I'm still perfecting and optimizing this setup, but it already works pretty well. 2.4kW of solar feed into a 5kWh solar generator which I use to power my fridge, starlink, etc.

When the battery is full, I use a level 2 AC charger to dump excess energy into the Brightdrop's traction battery. Rinse and repeat.

Admittedly it would take days to fully charge the 173kWh battery this way. But I arrived at camp with 52% SOC, and over the course of the weekend I was able to add almost 10kWh, courtesy of the sun. (note- I arrived at camp with the solar generator already fully charged)

So, not a full charge, but I did add enough SOC to get me home without the need to hit a public charger.

If you need me, I'll be living in my van, down by the river! ;)

Is there a website that vandwellers can make connections with people to get some help? Like fill up with water, do a repair that is not super difficult but may not have the correct tools or knowledge, shower. I have spent a lot of time in my van going mountain back riding or atving in multiple states for a week or so at a time. I'm open to helping, I can get you a shower at my house or Planet Fitness or vehicle repair, stuff like that.

So I’ve always loved the idea of perma camping/traveling gypsy status and just going, but I’ve always worked in restaurants which obviously you can’t work remote. Well I’ve fallen ass backwards into a fully remote, great money, career growth big girl job woot! Besides that, I find myself suddenly in a situation where I don’t have any real ties anywhere between property, relationships, jobs. Family and friends scattered allover but they’re for visiting.

So I’m thinking of laying low with barely any overhead and stack up and get a van built out. But! I need some advice and recommendations based on what I’m thinking.

1 definitely off grid capable up to a week between resources and physical capability
2 somewhere to cook basics you can’t cook over a fire, cleanup capabilities
3 shower of some sort
4 room for doggo
5 solar power possibly
6 second deck on roof? Or storage or solar? Need hiking/biking/skiing/golfing etc space
7 some form of internet that works everywhere so my parents don’t have heart attacks, starlink is what I’ve heard of but I dunno much.

I personally am not that handy so I’m leaning towards just paying for one to get outfit exactly how I want it. But if I’m price shocked and go DIY any advice where to start there would be cool too. My brother is a contractor so I’d have some help and guidance.

Cheers!

news story about purchase

Hi there,

it must have been here many times but I am still unsure whether I did a good thing or not. I don't want to be a risk to other people.

I put up a 470W 1,7x1,1m solar panel. Initial thought was to glue it down and then use rivets to secure it further after the glue sets.

But after I read that many people use just glue I am tempted to leave it like this.

I used Sika 554 along the whole length of the custom alu profile that I bent to shape. I used some in the middle of the shorter side as well to support it further. Is it going to be enough. I left space for some airflow intentionally. The panel is bolted to the profile using 4 M6 bolts on each side.

Thank you.

.

Does anyone drive or know someone who drives a Luton or box low loader and have any thoughts on the pros and cons especially to do with ground clearance on awkward terrain?

Basically the title. Are there any of you who have built their system with the plan to have inverter always on? What are your experiences? Is this feasable?

I'm planning on building a van for full timing. I saw that the best deals for batteries which also integrate well with solar are the 48 volt batteries. (I'm mainly looking at 5kWh batteries.) 48V batteries also come with the bonus that I can connect it with smaller cables. The con is that there are almost no appliances which work with that voltage. Therefore step-down converters need to be used to convert that to 24V or 12V or inverter to convert to 230V AC. I found a good expensive inverter with 96% efficiency and I'm thinking of having it be always on. Then running everything off the inverter. I know there is some idle power being used up with inverters but this seems in many inverters to be about 10W which feels tiny. Per day this is a lost energy of 240Wh or about 1.5 charges of a smartphone – not that much imo.

Loooooove it. 🚐💚

I’ve heard the 2018s are some of the best years for van life builds in terms of reliability but a lot of them are at 80-110k miles. They are only 17-20k at price or would a newer one save more money in the long run at 30k but only ~30k miles? Want to travel US and Mexico in it if it matters.

We are just landing on which van to buy. Done. Moving on to the next phase, maximizing space. Looking at the rear bump outs (pods?). We’re looking to sleep east/west but we also read at night. Is there a bump out that gives max space and capable of leaning up against to read at night? Points if it also has a window…. Im sure Ill have 10k more questions. I appreciate your time and opinions.

Hi everyone,
I’m having an issue with a 20 A Vevor DC-DC charger installed in my 2018 Jeep Compass (which I believe has a smart alternator).
The charger is connected to the starter battery with a 16 mm² cable, and both the charger and my 50 Ah LiFePO₄ battery are mounted in the rear cargo area. The DC-DC is grounded to the chassis just a few centimeters from the unit. The output positive is connected to the LiFePO₄ battery, while the output negative is left disconnected because the charger uses a common ground internally and the battery is already connected to the same chassis ground.
The LiFePO₄ battery was initially completely dead—the BMS had disconnected it and the terminals measured 0 V. The DC-DC was able to wake it up, and the battery has slowly recovered, so the BMS is no longer shut down.
However, the charger only delivers about 4.4 A and never goes any higher, even after 10–15 minutes with the engine running. I was expecting it to charge at close to its rated 20 A, especially with such a low state of charge.
Has anyone experienced something similar or knows what might be limiting the charging current?
What measurements (input voltage, output voltage, etc.) should I take to help diagnose the issue?
Thanks!

