Insulation Once you have the electrical wires installed and the hardware attached, it is time to insulate everything. I used 2″ thick Roxul 40 mineral wool. I happened to have a bunch of it on hand, although I would buy it new again if I was doing a new van. Mineral wool is amazing. It is used in high temp furnaces and music studios, and is both thermally and acoustically effective with an R value of 4.2 per inch. It comes in 2’x4′ sheets of various thicknesses and cuts easily with a long blade utility knife. The most common thickness is 2″, but 1″ panels are also available if you need them. Given that the walls of a stepvan are usually 2″ thick, you would…

I want to begin by saying that the sexiest part of Vanderella for me, is the off grid solar system. It makes my nomadic life possible. Even as I now type this, I can only do so because I have power for my laptop, monitor, lights, and vent fan due to the solar power. There is quite a bit of info out on the web regarding off grid solar systems, and it can be a bit confusing. Even as an electrical engineer, I spent roughly three months researching various equipment, schematics, and installations before I felt confident enough to know which equipment to buy and how to connect it. I’m going to explain it as best as I can. There are multiple components that make…

You will need to do repairs on your vehicle, and probably sooner than later. If you are going to be living in your van, you really want to keep track of any and all maintenance that you perform. It is easy to lose track of time for regular scheduled maintenance, and a maintenance log will help keep things on schedule. A maintenance log is a detailed list of all the maintenance performed and any additional relevant info, like location and company or person doing the work. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I use plain text notes for most of my lists and notes. You will simply want to be able to recount what work was done, when, where, and by whom so that…

Given that stealth is the main strategy used to keep people from asking questions or causing problems, it is important to have a vehicle that looks, sounds, and drives fairly normal. If you are starting with an older used vehicle, there is a good chance that the exterior might need some love. I’d recommend replacing or painting anything on the exterior that has any rust. Rust and oxidized paint are two big eye sores that make a vehicle stick out unnecessarily. Worn lettering from a previous owner or company also ranks up there. Because of this, you may want to paint the vehicle. Paint jobs often cost thousands to have done professionally. Usually, this is something that is not undertaken by a DIY person, but…

The coolest part about vanlife is building your van to fit your specific lifestyle. And while there may be some similarities, no two are ever the same. The world is your oyster when you start with a big open box. I recommend taking ideas and inspirations from other vanlifers and tiny home enthusiasts. The small space limitations are a catalyst for creative problem solving, and there are plenty of problems to be solved. RVs and trailers aside, custom vanlife vehicles are still pretty much the wild west. Vanlife represents a new and modified version of RV living. RV’s seem to try and replicate the house living experience. Vanlife builds seem more willing to abandon typical conventions to maximize space, and find unique ways to get…

My van is a 2004 Workhorse Stepvan named Vanderella. A stepvan is the style of van typically used by Fedex, UPS, bread companies, chip distributors, uniform companies, and taco vendors. Also called a panel van, panel truck, food truck, bread truck, pie truck, and mechanics truck. This style of vehicle isn’t made by a single company; it is a body that is built upon a rolling chassis. My chassis is a Chevrolet Workhorse, and the body is built by Union City Body. Because of this, the VIN code associated with the vehicle is often useless for finding information about it. Specifically, replacement parts. Owning this kind of vehicle requires some homework and detailed notes, as you will need to supply the people who work on…

“How do you decide where you go?” As previously stated, I’m a bit of a homebody. I don’t have strong feelings about beaches, forests, or mountains. I enjoy them when the opportunity arises, I just don’t go and seek them out. Maybe someday. I do care about weather, people, work, opportunities, activities, stuff like that. At the moment, I’m more interested in lifestyle amenities such as fast internet and a gym nearby. So that’s how I make my decisions. I like to travel with the weather. I like temps of 75F for a high and 55F for a low. So that’s what I chase. That means the very southern US in winter like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and northern US in summer. There is a slim…

This is the question on everyone’s mind. It was on mine too, and I needed solid answers before I was willing to jump in and do it. Toilets I don’t have a toilet in my van, although that is rarely a problem. Toilets are literally everywhere. Most stores have toilets. I have met some people that mentally can’t get over using a public toilet. If this is you, then you might have a problem with vanlife. A good 70 percent of toilets are in decent shape. Another 25 percent are passable but might need a little love before you do business. And about 5 percent of the time, the whole stall is just rekt and you need to find another. RANT/> I don’t understand why…