NashVille van life: pics of new van

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Matty Van Halen

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Location
TN
9828BFC4-7F8D-47D7-9881-EDB1FE047432.jpeg Hello just thought I would post some pics of my van so far. I just got it a few weeks ago it’s a 2017 GMC savanna. The only thing I actually built-in it is the bedframe all the other stuff like cabinets is things I had in my apartment. I did put down some vinyl flooring and some reflectix  on the walls and ceiling leaving a air gap behind it. But so far this is it ?
 

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Looking good!

Will you be traveling solo or as a couple? With a pet?

Oh my goodness we can swap stories for sure, lol!!!
 
Hi, i got your pm, ill send u my contact info too....

ill be solo. ill go full time in the van in july, when my condo lease expires. ill continue to work my full time job here in nashville for several months after that probably until i feel iv got things in order enough to "hit the road" LOL.
 
Matty Van Halen said:
 Hello just thought I would post some pics of my van so far. The only thing I actually built-in it is the bedframe all the other stuff like cabinets is things I had in my apartment.

Nice example of using what you have. Sure looks comfortable in there.
 
Yea. Let's hear it for minimalism. My GMC van build is very similar. You can live in there just as well as people who spent many months and many $$$ building permanent cabinets and such. I took the lower boards off in the back too. My only big difference is I hung blankets from the walls using clips and magnets, purely for aesthetic reasons - they were unused in the closet. My only Reflectix is what I put on the windows at night.

Where does the motorcycle go?
 
LOL, i gave up the motorcycle about 3 years ago. i decided i want to live

i also have several storage totes that i will keeping under the bed. i built the bed frame to have 14'' of height underneath because i had those storage totes in mind. i think ill get one more filing cabinet, theres one at a thrift store for $10, and a hanging organizer to put on a wall. other than that, i think im done!
 
Ha, deciding you want to live must mean you're coming along on 30-YO. That's usually the breakpoint in the curve of young mens' lives. You look back over those previous 14-15 years, and think how lucky you are to still be alive.

Many years ago, before the age of street rockets, I had a 750 4-cylinder Suzuki. I got rid of it after I had dislocated both of my shoulders doing other fun shenanigans. Figured if I ever dropped the bike and rolled on hard pavement, then I might really screw up the shoulders.

You really don't need all that much to be comfortable, as long as you have adequate storage for what you do bring. I have exactly room for 8 boxes under the bed, which handles most everything I need. I mostly cook outside, but sometimes when it's really windy, I'll put the Coleman propane stove next to the open side door. But in general, you live "out" of the van, not in it. The more furniture/cabinets you put inside, the less floor space there is, and you come to regard floor space as a real premium.

Plus with just 100W of solar/battery, you can get a 300W sinewave inverter that'll run a 120VAC Led bulb and your laptop. Unless you want a lot more Watts of course, for a TV, frig, stereo, microwave, on and on. All the S&B niceties, take it "all" along, LOL.
 
Looks like you got a plan for a van, man!! I like the easing into it as you make the transition. When you head out West, holler at me. Would love to chew the fat w/ Southern folks. I'm old but harmlessly crazy enough to be interesting sometimes.
 
Looks good - great start for your van life. I like the file cabinets. I will have at least one when I move into my van. I cannot imagine my life without file cabinets, though I'm going through a paper organization shuffle right now, trying to cut down on the amount of paper that clings to me. I want to control my paper, not allowing my paper to control me if you know what I mean. We live in a paper heavy civilization.
 
I’ve done some remodeling today!
 

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Cool, you still have the large area of open floorspace. My van has the bulkhead, and the passenger seat does not rotate, but my open floorspace is large enough to erect a folding chair to relax on. Do you have a link on that tray attachment next to the driver's seat?
 
It’s called a jotto desk. We had a broken one in a storage basket at work so I repaired it and the boss said I could have it
 
travelaround said:
I want to control my paper, not allowing my paper to control me if you know what I mean. We live in a paper heavy civilization.

Except for a few items like passport and birth certificate why not just take a photo of your papers and keep them on a thumb drive.
 
I like your Van setup Matty. What type of insulation are you using?
 
It’s called reflectix.  You can get it at Home Depot. You must leave at least a half of an inch air gap behind it though because it only reflects radiant heat. I have found that it is very good at keeping the inside of the van cooler. I can start the van and run the AC for about 10 minutes then shut it off and it holds that cool  Air in for a long time.
 
I am 6‘2“ tall and 200 pounds. I can lay straight across in my head and feet barely missed the walls. I don’t know if you can see from the picture but I have the bed on a slight diagonal which gives me the room that I need. I sleep on my side with my knees slightly bent anyway so it works well.
 
djtwicethekick said:
can I ask how tall are you...to be able to sleep in the bed in that configuration?
I have a GMC Savanna van, for reference it is 74-76" across right above the wheel wells, when the lower lashing boards are removed. So a regular twin mattress, 38" x74", will just fit in there. A foam mattress will conform to the slight wall curvatures and where the vertical strut comes down to the top of the wheel well. I slid some dense 1/2" foam next to the wall to cushion my head and feet from banging on metal
 
Your van looks excellent! How are those filing cabinets working out? I wanted to get something like that too, they seem like a good size to put my pots in and pans.
 
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