Who Needs a Hotel?!?!

[laserjock]

I like the pool noodle idea on the bucket rim. We have used something like this.

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Works okay but getting down on a 5 gallon bucket sitting on the ground is not as easy as it used to be. We graduated to a 4" riser under the bucket to make it comfortable to sit on.

 

[79jasper]

There's also ones that go into the receiver hitch.

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[mbolton1990]

This thread reminds me why I bought a van again,haha.

Love threads like this! Thanks for sharing

 

[jayro88]

Ummmm... I only count two beds? Might need to ad bunks on one side

For washroom facilities google "bumper dumper"

I will also be removing one of the middle row captains chairs to give open floor space. I get a bed along with one of the boys, the other one sprawls out on the floor in the area behind the drivers area.

inspiring!
another thing you may wanna think about is a small space heater, ran on a inverter from a separate battery.
me and the woman have been brainstorming on the bed build Im about to embark on.
some of the items are, a ******* that will fold up into the bumper, pull out BBQ, a marine heat exchanger in the cooling system to heat water.
independent 120V provisions w/solar panels(more for coffee and music) but the 1 thing were fighting over is a stack...
she wants it to keep the exhaust away from the "camp site", but I cant stand stacks!

I have been eyeing a solar setup and house battery. I will eventually get there, just will take some time. As far as the space heater, I have an electric but they take a lot to run. A single battery wouldn't last. There are also the Mr Buddy heaters. They are 100% indoor certified propane heaters that run off a camping propane bottle or a 20lb bottle with a hose. They have low O2 sensors as well as a tip over safety. Of course, I don't 100% trust all that, so if it got too cold and I used one I would have fresh air ventilation and a CO/smoke detector as well. I will be covering all the windows, extra blankets and bundling up. If we started out with a warm van I don't think we would really even need any heat.

 

[jayro88]

This thread reminds me why I bought a van again,haha.

Love threads like this! Thanks for sharing

No problem. I will take pics as we go and add them along with any thoughts/lessons along the way. What I really want to do it add a penthouse top so that I could easily sleep 4-5 in the van and still have room for other amenities, but you know how things go. Might never find a used one for the right price at the right time.

 

[jayro88]

The Air Mattresses I order came in today. Fit pretty well. I used a piece of carpet and a blanket to cover the OSB in case there were any splinters.

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I cut some of these out of scrap foil insulation I had. Still Have to make some others for the rest of the windows. If I had time I would make some curtains, but this will do for now.

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Tint is light enough you can see the foil insulation some from the outside. When I finally get around to curtains and darker tint it shouldn't be noticeable at all.

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[mbolton1990]

That looks awesome!

I saw where you said you're looking for a 'penthouse top' you should check out your local junkyards. You never know!

 

[maverick350]

For what it's worth,,... your mileage may vary.

Walmart is usually pretty good about letting you park overnight if that's an option. Handy to bathrooms anyhow. Lot easier than dealing with a porta pottie imo

I don't recommend staying parked in the same place two nights in a row.

Doubled up sleeping bags will keep you sleeping comfortably in -10F....Your nose gets cold, that's about it.

Cops don't usually pull you over when they can't see in the van, but when they do, they seem to bring half the department.

 

[Danielle]

That is awesome!! Love that ***** also. Toilet training 2 kids right now so that would come in handy haha

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[jayro88]

So, I was at WalMart and they had 82"x42" blackout curtain panels for $10. 2 will be enough to cover all the passenger area windows. I have all but 2 cut out and ready to go. I will get more pics when I get them mounted. Speaking of mounting....I am trying to figure out a good temporary inexpensive way to Mount them for the trip since I don't have time to do a good permanent job right now. Any ideas? I was thinking about magnets, but for the amount I need I would have more in magnets than I have in the curtains.

I did pick this up since it is supposed to be in the 40's at night and it looks like we won't have electric for my small electric space heater:

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And because I don't trust the "Certified Indoor Safe/99.99% Efficient" I got these too:

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[laserjock]

Might try Velcro for the curtains.

 

[KZF250]

If you have any old computers around that still have hard drives the magnets in the drives are very strong.

