

 

[user 37446]

Reviving an old thread for anyone who cares.

Carla said, "...It's a video of someone just getting started."

Yep, and that's the point. If you look up a bunch of current content creators on YT, you may find, IDK, maybe 1/10 who started out more than say 5 years ago. (Hint: Click on their videos and scroll down to the beginning or the "About me" tab at the top)

Look for the persons first vehicle. See what they were in, their 1st build, next build etc. Then scroll up and see when they changed vehicles and why/what happened. You may find that, just as in VanCity Vanlife (Chome's) case, there's been 3 or more vehicles in their time.

There is a saying in the rv world, "buy your last rv first". Trouble is, most people don't know what they really want, or don't have the funds to do that. You can however look at the progression of other vanlifers and see if you can discern a trend/pattern. I have seen one, and it's that they tend to go bigger. Whether it's getting tired of the cramped quarters, adding a significant other or what, it seems folks tend to get a larger/taller vehicle as time goes by.

Maybe the new person just wondering what to get could learn from that and skip say, the first vehicle/van and move up to something else.
Maybe.

I just find it interesting to see how things change with folks. In Chromes case, he's about to hit year 7, is wildly successful (over 98 million views and 286K subscribers) and certainly has dropped some serious cash into his current vehicle and the ambulance build too.

His June 16th 2023 video has this description: "Full time van life and travel comes with some really big bills. this was my annual fuel cost for 2022 ($16,500 Cdn (which translates to $1040 USD a month). Van life is not as cheap as some people may think. It can be cheap but it also can be very expensive.
My name is Chrome i have been living in my cargo van for 6 years now. I started this lifestyle BROKE and IN DEBT and after t11 months of living the van life i cleared my debt and started to put my life back together and build for a better future. I have turned my original van into a badass camper van that is lifted with all the toys. Over the years i went from being broke and stealth camping in the city and sleeping at walmarts... to now, living fulltime in a jacked up van and driving deep off-grid into the backcountry and living life in the dirt. WOW LIFE HAS CHANGED.
I now have a shop space to keep me busy through the winters here on Canada's westcoast. Went from Van Life to VAN LIFE + SHOP LIFE !!!!!!

So moral of the post is: You don't have to (necessarily) start off bare bones, but don't get concerned about making some changes. Just try to not dump too much (mechanically) into a vehicle only to trade it off for something else.

 

[CosmickGold]

. . . . Look for the persons first vehicle. See what they were in, their 1st build, next build etc. Then scroll up and see when they changed vehicles and why/what happened. . . .

That's a great idea. I'll try that on a few channels.
If you are interested in my "van history" I wrote the story as "My Four Seasons of Van Life".

 

[jacqueg]

Reviving an old thread for anyone who cares.

Carla said, "...It's a video of someone just getting started."

Yep, and that's the point. If you look up a bunch of current content creators on YT, you may find, IDK, maybe 1/10 who started out more than say 5 years ago. (Hint: Click on their videos and scroll down to the beginning or the "About me" tab at the top)

Look for the persons first vehicle. See what they were in, their 1st build, next build etc. Then scroll up and see when they changed vehicles and why/what happened. You may find that, just as in VanCity Vanlife (Chome's) case, there's been 3 or more vehicles in their time.

There is a saying in the rv world, "buy your last rv first". Trouble is, most people don't know what they really want, or don't have the funds to do that. You can however look at the progression of other vanlifers and see if you can discern a trend/pattern. I have seen one, and it's that they tend to go bigger. Whether it's getting tired of the cramped quarters, adding a significant other or what, it seems folks tend to get a larger/taller vehicle as time goes by.

Maybe the new person just wondering what to get could learn from that and skip say, the first vehicle/van and move up to something else.
Maybe.

I just find it interesting to see how things change with folks. In Chromes case, he's about to hit year 7, is wildly successful (over 98 million views and 286K subscribers) and certainly has dropped some serious cash into his current vehicle and the ambulance build too.

