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Arplis - News: How to Keep it Simple with Your Camper Van Conversion

If you have dreams of traveling and camping in a photoshoot-worthy campervan, youre not alone. Lots of people are inspired by the beautiful campervan conversions they see on social media. But do you really need your camper to look like something out of a catalogue? Or do you simply want to live and camp comfortably while traveling?

The reality of converting a van into a campervan is that everything you add has the potential to create more work and more issues when youre on the roadnot to mention the upfront time and money youll need to install every fancy feature you find on Pinterest.

When I bought my GMC Vandura and started living in it part-time, simplicity was my focus. I wanted to seriously downsize my life, so I didnt want to fill my van with too many extras.

The Key to a Successful Campervan Conversion? Keep it Simple.

The van life movement is rooted in minimalism. The VW van-dwellers of the 60s didnt have Pinterest to source ideas from. They lived and camped in their camper vans as a way to escape the confines of too many possessions. And the recent resurgence of van-love, now replete with a hashtag (#vanlife), grew in tandem with the tiny house obsession, along with the idea that less is more. People wanted to reinvent the American Dream, without expensive mortgages and working their lives away to pay the bills. They wanted to get outside more. Mobile living (including tiny homes, vans, RVs etc.) offered a simpler version of comfort, along with mobility, freedom, and low-cost living.

Kelly S. is keeping it simple with her 2002 Chevrolet Express camper van conversion.

But as this alternative lifestyle has turned into mainstream clickbait, the minimalism is sometimes overshadowed by expensive Sprinter van build-outs and elaborate rigs.

Now, dont get me wrong. I love a gorgeously curated interior. I bet you do, too. But the reality is I dont have the budget or the time for all the bells and whistles. And when Im sleeping at campgrounds, I really dont need them. If youre looking to turn your van into a camper van, you might not be interested in the fancy build-outs either.

Whether youre parking at campgrounds or boondocking, you dont have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in converting a van into a camper van.

Lets break down the things you do need in your simple camper van conversion

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Camp fire in the woods

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Two Girls One Van

(@two_girls_one_van) on May 30, 2018 at 3:29pm PDT

5 Things to Focus on for a Simpler Campervan Conversion

I spoke to some fellow vanlifers some of them live in their vans full-time, others camp in their vans on weekends to round out my own advice on what you need for a simple van conversion.

M own camper van conversion is a 1986 GMC Vandura. Its old and creaky and slightly unreliable, but (most of the time) I love it, and its perfect for camping.

A Bed

The bed is the foundational difference between a van and a campervan. (Related: once you have a bed in your van, its officially an RV, according to AAA, and youll need their RV coverage if you ever want a tow. I discovered that on the side of the highway in Seattle.)

Ive seen vans with the backseats removed and a mattress thrown in. Ive even seen a hammock strung up inside of a van, which can be easily removed to maximize living space when youre not sleeping.

My van came with a bed that folds into itself to create a bench seat. Its similar to this one, built by @gnomad_home:

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Everyone has been asking us how our couch to bed situation works in our #van! So we decided to make this little #timelapse video for you all to see! Thanks for all the questions and compliments so far, and feel free to keep 'em coming!!

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John

Nymeria

Delilah (@gnomad_home) on Mar 5, 2017 at 12:43pm PST

But I keep mine out like a bed all the time, and find the bed works fine for sitting and occasionally working on my laptop. If I did a camper van conversion myself, I wouldnt bother with the fold-up feature.

The vanlifers behind Two Wandering Soles built a super simple platform bed in the back of their Chevy, and they offer detailed instructions on how to make your own.

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The sleeping area! A custom cut (bigger than) king sized mattress! It fills the back of the Doka and creates a HUGE bed!

>>>

@Vanlifeing_com >>> #ThisisVanlifeing Captured by@vwdoka

A post shared by Vanlife Calendar 2020

(@camper.lifestyle) on Jun 21, 2018 at 12:11pm PDT

When it comes to bedding, Im a big fan of an excessive number of pillows. And Im kind of in love with my Pendleton wool blanket. But now that the weather is warming up, its much too hot. I love the concept of the Rumpl blanket its made out of sleeping bag material which stays nice and cool, but also keeps you warm. Plus, my dogs hair wont stick to it, like it does with the wool blanket. I dont have one yet, but its on my list for summertime van camping.

