Fair point!
Very interesting. I did go and look at that Class A. Tempting for sure.
I think it can be done pretty cheap actually, given my 42 foot vehicle was under 150k. If you’re savvy and have some free time, under 30k seems totally doable. In my unmarried alternate reality, I’d have gone for the van life and would have targeted 1/4 the budget.
My ambulance was $3k. But for that, I am also dealing with changing out glow plugs in my grandmother’s back yard. Taken me about 14 hours so far, and I am not finished yet (and found several more things I need to keep an eye on or fix in the process). No build out yet, that will comes later.
You get cheap, or you get easy.
For the setup we have… I think we got the cheap option. (was a quarter million dollar rig, new)
Some of my experiences now include:
Sleeping 5 nights per week to remodel, for 2 months straight.
Living in a truck yard surrounded by barbed wire and broken-down semi’s for a month.
Pics of remodel experience and truck yard:
Our RV
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Well done! I do all my own work and built my house from the ground up. I can appreciate the amount of sweat equity you put into that rig. How mad were you when you spilled a gallon on paint down your leg? 
Enjoy it.
Ron
So mad that I laughed. Context: Michelle, my wife had been razzing me about not shaking the paint cans and instead, stirring them. I said it’s fine, stirring is slow. I shook. It went everywhere. I had been razzing her that she needed to put the lids on more tightly. I decided that I should probably bite my tongue and just laughed in shame.
The wife is not on board, but we continue negotiations… I traveled for work for a while (with my bike in the van) and realized how little we humans actually really “need”. So van-life is definitely on my mind.
If you are serious, I recommend you check out The Bike Rumor Podcast three part series with Van-Do-It (a conversion company) discussing how to spec out your van, what materials you should use, electrical considerations. Obviously the company put their spin on it, but their extensive experience really offered a lot of insight into what to do and what not to. For example: Minimizing the use of wood. The “old camper smell” is a product of condensation from unavoidable temperature fluctuations sitting on wood. Even if everything is sealed up well, breathing and ambient moisture makes it happen. They recommended materials not sensitive to the moisture/temperature fluctuations. Had I just bought a van, I almost certainly would have done it myself in wood. It is OK if you are in certain climates, but not mine. There were all kinds of considerations like that which they shared. Check it out.
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Might sound crazy, but I am less sold on build outs unless you live in it. For occasional use, just an empty van is great. You toss in what you need for that trip, and not have to carry everything all the time. On my Arizona trip a month ago, we found that my bed idea wouldn’t work (sleeping on the bench) and used the air mattress instead. strapped the bikes in that we brought (one for her, one for me), left the bouldering pad behind, etc. If it was a full build out, which I am planning on, I would have had to figure out how to get her bike in, which of my bikes to move, and figure out the sleeping situation.
It isn’t as glamorous, but way more functional. I am planning on potentially living in mine in the future (I currently live in a travel trailer), but simplicity is best I think for most.
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I agree. We had a completely stock class A RV and it was still a dream for a month or two of travel to races. More than enough. Had we not had 5 bikes, an empty van would have been perfect.
And it‘s finally there. Right on time for the Racing Season.
It is an MAN TGE - 2.0l Diesel Engine - 177hp - 4x4 AWD. Super high roof (so I can stand in the boot at 190cm (6‘2.5“). It is a 5 seater. I can turn the front seats and then put a mattress on top, and sleep in the front cabin.
I can store 3 bikes in the rear when driving + 3 bikes on a trailer if I‘d need to.
It has got a 4kWh Battery, 500Wh of Photovoltaic on the roof, AC on the roof, a cooler/fridge, a manual sun blind, external lighting, and all-terrain wheels and tires. Also, I have a dry toilet with external ventilation, not the greatest thing in the world, but might need this for „emergency“.
I am pretty happy with the Van itself so far, with it having quite a few driving assistances and a relatively modern Infotainment.
More pictures to come.
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Love this thread…here’s what I’m thinking, it’ll take some time while it becomes available.
Ford 150 electric
With something like this:
I know it’s not a van. But I think it will serve better our off-roading needs, and it’s electric!. Gotta think through the whole charging stations issue, but it’s only going to get better. The whole thing with 500 mile range will be around 75k. Good for our biking and fly-fishing pursuits in the wild west of US. I guess the bike goes in the back, on a regular (kuat) rack.
What do you guys think?
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Little update.
