By far the best van build ever in that he knows his weights power etc. Plenty power output with his solar. THANKS FOR SHARING THAT METHOD TOO I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THAT IDEA !
Absolutely am just blown away by the foam Cabinetry it is so awesome! I don't even need to build any cabinets but I want to do it just for the fun of it!! I would love to have the curtain surround like they do for my curtains in Tank , the snaps get very old to deal with when you're using your home as your daily driver! Great Van!! 🐙
The photos on the page with the fridge instructions are missing. If they get reposted please let us know. I've been looking for the instructions online and I am very happy that you shared. Thank you for sharing the wealth of knowledge. Mine will be a jeep outfitted for dry camping.
THAT STUFF looks so easy to scratch up in those tight quarters, I imagine myself crawling around in there like I would be crawling and walking on eggshells.
my wife and mom thinks I'm crazy for wanting to live in a van, and there's no way I would with either of them. but if I could I'd love it. I'm 58 and semi retired. I'm probably never going to be able to do it, but I love watching your videos and those cabinets are super awesome.
Great looking van with great ideas. It would help beginners like me to know some more details: 1) how did he hang the cabinets made from forms to the wall? 2) wire diagram showing how he used refrigerator thermostat to control inverters? Beginner from Hawaii
One of the best! I love, love, love the light cabinet info. I'm gonna go right over and see your 'how-to' video. Thanks so much! Happy couple - life's good. Smart ideas.
John and Julie do awesome builds with the foam and first rate electrical work. Do they have a RU-vid channel? Does he do this work for others wanting to build out a van? Also, where is that campground she mentions, that's a great rate with excellent amenities.
Informative video !! A lot of the van builds I've seen on youtube haven't really paid much attention to weight ! But especially if you are travelling a lot it can really make a huge difference to fuel consumption.
I love your van tour videos and interviews, but the one thing that tics me off every time is, you NEVER show the full outside of the van. I love these Dodge Ram vans and this one seems to be exceptional due to the high top and the outside paint patterns. To me that is an incomplete tour but I always appreciate your work anyway :-)
Into The Mystery 13 IMHO I think it is better for thee owner of thee vehicles to keep their vehicles exterior anonymous. So they won't be a target to anyone and don't even mention the campground since they live there year round.
One reader mentioned these recent videos have changed his design plans... Mine TOO!!! Some really great concepts lately. I think this one has been my FAVORITE!!! Great job!! I love all the windows also. But what about stealthiness with the windows? Is there a way to black out the windows? Also I would think that light would peek out of the front curtains... I still prefer light-proofing from the outside... Again, great video material!!! Thanks! Lauri
You can black out the windows using a clear laminate that is cut to fit. They been using it in homes for years to blank out windows to white but it does require a LV power source. As there is a light inside the base of the window, when turned on will turn it solid white.
A static cling film cut to size will black out the windows, so easy to attach and take off. I used to use black plastic dropcloth which you have to attach with magnets or clips and not nearly as clean looking.
Nice rig with the skylights. I am still working and saving for my future van but i loved your videos about how they did the foam cabinets and such. I have almost decided a full size Chevy/GMC g20 conversion was the way to go but I didn't know the Dodge interior is easier to work with. There is a 2500 '99 or '00 Dodge for sale in my area also for about $3K. My thoughts are to get an 8 cylinder even though it uses more gas because it will run smoother and I may buy a cargo trailer or small RV camper to tow down the road. I need to learn and understand solar power to! Keep the great video's coming!
What is on the outside of the foam for the black counter? Was it also just paper bag technique with stained black paper? Also how do you connect the cabinets to the walls? Is it still just small blocks of wood where you decide to screw them into the wall? Ive learned a lot from these past few videos. Would love to see guys to go in depth on that electrical system. Ive never seen a setup look that clean.
I love how people can make a van look like a fully functional house. The real challenge would be doing something similar, on a smaller scale, to a Prius. I really want to see what someone can do after taking out a few seats and putting in the bare essentials for long term car-dwelling (creating a mini-RV) in a car with the gas mileage of a Prius.
Great video, thanks. I would like to know about what they do to survive the winters: -heating, insulation and costs Anything related to surviving those NE Ohio winters that can be pretty brutal. I'll be checking it out. Bedford, Rocky River, Northfield, Parma were my former stomping grounds. Also, check out the Emerald Necklace Trail - Ohio Bikeways.
Love the video and the others to on instructing on how to make phone calls and fibreglass netting cabinets! I have and would like to see the video for how to install the cabinets in the van especially the upper cabinets and what type of hinges, screws, handles and tools are used in this installation process?
Great interview! Does the $600 year include water and electricity if so that's amazing. Also I really like the idea of the fridge controlling the inverter. Where can I find information on how they set that up as well as more info on their entire electrical system?
Che M. Yes that includes our water & electric hook up. There is a link for the fridge in the bio. And Jon plans to add info on the electrical system he designed as soon as he has time. :)
WOW...How cool is the outdoor Camp Kitchenette! We are wanting a Dodge over Chevy this time. Having had such a great experience with the 400 Cummins Diesel in our 40' motor home, ice would like to stay with the Diesel engine if possible, if affordable? My wife & I are very impressed with this one! My wife is really good with tools and sewing curtains and all that. This is such a great project for us when we find the right Van. Thanks for sharing this video! Would it be possible for me to write to him with a couple pointed questions about his power and inverter set up? I'm talking about a little later on, not right now? Thanks again for sharing this incredible video about this incredible Van!
I love those cabinets! I was starting to build a tear drop with the foam, but plans changed. How did you mount the upper cabinets? Did you add more wood mounting points?
