Adventures on Wheels and Rocks
This was one of the first 'mods' that we did on the van that didn't have anything to do with the 'house' part of the build out. We had been driving it around for a while and realized that the stereo sucked a lot. It didn't have an audio jack, didn't take Bluetooth and only played CD's, which I haven't bought since 7th grade. So we replaced the stereo!
I didn't realize until a few months after having a fan in the van how important it is. With a fan in the van you can drastically reduce the moisture that gathers on the windows, it helps air out a tiny space that you cook in, sleep in and bathe in, and it really helps keep the van a comfortable temperature. I use the fan all the time when I'm cooking to keep steam from condensing in the van, to keep the onion and garlic smell from lingering and to air out the burning propane. Fantastic fans are awesome, 100% would recommend.
One of the most frequent questions I get from people looking to build out a Sprinter Van is, "Does the insulation actually work?" and I would say "Yes*". Yes, it does, but with a footnote.
The very first thing we did on the Sprinter van (after tearing out the shelving left over from the other guy) was install the van floors. The floors are a really important part of the install. I've seen a lot of build outs that recommend doing the floors last, but that seems counter-intuitive to me. We also went with the 'hardwood' floors instead of the roll out linoleum flooring that some installs have. If I was to do it again, I would totally do the hardwood floors!
Having new speakers in the van is really great. As of the writing of this post I have had them for about 2 months and they are still working just fine. The standard speakers that came with the van aren't very good so if you have yet to change them, get on it!
The first time you sweep your floors in a new place, you see all the old dust from the old place being wiped away, like a clean slate. For me, the memories of all the boots that tracked mud into my van go through my mind. I remember all the feet that walked here and all the people attached to those feet. I'm sweeping the memory of them away and making room for new feet, new boots and new dust.
nstalling swivel chairs was possibly the best add on to the van that I've done yet. It completely opens up the space and makes it way more comfortable to hang out in. I often do my work from the passengers seat turned sideways with my feet up on the other chair. And in a pinch you could probably turn the chairs into a bed for a shorter person.
Get that money
If you are buying used, GET THAT MONEY, and then pay in cash. Depending on the vehicle of choice, you can expect to spend between $5k-$15k.You don’t choose the van, the van chooses you.
Not kidding. Set up an If this then that for craigslist in your area and wait for the emails to roll in. ACT FAST. Vans I have bid on have disappeared in less than 3 hours. Try not to buy anything with more than 300k miles on it.Get a pre-purchase inspection. Do it.
Costs between $60-$140 and will save you time money and sanity. Double check the glow plugs, and fuel injectors.Seeking out a punishing physical or mental experience takes some kind of masochistic attitude that I have been cultivating for years.
I call these sufferfests.
There is no 'right way' to build a van. There is no 'right way' to live in a van either.
I wanted to compile a list of items that I use in my van to make life easier for me and Michael. This includes fridge, utensils, nifty gadgets and more! Let me know if there is anything you use that really takes your vanlife to the next level. Enjoy!
When Michael and I first started thinking about living the #vanlife, I was super stoked about reducing the items I owned and getting back to a more simplistic lifestyle. I read Marie Kondo's book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in preparation and ended up getting rid of 2/3rds of the things I owned. I started folding my clothes in a new style and got rid of everything that didn't Spark Joyinto my heart.
Michael and I had spent the last 4 weeks waking up at 7 and working on our Sprinter Van turned mobile home (her name is Lyra) until it got dark. We were sick of each other, sick of the van, and so so ready to get on the road for our two month road trip and test run of the #vanlife.
How much does it cost to build out a Sprinter Van into a home? This page should serve as a one stop shop resource. On this page I include a spreadsheet you can view that will show you (almost) exactly what we spent on the process.
We've arrived in Santiago!800 kilometers, lots of fancy toe blisters, over 300 euro in coffee , and many new friends has made this a fantastic journey.
The cathedral itself is under construction right now so arriving was a little underwhelming. We couldn't go in the front door, we couldn't put our hands in the stone pillar and during the pilgrims mass they didn't do the smokey swinging thing. (I'm sure there's an actual name for that, but I don't know what it is)
Welp! The title of the post says it all, we're closing in on Santiago! Today I think marks the 70 mile marker, I can't believe we're so close! Our last few weeks have been full of cafe con leche...
The camino in all of its golden glory.
Well Renee and I are SICK. Like really sick. We are currently staying in an Albergue run by nuns, both of us wrapped up in our sleeping bags and huddled by the heater. We’ve been fighting off this cold for a few days now, but today and yesterday it really hit us.
We might be taking a day off tomorrow so I thought I would use this down time to get some blogging done.
We've been walking officially for one week!And now it's time to take a rest day. Michael thinks he pulled a hamstring And we're taking a relaxing day off in the city of Logroño. We're staying at the Municipal Albergue on the second story and it's probably one of the nicest places we've stayed so far.
