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Thanks! It was a lot of work and well worth the effort!

Hey there. The landscape is beautiful here! Thanks for following all the way from Australia. Enjoy your travels!

Aw, thanks! I miss sledding and making snowmen.

Yes, I am a solo female who lives in a van with a dog. Are you a dog mom? Do you realize how much gear they have? She has leashes, harnesses, a backpack, a life jacket, toys, food, coats, medicines, treats, and more. We moved in.

Thanks and so true!

Sure thing! The floor was the very first thing we installed. Less work that way, especially if the layout changes later on. I know some do the floor once the cabinets are in.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Thanks, Wes! It’s been challenging and rewarding to see it all come together.

That’s a great idea. What does RTR stand for?

@@michellecawleyyoga The short answer is Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, but that's rather meaningless right? So to answer your question I googled "history of the rubber tramp rendezvous" (except I misspelled that last word :) and got a good summary. It's all one long sentence: "The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) is a yearly gathering of nomads, primarily van dwellers, founded by Bob Wells, who is considered a prominent figure in the van life community, as a way to create a sense of community and provide a resource for people living a mobile lifestyle; the event is typically held in Quartzsite, Arizona, and features workshops on topics like solar power, vehicle maintenance, and safety for nomads of all experience levels." The HOWA website has details. HOWA is Homes on Wheels Alliance. The RTR has a few days for women followed by a week for everyone, and it's free.

The DC-DC was the only component where we didn't use marine-grade wire and we hammered the lugs ourselves. So, I think it was a combination of both of those things. Also, I would use the charger while sitting idle to heat up my hot water heater. We're thinking that maybe sitting idle and the heavy load from the AC hot water heater had something to do with it as well. The replacement has been working great so far and I no longer use it while sitting idle. Hopefully, that helps it last longer than the previous one we installed.

@@michellecawleyyoga when you say hammered, does that mean you use a hammer? Did you use a crimp tool or a hammer because that could be why also if you use a hammer?🤔

We used a crimp tool like this one www.northerntool.com/products/lincoln-electric-lug-cable-crimping-tool-model-kh538-99214?cm_mmc=Google-LIA&Google_LIA&Welding%20%3E%20Welding%20Tools%20%2B%20Clamps%20%3E%20Welding%20Hand%20Tools&Lincoln%20Electric&ogmap=SHP%7CLIA%7CGOOG%7CSTND%7Cm%7CSITEWIDE%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C21698875163%7C&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADpPfbMAYssfvpeL_Din_jZMNi3kT&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgrO4BhC2ARIsAKQ7zUmegqhy0-6jAo0qHPgzX1PhhM6Jba7HNxOTy-GOiYp_jZr6-xGHVysaAnbiEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds. The second time around I bought and used a hydraulic one.

Hi Bryan. Thanks for subscribing! Mine is further along as well. We're actually in the process of doing some phase 2 upgrades and additions. I see you did bump outs. How do you like them so far?

@@michellecawleyyoga mine worked out really good….. I just figured out how wide my bed was going to be, and then made them as tall as the framing would allow to give me the most room for my head in my feet……. And then I put the bottom of the bed right on the framing of the bump out.🤔 I think that part was van build-22-

Yes! Thank you! 🙏

That's a good question. When I was researching, I looked into the Webasto gas heater. The costs turned me away (currently, it's around $1,550). I want to say that I knew about the Velit heater and that it was more than half the cost of a Webasto gas heater (currently, it's around $700). I paid $157 for this heater a.co/d/1J6EHYb. I chose this one because it was affordable and it fit within my budget. It's been working great so far!

Nice! I hope you’re enjoying the life! It’s quite the adventure, right?!? We’re returning to my home base to make some mods to the setup and pare down contents before I head out again. Safe travels! Maybe we’ll see you out there!

@@michellecawleyyoga yes it is! Research areas to hike and see somedays and other days just go with the flow!😊

Oh nice on the van build. I hope it’s going well! What are you guys currently working on? Yeah, it went so fast once they were ready to lift it up onto the roof. It was also very stressful. I was more worried about their safety than anything. It was pretty easy though once it was in place. We applied Dicor sealant before they tightened it down with the hardware that came with the unit. We ran the wires down to the electrical system. Pretty easy.

