Water is just as important as electricity in a van build. Not only will we need a source of water to cook with and drink from, but we'll also need water to clean (dishes and ourselves) as well as a proper catchment.
In this article, I'll introduce you to our water system and show you how we built our custom DIY shower pan with easily accessible materials. In an upcoming post, I'll show you how we modified an electrical water heater to run on our battery.
We didn't get a chance to talk about this in our video, but we wanted to raise awareness about Black Lives Matter. Being privileged Canadians, we thought that this wouldn't affect us, but as we unearthed more evidence on systemic racism, we couldn't ignore it any longer.
What you don't see behind the camera is that our differences in comprehending what "Black Lives Matter" means to each of us caused a huge rift in our relationship. We heatedly discussed what white privilege meant, racist acts we had both faced, biases we both have, and how we can be better.
We encourage interracial couples (and generally, all couples) to explore these topics, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you feel, because you're at a special advantage where you can see a broader perspective as two.
Anyway. What a HUGE month for us! We knocked so many things off our list and crossed some major milestones, including installing our skylight, putting up our first wall, and framing the layout. We also take Cubert out for his first mini local trip, hit up Home Depot, and cut our butcher blocks! The whole build is coming together, slowly but surely, and we're so grateful that we have this project to keep us sane during the lockdown.
Every camper build has to answer this question: How do we keep perishable foods fresh?
Our solution: A modified sleek black mini fridge.
We settled on a full fridge unit (Amazon has it for CA$400, but we found ours refurbished at Factory Direct), rather than one with a freezer. There's nothing worse than unexpectedly mushy ice cream, so we opted for more fridge space instead.
Before making our decision, we debated the following options.
just eat food that doesn't go bad — instant noodles!
use a cooler and top it up with ice every so often
use a cooler that runs off your car
use a fridge that runs off propane
use a fridge that runs off your car
For short-term camping, the first three are viable options. In the RV world, you're likely to have a propane fridge or a fridge that can run on a 12 V system. Unfortunately, these fridges are insanely expensive at over CA$1,200 for the same space as a mini fridge at CA$170!
Is there a better AND cheaper way?
In this post, I'll cover the solution I came up with, which was combining an inverter, start capacitor, and your typical, dorm-style mini fridge into the perfect, camper van fridge on a budget.
This post will be more technical than usual, so hopefully I don't lose you on the way. If you're here for the TL;DR, click here.
Nothing is more nerve wracking than CUTTING A HOLE IN YOUR CAR. But we did it, and we messed up. Luckily, it wasn't too hard of a mistake to fix. Worse was when we had to rip up our sub-floors and redo the entire thing.
During this episode, we cover our design of the build and why we've settled on the current layout. We get our CA$2,700 Eberspächer heater to work and install our Fantastic Fan. The solar panels are mounted on the roof rack and we install, rip up, then re-install the sub-floors (spacers, insulation, plywood). PLEASE, learn from our mistakes.
We hope this video offers you a mini-escape into our camper-building lives. Perhaps we'll inspire you to join the tribe and do the same!
First, a quick HAPPY announcement. We sold the arrow! These things go for a fortune and we banked $900 on our 2016 model. /fistpump.
April and early May were all about framing:
alcove was extended
kitchen counters
shower stall
dinette
And of course, we'll give you an update on our finances as at the end of April.
This was the state of the box before we finished the pine paneling and dinette frame. You'll see the stack of pine panels cut to length sitting on our makeshift workbench/kitchen counter.
We rewind back to the beginning to show you the events leading up to the BIG DECISION to buy the truck and the clean-up that ensued.
We tore out all the walls and furniture, uncovered some leaks, rust, and mycelium, and removed the arrow. Then, we take a quick trip to the dump to chuck everything out. Except the arrow—that is up for sale if you know anyone who needs one!
All of this took place pre-lockdown. We hope this video puts a smile on your face. Take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. We're all in this together. Better days will come.