Power + Light

Theres something special about being in the van at night. I drove miles up into the coastal mountains of Oregon to reach Horse Creek Campground on my first van camping trip. The dark tunnel of dirt road was eery, as I drove further and further away from civilization. But then I reached the nearly empty campground, turned on my collection of Christmas lights, strung around the vans ceiling, turned off the headlights, and felt right at home.

The thing is, if you want to do anything in your van at night, youre going to need light. Ive amassed more and more Christmas lights, which I plug in to The Lycan Powerbox from Renogy. If I want to read, I also turn on a little lantern I have hanging over the bed.

My lights, computer, and fan can all run at once from The Lycan Powerbox. So I have power for camping or working in a Starbucks parking lot (as Im doing, here).

I have a foldable lantern in the storage compartment over the drivers seat in my camper van conversion, so I can see to find my clothes. And a few smaller lights scattered around the van, so theres always one in arms reach when I climb in and need to see before I accidentally step in my dogs water bowl.

The UCO Gear Sitka Lantern is another appealing option. The extendable arm can give you light from above, which is especially handy when cooking or reading.

Im also a big fan of battery operated twinkle lights. Theyre not great for reading, but they give my van a cozy vibe for nighttime relaxation.

My dog, Jackson, likes the twinkle light vibe. He does not like it when I shine my headlamp in his face to take a photo.

Because you can never have enough options when it comes to your ability to see in the dark, I also keep a headlamp on hand. Ledlenser Headlampsare so much brighter than most headlamps Ive tried. Stick one behind your gallon of water for a makeshift lantern when its not on your head.

Fellow van camper Kelly S. also keeps it simple when it comes to lights:I didnt want to mess around with wiring a van, storing an extra battery, figuring out how to charge an extra battery, etc, so I have hooks on the ceiling for battery powered LED lanterns. This way, theyre portable too, and you can use them outside of the van!

Econoline-dweller Rachel loves her LED lights for keeping things simple, too: For lights I have an LED strip that plugs into USB and I just use those little backup phone batteries and switch them out and charge them through my lighter while Im driving.

Shelly S. is hooked on LUMINAID. I get the Cairn subscription box, which is how I received the initial run of this awesome little lantern and have been stuck to it ever since.

Water

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We recently upgraded our water tanks. We bought 3 taller tanks that fit in the same space as our 2 old tanks. We now have ~ 15 gallons of water which can last 1-2 weeks depending where we are and what we're doing. Great decision. #garageviews

A post shared by Megan Cable (@meganmcable) on Jun 7, 2018 at 2:49pm PDT

Rule number #1 with any type of camping: Bring more water than you think youll need. This isnt hard when youre van camping theres plenty of room! But you have a bunch of options when it comes to water storage.

Kelly S. shares how she sourced her best van ideas from traditional tent camping, including water.

For water I have a 7-gallon aquatainer. If you need drinking water? Theres a spout right there! Coupled with a tub on the floor underneath the split, you have a sink to wash your hands, too! Having it bungee corded in place for transport works great, and then if you want to spread out somewhere you stop, you can take it out!

Related Reading:

This Family is Building a Modern Camper Out of Free Materials Found on Craigslist

When it comes to water storage, you really cant beat the classic big blue jug. The Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon holds plenty of water for a summer weekend of water drinking, dish washing, and the occasional foot rinse after a barefoot stroll around the campground. Just make sure you have a way to secure it to the floor when youre bouncing down dirt roads.

As for showers, if your van is strictly for camping, then you can usually rely on campground bathrooms for bathing or simply embrace the dirt while youre out there.

If you want to get a little crafty, you can add a makeshift outdoor shower to the roof of your van with ABS piping and a hose.

