Don't Make These 7 Van Build Mistakes! 1 Year Living The Van Life | vanlife australia
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2024
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Don't Make These 7 Van Build Mistakes! 1 Year Living The Van Life | vanlife australia
When I got started living in a van, I decided to just 'wing' it and hopefully it would work out. The van I bought looked great, but there are 7 things I would change about the van build if I were to start again from scratch.
Get an insight into those 7 van build changes in today's video. I hope you can learn from these so you don't make the same van build mistakes.
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Mitch Asser
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incredible video Mitch Asser. I crushed the thumbs up on your video. Continue to keep up the good work.
Thank you. Appreciate that 👌
Currently about to do my van. Doing as much research as possible. Thanks for your honesty. I have 4 lithium batteries. Plus solar . Batteries charge when you drive as well. Air con is a must in Oz. I personally can't do without hot water and my composting toilet. Love the idea of storage in the cab space.
Thanks for the informative tips. I may do a van sometime this year... hopefully, and this info will help. Good luck with everything. Hasta luego.
Having sufficient ventilation is vital, in avoiding mould issues. Putting a fan directly above the stove, as well as one further away. I agree that here in Oz heat is major issue, especially inland away from crowded coastal regions. I carry shadecloth which I put out when camped and it does help keep sun off the van. Nicely presented info session.
Yeh mould is something that needs to be taken into account. Serious health issues if that happens. So far no issues on my end but I have the doors open almost all day.
@@MitchAsser They were talking about mould in a house on ABC Perth this morning. Making the family (including Rover) ill.
That's some great insightful ideas mate, I'm currently in my research process and you've raised some valuable experienced lessons. Power is often overlooked but a priority for our comforts, along with utilising what water we have available to us. I'm currently working out a way to recirculating the grey water thru filters for the shower before expelling it.
This is so great to get experienced lifers to share, thank you. Also important to keep in mind is location of where you are going to live. Doing dishes in freezing cold water can be physically painful for those who cook allot so hot water is not a treat but important. I have seen almost every van lifer talk about the importance of having a cross breeze to healthy sleep. Dully noted.
Great info, and very well presented & explained! Especially great to hear the Aussie perspective, as some things can be very different here from Europe or North America. (Climate, costs, availability of products, etc)
New Sub, we are currently converting our van to a campervan so out here
in TH-cam land learning planning etc. Thank You for sharing! - Stacey
& Bill :) :)
There are thousands of nothern hemisphere vanlife vids that are just not applicable to the australian experience. The heat here is the number 1 challenge for full time off grid vanlife, but it can be done with proper planning.
Yes totally agree. Even today in April I’m feeling it. I think that’s why I stick to the coast as much as possible and get that ocean breeze
sorry to be off topic but does someone know of a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I was stupid lost my login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Deandre Dario instablaster ;)
@Trenton Lyle I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Trenton Lyle It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my account :D
Completely agree with you, I went with 1,200 watts of solar panels and a mini split AC unit that pulls 600 watts and 600 amp hours of lithium batteries. I put a Maxxair fan in the rear that pulls 900 cfm and a 24 x 24 inch boat hatch in the ceiling behind the drivers seat with a automobile 12 volt radiator fan on a PWM controller that pulls from 0 - 3,000 cfm.
Thanks for the power tips Mitch!
Thank you. Nice video.
Thank you, valuable to know.
I am beginning, looking for a van.
I will be using it a few days at a time.
I am 190cm tall, I can't quite stand straight in a Transit Jumbo.
I am a photographer. I want easy access to my gear, ideally from outside.
Top candidate is a Jumbo. Sprinters are scarce, the one I can se right now looks short. Ducato? There was one, briefly.
Price matters.
I will be alone in it.
Plan.
Buy a box on wheels.
Install a bed. Initially, a mattress and covers, on the floor.
Organise power, make a temporary installation. Possibly screwed to the wall.
Make some trips, fix what bugs me. I don't have to be any where in particular at any particular time. If it's hot, I can go south and park under a tree. I know a place in the wheat belt (Western Australia) where I can probably park in a shed.
It is -30 today where I live in Canada. I've never really thought much about cooling a van.
Great vid mate . Do the extra power you won't regret it . There's plenty of room under your van to put batteries . That's what I did , pluss weight should be down low . Have you considered a large water filter jugg .van life is great I should have done it sooner .