@@michellecawleyyoga We are working on a 2003 Ford Econoline 250. I've posted some shorts on our channel. We were able to fit a full bath w/shower, full size bed, and kitchen.

@@KapKen nice! I’ll check it out. Those vans are super popular for van builds. I hope it’s going well.

when is the non winter season there. We are looking to travel to Alaska in our Van. Just not at peak cold time 😁. We didn't build the van for that type of cold... 32f and above.

Funny, that’s the plan! Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi 👋 Not yet but one is coming soon. The closest tour is this short th-cam.com/users/shortsCD4yXFITNxo?si=EobLQnsYyfM-4FBU.

Thanks and of course! Happy to offer any helpful insights I learned along the way. It’s quite a journey and well worth the effort. Thank you 😉

Thank you for the encouragement! I too believe my tribe will find me and everything will fall into place as it should. I plan on teaching yoga over the winter to earn some additional income, which will help. Do you teach yoga?

@@michellecawleyyoga it sounds like a great plan, and no I will leave teaching yoga to you☀

I hear ya! I’ve been able to break up the solitude by visiting friends and family, which has helped.

Yes, I’ve heard of both. I hope to attend an event or two next year. The gifts are amazing and worth the effort!

Yes to this. I travel part-time in a built-out minivan and I've been to the RTR every year since I started. It's a good place to mingle and start meeting people. HOWA has also organized several caravans where a nomad can travel with the same group of people, I think usually 15 or so, for as long or as short as they like. There's all kinds of sub-cultures in nomad life -- minivan people, yoga people I guess, dog people, motorcycle people, women-only, 12-step people, TH-camr subscribers, people of color, etc. etc. -- anything people connect over. So I am building pieces of my own unique community over time and it's always affirming to regroup and see everyone again at the RTR.

I know, right? I was hoping it would be an easy fix but it wasn’t. I ended up buying all of the tools and replacing the unit, the wire, and of course the lugs. It felt so good to it myself 💪

Yes, lots of hiking adventures. They're good for the soul!

The wind was horrible that day - lesson learned to not record outside on windy days. That's with a mic too. I like to travel all over. Beautiful views and landscapes are my favorite.

Thanks for subscribing! The entire build was a learning process and I gained so many new skills.

Hi! Congrats, I'm excited for your upcoming van life adventures! 🙌 I went with an all electric build and I'm testing its limitations. My plan is to add more solar on the roof and to get some ground deployed solar panels to help replenish my batteries. I've certainly seen the Bluetti setup in other groups but never investigated it. I hope it works well for you! Safe travels!!! And thanks for subscribing ❤️

@@michellecawleyyoga Thanks, I'll be heading out of the northeast heading to the southwest (never been) in a few months probably, looking foward to checking out your next vid. maybe pick up a few pointers.🚐🦅

Ah but we did. My entire layout changed because of weight distribution.

@@michellecawleyyogaHow? Most of the weight is on the driver’s side.

Hi Michelle! I am in the process of doing a conversion on my 2021 Chevy Express 2500 and I bought the Renogy 50a MPPT / DC-DC charge controller. I've got everything hooked up EXCEPT the DC-DC wire. I ran a 4ga wire from front to back, it has the terminals and heat shrink tubing, but I just haven't gotten around to making the final connections. I guess I'm just making sure everything else is working properly before doing this. I did buy a 60a circuit breaker to install between the van battery and the MPPT. Awesome job by the way! Stay safe!

Hi there! Oh you did a combo of the MPPT and DC-DC. I hope it works well for you. We did separate MPPT (Victron) and DC-DC (Renogy). We installed the unit back in November but didn't really start using it until I started traveling full-time. I've only been on the road for 2.5 months and I use the DC-DC all of the time (when it's working). I'm going to upgrade to the new Victron XS 50 amp once I return to my home base. Good luck with the rest of your build!

Thanks!

Thanks 😊

I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.