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One afternoon last spring, we wandered into a Home Depot and stared up at the black ABS piping in the plumbing section. Keith figured there had to be some way to make a shower outta that stuff. Wed mount it to our @yakimaracks roof rack, the sun would warm it up, and gravity would send it down. And thats exactly what it does. Simple. Just like everything else we have goin on in this home of ours. We dont have a fridge, we have a cooler. We dont have LED lighting, we have an old string of Christmas lights. We dont have air conditioning, we have wet rags and a tiny tower fan we got for 9 bucks. We dont have a toilet, we havethe groundand Starbucks.. What Im saying is, you can install plumbing in your van if you want toyou can spend months on end googling every tutorial on earth if you want toyou can pay big money to build out the most well-equipped vehicle around if you want to We simply hope to serve as a reminder that you dont necessarily *have* to.

A post shared by Brianna Madia (@briannamadia) on Apr 3, 2018 at 7:50am PDT

Since I sometimes spend several weeks in my van, I wanted to have a place to wash my face and brush my teeth. I relied on disposable face wipes and gym bathrooms for the first few months. But then my friends at Wood Intimations built a gorgeous sink that is super simple and looks great and its been a game changer.

The pump faucet draws water from a 4 gallon jug beneath the sink, and gray water drains down into a hole in the van floor, so I dont have to empty anything.

It also provides some much needed counter space, and a little shelf for storing those tiny things that always get lost in the van, like the remote to my twinkle lights and my chapstick!

Organization

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TO ALL WEEKEND WARRIORS

. . #doit #doitagain #comfortzone . . #ontheroad #optoutside #wanderlust #nature #vwcalifornia #vankit #freedom #solitude #stayandwander #wilderness #rygg #vegan #croatia #roadtrip #issiontour #vanpuppy #explore #adventure #vaninterior #handmade #bagdesign #travel

A post shared by VANTALE (@van.tale) on Jun 8, 2018 at 8:31am PDT

Organization is so important for your sanity when living or camping in a camper van conversion. Even if youre a minimalist guru who wears one outfit and lives off protein bars, youre going to manage to collect more stuff than you think.

And if your lighting isnt great, its going to be even more difficult to find that stuff.

Staying organized will make you feel like you have a handle on the whole #vanlife thing. Organization can be as simple as a few plastic bins that can slide under your bed. Just make sure you know exactly what youre storing in each of them. (Clear storage containers are ideal so you can see whats in there when you inevitably forget.)

Shelly S. camps in her 4Runner. Its not a van, but the same concepts apply, she tells me. Organization is important for her, too. Mountainsmith has some nice storage cubes soft sided and stuffable. That being said, you can do about the same with those free cloth shopping totes, stored in either a cardboard box or a plastic bin.

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#HELP All right Vanlifers or Van designers or Anyone reallyI need your help! I have this space. All this space. Crazy right when you live in a van, usually it's the complete opposite. So.what the heck do I do with it!? I'd prefer not to put any more storage or I'll just fill it with crap (most of this stuff in the back is not mine). I don't need a pull-out kitchen or a place to store bikes, adventure gear. So other than turning it into a bedroom and renting it I'm at a miss.. Any suggestions???

A post shared by Sian Knox (@exmouth_vanlife) on Dec 22, 2017 at 9:07pm PST

Leah W. recommends as few belongings as possible for staying organized. My biggest recommendation is really paring things down to what you NEED. I had one set of basic utensils, one pot, plate, and bowl, a one burner stove, etc. A small toiletry bag, one duffel bag of summer clothing, one duffel bag of winter clothing. She agrees with Shelly about using bags for organization. While most people are fans of creating boxes for organization, we found that sturdy-ish bags worked best.

I went to the Container Store and bought a couple of soft containers with attached lids. Because the structure of the containers is fabric, theyre easy to stick into places where they barely fit, like the storage area above the driver and passenger seats of my GMC Vandura.

Hooks have also been a sanity saver for me in my sometimes not so organized camper van conversion. I keep a jacket and a couple of shirts that I dont want to be all wrinkly, hanging on a hook by the door. I always know where they are, and I can reach extra layers if I get cold at night. I also have a hook for my headlamp, because that is something that always gets lost.

When it comes to food storage, youll need to think about uninvited house visitors.

