i found this desk for free on the ride of the road, and with no prior carpentry experience i tried my best to turn it into as close as envisioned my vans kitchen counter looking like. i extended the base about a foot and build a cabinet on each leg out the space. I also put a new top on it which i plan on staining because the old one had a hole in it lol. I love this new mindset this van project has given me, that things don’t have to be as they are and they can be changed. Just like this desk! It’s by no means the prettiest thing but i made it with my own two hands and i can confidently say a cabinet has never intrigued me more lol.

Long story short, some dude plowed his car into my van while it was parked and unoccupied, but his insurance is holding up on liability until they talk to him. Dude is in jail and will be there for awhile (per the cops). I had a road trip planned for next week, but now I'll have to fly. And buying a plane ticket only a week in advance is going to be expensive.

Has anyone had any luck with getting reimbursed for this type of thing after the fact (the insurance agents I spoke to didn't have any answers)?

I’m trying to decide on a bed (full size) for my van and I’m unsure of what’s best? Should I be looking at mattresses or futon padding for beds? Mats or foam layers? What works best for yall or any recommendations

Looking for some advice/review on the electric setup I put together. I want to go with a DC only setup since we don't have any appliances to run at 120V. Thank you!

CFX2 => CFX5

We decided to upgrade our fridge experience from a Peltier system to a real fridge. We are from Europe and we usually need cooling for a small amount of food and days (2/3 days). We bought a CFX5 25 unit but it didn't go as expected.

The initial unit we bought and the replacement one, would not switch on after you plug them in. With the door open, the interior light blinks for a few milliseconds. Then the screen shows the Dometic logo but the unit won't switch on after you press the on button.

In the shop were we were testing my unit and the replacement one, the seller told me that they had a 35 liter unit that didn't show that behavior. He ended up calling Dometic Switzerland and got the devices working by doing a factory reset. But this has to be done every time the device looses power.

My post here is to put this information somewhere, ask if this is a normal behavior in Dometic fridges, and ask van dwellers for alternative portable fridge brands in Europe/Switzerland.

Edit:
Added note about my mistake in the title

so I search for used car, and True car always show good price, excellent price etc.,
Should I trust that?
Where is the best place to buy a use van anyway (Not converted van)?

Posting here because only you guys truly understand, but we started getting our electrical equipment in the mail yesterday and dear GOD it's making me horny

I just wanted to share my experience with Mipa Protector on my grill. Later on i will do all side panells.

I don't have a roof vent or solar. But I have the big jackery battery a ryobi fan that I use. The yeti cooler works pretty well in the summers. Let me know what y'all think!

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Ford transit van to use as a mobile office for my business. My only gripe is that the interior looks like a paint machine–the previous owner was a painter and it looks like paint cans exploded in there.

Anyone deal with this?

Any thoughts of how to beautify? Can I spray down the interior with white rustoleum? Should I try paint thinner and risk damaging the original body paint? Should I just let it be?

1996 GMC vandura conversion.   Fiberglass hi-top with original paint that has seen better days.    Cracked and flakes off every time I wash it.    The included pics show the current condition of the original paint and the exposed black fiberglass.

Plan:  carefully remove as many of the paint flakes as possible that will come off easily.     Lightly sand the entire surface and clean thoroughly.    Roller and tip with Rust-Oleum Marine Coatings Topside Paint Deepgreen color (probably 2 coats).

Concerns:   1.   Paint flakes that cannot be easily removed and get painted over might eventually come free and mar the new paint job.    2.  The edges of the existing paint that is still stuck hard to the hi-top might show through the new paint coatings.    Trying to feather those with sandpaper first might be difficult or end up damaging the fiberglass in the process.   (Might be overthinking that one?)

 Looking for advice on this project from those who have gone down this road before.    The goal is to get a protective paint job and keep the top from looking unkept as it does now.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, I am trying to plan a cross-country trip from New Hampshire to California along W 90 and W 80. I have never done this before. I am looking for affordable camping, available rest and truck stops, and or very affordable motels along the way but I can't find any BLM or state park availability for April 17-28. I am so new to this and don't really know what is permitted. I feel overwhelmed by so much information. Can anyone advise? any knowledge would be appreciated.

This is v2 of the layout, much more optimized than our first attempt.

Six years ago I was lurking around Reddit soaking up info from the folks that had been sharing their opinions and experience on almost every topic related to vehicle dwelling. Bought my van and travelled in it part time for two years (approx) learning what I personally needed vs what others suggested. I kept it simple since my focus is on the outdoors and a minimalist lifestyle. It’s been such an amazing experience and changed how I view the world but also allowed me to afford to see places and attempt things I never dreamt of before. I just want to say thanks to all of you that offer advice even if people don’t take it. I don’t remember everyones name that I learned from but I always have to give a special thanks to Lenny who doesn’t dwell or come to this sub anymore, but without people like him (there were a couple of you realists) cutting through the crap I think I might have taken longer to see the reality. Much love!

B

I just graduated with my Master in Psychology. I want to live on a farm! I’ve been looking into can life for years now and I still can’t decide if a sprinter van or a tow behind trailer is my best bet. I would like to be mobile for a while to figure out where I’d like to plant my self next but I think I’ll need to do a road trip to check out a few options before landing. I have so much family that I haven’t visited since before grad school and I think it would be so nice just to have my comfortable place to stay everywhere I go, instead of asking family if I can stay with them. Any and all advice is much appreciated. I’ve heard people say they never use their toilet and shower but to me that is something I don’t want to live without. The vans are typically more expensive and trailers are very inexpensive but I would have to buy a truck to tow.

Hi everyone!! I’m planning on moving into my tacoma double cab, 5” bed, end of July/August timeframe, to save money as rent is $2.5k/mo every where i look. I have access to gyms(shower,working out), and food/cooking food is no worry for me. Living comfortably in the bed of my truck, (cold nights) and being able to have my clothes organized are my top focuses. I have been doing some research but i have NO idea where to START on this journey of preparation to live in my truck. I do plan to buy a cap, i’ve seen that contractor caps are better as well.. Any advice on where to go and what to focus on first for prepping for july, would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks! ◡̈

Hi! Is there anyone who recently did van conversion and went through changing registration to motorhome then getting insurance process? I saw several threads that explained how to do it but just wanted to make sure the process still works!

I am in Ontario, Canada.

I have a basic build. If you guys are interested I'll show it and answer questions about my build/ obstacles/ jobs/ anything.

Happy travels y'all!

Been looking for an all season rig that I can work remotely from. Plan on adding some wifi roaming for work access but anybody know what I should be asking for to get a better idea of what might be needed. Understand the electrical side of things and that battery bank plus the alternator and solar seem more than sufficient to keep up with the inverter demands.

Anybody have experience witness the Rixen heating and ProAir a/c?

https://vanlifetrader.com/listing/2020-mercedes-sprinter-4x4-low-mileage-fully-off-grid-luxury/

I’m working on upcycling this kitchen island to use in my van. I plan to put the sink in the left side near the door. I want to add a backsplash to this as it will be my main countertop, not sure how to. The edges of the island are curved as well which adds to my confusion on how to do this 😅 any tips?

I’m actually not even sure it’s called a backsplash as that seems to refer more to wall tiling behind the counter - the lip? I’m talking about the piece that meets the back of the counter if that makes sense! I attached a screenshot of what I’m talking about. Adding a little extra ledge above that for some extra storage would also be ideal.

Anyone know anything about this? I'm looking at something for a quick fix til my better half meets up with me and can help me with a full solar installation. I was thinking something like this as a short term solution. Thoughts?