Before I Could Even Start
Although I had a gazillion ideas in my head for building out my van, I had exactly zero spatial skills to know if what I had in my head was even feasible. No, seriously, I am not kidding. If I want to reorganize something as simple as a living room, I will do it multiple times just to figure out what will fit where. And yes, I have learned to use a measuring tape since then.
Oh, did I mention that I have even fewer DIY skills? What was I even thinking? I spent countless hours watching van life videos on YouTube to find out what I needed to do and how to get started. Every time I got overwhelmed, I reached out to one of my kids for help.
The Bed
This step was a huge deal to me because I had read so much about digital nomads dealing with mold and mildew, especially where they sleep. I also knew I would be investing in a quality mattress.
- Applied three coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane to the frame of the raised built-in bed.
- Added DekProTek 1 ft. x 1 ft. squares and a breathable liner between the wood and mattress.
- Added a humidity gauge & and learned about DampRid to help.
- Finally found the perfect mattress!
The Kitchen & Cooking
As many of you know, I definitely prefer cooking over the campfire, but with fire bans and bad weather, sometimes that simply isn’t an option, so I wanted multiple options while at the same time using as little space as possible.
- Camp Chef Sherpa Camp Table & Organizer (Love this for keeping my kitchen gear in one place.)
- The Jetboil Flash was first on my list and tends to be my go-to. (Yes, I am lazy!)
- A single-burner stove and a Coleman Gladiator 2 Stove.
- A camping mess kit & camping cookware.
But What About Power?
Eventually, I would love to have Shore Power installed with electrical running through the walls for easy plugins while at a campground or even a solar panel set up on the roof with a lithium battery bank for boondocking. For now, I am very pleased with my Jackery 2000 Pro with two 200 W solar panels.
Can People Look In While You’re Sleeping?
Other than the cab, there are no windows in the back of the van. If they were tall and decided to look in the front windows, they would only see a heavy-duty privacy curtain dividing the cab from the living area. When I am camping in the woods, if I’m not already outdoors, I leave them wide open during the day and let the sunshine in!
More To Come
Soon I will write more about what is still to come and the results of my first test run! In the meantime, do you have any questions or comments? I would love to hear from you!
So proud of you for beginning your dream!