Always enjoy your vids folks. Very good informal and informative. Keep up the good work. Been a lot of help between yourselves and greg virgoe on my very fist self conversion. Thank you.
Great video guys. Out of context, some of the changes might seem expensive and/or OTT, but as you said in the video, when it’s your home FT you need to ensure that it works in all situations. Thank you for sharing the costs in such an open manner, and I hope that if people were to be considering negative style comments, then they put it all into context. It’s your home and you have to make sure it works! Simples. Again, thanks for the honesty and it gives us all the opportunity to make a wish list we can tackle a bit at a time knowing that they have been road tested by your good selves
Hi Dave, that’s all very true indeed, we’d spend more if it was a house too I bet. Glad we can help in any way, we always hope we can make things easier for others. Thanks for watching as always 😁👍🏻❤️
You two are so sweet to watch! I discovered you very recently and have really enjoyed every episode. I look forward to watching more. Unfortunately I can’t travel right now so I’m doing it vicariously through others such as yourselves!
Enjoyed that, it took me back to our five year narrow boat of continuous cruising. We now live in static caravan in Cheshire for the summer months and Nerja in our touring caravan Jan to Feb so it’s back on the grid for us. Enjoy every minute of it. I am thoroughly enjoying your journey. Missed Nerja this year but with luck we will all be back travelling again soon.
We have never missed a house and can not see us ever going back into a house again. We actually go to Nerja from January until around late May then home to our really wonderful static, not far from Altrincham. Life right now is as good as it gets😁☺️. We certainly don’t miss stuff and I bet you both will feel the same way
Well that little lot came to considerably less than we thought it would. Mind you, with John being such a technical minded person you have saved a fortune on labour costs! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you both. My wife and I are planning a 50% van life from next year, a month away then a month at home. For people like us who are setting out, it’s great to get honest down to earth advice from two lovely people like yourselves. Kind regards Pete & Mady.
@@johnmandy Spain will be our first trip, probably drive down to Gibraltar. I’m trying to learn Spanish at the moment... but with a Yorkshire accent🙄. We’ve got a Ford Tourneo custom which we have a blow up awning for. I’m building removable pods for it so that we can remove the seats when travelling and do a temporary conversion. The next stage is swivel seats, solar panels and leisure battery. We haven’t quite decided on the bed yet... permanent, rock and roll or inflatable. We will see how it goes living like that for a month at a time for a while, but I can already see us upgrading to panel van size within a few years if we enjoy it. I’ve followed a few of your videos from Spain but any advice along the way will be very appreciated.
@@peterwillingham6585 Sounds exciting 😁 the one thing that stuck with us from this year is don’t just head for the coast in Spain, the mountains, lakes and villages inland are breathtaking and a lot of them offer very good facilities for vans too 😁👍🏻
@@johnmandy that’s a really good point thanks. We watched you visiting Los Angeles this morning over breakfast. Stunning. I was based in Gibraltar for a couple of years in the 80s and visited Alhambra palace and a couple of the parks. You have reminded me how beautiful it is. We probably won’t have the set up to be away from showers and water facilities for more than a couple of days. Will this be an issue for us further inland?
I love that you keep working on the van to make it better for you. I would love to move to lithium batteries at some point, but don't think I could justify it for my use as we don't live in motorhome. I think I will add another solar panel as we only have 375w, which when off gird for a week struggles to keep up if we get a day or so of less than perfectly sunny weather. When I replaced the solar controller in the van with a nice Victron one (thanks for the recommendation there) I bought one that could handle way more power the 375w.
Well explained John & Mandy.........you have one lovely Home that you have vastly improved r to your own spec.........stay safe.......thanks for sharing
You really love them wheels John (so do I but not allowed to buy a set as our van is relatively brand new). The total of upgrades might sound a lot but people have to remember the the Moho is you full time home. You wouldn’t get much upgrading or even maintaining a house with that amount. Great to see you are all doing well, Cooper 🐺 has been awful quiet in the past few videos, hope he’s ok🦴🦴 . You must be looking forward to things easing up allowing you to get back out and about. Anyway peeps take care and thanks for the Tuesday update. 🥰 😎
Thanks Eddie, that is very true. Coop has been loving time out in the cold and mud here but that usually means more sleepy snuggles on the bed while he recoups a bit 😁❤️ thanks for watching 👍🏻
I bought mine in 2017 already converted but it was made for plug in campsites, i have been upgrading everything to 12v as off grid is more fun, like that beautiful mountains in spain and portugal where there is no campsites. I am still working on battery's wiring , i will ad soon a 60A sterling b2b.
