Cathead said:
Some sort of organization helps when I want to retrieve something quickly without having to go on a mission to find something all over again. I also agree with Optimistic, about getting it right the first time - does save money. Also saves time, and frustration - especially if one has memory problems.
Why not learn about what is most likely to work for me by what others have experienced in similar situations? Seems like then there is more time to enjoy what I love in life, not some detail someone already figured out.
Sadly, no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. If only I had a nickel for every time, in the past forty-five years I've been camping, that I had exactly what I needed all figured out, only to find out that whatever it was just didn't work. I've figured out since then that it's a LOT easier to figure out what you need AFTER you've been out a couple of times with your gear. Take your van, sleeping bag, and an air mattress and what you need to live for a few days... and go and live in your van. Pretty quickly after a couple of days, you'll either confirm your preconceptions or recognize that what you though you wanted isn't as practical/necessary/desirable as you thought it was.
It doesn't cost any more to try your ideas and arrangements out before you build them in... and in fact can really be much more efficient in the long term and increase your satisfaction with your van.
A case in point: I haven't built a van, but I bought a low-mileage '94 Airstream B-van on an e-350 chassis a few years ago, and got a great buy on it... it had all of the amenities I knew I wanted/needed, including a full bath/shower... but no generator. As it turned out, it had an 8 mpg 460 and was an absolute pig that wallowed on it suspension with a HEAVY fiberglass high top with gorgeous wood cabinets in them, and absolutely insufficient anti-sway bars. After I bought it I found out that I couldn't make ANY use of the shower stall. It was too small for me to get into, and too irregularly shaped to be of much use for any kind of storage. AND I found that for the way I travel, a generator is a must. I sold the AS B-190 (fortunately) for more than I paid for it and waited another three years before I found my current B-van on an e-250 chassis, with a 351W (twice the gas mileage of the 460) that has no inside shower (is plumbed outside though,) LOTS of usable storage where the bath in the Airstream was, AND has a generator (that is, of course a money pit, but that's another story.)
I just knew I had to have all of the things that the Airstream offered... the 460, one-ton chassis, and shower and I knew I'd get along just fine without the genset. I was wrong on all counts... but I didn't know that until I had the experience. As it turns out, the '95 Coachmen I have now is just about perfect for the way I travel... and has none of the downsides of the Airstream... ESPECIALLY those things I KNEW I needed.
Now, since I'm slow learner... I have LOTS of similar tales about travel trailers and motorhomes... but suffice it to say that for the moment, what I have suits my needs (and wants) quite nicely... but it's only been through trial and error. Fortunately in my case, I've made money (or at least broken even) on each trailer/moho/B-van I've bought and sold, so it's not broken the bank for me... but the lessons learned are invaluable.
Hence, my suggestion to go and try things out before you make them permanent in your build. Use other folks' ideas... by all means... but try them out to see how they work for YOU. And then, when you DO make them permanent, it'll be because you KNOW it's what you want/need, not that you PRESUME that to be the case. Again, though... remember that your van is NOT the goal... the goal is to see the world. The van is just a means to an end... and may be just one in a series of vans/trailers/moho in your lifetime. Don't sweat the small stuff too much.
Good luck!