I would be interested in knowing more about the tech used to get the fridge thermostat to turn on and off the inverter? Would make a great future how to video.
Now I’m thinking about using this stuff as my insulation and my walls as well. I also have an Astro and multiple layers you lose so much space. Is there any reason folks can think of why a sheet of this as a wall and or ceiling wouldn’t work. I didn’t realize you could make it look so slick. Though I’d love to know more about this paper bag technique. Thanks great videos!
wow love it, love them both, not sure if they are different vans. Year round in Ohio what about the winter. My favorite. Missed the outdoor shower, was there one.
Great video, I just love the cabinets, what a super idea! Using the maps for decoration is great, too! Where does one get old maps these days to do this with?
spleujo Yes! We actually researched many local campgrounds and state parks in our area. We are fortunate to live in a rural area and have many to choose from. Honestly a huge draw of this one, aside from the cost, was also that it isn't overpopulated and they've preserved much of the nature whereas some in our area are like tiny cities with people camped too close together and not enough trees.
Yeah I gotta look into that fridge/freezer conversion. I have the same fridge but different brand and yeah it sucks a lot of power. Usually I have to unplug it on and off through the dash depending on outside temperature and how much daylight I'm getting. I only have one agm battery, charge controller, inverter, and a large solar panel so yeah I currently don't have a battery isolator so yes this fridge is sucking power. But I still love the fridge. their van conversion is coming along nicely. hey I was gonna do that metal bed type thing too but went a different route.
+Paradise Gained check out the article on my website. He broke it down really well. My fridge is my biggest power sucker too. The isolator helps so much!
How do you attach those foam cabinets to the van sturdily, especially for the top cabinets? Also, could you have a video showing how to make the cardboard templates to follow the contours of the side walls of the van interior to transfer the contours onto the foam boards? Thanks. This is quite interesting 👍👍
This video is AWESOME and the foam technique video, wow. I'm thinking of buying an old trailer and using the foam cabinets to build it out. Do you think it would work just as well? Thanks for sharing.
Explaining details of that fridge hack could be interesting theme of separate video. (As were those light-weight panels, thanks!) RV/marine fridges often cost ridiculous amounts of money and this seems to be good alternative, especially as household fridges are now getting lower consumption. Also I wonder if smaller converter (200-300W) could get better efficiency as these fridges really take only few watts.
The problem is it takes a lot more watts for the first second or two to start the compressor motor. Once the motor is running the power consumption drops. I suppose that problem could be fixed using a capacitor. But, I don't know enough to say for certain if that would work. You would need to do some more research.
1960HikerDude you are correct, there is a starting surge that is normal for induction motors. in my initial tests, I tried soft starters, thermistors, capacitors and various other things to reduce inrush current. The best thing I've found was just using an inverter rated for the starting current and keeping it simple. in general, the conversion and to be about 10% less efficient than a true DC fridge, which is something that I can live with.
Can we get more info on the bedframe? Dimensions of it? Looks small for 2. Thanks...i have a dodge ram van b1500 and love the layout they did....redoing mine as well
Steven McQuitty www.amazon.com/dp/B006MIPW70/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_jpBkybQDN8HDM I've tried making my own, but this is lighter, stronger, better ventilated and pretty cheap!
Steven McQuitty I spent two days building the lightest bud frame I could, to the point it was barely stong enough for the task and it still weighed twice what this one from Amazon weighted, and cost nearly as much in lumber to build even
possibly cheaper here www.walmart.com/ip/Premier-14-High-Profile-Platform-Metal-Base-Foundation-Bed-Frame-with-Under-Bed-Storage-Easy-Assembly-Multiple-Sizes/12082083#read-more
Jon are your instructions to running a bar fridge this way, posted online somewhere still? It appears there is no link to it in this videos description. I'm building right now and want to do this with my fridge so I came to this video looking for the infmoration and haven't had any more luck searching for it elsewhere either :( Help!
I'm working with my son to design and build a Sprinter type van, I'm an electrician by trade and would love to hear more about the types of products used and how they were installed. You mentioned a link to where he was going to show more but I only see the one about the fridge?? Thanks
Hi... thank you for your videos they have helped me so much. by any chance did you get the name of the shore to battery power relay he used? Do you think you can get a full parts brake down and schematics of the electrical system? That would be really helpful. thanks again and keep up the great work.
I really like the idea of making the cabinets out of foam and screen. I want to build a custom desk for my home using the foam/screen technique. To make the desktop surface super strong to hold the weight of my computers and other heavy items, would layering screen between coats of paint improve the rigidity of the foam?
I wish I could share it, but I'm afraid that they wouldn't like the extra attention. I can say that there are a ton of these cheapest campgrounds around here in Northeast Ohio though. Since we have some pretty harsh winters here, not many take advantage of the year round aspect
Right, the AC fridge is much less expensive, but DC is more efficient. I guess they do have plenty of solar to keep the AC one going though... So I can see how they stick with the AC.
i love the skylights - what campground are they at if I can ask. I'm in Northeast Ohio - looking for an alternative to stick & brick yet be able to stay where I can see my doctors.
great van, i have watched the video on how to make the foam cabinets and how to glue in a section of wood where any screws will be attatched to hinges.but how do you fix the cabinets to the van?
Hey! Watched your video on making foam cabinets, love it. Probably going to use the technique for my countertop and bed frame skin. QUESTION: what did you coat the countertops with? Looking for a top coat that is durable and easy to clean atop the fibermesh/epsf sandwich. Thank you!!!