Done a bunch of work over the last several months. With the car totaled I had to make this my daily driver (I do commute on the bike). I spent some time getting a bunch of mechanical stuff done, and living improvements. A few short trips to see how I like things and then this past weekend the GF and I did a 4 day trip out of state. Still work to do, but working out great now.
As of now I have a permanent bed, my bouldering crash pad is my mattress. I can comfortably fit two bikes under the bed. I have solar and a nice house battery. With the built in storage and the fridge I can pack enough food to be off grid for a week for two people without even stretching it (we ate out twice this trip as a treat), but water is an issue when it is 100 out.
Big 7.3 fires right up even in the “cold” (lowest it got after repairs was 40) now and gets 17 MPH on the highway at 60 MPH. I limit my speed because the handling isn’t great (more work to be done there) at high speed and the gas mileage is nice, I am rarely in a hurry and find slow driving to be less stressful. I have a stereo now too, which is nice.
In the planning stages now is better ventilation without using the built in system (the fan burns 10 amps!), water tank, sink, more permanent stovetop, and other electrical improvements (wiring up the scene lights for camp lighting, using some of the emergency lights as supplemental turn/brake lights). More suspension repairs. But if I were to call it quits right here, I would be okay with it. It works as needed.
Local trip for an MTB race:
After finishing Zen trail in St George:
Replacing glow plugs was “fun”:
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I think it is great.
But I personally would not buy something like that until I am forced into it. I am trying to stay away from modern vehicles as long as possible. Only exception that I am considering (but not likely to buy) is a new Miata. But I am still probably going to just go with an NA model.
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Nice! Our Transit is delayed delayed delayed. Ford can’t get computer chips to build the van.
Or in the hood space since there is no engine!
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I am a big fan of BEVs and was pretty hesitant to go back to fossil fuel, after having gone full electric 4 years ago.
For my van though, I am going across Europe, long distances, not always amazing charging infrastructure (especially not at the destination), and also availability of BEVs in this class is a problem.
I gotta say as a European, I never understood why Americans go crazy for Trucks. The added off-road capability (although my Van is good on that front), comes at the hefty cost of not being able to stand in the vehicle, no proper roof when working on stuff in the rain, and “having to sleep in a tent”.
Maybe someone can explain to me why the Truck is favored over the van in America (with virtually zero trucks in Europe).
It’s a cultural thing. It started for practical reasons with agriculture, now it’s more of a symbol, like any other type of vehicle. Here’s a good write up.
"Though pickups continue to have some practical applications in theory, in practice, a great number of them serve their owners primarily as “lifestyle vehicles” or some might even say “lifestyle statements.” Indeed, for a sizable contingent of Americans, the pickup truck has emerged as a means of establishing their ties to a distinctly blue-collar identity in the course of flaunting their bourgeois prosperity’
I don’t think the Van vs Pickup truck is a good dichotomy, for me the pickup truck (electric) also satisfies the requirement for a daily driver. The van is too dedicated. I already have 3 cars in my house, I don’t want a 4th one that I only will use occasionally.
Also, there’s nothing in Europe the resembles the vastness of the American West. You guys have a lovely civilized country side. I think you want something a little more robust. I’m not opposed to the Van idea, but I don’t think there’s an electric one yet.
Cheers
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The 4x4 pick-up is great in certain parts of the USA. I had a an extended cab 4x4 Tacoma (4 cyl RE motor) for 20 years. Great in snow, great off road (did white rim 4 times as support vehicle) and with a camper shell, plenty of room for bikes and gear.
But… a van is better from a space perspective. The new pick-ups have given up bed space for 4-6 person “crew cabs”. That’s a poor trade for “van life” use IMO. If someone makes an electric Tacoma size truck with an ex-cab instead of a crew cab I’m interested.
Its a shame nobody makes an AWD small van. A transit connect with 18" wheels, some ground clearance and a bit larger would be perfect for van weekends. vs van life.
Euro vs USA Same reason we have small SUVs instead of the much more practical AWD Station Wagon.
On Edit - Or an electric Honda Element (we have one (gas obviously) - love it - won’t last forever)
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The Honda Element sorta fits your request. They are so hard to find right now though in decent shape and without 250K miles! Been looking for a year and anything that is a good find is gone in a day.
Element + hitch rack + potential roof top tent is the ideal setup. Dogs can hang in the Element while out on a ride and sleep there along with a small-ish kitchen/setup.
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