วีดีโอ

God bless you as well - thanks for the well wishes!

We had a "coal shed" right off the back porch and it had a wooden two-seater in there with a catalog. The house was built in the 1800's, but we had plumbing and never used it lol. Happy New Year!!

Just to let you know Tom, it's ok that you weren't able to leave a comment(s) because of watching on the big screen - my concern was that it made me wonder if something happened to you that's all (sick, injury, etc). Yeah, those get togethers were quite some time ago but boy were they fun! And I'm glad you were able to bring back some of the same 'ol memories that we've enjoyed from our past! Merry Christmas!!!

@ADKOverlandNY Ahh, your a good man Jeff. Thanks for your concern. I am fine and well and I still dream of the day when and if I can settle into van life. Finger's crossed. Merry Christmas my friend! 🎅

Thanks Mike! Little did we know back then when we used to pick on my sister about taking so many photos, that she preserved those memories for today! I'm making new memories with my son & his girlfriend; she has two young daughters, and I love them to death! Have a safe & happy holiday yourself - Merry Christmas to you & your wife!

Thank you, Tom. I was wondering why I haven't heard from you in a while. You must be feeling this Canadian arctic blast like we are. We finally got down into the negative numbers last night and it only warmed up into the 20's for a high! Thank you for your awesome comments; I miss my parents, brothers and sister - like we all do with family members. It's the "curse" of growing old, I guess. It doesn't mean it hurts less, but the memories we can hold onto get us through one day at a time - especially this time of year! Have yourself a super Christmas and let's hope for an awesome 2025!!!

Thank you so much - have a safe and enjoyable holiday with best wishes for an awesome 2025!!

Hi Justin - thank you so much - what an awesome thing to say. That's the part of getting older that sucks but memories is what gets some of us old farts through the holiday season. My son & his girlfriend are always inviting me and including me in what they do, and her two daughters run out to give me a big smile & hug every time I show up. Have a great holiday as well and let's hope that 2025 is as good to us (or better) than we have experienced this year with our channels.

@ that’s awesome man, and yes onto more goals being accomplished and more memories made!

RVLOVENT RV Roof Vent Fan 12V Auto Remote Control 14'' inch 10 Speed (Smoke)

@ADKOverlandNY thank you for the help

any time - I bought it on Amazon; it came with good reviews. If you need the link, give me a yell. I think the link is included in the fan install video; but it's been working great since the installation.

LOL - I don't know how we do it Justin, but we certainly think the same when it comes to our builds! I figured since I bought my van in 2024 & was doing the conversion this year that it would be kind of a cool way to commemorate it and also go with the Adirondack theme.

@ for sure, I love it man!

Hi Mike - I didn't figure there was any fix and after Amazon customer service replied the seller was no longer available, I felt I had no other recourse but to toss it. It had a built-in charge controller so I'm thinking you're right about that being the culprit. All it did was sit on my dash and was plugged into the solar generator. But thanks for your reply and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

@ yeah Jeff the heat destroys them. on the dashboard in the sun didn’t help Most flexible panels only last 2-3 years. Some new ones that are pretty tough, but they’re very expensive. I’m waiting for a product to be invented named solar slop. It will probably come in a can and you put a mop down into it and then slap it on something and connect to electrodes to it. I could just see some guy up on his roof with a 5 gallon pail of it and a big mop, slurping it all over the roof and then going into his gutters and connect it to a solar charge controllerL O L wouldn’t that be great it’s probably not that far often in the future

When I bought this, it was to use with my jeep because that & the solar generator didn't take up much room. Even though I was installing a separate solar system on my van, I figured I'd get some use out of that panel to keep the solar generator topped off.

I wish that I started my trip earlier that day so that I could spend more time in the area. But I finished working on my van build and decided to take a break and go on a road trip. Normally I would go to Whiteface Mountain and walk the downtown area of Lake Placid. You're right though - tons to explore and do - worth the trip!

from what I understand it's a public road. There are no posted signs and people have been driving this for years. It starts out as paved, then becomes dirt as you approach the tunnels.

Happy Thanksgiving! I've got a 60+ mile round trip to my son's, and it's been snowing that wet, sticky crap! I didn't mind it with my jeep in 4wd, but the van is another animal lol. It's been great sharing videos, tips and techniques while we do our builds!

@ enjoy drive safe!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanks for watching!

Welcome - Thanks for watching!

Thanks Margie! Hope you are well!

Thanks - I guess I have to keep busy somehow lol

Hi Mike! I still have it, but boy do I like my after-market tons better lol!

