Van Tour: Off-Grid Off Road Toyota Hiace
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.พ. 2023
- This little van has proven herself to be one of the best compact all-rounder vans you could imagine! These vans are proven million mile vans and with the mods we've made she turns into an adventure animal. It has a spacious and comfortable living space whilst also being like a Swiss army knife and packing in everything you need for any adventure. Come an take a look.
If you'd to see the van build you can watch the videos here:
1- • Starting Our Off-Grid ...
2- • 48 Hours Building Our ...
3- • Van Build Week 2: Crac...
4- • Van Build Week 3: Givi...
5- • Van Build Week 4: Almo...
Or the full time-lapse is here:
• DIY Camper Van Convers...
You can also see what we are up to on:
📘Facebook: profile.php?...
📸Instagram: / trueblue_travellers
🛒We have an amazon associates shop where you can find all the things we buy from and recommend on amazon. Please note that if you buy using these links it does not cost you anymore but we earn commission on qualifying purchases.
www.amazon.co.uk/shop/trueblu...
🛠️You can get a 10% discount on all Shadow Foam products by using the code 'Trueblue' at the check out: www.shadowfoam.com/ref/True%2...
💙Support the channel. Buy Jon a tool 🔧 or Jess a cake 🍰: www.paypal.me/truebluetravell... or www.buymeacoffee.com/trueblue...
#vanlife #tinyhome #hiace #vanbuild #offgrid #offroad
If you want to see this beauty little van put to the test then check out our eventful beach camp up here
th-cam.com/video/JkLRoAOpE7E/w-d-xo.html
Brilliant, I love the table/bed integrations!
🥰 thanks Jessica
Welcome to Australia. Have fun and enjoy the weather. We reckon it's the best place on earth. Cheers
Thanks very much, it’s an amazing place that’s for sure 🙂
Great use of space guys. One of the best I’ve seen.
Thanks very much Barrie 👍
you guys have some great little tricks for van builds, thanks for sharing👍👍👍
Oh thanks very much 😀 glad it was helpful 😀
Nice to see that your in a warm sunny place. Here in Milwaukee Wisconsin it's below freezing 🥶 still. 🍻🧀
Yeah my folks were saying that the weather is drifting over to the uk next week🥶🥶
Great job 👍Enjoy your travels 👍👍
Thanks Steve 👍
You two are fantastic, love watching your videos of your builds and adventures. Keep doing what yous do 👌🏽. 😊
Thanks very much 😊👍
Very clever...thank you so much for the inspiration!
Thanks 😁👍
Really impressive what you guys have built, a great use of every bit of space 👏🏻 #vanlife #vanbuild
That said, not sure about the toilet, you can be sat on it whilst cooking 😆
It’s done us proud for sure
Great skills. Awesome set up.
Thanks Paul 👍
Great video.thank you
Cheers mate 👍
Brilliant 🤩
Cheers mate 👍
Done a job fantastic job of the van. I got one too and great vans get a mill kms out of it. Two things that you might want to get is a power socket with usb chargers on it for the electronics and an air horn. In case someone breaks in. No one going to hang about with that thing blowing.
Thanks very much, 😂😂good idea about the horn, we installed a 240v socket that runs off the inverter and 3 usb points to charge the phones etc, can never have too many usb point hey
Nice, great job!
Thanks 😁
you need a gas tank upgrade
also get a mini reverse osmosis system
We have sold this one now mate 👍👍
Keren banget🎉
Thanks 👍
love the biuld out nice job I wondered if you miss having the head room to stand up?
Thanks very much, you can stand up but if you’re tall just have to bend your neck a bit. It didn’t bother us as much as we thought it would to be honest, especially being able to be outside so much in Australia. I think it’s get a bit more wearing in cold weather when you have to be inside and cook inside more
Low roof is ok untill I don't want a low roof. Love my pop top van.
Hi from New Zealand. We love your van build and have just purchased a 2012 5 door SLWB hiace are going to base our van on your layout with a few tweaks like swapping out the fridge and sink area with your stainless shower tray and swivel toilet hopefully, yes it will be a sit down shower lol with the sink tight in the corner. we will see.