Great info on those brilliant upgrades 👍 I have solar and B2B ,I do occasionally on very dull winter days run a small generator (700 watt ) plugged in the hook up for easily powering my onboard 30 amp mains charger I calculate around 70 pence of fuel will get me bulk charge in a few hours up to absorb levels 👍
@@johnmandy yes mines a bit thirsty though at 3.8 litre commercial engine. Hey its pretty good solar lately with this sun lately ,any screenshots of your solar monthly graph ? Just being nosey love all that stuff lol 😀👍
Hi both, great vlog thank you! Mandy please keep us informed about your 'meat free march' dishes, I'm really interested to see how you can vary your daily meals and keep John happy!! Xx
Excellent video again guys! Our Betty is nearly ready for our first trip out, as soon as we can travel again! Everything is in utility wise, just a bit more titivating and then happy days! Will keep following your journeys (and upgrades 😁😁) Paul
Nice to see you both. As a fellow coffee drinker I can totally understand the need for extra power for the coffee maker. With all this extra power will we be seeing more wild camping? of course only once the release date has been given. Once again thanks for the informative vlog. Both of you truly keep us entertained. How is coops? Look after yourself. See you soon...byeeeee
Thanks Shabir, it really is very important to have power for coffee. There will 🤞🏻 be lots more wild camping when safe to do so 😁 Coops is wonderful although needs a bit more rest nowadays ❤️ thank you so much for watching
We've just bought our 1st van, it was already converted (not my total taste) and your channel has really helped us out and cost us a fortune, oh we need that and that lol. We just need to put solar panels on and fit our Fiamma Awning, then we can get out and about. Thanks for a great channel. Eileen
I think we’re responsible for a lot of reducing bank balances 🙈 glad it’s all good stuff though. Not too long and you can get out and about 😁👍🏻 thank you so much for watching
I love how Mandy is totally unflinching at the cost of coffee power 😂 Thanks guys, I've done the same as you and added bits to my van I wouldn't normally have shelled out for. I think after last year it's the way forward for a while to be as self sufficient and comfy as you can manage until things settle down a bit. Especially as campsites are going to be very busy when they open and will probably have limited services. I prefer off grid with a campsite top up when needed like you but it's nice to know even if you go there you've got back up in uncertain times 😊
Totally agree there, the more you can be self sufficient the more choices you’ll have if you do need to find a campsite although wild camping out of the way of far better. A non cranky Mandy must be worth a fortune to John 😁😂❤️
Another great and informative video.... It just goes to show that if you really want to be off grid and as independent as possible, it can be done, but investing to future-proof your van sure doesn't come cheap... I think it might be a good idea to buy some shares in Victron Energy though....
6am start in the factory , got my headphones on and listening to you. But like a lot of people out there... we have dreams ! And .. we have a 10 year old chausson Flash 14 on the driveway. And With your help and inspiration.. I am kitting it out 😆... we WILL make it happen !
Lovely to see yous today was on last nite looking for ur video then realised it was monday nite son washed our van today just awaiting getting out in it see u friday God willingxxx
I am sure that every penny spent has been well worth it as upgrading for your own comfort is invaluable. Still working on our upgrade for more off grid stays. Stay safe you three.
i dont mean to be so off topic but does any of you know a way to log back into an instagram account? I somehow forgot the password. I love any assistance you can give me!