Store your food in closed containers or bins, advises Leah W. We started our trip with our food in an open crate, and quickly had mouse friends also enjoying our snacks.

Truck Bed Tents

Off Road Campers

The post How to Keep it Simple with Your Camper Van Conversion appeared first on The Dyrt Magazine.

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castawxayaway · 7 years

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a different route

this certainly went off on one, somewhere I didn’t expect but it has been one of those days but hey, you ask and I write cause I love it :)

thank you to the anon who requested dans girlfriend to be a famous journalist, I hope you enjoy.

oh and remember that I am not writing anymore after this sunday until July, as studies come first. so if you’ve got an ask then unless you want to wait til july ask away!

Collapsing into my chair I stare at the screen before opening a blank document. Picking up the hefty amount of papers I sort through them, finding the rough copy to base this article on.

"Oh I've got those pictures," My office neighbour pipes up, a tired smile on her face. "check your emails." Thanking her I opened them up, feeling my heart flutter as I admire him in yet another venue moving further and further away from me.

It's weird to think how just over three years ago we were strangers, I was jotting notes in secret behind the small venue they were performing at. Every single one of them was a sweetheart, but he went the extra mile. He offered me his friend’s number who worked in publishing, and here I am today. One of the most rewound journalists within our company alone.

My boss told me I had a set piece to write, that it had the potential to be something great, or an utter disaster. He sent me on tour with my boyfriend. The idea was to get inside the touring lifestyle, the real truth rather than the fantasies that fans or the press create. Having never been on a bus for more than an hour at most, it was certainly a month I won’t forget.

I jotted down too many notes to count on bits of paper, old programmes or unused posters. Now I sit here reminiscing it all, and trying my hardest to not check up on him via Will who is my reliant source whilst Dan is asleep on the bus. As I flick through the photos on my email I can’t help but feel my heart sink, the light in his eyes as he performs to the crowds and how I’d observe from backstage. How after the show he’d run down, still full of adrenaline and pick me up, spin me around and just laugh.

We’d all go for drinks, enjoy ourselves as we discovered new places in new cities and countries we’d never considered exploring. I bonded with the guys on a new level and took behind the scene photos of how the tour happens and the experience as someone who is not a groupie but technically a groupie.

Yet now I just stare at the blank document, unsure how to fathom a beginning. How can someone condense all of those memories and new found experiences into five thousand words or less? If you told me three years ago this is what I’d be doing I would’ve told you that I had a famous boyfriend or that pigs fly, funny how times change.

Glancing around everyone keeps their heads down to themselves, typing away or wandering around with resources and materials for the website or magazines. Sighing I lent back and forth, focusing on the squeaking of the chair as I went. Usually inspiration struck at any point, and it was known. On tour I was just having a chat to Woody by a lake when I paused and didn’t even blink, he thought I was having a stroke but that was the first insight I had to my article and something to write about.

I force my chair back, hearing the wheels scrape across the ground. Picking my laptop up along with my phone I wander by my bosses office, knocking and patiently waiting. “Hey Gary.” I call out as I peep my head through the door. A large smile plastered across his face as he motions for me to come inside.

“If it isn’t my famous little journalist.” He exclaims as I sit down in front of him, his eyes struggling to focus between me and his laptop. “So what can I help you with?” Resting his head in his hands he stares at me, that admiration in his eyes. Who’d of thought the nervous girl who was too afraid to leave her desk to go to the bathroom would be on a friendly basis with the man behind the business.

“I need to leave.” Not messing about I get straight to the point, usually at this point he’d lean back in his chair, not losing focus on my expression. “As in to get inspiration, you know how it is.” I shrug as he remains quiet, lifting his right eyebrow slightly he seems unconvinced. “What? It’s not like I’m off to go see Dan, we both know he is in America.” I can’t help but sigh when I think of it, how far away he is now.

“Do you know what you need to do?” I stayed quiet, still unsure whether he was intending it to be rhetorical or not. Rolling his chair in he began to type into his computer, “You need to work from home. Get inspiration from what is around you, where you’re surrounded by memories and not bland confined spaces.” He holds his hands out to his sides, waiting for a response.

