Upgrading my van in 2018. What and why.
Some people say that you are guaranteed to fail your first van build, and only the second time, once you tested everything in practice you are able to make a perfect van that suits your needs.
Building a van for the first time is quite difficult, if you:
- have never even been in a camper van/RV before
- have never built anything actually
Just like me one year ago :) Why is it difficult for the first time? Because you have to make decisions during the design and build phase that have unknown consequences at that time. You are not able to predict whether it is the optimal choice or not, you can only assume what will happen next.
I separated the build into separate phases like: bed, electrical system, water system, gas system etc. And while working in one phase, I had no idea what happens in the next one. Can I make it 5 cm longer? Is this enough space for a sink? Where does the drain pipe go through the floor? I had no clue.
When I started my van conversion in April 2017 I knew it would be an iterative process. The first iteration that I finished in September 2017 was an MVV (Minimum Viable Van 😆 ) — it had only the essentials I needed for one year trip. Things such as a comfy bed, fridge, electrical outlets, kitchen and sink with running water were absolutely must-have for me. I was on a tight schedule, I had no idea what I was doing and the idea of making a minimum version for the time-being seemed good and doable.
And I was quite surprised actually because it turned out that I did a very good job while designing the van. During my trip I didn’t have any problems or i-wish-i-did-it-differently moments — most of the ideas I implemented worked exactly as they were supposed to. I was happy with it. However, there were a few things that could’ve been done better and a few things that were scheduled to be improved. And that what van upgrade 2018 is all about — to put my experience, improvements and new ideas into reality!
So, what new is coming up?
1. Hot water.
Yay! Living in a van with only cold water is doable, and I lived like this for a year — but I was cheating, to be honest. Oftentimes I took a hot shower if I could. At friends’ places, bars, gyms, you name it… I had a cold shower absolutely if I had to and it wasn’t pretty, I admit it — especially during winter. Only during the day, when the sun was shining I was able to pour that freezing water over me.
So this year I decided to install a water heating system. I chose to install an old english heater — carver cascade 2 (Thanks Kwiatu!) because of its ease of installation and size. But, it is impossible to power such an appliance with electricity in a van — it has to be powered by gas. And that meant that I have to build a proper gas system, because with such high gas usage — the bottles would need to be exchanged too frequently. Bummer.
2. LPG tank and system
I was equipped only with one exchangeable gas bottle, but the problem is that you can only exchange them in a country you bought it (more or less). Check out my Instagram post describing how I replaced a polish bottle for a spanish one. It is a hassle. So I decided to install an LPG tank under the car (instead of spare tire) that I can fill at most of the gas stations in Europe. This allows also for higher gas usage and I am able to install more appliances running on gas. Not having a gas bottle in the interior unlocks some space also — in my case I am able to move my water tank and install it vertically, so that full 70L can be used.
3. Oven
Oh imagine those muffins baked right on the beach. Or freshly baked bread in the morning. Because… why not? The problem was to find an oven that is small enough and does not cost a fortune. In the end, I bought an old english Stoves oven for something around 100€. Dirt cheap.
4. Double battery (260Ah)
I was quite satisfied with how my solar system works and most of the time 130Ah was enough for my usage (Or even less than that — remember that we never use the full capacity of a battery). There were some times though where I ran out of electricity in autumn when it was raining for two weeks… That is why I decided to double the battery, so that I can also work from my van more. Even if the weather sucks. Also, this is a perfect opportunity to replace a solar charge controller for a bigger one. The one I had allowed only for 8A (in reality a little bit more than 10A for short periods of time) load usage. So if the fridge started to work while working on the computer it turned off the power. Pretty annoying actually. This time, I will install at least 20A charge controller that will allow me to extend my solar panels in the future if I need to.
5. More storage
I wanted to take as few things as possible. You know, #minimalism and stuff. I thought the less the better, right? That is why I didn’t think of enough storage space in the first place. I ended up buying some stuff that turned out to be useful and the result was that many things were just laying around on the bed while driving. There is so unused space that I am planning to allocate. For instance, was able to move all the food to a shelf above the bench and a cooker — that is already a great improvement.
6. Rethinking bed, table, and bench.
I had a bench and a small table I could work on, and I am so grateful for the day I decided to install it (Thanks Jonas!). It was crucial, it was essential and I can’t imagine not having something to sit on in the van (it was my idea in the beginning — glad I didn’t pursue it). Also, it turned out that I have a HUGE bed. I mean HUGE. Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking. 140cm is way too big for one person, and even for two, it is just too big. One time we slept 3 people + a dog and it was comfy. My idea now is that I will make it smaller and use that space to have additional bench people could sit and chill, and make a bigger table that two people could enjoy a meal comfortably.
7. New, sexier look
My van looks like a sauna. It’s not that I don’t like sauna, but it is boring in a way. I didn’t have enough time to work on the general look in the first iteration. It had to be simply functional. But now, I have a little bit more time to awaken my inner artist and make it sexier.
You might ask — how about a toilet, dude? Didn’t you change your mind after the trip? The answer is no. I was pretty satisfied without the toilet and it has never been a major problem. Besides, there is no room for it anyway. No room, no problem.
As I am writing these words, I am half-way through with these changes, hopefully I will have them finished by the time I planned to leave on my next trip. Follow me on Instagram and watch my stories to be updated about the process, there is a lot of behind the scenes snapshots.
Tell me what you did wrong in your van build for the first time or what you would do differently!