@Leighton Alberto Thanks for your reply. I found the site thru google and Im in the hacking process atm. Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Its sounds a lot, but if you'd bought an older house and had to have it re-wired and had central heating installed you would have spent a lot more - and that's effectively what you've had done to your home - though as an added bonus your electric is now free. All the big cost items will last ages too. The interesting thing was the small items, how little they can cost and what a difference they can make. Good info as always. Might have a look at one of those shower heads for my bathroom at home.....😁🚐😎
Great real world info for newcomers and experienced owners alike. I wonder if any commercial van manufacturers will take up any of your modifications and apply them in some form. Thanks for the insight, now coffee time me thinks.🤔
Hi great video! I wonder if you can help, you mentioned about your shower head, but when I looked at your website it’s not on there or not that I can find. Also you say you can get 2 showers on 10lt, do you know how many litres per minute that is? Thanks
We’ve not calculated anything apart from filling up our tank, both having a shower and seeing how much water went in after which was 10L - we do use water sparingly and turn off spray when we soap up etc.. here is the shower head amzn.to/2OebUJq 😁👍🏻
Hi Both. Great video again totally agree with and understand your upgrades. Must be fantastic to be confidently self sufficient. Two questions:- 1. Would you revert to original van spec if you decide to sell in the future or sell as a full time live in unit. (imagine there are people out there would die for your van) 2. Do your upgrades have any effect on your van insurance. As above great videos to look forward to. Thanks
Thanks Malcolm, it’s definitely really helpful having John be so handy - he’s saved us a fortune. We left the last van as it was as it was a brilliant ready to go off grid van and would be very difficult to take everything off while living in it still so would most likely do the same again 😁👍🏻
I remember having to convince Mandy it was ok to spend £1k when we bought the van to get solar, inverter and so on. Since then it’s not really stopped as we keep upgrading
It’s actually lighter - the difference between the battery weight (1 AGM is the equivalent weight of our 3 lithium’s) and the fridge is enough for the solar panels, diesel heater and whatnot to fit into 😁👍🏻
We have to find and pay for gas but electricity is free (now we’ve upgraded everything..) 😁😂🙌🏻 plus I get a coffee in about 90 seconds using the Nespresso and I’m very impatient 🤪
I put 720w on the roof and 360w of AGM, so yes it's alot of money but worth it. My only regret was that I didn't buy lithium batteries but at the time I don't think the technology for lithium in a motorhome was there. So when my AGM eventually die then I will change to lithium and hopefully be cheaper.
The difference in the tech in lithium between the first time we had them and now is brilliant as they have Bluetooth now so no doubt they’ll be better later too 😁👍🏻
just watching another of your excellent vids, taking care with the covid rules and then you get the other manchester lot you know who iam talking about with their camp cosy and no regard for others. thanks you two for keeping real and respectful
Thanks for watching Ollydog. I think as this whole thing carries on that sometimes it’s better to just leave people to what they do - mental health is a big issue with everyone but I think even more so with vanlifers as there’s lots of time spent alone. You might see one thing but the reasons behind it could be far more complicated. ❤️❤️❤️
@@johnmandy travelling around necking lager looks more like a party to me though and prob most people looking on, i try not to judge on snap shot appearance but one in particular does what he likes
Thanks guys,I can show this video to my wife everyone I sneak out to my van to add "another" modification,and the inevitable question "how much was that"On a serious note most factory built vans come out of the factory as a stock one size fits all package,if like us you want to change/modify things to make daily life in the van more civilized why not?👍👍Paulo
Hi Paulo, I’ve stopped asking how much things cost now 😁 I can see straight away how useful the additions are and the big items (batteries, tyres and fridge) have proved invaluable already. 😁👍🏻
Fantastic, thanks. Where did you get the LED headlight bulbs from? I can't see them on your website and I know some of them are not very good. I'd much rather buy something you have tried and tested. Thanks in advance Pete
Been looking at the tyres for our van, it's a vito and had a few slippery times with mud and snow and as its our only vehicle definitely think we are worth that security 👍
John I noticed you have not mentioned the new oven! Did you change it? How about using an induction hob instead? That way you wouldnt need any gas at all! Also noticed you added the extra 100amps of battery , stops the power dipping on the larger loads, great vid as usual.
Thanks Dave, we didn’t change the oven as the space is a really awkward size and we can’t find one that fits 🙈 we’d tried an induction hob but thought it used too much power for our liking. We do have an instant pot and George Forman grill though 😁👍🏻
Mandy needs coffee as I do and she does all those wonderful one pots! I'm trying your recipes! Cannot wait to take our caravan for a trip! Love Cooper, our dog Aisha says hi...🤗🐶🐕🐾❤
A lot of money for powering a coffee maker! Surely a generator would be acceptable during the day for short periods in most of your locations? You mention that you run the motor sometimes, a small genny would be quieter. Having said that, I am a fan of solar and it IS more eco friendly.
No generators thanks. Far too noisy, smelly and you’d need to carry petrol around too. Every moho comes with a free power plant, just start your engine.
Genuine question. If you had to, or chose to sell the van, would you sell it as is, or would you take your upgrades out (as much as possible at least) and sell it as a stock van?