 

[DOE-SST]

No problem. I will take pics as we go and add them along with any thoughts/lessons along the way. What I really want to do it add a penthouse top so that I could easily sleep 4-5 in the van and still have room for other amenities, but you know how things go. Might never find a used one for the right price at the right time.

geez,

wish I had known of your plans earlier.

I have two twin bed frames made from 1/4" aluminum angle, removed from E350 vans and originally bought by the D.O.E. for long range armed ****** vehicles.

Also have a fibreglass raised roof removed from an E350. If I get my car lift set up, it would be a one-day job to install.

I've converted three vans for camping and one for hauling tools and large equipment. Lots of fun if you have any imagination. I made a heater using a large candle with heat exchanger and supplied with outside air. It kept a well insulated E350 warm when outside temps reached down to 20 degrees F.

On my first conversion, I had two bed frames fold out from the sides and connect together, with a third sleeping space below them. 4" high density sponge foam with a U.S.Army wool blanket on it kept everyone sleeping comfortable. With a high enough raised roof, you can put your bed at normal ceiling height, use it for daytime storage, sleep in it at night, and require very little heat to stay warm. This frees up a huge amount of space inside the van.

Walmarts are hit & miss. Usually some 18 yr old security dufus will roust you at 0300. I usually park at a nice apartment complex for the night, arriving during darkness and giving no indications to outsiders that I'm living inside, and have never been disturbed. Need to insure you don't park in a reserved spot. I have blackout panels on all windows except the front sides and windshield, compliments of Uncle Sammy, as well as a total blackout insulated curtain for the sleeping area.

 

[DOE-SST]

So, I was at WalMart and they had 82"x42" blackout curtain panels for $10. 2 will be enough to cover all the passenger area windows. I have all but 2 cut out and ready to go. I will get more pics when I get them mounted. Speaking of mounting....I am trying to figure out a good temporary inexpensive way to Mount them for the trip since I don't have time to do a good permanent job right now. Any ideas? I was thinking about magnets, but for the amount I need I would have more in magnets than I have in the curtains.

I did pick this up since it is supposed to be in the 40's at night and it looks like we won't have electric for my small electric space heater:

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And because I don't trust the "Certified Indoor Safe/99.99% Efficient" I got these too:

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Ebay for the magnets.

I made blackout insulated panels using black fabric and cheap sheet foam, spray-glued to thin aluminum sheet. six 1/2" disc neodymium magnets would kept each panel in place even when driving.

It appears you have plastic trim covering your interior body sheet metal, making magnets problematic. You could pop rivet small steel plates to the plastic for the magnets to adhere to.


I think that silver bubble wrap will attract unwanted attention. It will sparkle like a diamond when hit with a flashlight or car headlights. I'd get a can of 3M spray adhesive and glue black fabric to the outer side of each panel.

 

[jayro88]

Thanks for the ideas. Instead of the foil insulation I will be using some blackout curtains. I have to check, I think that part of my trim is actually metal. Most of the window trim in my van is metal with some small plastic pieces mixed in.

In the end I will attach the curtains with snaps and have a velcro strap at the top. That way I can roll the curtians up and secure them with the velcro straps when not in use. The windows that open will have 2 layers. Closest to the windows will be a screen with snaps and the second will be the blackout curtains with velcro to attach it to the screen.

I have already done a bit of insulation. The inside of all the doors have 2 layers of foil insulation and the cavity filled with denim insulation. More denim insulation in all the dash cavities. Floor has 3 layers of rolled roofing and an extra layer of carpet pad. I still need to put a couple layers of foil insulation on the ceiling and then give the non-door body cavities the foil/denim insulation treatment. I am sure I lose a lot of heat out the windows.......I am hoping the heavy curtains will help. If it was really cold out I would probably cut some foam board to fit the windows and paint them black.

Is the top you are talking about a raised roof, or a penthouse pop-top. I am not sure if I would want a fixed raised roof. I would prefer a penthouse pop-top so I can keep the low profile for driving thru's ect and have extra room/sleeping area when parked.