Meet my camper van

If you have read anything about me at all, you know I have a huge passion for travel. Also, you may have read about how this little small business’ studio was originally in a camper trailer. So I am no stranger to crazy ideas! I recently started researching camper vans as an alternative method to exploring and visiting family. I’ve also always wanted to live in a tiny home but have no clue how I’d like life on the road. Vanlife also seemed kinda interesting and I was curious about all the people that make it work. I didn’t know if I had the guts.

Vans are generally really expensive if you buy one pre-finished, something I knew I wanted since I’d already gone through the labor of renovating my studio trailer. With the price tag and the hesitation or not liking it, I had settled on testing out a camper van on a trip out west with my mom.

Then one Sunday morning, this little one popped up on Craigslist. The van was a great deal – nearly as expensive as testing one out on a short trip our west. And the bulk of the renovating work had been done already, so I took the plunge and bought a camper van.

The van is a 1999 Ford E 150. Here are the picture from the posting the day I got it. You can see there was already some nice cabinetry, a twin bed platform and plenty of storage space. There was also new tires, a working solar unit and some other goodies. I don’t expect this van to last me forever, but I am hopeful it gives me an idea of if I can save up for another, or if it’s just a small experiment to try out for a little while.

I put into fixing a few things right away, focusing on privacy, safety, and style. The only additional items I purchased (besides the van itself) were custom insulated window covers, a new sleeping bag and a cooler (because surprisingly, I didn’t have one!). I also had to buy some wood to fix the door panels. The last ones were pretty gross and falling off. My dad helped me measure, cut, sand and install the new birchwood ones.

For everything else in the van, I recycled things in my house or used old supplies. I white washed some of the raw wood using leftover paint from my house bathrooms. I spray painted plastic window panels that had gotten sun bleached.

My mom helped me sew a cover for the emergency toilet, a sun shade (to use off the back when the doors are open), and curtains to separate the living space from the driving area. The grey triangle pattern was an old shower curtain I had laying around. The pillows were no longer being used in my living room ever since I got a smaller couch.

The mattress, I cut up myself from the old memory foam one in my bedroom. I sewed covers for all the storage areas so no one could peak inside using gessoed canvas I had in the studio. The covers attach with velcro and are easy to lift up and access what is inside.

The other storage containers came from my old trailer studio and I used a climbing hold keychain to make a knob for the one cabinet in the van. Some of the hanging nets were free online and I am finishing detachable shelves for the back doors using locker shelves I had all through high school.

I must say, a fresh coat of paint and some elbow grease did wonders. My favorite part of the van are two S-hooks my dad helped me put up in-between the side doors so I could have a seat and swing. I already had the hammock itself and made it shorter simply by tying two knots.

The van is named Mithril. The word is from J.R.R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. It combines "grey” and “glitter” together (in an elfish language) and is an armor made by dwarfs and worn by few. According to the books, “it shone like moonlit silver, and was studded with white gems.” The silvery paint of the van really picked the name for me. I created a vinyl sticker for the back and added an illustration modeled from the maps in the novels.

Mithril is ready for his first adventure now. The real question is, am I?