@@johnmandy Hi Mandy, Hi John you sent me a link to this shower head, but i never got round to ordering 1. if you send me the link again, will it still work for you guys as ready to but now. just seeing if it might help you before i put my order in. cheers ps see you tonight with the Cheese and Beer hehe
@@shaunescort thanks Shaun - if you click on our link and buy writhing 24 hours then we do still get a teeny bit of something - amzn.to/2OebUJq see you shortly 😁👍🏻❤️
Evening guy's iv checked your list off item's you have in your van..I can't find the garmin sat nav you used..looking into purchasing one as it had great hands free features..thanks 😊
Hi there, did you not sell the bits you removed, the old wheels n tyres, fridge freezer, batteries etc. This would drop your expenditure a fair bit I would think. We have never had a problem selling second hand motorhome parts. Great video btw. Is easy to forget how much you actually spend on upgrades. All the very best 🥰
Hi were new to this blog not sure how it works (obviously not as teccy as you are) were interested in where you had your van cupboard modifications when you fitted the new fridge is it anywhere near Sheffield
Hi Linda, no problem. The vlog where we had the fridge fitted which is vlog 61, has the full link to the website and details in it if you need them. The company is called All Things Timber and they are in Selby which isn’t too far away from Sheffield. Adi is an absolute pro at what he does and a lovely bloke too 😁👍🏻
Great vlog guys, although £9,000 sounds a lot, I bet the money you have saved on bills and travelling costs by being self sufficient off grid has more or less paid for itself already. And you have had an amazing time in beautiful locations too. So in all honesty it's money extremely well spent in my opinion. Hope yous have a lovely week and Best wishes and stay safe and well to you both and your families ❤️ 💙 ❤️ 💙 ❤️
Thanks Mr W, you’re absolutely right.. the changes have all proved there worth time after time and because of them we’ve had some awesome experiences. Stay safe too ❤️❤️😁👍🏻
Hi you two love the video of the real cost of van life now you have all the power have you thought about getting mandy an aobosi induction hob to save on gas all i say is use the power setting on it instead of temperature settings as ive been useing one and found it a great product there is a fan it runs only when on and cooling be good to each other
Thanks Mark, we have been looking but haven’t found any low power enough yet but will take a look at that one 😁👍🏻 we’d also need to get different pans so that’s a thinker for me as I’m kind of attached to my frying pan 😂😁👍🏻
@@johnmandy hi john and mandy it has a maximum of 2000w but i only use the 1000w setting which boils water quite happy and it a true load the lower setting turn 1000w on and off to simulate the lower setting the 200w minimum is a very high simmer which i see is the only problem the pots and pans i use on it are a set of karcher hope this is some help it is £47.99 on amazon.
@@markpowell5654 We just had a look and one is on it’s way 😁🙌🏻 we’ve not seen one that goes as low as 200w so thank you very much for the recommendation 👍🏻
At 10:27 you say that you can cook on electric. I can see how this is feasible (induction hob, etc) but we’ve never seen Mandy using anything other than the gas hob and never heard it mentioned. Was this a slip-up?
I have an instant pot (pressure cooker) and a slightly new George Forman grill that both use electric - I’ve cooked on the instant pot in a few vids 😁👍🏻
Great video once again thanks guys. Just wondering when you added all the things on your list did it increase the weight of the van much? Looking forward to your meat free meals and your onward journey once we are ‘let free’. Good luck
Thanks Desmond, I think we answered that already - the batteries and fridge are far lighter than the old ones so all in we’re probably lighter than the base weight when we bought it 😁👍🏻 Thanks for watching
Before lockdown were you willing to install upgrades to vans for a fee? Would you supply and fit an inverter and system that allows switch over to run 240v from sockets off grid. Or is there an idiots guide to installing this?
No, a lot of people thought that. I offered to help a few people who were being ripped off. I don’t install products as a business. 👍🏻 My videos guide anyone through the installation of the items you’ve listed.
I’ve noticed on some these big “overland” campers they usually fit induction hobs to alleviate the reliance on gas, could you not have a stand alone one too and just plug it in when needed, I know it would use a fair bit of amperage but sometimes when you’re out in the boonies a quiet little Honda generator may be viable? Love your vlogs and really look forward to watching your vids on RU-vid, take care both. 👍🏻👍🏻💖💖😊😊
We cook using electric with an instant pot and George Forman grill - an induction hob seems to use a lot of power for the cooking time you get and we’ve worked our set up as we don’t want to carry a generator 😁👍🏻 they do look cool though
Stirling Power do a 1500w unit, and Vango do single 800w or twin units. I've check and both will start on low so no big spike loads. First time here and impressed with your choice of BFG tyres and I've chosen Polinovel batteries too - bc their multi cell and I'm expecting them to be more tolerant in 40° plus temps. Edit, I also have an Instant Pot and that's 1200w but I don't know if that pulses the power or is a constant draw.
doing upgrades over the year you dont notice the cost, only when you add them up at the end of the year you have a sharp intake of breath.... but they are done now, so over the next few years of use there shouldnt be much to do. stay safe people.
