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It's a little off topic, but you can install 12V lights in the headliner of a minivan without removing the headliner. The secret is to use boat inspection hatches. As for a heater, I'm happy with piping in heat to my minivan using a zodi hot vent tent heater. The heater is secured to a tailgater tire table. I made a video about this on my channel. Happy camping!
I stopped watching my list of no-builds for minivans on RU-vid for awhile, to go out to try to level the camping cot in my 2009 Pontiac Montana minivan. I came to the same conclusion as you, put my pillow on the high end. The cot takes up one whole side and is longer than I need, so the short end, near the passenger seat, makes a nice place to sit upright without hitting my head. I'm going to watch the rest of your minivan build before putting anything else in. I've been collecting things for years that probably won't fit. At least I got the bloody back seats out and the cot in. I want to be able to sleep in it before wildfire season. Jon in rural BC, Canada
Hey Rob - Still have the large van, but decided to do another minivan, also. (BTW, I hope you finally get that shiny new truck sitting in your driveway soon !!!! ) Safe travels!
Astro van here! Have only used it for camping a couple of times. AC went out, hope it gets figured out soon and that I can come up with enough cash to get it fixed. Hubby saw no reason to fix during covid, but has recently agreed it needs to be looked at, so keeping my fingers crossed... Love watching all these van build videos out there. The simpler, the better, I think... I have an enclosed 4x6 trailer I might take on extended trips, not sure yet. At the time I got it, I needed it to help son move several states up & over. Got it for $450, so couldn't pass it up!
@aaronweiser5421 no, it has turned out to be more expensive than he thought, but he didnt tell me how much... Still saving. I do remember at one time looking to see how much a repair on another car would cost by going onli e and inputti g something like 'how much to fix air conditioner on astro van'. So you might try putting in yezr, make and model of vehicle and type of repair and perhaps last years date or this years date once it gets further in. It should get you close... Thank you for asking.
I now have a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and I'm not too bothered by the floor situation. It's pretty even from side to side. However, my prior minivan was a 2008 Honda Odyssey. Its floor had some gnarly bumps (one was a heater vent) in the middle which meant it wasn't nearly level side to side. My first trip in it I got almost no sleep because I kept fighting to not roll out of my cot which was uneven side to side, LOL. I did get that issue worked out. I agree with you about keeping things as simple as possible to meet your needs. My latest move is a roof cargo box. It will keep my bulky campsite stuff (chair, table, etc.) out of the back of the minivan. For me, that's keeping things simple and uncluttered. That might not be the right idea for someone else. The fun of sharing these videos and comments is to see how many ways people can make these builds work for their needs. I'm looking forward to this series.
Suze, sounds like you're figuring out what works for YOU, which is all that matters. We all learn from each other. (Funny story aout the bed in your previous minivan!). More soon....safe travels!
The class b is great, as you know, but I do like minivans, as I can take them more places (easier). Enjoy what you have, when you can, between now and retirement!
Thank you for sharing your new minivan build. I take it that you purchased the minivan from a private party. How did you find your minivan in newspaper ads, Facebook Marketplace, word of mouth, or others? What does your wife think of all your travels? Thank you.
Tom, the minivan I'm using for build 2.0 came from a private party (word of mouth). The better half has been on several of these trips with me. More soon...safe travels!
Could you make a video with the bed frame moved all the way to the back of the van? I need to see what that looks like and if my wheelchair will fit behind the driver's side chair. I am going to remove my front passenger seat and the seat right behind it, then I am going to create a shower basin in the cargo hold where the chair has been removed.
Caravans are pretty reliable (and fairly cheap to maintain) - glad it's working out for you trying to do this full time. Hope some of the new vids I'm rolling out will be useful to you, also.
Hi, I have been following you for some time now. I am ready to follow your no-build. Question is, when you remove the front passenger seat, how will you resolve the issue of the seatbelt and airbag warning light showing on the dashboard? Will removing the seat trigger an airbag inflation? Thank you.
I don't know how that will work for Kevin's minivan. But I've watched a video posted on the Lady Bugout channel, showing the removal of the front passenger seat in her 2012 (I think) Ford Transit Connect. It didn't trigger the airbag, but there were sensors and connectors to be dealt with. She had a Ford technician working on it. He got the seat out and the warning light situation fixed. I'm sure Kevin will walk us through the process for his minivan. It should be instructive!
Good questions about removing the front seat completely in this minivan build. Removing it won't set off the airbag (I will disconnect the battery before removing the seat), but it MAY trigger a warning light (I'm certain I know how to get around that issue, and will make a full video on the process.) More soon...safe travels!
Cool! If you haven't already, you can completely remove the middle seats for more storage where they used to be. The rear seat that you're leaving in can also flip 90 degrees to become a rear-facing lounge too. I think I mentioned a few years back we have a 2010 Town and Country - we just started building it out and taking it out this month and have been enjoying it a lot. We're ready to start looking into a cargo box for the roof rack now too. What year is this van you're working with now?
Hey, this minivan is a 2006, and the middle row seats have been removed. Glad to hear you've gotten to take your 2010 out some trips!!! More soon, safe travels!
Nancy, Dodge Caravans are great for doing camping - I'm a big fan of minivans in general. If you have a 2014, you're good to go! Hope you're finding some of the stuff I put up useful to you. More soon...safe travels!
In that dodge minivan, I'm not sure of the seat width of that smaller seat (I'm not in at the moment), but it's comfortable enough for this 200ish pound guy.
Hi Tim...the 30" frame is a very tight fit, but 31" may be possible if you can get the seat to "give" a little. If you're doing anything more than a weekend, though, I would highly recommend the bedframe I'm using ( amzn.to/2HF3YOv ), as I've met a few on the road that tried the Coleman stuff and it didn't last long for them. More soon...safe travels!
