An Overview of How to Source and Build your Van!

Choosing The Right Van

Before you get started on this wild ride, it is essential to choose the right van that fits your needs and wants, and figure out whether your priorities are lots of space, a low budget setup, weekend camping and/or full-time stealth camping in cities.

Before You Buy Your Van

Some factors you should keep in mind before buying your van:

Space

Van life can become uncomfortable pretty quick if you feel congested all the time. While adaptation kicks in quickly, understanding your space requirements well and choosing a van accordingly can ensure comfort and a smile on your face (and your van-mate’s if applicable).

Gas Mileage

You will, no doubt, drive your van A LOT. So, it would be beneficial to have a decent fuel economy. Vans aren’t the best fuel savers and the bigger you go in size, the more gas your rig will guzzle.

Maintenance

A well-maintained van can last you 300,000 miles or more. Yes, old vans are cheaper, but the chances of it breaking down on you also increase with its age. It is crucial to review the maintenance records before buying a used van, and getting it checked thoroughly by a mechanic.

Conversion Work

You might want a ready-to-move-in van, or might want to get your hands dirty and build your own dream house. Empty shells are often cheaper, but partially or fully converted vans can save you a lot of trouble, especially if you are not tool-savvy.

Types of Vans

Once you have figured out the basic necessities you want in your house on wheels, choosing the model of the van will become significantly easier. There are a variety of vans to choose from, such as:

Passenger Vans

The most common choice for aspiring van-dwellers on a budget! Vans such as Ford Econoline, Chevy Express and Dodge Ram combine the benefits of fuel efficiency, inexpensive price tags and in many cases, stealth camping. The big disadvantage is the lack of extra headroom and storage space.

High-Top

Regular cargo/passenger vans with extra high headspace are a favorite among van dwellers. Without shelling a fortune on a Sprinter or a Transit, you can have the comfort of additional headroom, giving you not only the space to stand but also overhead storage space. They may also come with sweet-looking folding furniture, depending on the model and type of build you buy.

The Big Three (Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit and RAM Promaster)

While expensive, these three models are the ultimate vehicles to convert into a home on wheels. The demand for these rigs has led to skyrocketing prices for these vans, but if you play smart and are willing to spend some time looking around, buying older models of these vans could turn out to be pretty economical.

RV/Skoolies

While RV and Skoolies are the most comfortable vehicles to build a mobile home in, they are extremely heavy, limited in their ability to navigate the beaten path off-road and big-time gas guzzlers. Regardless, they make excellent homes for families with kids or for couples needing the space to walk around their home on wheels. Old school buses particularly can be found for relatively cheap.

Before You Build The Van

If you are comfortable building out the van yourself and have access to basic power tools, then you should totally build it out yourself. After all, it’s YOUR home and there’s no better feeling than having built your abode with your own hands. 

However, should you not feel confident with connecting electrical wires or any other specific build process, it is always advisable to seek help from a professional or even an experienced friend.

Prior to building, draw out a layout plan in advance. This will help streamline your build process because you don’t have to plan what to place where, at every step of the build.

Step 1: Measure EVERYTHING (and measure twice)

• You cannot plan the size of your bed, kitchen or floor without having the measurements of the van interior. Measuring the van dimensions will help you in sketching the layout and determining the size of your build components.

Step 2: Sketch a layout

• Make a list of furniture (bed/couch/table/counters) you want in the van and play around with object placement and interior design until you decide on a final layout.
  • Things to consider while designing a layout:
    • Number of people living in the van
    • Multi-purpose/Foldable/Murphy bed vs a fixed bed
    • Portable Toilet vs Doing your business outdoors
    • A fixed kitchen counter vs a pullout kitchen in the back vs outdoor cooking with a portable stove.
    • A DC fridge vs an Ice-Box.
    • A fixed vs a pullout vs foldable vs stow-away dining/working table
• Make everything multifunctional and compact. Small sized living asks for creative and multiple uses for the same object.
  • Things to consider while finalizing your design:
    • A dining/working table that could be converted to a bed.
    • Foldable/Stow-away tables/sitting areas
    • Pullout drawers could save a lot of space accommodating anything ranging from your clothes to the whole kitchenette.

Step 3: Get your electrical system sorted

• Figure out your power requirements.
• Some common appliances power requirements are mentioned below: Add the wattage of each device you’ll use and you’ll know what are the total Watts of power you’ll need.
  • Fan – 50 Watts
  • LED lights – 10Watts (depending on the type/number of bulbs etc)
  • Charging Phone- 10 Watts
  • Charging Laptop — 60 Watts to 90 Watts, depending on the size
  • Charging Camera/Drone batteries – 40 Watts
  • Fridge: 60 Watts (For a DC fridge), 250 Watts (AC)
• Choose the size of your battery and solar panel accordingly.
  • Things to consider are:
    • A DIY Lead-Acid/Lithium-Ion Battery Setup vs an Electric Portable Power Generator. While DIY battery packs can usually pack more power at a cheaper price, they are extremely heavy and have to be fixed. The portable electric generators are usually lithium-ion batteries, which are expensive but lightweight.
    • A DIY setup will require you to understand how electricity works, the difference between DC (12V) and AC (110V/220V), thorough knowledge of electrical equipment like inverters, fuse boxes, charge controllers and wiring. Commercial electrical generators such as those made by Goal Zero or Jackery will have these devices in-built, requiring you to only connect the solar cable to the charging port.
    • Portable Solar Panels vs Fixed Solar Panel  on the roof.
      • Choosing the size of your solar array depends on how much and how fast you want to charge your batteries.

While You Build The Van

This will be the most fun but tedious part of your initiation into vanlife. Here are a few tips that could make your van build journey relatively easier.

• “Measure twice, cut once” is the golden rule to avoid wastage. Additionally, it is always better to cut something longer than your preferred dimension, because you can always trim the length down later
• Building out the skeleton (structural beam support) for your entire layout first, gives you a better idea how your design would turn out. You could then add on the plyboard sheets to add the exterior finish to the skeleton, followed by adding paint/polish.
• Cut out the components to be screwed/glued/nailed and try to build the skeleton outside the van for ease of work. You can then take it back in the van and ensure it fits well.
• It’s always a good idea to use self-tapping screws to ease the drilling process.
• Be vigilant that the wires going through the inverter/solar panel/batteries are joined to the terminals properly without the opposing terminal bare ends touching each other.
• Lastly, try to distribute the weight evenly to avoid higher chances of tipping over at high speeds through sharp curves.

My Final Thoughts

Hope you enjoy your van build process and the amazing journey on the open road that will follow. 

Find Mohit on Instagram @thelostcosmicdust! All photos courtesy of Mohit Kaura.