Our Rig

Updated
  • Send me epic build guides and kickass vanlife tips
  • Year, Make & Model:  1996 Chevy Express 1500
  • Body Style: High-Top Conversion
  • Purchased From: Craigslist
  • Initial Mileage: 101,000
  • Name: Gnomie (…Tiara on weekends)
Tan Chevy Express camper van with its side door open and a roof rack, parked on desert ground with a bike rack carrying two mountain bikes, and saguaro cacti behind.

Cost Breakdown

Vehicle Costs

Purchase Price:  $1,500
Pre-Inspection:     $250
Taxes and Reg. Fees:     $320
Badass Off-Road Tires:     $800
Misc Mechanical Work:     $800

TOTAL: $3,670

Conversion Costs

Building Materials:  $2,350
Solar and Electrical:  $2,000
Plumbing System:     $450
Appliances and Fans:  $1,400
Mattress and Bedding:     $200
Misc Items:     $200

TOTAL: $6,600

Total Cost of Vehicle and Conversion: $10,270

Jump to Section

Insulation

Bare van wall and floor lined with foil-faced foam board and reflective bubble insulation, with a wheel well cover and a sliding side window.

Walls and ceiling:¾” Polyisio Foam Sheets
Floor Insulation:Reflectix
Door Panels:R-19 Fiberglass Batts
Cracks and Fill-in:Great Stuff Gaps and Cracks Spray Foam
Insulated Curtains:Insul-Shine Batting and Fabric
Reflective Windshield Covering:Eclipse Sunshades <— Buy using this link for a 3% discount

Walls, Ceiling, and Floor

Interior of a van with a knotty pine plank ceiling, plywood-paneled rear doors and side walls, and wires hanging from ceiling light holes.

Floor: First Laminate, then Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring
Subfloor: Mold-treated 3/8″ Plywood
Walls:¼” Plywood
Ceiling:5/16” Cedar Paneling
Stain:Varathane and General Finishes Gel Stains
Topcoat:Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane

Solar and Electrical

Close-up of a small LED puck light with red, black and white wires joined by yellow wire nuts, hanging from the ceiling of a wood-paneled van.

Solar Panels: Renogy 400-Watt Premium Solar Kit
Batteries: VMAX 155-ah Deep Cycle Batteries
Inverter: Xantrex 1000-watt Inverter

Appliances and Ventilation

ARB portable fridge freezer in blue and gray, with its control panel on top, sitting on a laminate floor between two tan front seats.

Fridge: ARB 50-qt Fridge Freezer
Stove: Dometic ORIGO 3000 Alcohol Stove***
Vent Fan: Fan-Tastic Fan 7350

***The ORIGO 3000 has unfortunately been discontinued (sadface). We’re bummed because this is an awesome stove, and we’re keeping ours forever. We are currently investigating alternative recommendations.

Kitchen and Plumbing

Man in a green hoodie and beanie kneeling beside an unfinished kitchen cabinet with a light wood butcher block counter and a stainless steel sink, inside a van.

Water Tank:14-Gallon Stainless Steel Fusti Tank
Faucet:Whale Systems Telescoping Faucet
Foot Pump:Whale Systems Gusher Galley Mk III
Sink:Kingston Brass Stainless Steel Bar Sink
Tubing:½” and ⅜” Beverage Tubing
Drainage:5-gallon Plastic Container

Bed and Mattress

Van interior with a fold-down bed platform above a couch with a striped patterned cushion, a turquoise countertop at right, and wood plank cabinets.

Mattress: Modway Aveline 6” Gel-Infused Memory Foam Mattress

Essential Extras

Rear of a tan van with its doors open and a telescoping aluminum ladder leaning in, showing a bunk platform over a storage shelf with a blue water jug and totes.

Most Used Tools

Tools laid out on a plywood sheet: two bar clamps, a steel framing square, a hammer, a drill bit set, a pocket hole jig kit, a cordless drill, a jigsaw and a tape measure.