What a big difference - even with the built-in equalizer it sounds so much better through the stock speakers! If you're going to spend lots of time driving, might as well have some creature comforts!

@ I totally agree very well worth it!

I sometimes get into the build and since I'm working alone, I concentrate on getting the stuff done and forget to shoot video. The furring strips are the typical Home Depot stock cut to the width of the van (taking into account the curve of the roof). I used self-drilling screws to attach the furring strips to each of the metal roof ribs obviously being careful not to go through the roof! The cedar planking I used was in 8' lengths and it certainly would've been easier with another set of hands. While you're trying to get the tongue and groove together, the piece is bouncing around at the other end. As in the video, I attached the cedar planking to the furring strips with the pan head screws. To keep the wiring straight, I bought a 100' roll of 14ga wire for the LED lights - red and black copper stranded. That way I could keep track of positive and negative leads. The wires are simply connected together negative to negative and positive to positive from light to light.

The rigid foam for the walls and ceiling were cut slightly oversized and I pressure fit them in place using Loctite PL300 foamboard adhesive. They stayed that way as I applied the walls and ceiling planks over them; they never came loose, and they have never made a squeaking noise. I did take self-adhesive foil tape though and tape the seams prior to installing the walls and ceiling.

@ADKOverlandNY Can you tell me where you purchased the foam? And is it better then whool or fiberglass insulation?

purchased at Home Depot - personal choice to use that over wool or fiberglass

Loctite PL premium construction adhesive was used because I did not want to put holes in my floor with sheet metal screws. The plywood is glued directly to the floor (no rigid insulation - personal preference) with the glue applied directly to the ribs. Heavy items were placed on top of the plywood to allow the adhesive to cure.

Thanks Mike - got to make it all count!

Thank you - my adventure so far has been transforming my van from cargo to campervan! Thank you for watching!

Thanks Marybeth! I framed my bed to be higher off the floor than what most people do. Usually, people like them low so they can sit on the bed. I just wanted the room to sleep because I have my swivel passenger seat to sit in, plus I wanted the storage capacity in the garage area. From the floor to the bottom of that 2x4 frame is 20.50". The cabinet where my stove & fridge are measures 6' wide x 19" deep. The sink cabinet (no sink yet lol) measures 28.50" wide x 15.25" deep. My floor to ceiling wardrobe cabinet is 16" wide x 16.25" deep. There is nothing set in stone when I did these. Pretty much sizes were dictated by the pine project boards that I got at Home Depot.

@@ADKOverlandNY Thanks so much. BTW, I forgot to ask, what height is your sink cabinet?

It is 25.5" tall, the same as the stove counter. If it's any different, I'll change my reply lol.

Thanks! Yeah it works for me and I'm surprised at how much that thing can store!

@ I love it man 👍🏻

If I remember correctly (that was 3 years ago and I've been doing a van build since lol), I believe I ran the power wire across the piece of trim at the top of the windshield; then down the B pillar; behind the glove box to an electrical connection under the dash. I bought a power tap off eBay that essentially takes the wire to your 12v outlet and give you an additional power point while plugging into the stock connection. For the rear camera wire - ran it the same way down the B pillar, under the passenger door trim; under the carpet to the back cargo area. I took out my rear seat permanently to give me more room back there anyway, so it was easy. This is the power tap link: www.ebay.com/itm/293793157068

Yeah - it would have been a lot worse if I hadn't!

@ one of my biggest fears with the van stuff

I was looking back at what I spent to start up my solar system and my two 100ah LifePO4 batteries took 1/3 of the money I made from selling the original ladder racks, storage bins and security partition from my van. I saw these were spec to spec as the ones I bought, but these cost less, and they also give you the discount on their website. That's why there's a direct link - not an affiliate link - back to their site. You must be getting the colder weather like I am which further shuts down van work. I can't paint or glue things up lol because it's too cold.

@ yeah it is getting cold here, I’ll probably be tucking the van out back for the winter and trying to find something else to keep me busy haha

I was surprised Mike that it was pretty identical in specs to the two I bought for my solar system yet less $$.

Thanks! There are so many places within upstate NY, but I haven't explored any recently to know if anything is open or closed up. Previously, my travels involved my Jeep JK and since May when I bought my van, it's been build, build, build! If you come up I87 northbound, just as you cross over the Hudson River from Saratoga County to Warren County, you'll see the Adirondack Rest Stop. It's new and has Wi-Fi. That will be between exits 17 & 18. If you come up the Adirondack Trail towards Northville, Speculator, etc, there are areas to pull off the highway. Maybe someone will see your message and reply to this comment! Thanks for watching!

