What didn’t work so well

There is surprisingly not too much to add here – and most of the things are based around a bit of function over-kill!

Mains in & battery charger

I wouldn’t bother in the future. The panel and split charge is more than enough.

*2 YEARS-IN UPDATE* So, it was eventually useful – until I left my van for 6 months while in the USA & Asia. When I came back the batteries were dead and it took 3 days for the Smart Charger to get them back to life (even then they are likely to not be the same again). It was useful to have the mains in as it gave me a way to recharge the batteries.

That said, in reality I could have just connected a smart-charger directly to mains if it was  not wired in. Moral of the story? Consider having a smart charger to hand regardless if you have a MCU.

*3 YEARS UPDATE* So I did not replace my damaged batteries which was OK until… the middle of winter in Spain. Then the lift-up solar panel system (which so far had been useful only for cleaning) came in handy. By lifting up the panel to face the winter sun it nearly tripled the input. Kind-of obvious when you think about the physics/theory – but great to see in practice.

*4 YEARS UPDATE + NEW VAN* In my latest van I did not install any mains electrics or    smart charger. I am using the fast ABSO Solar Charge Controller and Split Charger which will  do the job (by driving somewhere) should I have a battery issue. I will also avoid killing my battery by being more careful!

Seat upholstery

This could just be done better, by not leaving enough space to add the fabric it made these super tight together. I may well redo the base of the chair at some point. It is not a big job.

*2 YEARS-IN UPDATE* I actually just took this apart, washed the fabric and stapled it back on. It is pretty fast and doing that once every 2 years is not a big deal.

*3 YEARS UPDATE* Now travelling with a girlfriend who has a dog. That seat gets dirty fast   (it is where the dog sleeps at night). If I had the option to unzip a cover and wash it.. I would go for that instead.

*4 YEARS UPDATE + NEW VAN* All my cushion covers are removable and washable!

Ventilation

On my first van I did not find this to be a really significant problem, but we had some SUPER hot days in Paris and the van was warm at night. Half cracking the doors gives good added

ventilation but perhaps an added ceiling vent would have helped. It’s not always ideal to have the doors slightly opened in a city.

2 YEARS-IN UPDATE I would add a Fantastic fan style roof vent if I was to do it again, it was never a big problem for where I travel – but if I was seeking hot weather it would be a must.

*4 YEARS UPDATE + NEW VAN* In my new van I installed a Thule roof vent with fan.

Extraction fan

It is a bit noisy – perhaps there is a better solution – without losing too much stealth element.

2 YEARS-IN UPDATE It is fine! Quite happy with this solution despite it’s noise.

*4 YEARS UPDATE + NEW VAN* In my new van I did not install a separate extractor fan for cooking – I rely on the Thule roof vent as it has a powered fan to extract cooking humidity/heat. It is not over the cooker but it seems to do the job.

What worked really well (latest van)

So many things work really well – so here are my top 10 Off-grid solar system

If you cannot tell I really love this aspect of the build. All the electricity I need for free forever… so cool. The big AGM battery combined with a single solar panel and the ABSO Charge Controller & Split charge is a simple system I am very happy with.

The super king-size bed & 6 seater table layout

I am not sure how this van has a bigger bed, more seating, more floor and a bigger kitchen.  It is a really good layout. The bed being 80% permenant is great – just to remove the bed- plug is no big deal as it does not really involve ‘making’ the bed.

Cutting off the cab

This is totally going to be a matter of personal choice, but that the van stays cooler and is easy to black out is really worth it. Having the cab as another ‘hot’ storage area is useful too.

Side lights

These are so damn cool. They make this lovely cozy warm light and when you are in the van at night it feels like you are in some cool boutique hotel room. It is very easy to totally forget that you are in a van. I love this part of the build.

Kitchen unit

The Dometic unit was expensive but it is such a focal point – and that you can fold the lid down is nice. Two burners has been useful, three I do not think would have given me any benefit.

Hot Gas Shower

Gone are the days of the solar bag. It was fine and it did the job. For those hardy souls on a budget or looking for a simpler build I would still recommend it – but to have a hot shower on demand out the back of the van removes some of the logistics of having a shower (putting out the solar shower, making sure it is hot, hanging it up etc..)

Bathroom Cabinet

The easiest way to make a really nice cabinet is not to make one at all. This was a total success and a great build hack!

Slider food trays

These simple trays from Ikea work really well for food. It is cool down there and not being closed they do not make food sweaty.

What worked really well (latest van)

So many things work really well – so here are my top 10

Off-grid solar system

If you cannot tell I really love this aspect of the build. All the electricity I need for free
forever... so cool. The big AGM battery combined with a single solar panel and the ABSO
Charge Controller & Split charge is a simple system I am very happy with.