John u are going to be bored if no more upgrades great video and Mandy that is 1 devilish laugh u have keep up the good work and stay safe we can’t wait to get out in our motor home which I call freedom cause that’s what she gives us
I’m sure he’ll find some other things to fix or change although hopefully soon we’ll all be too busy actually moving around in our motorhomes for there to be time to titivate - bring on kayaking and beach walks ❤️❤️❤️ hopefully freedom isn’t too for away
Thank you for this, honest but still scary when totalled. Although you have "spent" that money, it is also interesting to consider how much might be recovered later either in (negotiating) increased resale value of van, or what you could remove to move to the next van. The leisure batteries are perhaps biggest opportunity?
When we upgraded our last van we found that the value of the upgrades did equate to additional value in the van, we got back about 60% of the upgrade value in the trade in.
Another great informative video. Did the battery upgrade impact much on your van weight. Looking at the wheel at the end has got me wondering if you take them all off at night and wrap them in a duvet. lol
Don’t give him any ideas with those wheels, he’d probably put them in my bed and relegate me to the garage 😂 the three lithium batteries weigh the same as 1 AGM so we’re still better of on the weight 😁👍🏻
Great vid. Would be interesting to work out how your upgrade spends are also saving money long term, eg less need for cost of hook ups, diesel heater against gas heater, less weight better mileage etc Do you have surge protector for hookup? Finally will you cover meat free march at all on RU-vid? I know there are many like me who have decided not to have another social platform ie Instagram, so would miss out on the fun of John surviving the whole month!! 🤪🌞
Most so far have saved us money and will continue to do so - I’m sure John will be keeping tracks. We will definitely be covering meat free March in the vids too, things are just more up to date on Instagram 😁👍🏻 going well on day 2 🙌🏻
Vans looking good. Well done you two. Correct me if im wrong but dosent adding lower powered solar panels brings down the the power on the the larger panel??
My wife also has a coffee addiction but it has to be Costa. I am guessing I have spent more than your total on coffee over the years LOL. It will be 44 years together this year so I suppose I`ll have to get used to it. LOL
Not laughing at how much you have spent - its easily done and worth it.....But how you kept a straight face saying that you probably wouldn't be spending much more did make me chuckle....not a chance🤣🤣🤣
On your links, I can find the link to the domestic usb blocks that you quickly referred to, that attach to you overhead lighting rail. Can you give a link please? Really interesting vlog. Thank you
Thanks for yet another very useful episode you two! Would you say that an incinerator toilet (bearing in mind there's five of us full time in the van) is worth considering as an upgrade?
We were looking at incinerator and macerator toilets the other day - they do look very cool and easy to use, especially being able to throw the ash straight into a bin from the incinerator. Expensive initial outlay but very very good. They do use your lpg though so you’d have to consider that too 😁👍🏻
Good video really interesting. Do you or did you have any problems with mould in the van over winter like another vantuber? Under the mattress from the garage etc?
We had some mould and ice freezing in our over bed cupboards and a bit of condensation in the garage but our beds are on slats so they’ve been spot on 👌🏻😁👍🏻
Renting a house in the private sector plus council tax would cost nearly that for a year . How long will you keep your van before you upgrade? And do you save money for when you have to ? Last question, do you think the government will make it to expensive to run diesel vans in the near future
That is very true 👍🏻 no plans to upgrade at all yet, this van is just about perfect now 😁 we do save money - it’s been drilled into us from childhood that we should 😂 I can see it getting more expensive but as long as trucks are used for the supply chain I can’t see it getting prohibitive 😁👍🏻
@John Kelly It’s already being made more expensive to run diesel vehicles in many areas now as ULEZ zones are being rolled out where vehicles with Euro 5 or older diesel engines have to pay to drive through. London’s ULEZ has been in force for about 12 months now I think and is being expanded. ULEZ zones are coming later this year for Bath & Birmingham, Bristol is currently deciding how it’s zone will work and I believe the whole of Greater Manchester is supposed to be becoming a ULEZ zone in 2022.
@@stuart121972 those are all very busy city zones though and in our experience places most people wouldn’t want to go in their campers and motorhomes - not by choice anyway. Plus it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of park and ride schemes too 😁👍🏻
Another great vid guys. I’ve often wondered J&M what the hell are you going to do, given all that you’ve done to your home, when it comes time to part with it for something else? I guess one could say the same about moving house though.
