New Van

Let me start by saying, Van #1 was great. I bought my Ford Econoline at the start of the pandemic and it certainly paid for itself in use the last two years of use driving around the country while working. So, when I saw this Ram Promaster listed on Craiglist, I was on the fence with getting a new one.

Since the other one had done everything I really needed, it was a tough decision. But knowing I wanted to bring others along the road, not to mention stand up, it felt like a good time to take the plunge with a new rig. So here is a little tour of my new van home after I added all my touches to it. We can start with a look from the sliding door into the sink & shower area.

Stepping to the back of the van, you can see a photo with both table & bed mode. There is actually a lot less space UNDER the bed than in my last van because I have a giant water tank and huge battery pack that powers everything from the solar on top.

I kept my hammock from my last van and made sure to find a home for it in this one. I hooked up the same S hooks to the roof and can comfortably sit and hang off the back of the van.

This is looking into the van from the sliding door towards the back while I have the table up. All of the wood fro the top of the sink and table is really nice butchers block.

Making the bed takes a bit of work but ins’t too hard. I have found that I keep it in bed mode more often than not however.

To set it up, I first lower the table and move the cushions from the backs of the benches to fill in the gap. I got a three inch foam mattress topper that can roll up into the shower to go on top of those so it is extra comfortable for sleeping.

Then I add the sheets & pillows and am done! The set up/tear down from the table to the bed only takes about seven minutes.

Here is that same shot before from the sliding door, but the bed fully made. I love being able to stand up and get ready instead of laying down to do nearly everything like my last van.

I added the shelves to the tall cabinet to store some of my food & toiletries. I keep my hot water heater, snacks, breakfest bars, and protein shake mix on the top shelf.

Under that I have an empty space where my work computer & electronics normally hang out. I also put my sketchbook here with a few art supplies.

The next area down I keep all toiletries, makeup, sun screen and medicine. I added a mirror here and when the doors are open to the cabinets, it works as a little privacy divider halfway through the van.

This cabinet also has the hot water heater for the shower in the bottom. And under the two doors is where the cooler fridge is stored. It slides out on the floor and the lid lifts up keeping everything nice and chilled.

Clearly one or the biggest differences between my last van and this one is the full shower. I’m going to be honest and say I wasn’t sold on having one inside the van. I prefer to take them outside or elsewhere, but since this van build was done, I leaned into it.

I installed hooks on the back wall of the shower where I keep jackets and dry clothes, and store my toilet in the bottom. I found a quick drying mat and bamboo standing pad that helps keep it clean. If I do need to roll up my mattress, it fits nicely inside of this space. I try to keep the door shut most of the time to keep the van looking tidy.

Across from the shower and the cabinets is the sink. What I love is that I can rotate the sink head outside of the shower to wash off before getting into the van. I built the wood cutting board lid for the sink and keep my quick access kitchen items inside there. Under the sink, I store my cooking gear, cleaning supplies, soda stream and my trash can.

Along the right side of the sink are all the buttons to turn on and off the lights, fan in the roof, water pump and fridge. Just under the bench right there is the battery pack that is hooked up to the solar on the roof.

Here’s one of my favorite parts about the van (and part of the reason I leave in in bed mode over table mode). On the other side of the sink (opposite of the electronic switches) there is a piece of butcher block that folds up to make a desk with the swivel passenger chair. I could sit here and work all day. This folding desk is also really useful for cooking or creating a boundary with the outside world.

Finally here are a lot of little details I added to the van to customize it. I started by sewing all the black out curtains to size and used the leftover trim for the back window.

I found these super strong magnets that I use not only to hang that curtain between the front and the back of the van, but to move things around along the screws on the wall and the metal doors.

I recycled ikea cups from high school in the plastic areas near the back doors for storage and added the metal basket from my last van above the sink and in the shower. I also added a magnetic board under the sink that rotates so water doesn’t splash RIGHT on the wood.

For some personalty, I sewed a canvas and had a friend paint me a mountain scene to hang from across the back widow. Above it, I added some little wool pom poms for joy.

The van has very few “personal” details, but I tried to include things that made it feel more like home for me. I like how clean and bright it is and wanted to maintain that feeling regardless of what I added inside.

Hope you enjoyed a tour of my new van! It’s already enjoyed some time on the road, but I am planning a lot more trips in it this upcoming year. If you see me out there, say hello.