My question to you is we see you have used the car builders sound deadener and wondering if you also used their closed cell insulation for the walls and ceiling and van floor products? Was it worth putting in the sound deadner as this seams to be the bigger cost of the products? Thank you in advance for your help. We love your humor and think your a great couple and very much enjoy watching your videos.
Thanks very much guys, yep the sound deadening makes a huge difference to be honest, and then insulation we just used the stick on closed cell stuff, again worked brilliant, I would highly recommend it 👍👍 we were very cool in it and also the curtains made a massive difference too 😊
👍
Im looking at a Hiace, your layout is fabulous. What brand is your toilet plase. Thanks in advance 👍
Hi thanks very much, it’s called a separett tiny, I’ll drop a link in below
www.waterlesstoilets.co.uk/toilets/separett-tiny-with-urine-container/?v=79cba1185463
Simple and effective, well done, nothing too fancy that breaks or too heavy, that slows you down, i assume it is 2wd only not 4?
Yep that’s the only shame about it but it’s got a diff locker in the rear so at least a bit better 😁👍
Hi, Great video !!! is your van RWD with rear dif locker or AWD with rear diff locker ?
Thanks mate. Ours was a rwd with a truetrack LSD diff 👍
Man I was thinking you would need 4x4 to go on beaches. This will probs knock off $5000 in cost. Not sure what the new diff is for though. The ladder solution is genius.
Thanks josh, the new diff is a limited slip diff, so when a wheel starts to spin it will automatically lock up the diff and put power to both rear wheels,
if you had a standard diff in when a wheel starts to spin it would then put all the power to just that spinning one wheel, so really without an lsd diff or a diff locker, a 2wheel drive vehicle is technically a 1 wheel drive when you start spinning wheels in soft ground, 😁
@@truebluetravellers What was the cost to put in the LSD if you don't, mind? Love the ladder option, it also cuts down on wind drag so extra bonus points!
yes what was the cost?
Really nice camper you've made! I'm just starting to convert my Hiace, what roof fan/vent did you go with? Cheers!
Thanks, we went with a TRA roof fan but to be honest we only went with that as we were on a deadline and that was the quickest one we could get, it wasn’t a bad fan but not the best either, I would recommend the maxair fan deluxe, it’s expensive but worth every penny,
If there’s any other info you need or I can help with along the build just give us a shout, 👍
@@truebluetravellers awesome, cheers for the quick reply! I'm trying to decide at the moment if I should block off the cab from the rest of the van or not.. did you find it got too hot keeping it open? Or was it okay? thanks :)
No worries. Happy to help. We were really pleasantly surprised by how cool the van stayed. A couple of things made a big difference with that 1) the silver foil insulation is awesome (didn’t know how well it would work but it really surprised us) 2) the curtains for all the windows made a huge difference, Jess made black out blinds/ curtains and on hot days we left them closed during the day, if you opened them you could notice the difference almost immediately 3) having the van open to the back made a massive difference. We had wind deflectors on the front windows so even when we were away from the van could leave the windows open slightly, we then put the Sirroco fans on on each side to draw air in and the fan over the bed on exhaust to suck the air out, keeping a really good flow of air. You can also buy specific things you can put in your windows and then close them to do the same thing. Also being able to get in the back without getting out the van is an essential thing for us on van builds. Makes the world of difference in our opinion. Last thing, the vehicles air con works just fine in the front when you’re driving with no bulk head
More than happy to answer questions on here or if you prefer you’re welcome to message us on Facebook. Whatever’s easiest for you 😄
@@truebluetravellers That is really helpful, cheers. I'm a bit paranoid about the van getting too hot so thats great to here. I now need to redesign my entire van layout though 😅 I tried clicking the Facebook link above but it wasn't working for me.
I hope we have been helpful, sounds like it might be the opposite 😬 there are so many layouts you can do and they all have their good and bad points. Sorry the link didn’t work but if you just search True Blue Travellers on Facebook we should come up and it’s the same profile picture as on TH-cam 😀
Hey guys
Love what you have done with Van .
If you could do it again using a commuter ( 200 series ) what would you do differently?
Would you have bought a manual 4x4 ?
What model and year would you recommend?
I’m looking to purchase myself with a 45k budget for purchase .
