So you bought a van, converted it to your new home, and now you’re about to hit the road. But once you’ve left the comfort of stationary dwelling, you’re faced with that looming question: Where do you sleep? No need to worry – there are plenty of places all over North America for you to…
We generate an insane amount of waste in modern society. There are all kinds of disheartening facts and statistics out there – like how the average American throws away nearly 7 pounds of trash per day. Or how we don’t recycle 91% of the plastic that we use. Or how 8 million tons of plastic…
High top conversion vans are the perfect combination of interior space, low cost, and reliability. Does that make them the best vans for vanlife?
The start of a new year is always a time of reflection and planning for us. Reflection on the year that has just passed, and planning for the year ahead. We did a lot last year, but we have big plans for the new year and we’re pumped to make 2018 our best year yet!…
Whether you’re a vandweller thinking about adding a furry friend to your nomadic lifestyle or a dog owner considering the leap to vanlife – there’s a lot to think about. How we’re able to live this lifestyle with two dogs is one of those questions we get all the time. Vanlife with a dog is…
It’s that time of year again – when people everywhere spend money they don’t have to buy things nobody needs, all in the name of rampant consumerism and holiday cheer! Kidding aside, we’re actually big suckers for any excuse to bring your whole tribe of love together to laugh and sing and eat and maybe…
Well before John and I embarked on our own nomadic adventures, we noticed a strong sense of community among our fellow nomads. Back when we were bright-eyed noobs sporting a brand new 1996 Chevy van, we were connecting with vanlifers on social media and via Skype. And everyone was incredibly helpful answering any questions we…
Internet is pretty much a necessity these days. Don’t get us wrong – we absolutely love opportunities to go fully off the grid, no cell service and all. It’s like our vacation. But the fact remains that we need internet access to work, to stay in contact with friends and family, and even to find…
It’s incredibly important to keep your space organized when you live in a van. You may not have many belongings, but in a small space things can quickly get out of hand if you don’t have a good place to put everything. That’s why planning your storage areas and using every available inch is so…
Without water and a way to cook food, living in a van just wouldn’t be possible. Buying food and drinks at restaurants and gas stations all the time is not only unhealthy, it’s also expensive. So, one of the most important parts of any van build is the kitchen setup. Our kitchuation (…kitchen situation…get it?)…
One of the best things about vanlife is all the cool places you get to sleep. We spent this past weekend living in the woods on the coast of Lake Superior. It was unbelievably peaceful, and we could see the sun setting over the water through the trees. Safe to say, it’s one of the…
Turning a van into a home is an adventure. It forces you to learn new skills and deal with setbacks and screwups. But first and foremost it teaches you to be patient, to work hard, and to persevere in the face of obstacles. And with those skills, you can do anything. As we get ready…
Last week we took a pretty big step in our van build: we finally completed building, staining and finishing our kitchen cabinets and countertop. We continued the mismatched log cabin style we had going on our cedar plank ceiling, and we threw in some blue stain to add a splash of color to the van….
If you’re living in a van, it’s important that it really feels like a home. And for us, there’s nothing more comfortable and homey than having wood lining every surface. Our birch plywood walls and beautiful cedar plank ceiling looked great right away, but staining and sealing them really brings out the grain patterns and…
In our last post we went over how we installed plywood walls in our van. The next step in turning our van into a home is hanging the ceiling. We toyed with a few different options for our ceiling. Many van-lifers just screw up a sheet of 1/4” or 1/8” plywood, which is relatively easy…
After fully insulating our van and installing laminate flooring, the next step was to put up the walls. As with every part of the van build process, there are many different options to choose from for walling material. For our van, we decided to go with 1/4” birch plywood because it’s flexible, easy to work with,…
A few weeks ago we did a post on how we insulated our conversion van. The last thing we did in the insulation process was laying down Reflectix on the floor. Now we get to install the rest of the floor! There are three main parts to a flooring installation for a van build: Insulation…
Every van is different, and throughout our van build we’ve found that ours poses some unique challenges with the shape and contours of its roof. Nothing is simple when you’re working with a curved surface, and mounting our solar panels was no different. Solar power is a must for van life. Electricity gives us the…
One very important thing to consider when preparing to live in a van is temperature control. And the biggest factor in controlling your van’s temperature is insulation. A well-insulated van will stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and it will be easier to maintain a comfortable temperature. When we were researching…
The van we bought was a 1996 Chevy Express high top conversion van with a wheelchair lift. The good thing about buying a van like this is that many of them have some pretty nice amenities – leather seats, power windows and locks, etc. – and, of course, the high top. While we can’t fully…