That's awesome! Good luck with your build, safe travels & thanks for watching!!

Welcome aboard and THANKS! I hope my channel grows as well and it's only through subscribers like yourself that make it happen. I think I've been here about a year now and I'm not a professional by any means at videography, editing, clickbait thumbnails lol. At first, I had just my Jeep JK, then I bought my van in May 2024. I knew right from the start that I wanted to do another van build since the last one was over 40 years ago! And the same goes for my van - I'm far from being any type of expert, but I do try with what I have for money and tools, and I love to repurpose things if I can. Thank you again for watching!

I tried every which way Margie to get this thing to extend a shorter distance, even leaving a few rungs at the bottom to see if the ones above it would lock. They didn't, would only lock if everything was extended. Back to the drawing board lol. Take care!

Hi Mike - The step above every one of these must be locked in or it slides down to the next, depressing the locking mechanism on the one under it. It's advertised as an easy, one button release - I guess that's why. It's not a deal breaker on the telescoping ladders. Pretty much my fault for not getting the smaller height that I originally intended. The ladder is great, seems very sturdy, but when that price came $10 lower than the smaller one I was looking at, I grabbed it lol.

@ADKOverlandNY on mine each step locks on its own. Good luck getting the right one.

I may just end up with another, but my first thought was what I should've stuck with. I didn't know the individual rungs couldn't be locked so the height would be adjustable. If that was the case, this ladder would've been perfect. It's very rugged, super easy to use. I'll just look for a smaller size! Thanks for watching!

I mean, sometimes you just need to pass the time and since I can't afford Starlink at this time, I have to depend on something else. I have a single 200-watt panel on my van's roof and although I have room for a 100-watt panel, Renogy said it's not a good idea to mix & match. I would have to get rid of my newly installed cargo basket for the additional 200-watt and I'm not ready to do that at this point. 600 movies and 200 tv series!! Wow that would be awesome! My new receiver will be installed in the van on Monday and that will allow me to connect my portable hard drive that's loaded with music. The TV has a USB connection that I could probably use to play movies from that same hard drive. I'll have to give it a try!

I think they will too Margie! They are just so excited about camping and what I do to my van!

I have a ton of DVD's and had nothing to play them on lol. I just figured the price was low enough to provide an avenue of entertainment. You know - if it's raining outside it limits the outdoor activities!

@ yeah that’s awesome!

Hi Mike! Those little girls are awesome to be around. They are so giggly and full of energy that you can't help to be excited along with them lol. They always greet me with a hug and the same when I leave. In between - they want to check out the build lol. We talked in depth with them about campgrounds and camping in general because last year, a 9 year old girl was abducted in a state campground that we've talked previously about going to. If anything, the day use area that I showed in my last video would give us swimming, kayaking cookouts and fire pit for the day - free of charge. I'll have to see if I have RV (I think I do). Take care!

All I can tell you that's it's still working perfectly. I'll be buying another for my van conversion.

yep - it was all good! I'll have to do that again - but - we have winter approaching here!

Thanks Margie!

Thanks Mike! Hope you are on the mend!

Hi! Thanks for watching! At first, I ordered the aluminum Z brackets to mount my solar panel, but after I got them, I felt they were too flimsy to trust on the top of my van. I really didn't want to take a chance of a solar panel working loose and crashing into someone's vehicle. That's just me - I'm sure those who have used the Z brackets have had no problems. I used simple steel L brackets that were pretty strong & had holes large enough for mounting hardware and screws. I picked up stainless steel mounting hardware (bolts & nuts) to mount the brackets to the panel, then I pre-drilled the holes in the crossbar and attached the panel with stainless steel metal screws (stainless steel won't rust). Hope this helps!

Thank you much - and you're correct - live for today because tomorrow is never promised as it has been said!

I used 1" rigid foam insulation for the walls and ceiling and fiberglass for the inside of the door panels with expanding foam for cracks or otherwise hard to get to areas. Before I applied the rigid foam, my son and I installed Kilmat which is a rubberized material with a super sticky back. This deadens the sound and gets rid of the "tinny" noise. I've outlined this in more detail in earlier videos! Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching!!

I agree with you that a high top will save me from additional head bumps lol. My son jokes that he's going to get me a hard hat. It would be nice - but the money just isn't there for smaller items much less a high top. I don't disagree with you - it's just not financially possible! Thanks for watching - stay safe out on the road!