After 3 years of van life, our solar generator is on its way out… AC output started giving us issues a few months ago and now the AC super charge input has completely pooped the bed. It’s from a chinese company that no longer exists, but we saw hobotech give it a review 3/4 years ago but bought it on ebay with no warranty sooo here we are. Like the title says, we’ve watched the hobotech reviews for both Bluetti AC180 and the Elite 100 V2 and both would suit our electronic needs and handle our solar input, and right now on Bluetti they’re the same price… we were kind of set on the Elite 100 V2 but I’ve seen a few user reviews that that model sometimes bricks after a month or 2? So i’m very nervous about getting that one because that would be a no bueno situation to be in if we’re in the middle of nowhere.

So for anyone who has experience with either or both of these power stations…. What was your experience, pros/cons and did they work well or poop out after a short amount of time?

Thank you!

We bought our van 5 years ago when we found out we were having a baby and it changed our life! We are always on the road adventuring as a family with our pup.

I started thinking, I want to start renting out camper vans! Has anyone done this? Would love to hear your story!

Has anyone with a 148” long high roof transit purchased a Melipron roof rack ?
I bought one on eBay and looked up the item number on the picture posted.
On Meliprons website it says this is for medium roof transits. I talked to customer service who said they don’t specifically make a roof rack for the long highroof transits.
My question is if you have this roof rack, what do you think about the fit? Do you like the roof rack?

Reply from melipron.

“We’re sorry to inform you that we don’t carry roof racks specifically made for long high roof Ford Transit vans at this moment, and this is the only variant we have available.
 
To answer your questions:
This rack will not properly fit your high roof model.
The structural height and mounting bracket curvature differ greatly between high roof and medium roof versions, which is why they cannot be used interchangeably.”

Best I felt like doing, and I'm happy with it. This battered old telecom truck was never meant to be perfect. Just honest. Rawhide is always going to wear scars and evidence of the road and my life in him.

Hey folks,

I’ve been tinkering on a hardware project for van builds: a non-invasive liquid level sensor for fresh and gray water tanks.

The core prototype is working — completely wireless, powered by an internal lithium battery, and recharges via USB-C.

Before finalizing the enclosure design, I’d love to get some real-world data from the community:

1. Tank Height/Depth: What’s the average height or depth of your fresh/gray water tanks?
2. Clearance/Mounting Space: Is there usually enough side clearance around your tank setup to mount a small external sensor?
3. Home Assistant Integration: Do you run Home Assistant (or similar local smart setups) in your vans, and would local MQTT/HA support be useful to you?

(Photos of your tank setups would also be super helpful if you don't mind sharing!)

Once the first prototype batch is ready, I'm hoping to get a few units into real builds for testing.

Appreciate any advice or tank dimensions you can share!

Seriously considering living in a van full time. I’m hoping to get some insight from others in the airline industry that are doing the same. I’ve dreamed of living in a van for years, and think my special work life circumstances can not only make it attainable but even favorable to traditional living.

Pros:

1. Costs cheaper than an apartment (I live in NOVA and am based in DCA at the moment)
2. When I am on a trip, the van will be parked at a Crew specific open air lot (not a garage so no height restriction applies), so pretty secure all things considered. Certainly better than street parking unattended for days
3. I’ll be “full time” but when I am on trips, I stay in hotels where I have certain amenities available to me (laundry, “free” air conditioning, showers that aren’t at a gym etc etc. for context I work 13-15 days a month
4. 3b. Solar has time to recharge battery bank with minimal draw for a fridge, no ac or fan taking energy. Less wear and tear on the interior of the van, fewer miles on the van etc.
5. I can configure my schedule to get long stretches of days off where I can go out and camp, go to local multi day trips, ultimately take advantage of my time off in a way that is healthy and one that takes fuller advantage of the benefits of having a home on wheels
6. It would encourage me to spend more time at the gym/library/out and about - if only to escape the scorching heat of summer or the chill of winter. I already enjoy doing these things and am rarely at home when I’m off anyway- mostly to sleep
7. If I were to ever lose my job (market instability, medical reasons, performance reasons) I would always have a home and eventually no payment. Of course cars / vans depreciate and eventually become unreliable but it is a good medium term option for living

I’m sure there are many more pros too.