The super king-size bed & 6 seater table layout

I am not sure how this van has a bigger bed, more seating, more floor and a bigger kitchen.

It is a really good layout. The bed being 80% permenant is great – just to remove the bed-
plug is no big deal as it does not really involve ‘making’ the bed.

Cutting off the cab

This is totally going to be a matter of personal choice, but that the van stays cooler and is
easy to black out is really worth it. Having the cab as another ‘hot’ storage area is useful
too.

Side lights

These are so damn cool. They make this lovely cozy warm light and when you are in the van
at night it feels like you are in some cool boutique hotel room. It is very easy to totally
forget that you are in a van. I love this part of the build.

Kitchen unit

The Dometic unit was expensive but it is such a focal point – and that you can fold the lid
down is nice. Two burners has been useful, three I do not think would have given me any
benefit.

Hot Gas Shower

Gone are the days of the solar bag. It was fine and it did the job. For those hardy souls on a
budget or looking for a simpler build I would still recommend it – but to have a hot shower
on demand out the back of the van removes some of the logistics of having a shower
(putting out the solar shower, making sure it is hot, hanging it up etc..)

Bathroom Cabinet

The easiest way to make a really nice cabinet is not to make one at all. This was a total
success and a great build hack!

Slider food trays

These simple trays from Ikea work really well for food. It is cool down there and not being
closed they do not make food sweaty.

Commonly Asked Questions & Answers

These are a bunch of common questions or comments (not necessarily answered in the book) that I have got through the YouTube video. Here are the answers / explanations.

How much weight was added?

The kerb-weight of my new van is 1950kg. I have had the van weighed and the total after- build weight is 2650kg. That means that my entire fit-out weighs 700kg.

The total weight the van can carry legally be is 3500 (1500kg payload) so the fit-out is about half the maximum payload and well within the operating weight of the van.

The engine reports an average of;

• UK MPG: 5mpg
• USA MPG: 27mpg
• Km/Litre: 5kpl

What is the effect on the MPG?

The MPG while the van was empty was around 34.5 MPG so the fuel efficiency has not dropped dramatically.

LPG Gas is dangerous in the van

Yes it is. Take care, do things right, have a drop-vent and fit a detector. Fit a gas locker (I know I didn’t) but this is considered best practice.

If in any doubt (and even if not) just get it checked by a professional. It does not take them long, and even if you have not done it strictly ‘by the book’ they will be able to tell you if it is basically safe or not.

Does the heater heat the space easily?

Yes, if anything it is over-powered for the size of the space. It works really well.. once I used  it to dry my sheets and it worked pretty well!

Propane heaters are cost effective and tend to use less electric power to run than Diesel heaters. I find that in the middle of winter with the heater cycling on and off for 12hrs a day that it lasts about 25 days and costs £12/$14 to fill.

To get through winter with a $40 heating bill is not so bad!

Other build advice

Here are a few take-away points from my builds:

Spray foam gun

One thing that was worth its weight in gold was the spray foam gun. I could not imagine having to use the disposable tube type. I was able to borrow a spray-foam gun. But if I was to do it again, and could not borrow one, I would buy one.

I used about 8 cans of gun-grade expanding foam on my build. Without a gun it would have been much more of a faff. (Note you need to buy spray gun cleaner for when you’re done)

Wood

You are probably going to need several of times more wood than you think.. every time I went shopping for the bock work or other wood supplies I bought more than I thought I would need.. and yet I still have to do a more trips.

Tools

The main power tools I used were;

• Jig Saw (Wood and Metal Blades)
• Power drill & drill bits; full range, plus spade drills and hole cutters
• Battery drill; for the endless amounts of screwing
• Circular saw: not really necessary
• Disc sander: again useful, but not necessary
• Plane; useful for taking the edges of cladding
• Wood vice; you need a bench of this but just makes working easier

Other tools that you pretty-much need;

• Ear defenders, eye protection & dust mask – (not handy, essential)
• Hammer
• Foam gun
• Metal file
• Pliers
• Wire Strippers
• Wire Cutters
• Volt Meter
• Tennon saw (not really necessary)
• Sand paper 150 grade
• Screw drivers (electrics)

Needle nose pliers (to hold little nails for hammering through cladding clips)

Safety

I recommend having a gas leak detector, a carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher at minimum.

I put my Carbon Monoxide detector under the chair. My fire extinguisher has it’s own little alcove – it feels out the way (but easily in reach) and does not affect the over all look of the van very much.