TIA
We absolutely loved this van, she did us proud and the layout worked a treat. A 4x4 would have been brilliant but they still don’t have the ground clearance. Our LSD made a big difference but if we could do it again we’d probably go for a troupe as there was lots of places we could get to even if the Hiace had been 4x4. Hope that helps
I need to know, what is the conditioner next the the loo used for??
Took us minute to think there 😂 it’s just laundry liquid for when washing our clothes, it was just a good place to store it that’s all
Nice van! how tall are you guys? I have the same van and considering building the bed sideways like you have but not sure if i'd fit at 6 foot.
Cheers,
I’m 6”2 mate and it’s too short for me sideways, my mrs is 5’6” and she’s ok, we don’t sleep in the bed sideways tho, we use the bed sideways as like a day bed during the day and then we still have the two seats too, then we sleep front to back at night, if it’s just you you’d be fine mate as you can sleep at an angle but 2 in the bed and it’s not really comfy
@@truebluetravellers Ahh I see.. Thanks a lot. Great layout and cool vid! shame yall are selling it and moving on
It seems my wife can stand straight up at 5’4”. I imagine I would be tilting sideways at 5’8”. We’d love to find a nice balance between high top, and a decent center of gravity. Great video btw.
Hey! Could you send me in the right direction for the 3pc ladder bolt ins, and where you purchased them?(: Definitely including this in our budget for the van build!! Super helpful!!
Hi Emily, I’ll drop a link in below for them 😁 apparently boat builders stock them too 👍
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281396688273?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_-OLaeA6SOa&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=h77jMQulRBK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Thankyou so much! You guys are awesome thankyou for your help and inspiration 🙏🏼🙏🏼✨
Hey! With the 3pc ladder bolt ins, where did you purchase them?(: Definitely including this in our budget for the van build!! Super helpful!! But I can’t seem to find them! Even just their technical name would help immensely!(: thankyou !!
They usually called something like foldable grab step
Hey there! Great conversation. I'm curious, did you import this model from Japan? Can you provide more details about the exact model?
Sorry I’ve sold it now and I didn’t import it, I bought it in oz 👍
Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching 😁
Is your van 4x4 or has the tru trak diff upgrade made your van decently capable
No mate not a 4B just a rwd but she’s decent with the tru trac in her, I should of aired down the tires alot more than I did when I went on beaches with it but was lazy 🤦♂️
Slowly catching you up 🙂 In the loo, is the fabric conditioner for smell issues, if so how much per use (or is it a deposit 🙂) ?
😂😂😂 no it was just a good storage place for it for the clothes😁👍
@@truebluetravellers Ahh, thought I had discovered a new travel hack 🙂
Do you add anything to the toilet or just rely on the internal fan ?
@@Lee_Proffit there is one of them tablets that they put in urinals that goes on the top of the pee bit because believe it or not that smells worse than the other bit, but the fan does an amazing job 👍
I love the steps but cant find them on google. Can you give some detail of the name /brand / site to buy them? I hope you are both enjoying Australia!
Thanks, not sure exactly where In the world you are but if you Google folding boat yacht step they should come up 😁
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385431604382?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ev-4eGl_RU-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@truebluetravellers Cheers for that! I live in Noosa QLD. Love the idea and might put some on my 200 series Landcruiser. The Hiace looks quite capable offroad. Diff lock a must!
Excellent design. Where did you get the lift kit? :)
Thanks Fabio, The front is just lifted by winding up the torsion bars, the rear is just a case of replacing the spring shackles, I got these from eBay
www.ebay.com.au/itm/253569075762?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=FO-kKasvR6K&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=wksvvltes8q&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@truebluetravellers Thanks so much, you've got a new subscriber! I just got a Hiace in Canada.
@@FabioPintoTalks thanks Fabio, I didn’t realise they had the hiace in Canada, 👍
@@truebluetravellers They dont, I imported it from Japan because the engine is the same as Toyota Tacomas here. Its definitely more ideal in Australia since its so popular and parts are more abundant.But its cool having a unique looking vehicle and it has 52k kms. They are rare here. Yours is lovely.