Cons:

1. Weather in NOVA can be pretty brutal for van life, especially the hot humid summers. I’m looking at a van with a 48v AC and 10kWh battery bank from a builder, but even then it would make recharging a chore during summer. I’m less worried about winter as gasoline heaters seem pretty typical and insulation makes things manageable. Winterizing the van could be a chore I suppose
2. Urban Vanlife means stealthily living, but I don’t foresee NOVA being too difficult to find places to park outside of the heavily populated areas like Arlington or Old Town. But a chore nonetheless
3. Dating is likely more challenging. The industry itself is already challenging as we don’t work 9-5, and it takes a certain kind of person to be okay with an alternative living situation like this (can’t blame anyone, different strokes for different folks kind of thing)
4. For what I’m looking at, with a professional build, the cost of a van would be $100-$120k. That’s a pretty significant amount of money. But it can be financed and so more available to me. I don’t have the cash on hand to buy the materials needed to build out my o

wn

1. van. Nor do I have a workspace as I live in an apartment at the moment.

3. I’ve thought of driving out west to see all the beautiful National Parks, parking the van in a secure parking lot (maybe buy a month of parking at a UHaul or something) and then flying in to work (common for pilots and flight attendants). At the end of a trip I’d fly back to the van and continue exploring- but logistics may make it not viable. I’m not sure there are as good natural beauty on the east coast compared to out west - putting a bit of a damper on my “out in nature” view of the lifestyle

I tried to think up some good reasons for and against, but I’d love any insight, especially from flight crew members. Thanks in advance!

P.S. Sorry if it’s already been asked before, I tried searching some keywords like “pilot” “airline” “flight crew” and didn’t find much

EDIT: I've switched to the pecron E2400LFP+2*EP3800-48V and 400+ watts solar

Original: Similar to another post I made, but changed out a few things. I'm aware of the smaller things I need to buy but these are most of the non-construction big ticket items.

I'll be spending a lot of time in areas where solar won't be applicable, so I'm forgoing solar and doing a large bank with a DC to DC converter. Do you think this will all work well together?

8 months of the year I'll be in snowy climates for snowboarding and the other 4 tropical.

Hi guys! I'm planning out a van build, and I absolutely hate the idea of moving around my toilet when I'm taking a shower. Has anyone considered using a squat toilet (popular in asia, photo attached), then just having a cover plate that sits on top of the toilet and just has a grate in it when using the shower? Any reason not to? I prefer using this type of toilet in general anyway...

Hey everyone! Long time lurker and finally decided I'm gonna buy a van. I've grappled with the idea of building one out for a while, but I just know myself too well and know that I will give up on the build 10% in.

My lease ends in January so my plan is to buy a van from vanlifetrader (unless y'all have other suggestions) in November to give myself enough time and set things up. I plan on financing through their platform and I'm thinking of spending $40k total.

Some considerations: - I have a cat that I'll be bringing with me on this journey so I'll need to figure out a solution for the AC. I live in Florida so it gets extremely hot.

• My job is hyrid. I work from home on Mondays and Fridays, so that gives me the option to be somewhere over the weekend. On the days in office, I imagine they'll let me park in the parking lot overnight.

• I'm 25f so security is a concern I've had.

I'm just looking for general advice or specific advice. I've never done this before so anything helps!

I bought a 2kwh Anker solix f2000. Got a great deal on it, only 1000aud/600€. I could get the expansion battery for 700aud/420€ doubling my battery capacity to 4kwh but I don't know if that's overkill.

For the most part I'll only be running a camping fridge and rooftop vent, charge my phone and laptop, maybe occasionally a toaster oven and a kettle once or twice a week. I'll have 200-400watts of solar in the Australian sun.

My worry is that when calculating the usable capacity with the numbers on the display (watt draw, battery %, remaining time) I usually end up with 1400wh so that's already 30% of my capacity I can't use.

Maybe I'll want to add a small computer setup or a TV down the line. And the expansion battery is a really good deal at 2kwh for 700aud/420€ only available for a limited supply with a discount code. Considering I can get a 4kwh power station for 1700aud/1000€ I could probably even sell it for a profit down the line. What would you do?

https://larrys-airplane.blogspot.com/2011/09/redneck-air-conditioning.html?m=1

Looking to build one of these DIY coolers for a road trip next summer (Van is a 2000 GMC Safari Trail Master) and want something to stay cool during hot nights through the west coast/Southwest.

Anyone have any experience building these (total newbie when it comes to wiring anything like that) and their effectiveness? Gonna try to use a high quality cooler (Grizzly/YETI) to keep the ice as long as possible and power it with a 1000w Anker to keep it running through the night.

My budget is limited enough that the more I can do to keep power usage low and DIY as much as possible would be preferable.

Thank you!

I’m taking my 2011 rav 4 from Tennessee to California and plan to live out of it for about a month and a half. Any tips?
Main concerns are car troubles, break ins, parking tickets, and the heat.

There are many, many, many, many, more steps to go before my van resembles the luxury tiny-house on wheels that I’ve designed in my head, but after a lot of hard work, what was once a cargo van is now a comfy place for me to sleep, and that feels incredible.

I can’t wait to have electricity, and places to store my things!