His June 16th 2023 video has this description: "Full time van life and travel comes with some really big bills. this was my annual fuel cost for 2022 ($16,500 Cdn (which translates to $1040 USD a month). Van life is not as cheap as some people may think. It can be cheap but it also can be very expensive.
My name is Chrome i have been living in my cargo van for 6 years now. I started this lifestyle BROKE and IN DEBT and after t11 months of living the van life i cleared my debt and started to put my life back together and build for a better future. I have turned my original van into a badass camper van that is lifted with all the toys. Over the years i went from being broke and stealth camping in the city and sleeping at walmarts... to now, living fulltime in a jacked up van and driving deep off-grid into the backcountry and living life in the dirt. WOW LIFE HAS CHANGED.
I now have a shop space to keep me busy through the winters here on Canada's westcoast. Went from Van Life to VAN LIFE + SHOP LIFE !!!!!!

So moral of the post is: You don't have to (necessarily) start off bare bones, but don't get concerned about making some changes. Just try to not dump too much (mechanically) into a vehicle only to trade it off for something else.

Agree, but please note - Chrome has not (yet) changed vehicles. He just keeps improving the one he started out with. Which was definitely bare bones when he started. He has done it pay-as-you-go and learn-as-you-live.

 

[eDJ_]

While I agree that trying to get it right the first time is a "noble virtue", it should be born in mind that most of us are "works in progress". Thus it would follow that much of what we do is going to at some point undergo some revisions

It's for this reason that so much of design & engineering relies on some "standards" or "formulas" that they follow for what is called best practices. In the case of "one off's" the builder can shop for ideas to replicate and then fit the rest of the puzzle together with what is available to him or her.

As a kid I watched my Mom & Dad work on the "camper" as they called it. Dad had some ideas he brought to the table from his industry and Mom (who had studied "home economics") took charge of the basic layout borrowed from Kitchen Design. (the "U" shaped kitchen in particular)

Mom saw the rig's front seats as being all about travel. Behind them were the living space which she saw as being primarily accessed by the side doors. Here the "U" shaped layout (or standard) would be most efficient for the users of the rig.

The first rig didn't use a house battery. The starting battery was behind/below the drivers seat and easily doubled as a house battery. The rig didn't have a lot of house needs for electrical power. An auxiliary dome light with a switch by the side door jam and a reading light above the pillows of the bed provided all that was needed then.

Dad had ideas for an upcycled cabinet with a top that now featured a small sink and double burner stove. Inside was a 5 gallon plastic water jug and a box with propane cylinders. His design of the bed provided for plastic boxes for clothing etc that could slide out for access thru the back doors. ...or be pulled forward for access in the interior. He had a large plastic "foot locker" that sit beside the bed that could double as a seat when the fold up dining table on the cabinet was used. The Ice chest doubled as a seat for the other person.

They used this for some extended trips and long week ends. In time Dad built a rack on the roof and purchased a small aluminum boat and 9hp outboard motor for fishing and pleasure boating. When it was on the roof the Van looked like a high top.

But most of the accessing of the living space was done thru the side doors and the foot locker or ice chest could be moved out of the way to access the bed or crawl into the driver/passenger compartment. They bought a much later Van and retained the same layout in it. But they used and stayed with their original layout and I have too.

If you enter the rig from the side doors everything is to the left, right, or forward.



Same with an extended Van as I have now. But the extended provides room for a house battery under the drivers seat, a couple of
Jerry cans for water, and a full size bed. Again, the foot locker & ice chest can be moved around for convenience or travel.

 

[user 37446]

Agree, but please note - Chrome has not (yet) changed vehicles. He just keeps improving the one he started out with. Which was definitely bare bones when he started. He has done it pay-as-you-go and learn-as-you-live.

Yep, I couldn't correct that line in time. Robert Witham and maybe Adventurevanman come to mind.

 

[Je Hu]

I was thinking about it last night and all I really need at this point would be propane, water, a potty and the vehicle for a really rough setup. I think I have everything else I would need. Then there is want. Insulation and covering over it. Heating and cooling, somewhere between a want and a need. Actual cabinets and drawers instead of just totes. Lots and lots of solar because I really want to bring my desktop computer with me. In the meantime I am going to do that bedroom setup thing. I don’t want to build just to tear it up to rebuild. But I honestly think a fair amount of my arranging is going to depend on weight and balance of vehicle. If I have a 50 gal fresh water tank I don’t think I am going to want it on the same side as my fuel tank.

50 gal.! that's a lot of wt. +Sloshing around