@@FabioPintoTalks yeah I think Japan are quite strict on the laws regarding vehicles so after a certain age they export them, 54k km, that’s incredible, especially when you see quite allot over in oz run to nearly a million km, defiantly nice to have something unique, it will show a few sprinters up that’s for sure
Would like to know the name of the composting toilet.
Thanks in advance😊
Hi I’ll drop a link below to it
www.waterlesstoilets.co.uk/toilets/separett-tiny-with-urine-container/?v=79cba1185463
Wha fridge did you guys use? 😊
Kings upright one mate 👍
Could you please let me know if it's possible to run an 85L Kings Fridge/Freezer, a laptop, phone charging, and occasionally fans using a 200A battery and 360W solar setup in Australia during the summer? I would greatly appreciate it if you could inform me. Thanks!
Hi, would you be installing 200amp lithium or agm ?
@@truebluetravellers I will choose lithiums.
@@blackblackblackblack4444 ok no worries, yep we went with a 200ah lithium battery from kings ($800) and it powered a 110litre kings fridge freezer, 240v inverter that we charged our laptop from every day. A roof fan and 2 schirocco fans, that we used pretty much constantly, a fan on the toilet and we charged our phones, go pro and drone everyday, we ran 360watts of Solar and we never had a problem, the power dropped slightly over night but would be back to full in no time at about 11:00am everyday, so yeah all good and I would recommend 👍
@@truebluetravellers Perfect! Thank you for the detailed answers! Have a great day!
@@blackblackblackblack4444 no worries, enjoy your travels 👍
Hi , how many miles per gallon do you guys get ??
Thanks Nicky.
Sorry I have no idea, I never checked really 😁
how does john sleep in that east west bed in a toyota hiace? that van has gotta be 1.5 wide max
It’s about 1.7m wide as I can fit but Jon has to lay diagonally. We only used it like that way during the day to chill out and at night if you put 3 cushions on the seat next to the kitchen and one on the table then it makes a longer than full length bed 😀
Hi! Is this a SLWB?
Hi yes it’s a commuter 😀
How'd you lift your van?
Just using rear spring shackles front and Toyota Hillux and would the torsion bar for the front 👍👍
What year model is your hiace?
I think it’s a 2008
Did you sell this when you left Australia?
Yea we did, we thought about keeping it in storage but decided if we go back we would build another 👍
@@truebluetravellers loving your builds. Wish I’d known. Hopefully you come back soon. 😁
is it petrol or diesel?
Hi it’s a diesel d4d
Petrol? Gas Gasoline, boot trunk, jockey box glove box, Dog and Bon phone, Torch Flashlight! You Brits talk 🤣 funny.
Cheers from Milwaukee 🍻
@@Mark.G475 😂😂😂 different words in different countries can be so funny! I (Jess) got myself into a few awkward situations when I first moved to the UK talking about thongs 😂😂
4:23 How tall are you?
I’m 6’2”
Wow, ok, is that the slwb? I thought they were about a foot shorter inside than what you are. Doesn't seem so bad.
@@zo1dberg I think it is the slwb as it’s the comuter, I was really surprised how tall it was to be honest as I thought it would be way too low too
Cool! What's wrong
with her voice ?
Cheers, she’s looses it constantly due to giving me grief all the time I recon
Why does every one of these "young vanlife couple" videos concentrate on annoying loud repetitive music? Do you play that evey place you pull up to? Then why do it here? There's nothing wrong with quiet.
To be honest you could be right here, we had only been making videos a couple of months here and we didn’t really know how to level the audio properly so most early videos have really loud music, I’d be interested to know if you watched say our latest video to see if you still think the same as hopefully we have sorted the audio 👍
@@truebluetravellersyour video and layout is great. I’ve subscribed 😎. It does amaze me how blunt people are online. Imagine saying that to you face to face in the pub. Nnoope. Maybe it could be levelled a bit the music. That’s all needs to be said 🤣. It looks like the bed is manageable width wise if you sleep bent legged a little! I’d be really interested to know what the span is window to window if you’re ever with a tape in hand near the bed 🥰👍🏼👍🏼
@@stuartcoopalnd6975 when we first started we had no idea it was loud 😂😂😂 we look back now and cringe but it’s all learning hey 👍 sorry mate we have now sold the van and build a new one 👍