“Sounds good to me.” Smiling we both stand up, he shakes my hand before dismissing me.

“Oh and one more thing,” He chimes as I hold onto the door handle, turning slowly to face him. “you are the writer, not the one to be written about.” Turning the monitor he displays multiple pictures of me with the band, pictures I didn’t know existed. “You’re on the rise girl, be careful.”

Closing the door behind me I pause, taking a deep breath before collecting my things. As I reach the lift I can hear laughter echo in the empty space, the time Dan insisted on visiting me at work, seeing how it all happens. He couldn’t stop trying to make me laugh as I wanted to focus, Gary made me conduct an interview meaning Dan got what he wanted in the end, to hear me laugh.

Even now as I turn my head to see my reflection I can picture his sweet smile, the daft grin he’d sometimes wear when we were in the discomfort of the bunks on the bus- never able to sleep in one without risking the other's life throughout the night. Pulling my phone out of my pocket I immediately see a flash of messages, different social media handles displayed with all forms of jargon drawing me in.

Shrugging it off I could feel a weight resting against my chest, the type that makes it difficult to breathe with ease. The doors open distracting me as I walk out and catch a cab back home, unable to ignore the weight on my chest as the driver exchanged few words with me. As he pulled up outside and I paid him I walked up the steps, finding each harder than the last as my phone began to burn in my pocket, leaving a scorch on my thigh.

Once I stood in my doorway I threw my bags onto the sofa, kicked my shoes off and pulled my phone out. As I scrolled through I saw an assortment of worrying words, my heart beat rising and my jaw tightening. ‘crash, accident, death, dead, pain, love, lost, her, writer, musician, friends’

Words that blur together like my vision as I blink rapidly, unable to stop the drastic shaking of my hands as I dialed the number, the one I can rely on when Dan sleeps. Each ring feels too long, too drawn out for it to be okay, for everyone to be perfectly alright. It doesn’t matter what time in the night, unless they’re performing, maybe that’s it. They’re just performing.

I continue to rationalise the thoughts as the ringing continues, eventually cutting itself off. “Will?” My voice trembles weakly, I hear a groan and too much noise behind him. “Will what’s happening? Is everyone alright? What is going on?” Too many questions fire out of my mouth before my brain can comprehend them.

A long drawn out sigh follows on his end, he mutters my name with too much sorrow. With every blink a different memory flashes by, a screenshot in my mind of us on tour, seeing new sights and saying how we’d go back someday, someday. “Some idiot. Crashed into the bus.” He groans, barely a broken whisper down the eerily silent line. I hold my breath, not wanting to risk mishearing him. “Dan was asleep. We got off to just stretch out.”

My body begins to shut down, the fear rising in my throat burning my insides. “Are you okay?” I blink rapidly, unsure how else to react. I can’t bring myself to ask the question, the one I am too afraid to face.

Another mutter of my name, this time more sincere but still too much emotion. “We are fine, few cuts and bruises but Dan is-”

“And the bus can it be fixed or replaced? Oh all of your instruments must be wrecked.” Distracting my own thoughts and despite him being thousands of miles away I can sense him knowing, the look he is wearing with scrunched brows, hiding his gaze.

“Please just, I need to tell you.” All emotion was gone from his voice.

Staring straight ahead at the framed picture of the two of us a matter of months ago I stopped blinking, everything gone. “You don’t need to say what is already known.” I mutter before pulling the phone away from my ear, hanging up.

Walking over to my laptop I open it up, forcefully wiping away tears as I continue to smile as I watch the videos, admire the photos of the past month. How can someone fathom five thousand words to describe the pain they feel knowing they can never see the only person they truly love again? They can’t, as not even a single word can justify that sort of pain.

#funny how sick of losing soulmates plays as i finish this haha #idk #weird moods get to this #it was pretty sad at the end though #channelling the past there #eh #dan smith #dan smith imagines #dan smith imagine #bastille dan #bastille imagines #preferences #imagines #imagine #bastille imagine #dan smith x reader #enjoy ??#ask #send requests

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