Ahh yeh good idea. Never seen a build with batteries underneath but makes total sense. Thanks for the tip
My goal is to boondock for long periods. I never relax in a bed so that's a huge waste of space for me. I always relax in my office chair recliner. When I sleep I sleep so I wouldn't mind a thin fold away bed but nothing that requires me to play cushion tetris, just up or down done. My plan is to use the whole back 3' of the van for a huge shower. Since it's about 6' wide I'd also have a toilet back there on the opposite side of the shower. And there would be a passthrough door at the back to exit the back if needed. There might be about 6" between the back doors and the back wall of the shower where I could hang a shovel, jumper cables, wheel traction plates, extension, hoses and other small thin items. The rest of the van would be two long counters. One side would be my kitchen counter with sink and stovetop with nothing above it except a vent hood over the stovetop. The other side is just a full empty utility counter with storage cabinets all above it for tons of dry food storage. Under the kitchen counter I would have a massive 250 gallon water drum, a water pump and water filter. I'd also have a full bar fridge. Under the other counter I would have a washing machine that also dries and a deep freezer for meat storage. I'd have a microwave and my 1600 amp hour, 800 useable, AGM battery bank, my inverter and my charger. I hope to get 2k watts solar on the roof but 1200 is still probably overkill. But the idea is to have excess to use washing machine on sunny days and maybe a water generator! Maybe even an incinerator toilet! My electronic system and my water system would be in removable boxes with quick connects so I could work on them on the utility counter when needed. I could fold clothing, work on projects and extend the utility counter to sleep on it. I would also have AC on the roof or in the toilet. I would give up about 3" on all sides so it's actually very well insulated and the heater or AC doesn't drain the battery bank. The whole point is to have a portable kitchen, bathroom, pantry and laundry room that is climate controlled and that can boondock for up to three months at a time. Obviously I have to move every 21 days but I wouldn't move far to save on fuel. I might just bring extra clothing and use a laundry mat but I could do laundry on sunny days and I don't need the space for bikes or outdoor gear. And I rather not be in a hot laundry mat anyways. A washing machine might sound crazy but it would make life simple and it would be my luxury item. Oh and the hot water tank would be behind the shower head that has a wall with a foot of space behind it. So the shower bathroom might be about 5' wide and 3' long in total. I would of course try to find water sources so I could refill my huge water tank. And I would also like a 50 to 100 gallon black/grey tank but I'd like to dump most of my grey water outside when possible. I was thinking of having a lagoon table at the end of each counter making each counter about 7'10" long each. But I think I want to separate the back and the cab for more insulation. But I'd spend most or half of my time in the cab relaxing. It's a tiny space to heat or cool but not sure if I would heat and cool both areas all the time or keep switching. Am I crazy or do I just have different priorities then most van dwellers? It's not my goal to explore the world or stealth park all the time. I don't mind having those options but it's not my main goal. And of course maybe I have to drop to 200 gallons or 150 gallons. But I've designed the whole thing with insane accuracy using 3D program called sketchup. Oh and I wouldn't have access through the side door at all. I find people waste so much space for that access that I just don't need. I have the front and back, I don't need a third door imo. I would also have some clothes and small toolbox but I really don't have much else. Maybe a humidifier. I'm all about climate control. We spend so much on everything but won't spend $50 a month for actual real comfort to run an AC or heater at comfortable levels. I just don't understand some people sometimes. I know the food, water and batteries would weigh a lot so I would use light weight materials for the cabinets and counters. I also don't have bikes or climbing gear or a bunch of power tools like most do. And the insulation could be covered with just a strong cloth in most places if not everywhere. I don't need any heavy panels on top of the insulation imo. I am concerned about opening fridge door like you said about cabinets. I might instead have two pull out cooler style fridges. Also thinking about going with a 12' box truck instead of hightop van but not sure if insurance is more yet. A box truck would be so simple to insulate I'm guessing. No windows or ribs to worry about. All I need is my front window imo but I might use tvs/cameras as fake windows over each counter just so I can see what's going on outside without losing insulation value. Also thinking of having a heat exchanger vent. I know the insulation sounds nuts but I live in -32C to -38C weather somedays. It's rare, -17C might be average but -38C is possible. Also solar doesn't work as good up here in northern Canada and it's even worse in the winter I hear, so it might not be as crazy as it sounds. I could put cabinets over kitchen counter and fold away bed over utility counter. Am I overthinking everything or do I just know what I want and need? Anyways, I'd like to know your opinion and sorry for the wall of text.
Love your ideas. Very exciting. When do you plan on building?
@@travelwannabe5392 Probably not for years. It's more a dream or a retirement plan for two to seven years from now. It depends how much I can save. I only have 6k saved so far. I figure I need about 160k to retire renting an apartment, maybe 120k if I buy land and build a small cabin, and maybe 100k if I build a van or box truck and boondock. If I'm ready in 7 years, I'll be 55 years old and have to live off savings for 10 years until I get pension at 65. I'm thinking 10k for used van or truck, 10k in minor repairs and 10k for new engines and transmissions or other major repairs if needed. Maybe 6k on solar if prices drop and 4k on the rest. That leaves 60k or 6k a year for food $3600/year max, gas $1200/year, insurance $1200/year, phone $75/year. Probably don't need internet or PO box but I might have to squeeze them in somehow. But I should factor in other things like clothing, fishing licenses, maybe a canoe, new computer when needed and more. But you know what they say, if you want to make god laugh, tell him your plans.
@@domalash Nothing wrong with dreaming, but you can make it a reality. Save as much as you can! You will need it till that pension kicks in.
@@travelwannabe5392 Thanks! Double checked my water tank size and they're liters not gallons. If I get rid of washing machine and use 3x 250l drums then i get 200 gallons. But I drink 90l a month so that's one full drum and 12 cases of pepsi lol. According to google it takes 17 gallons for an 8min shower so that's 7 showers in 3 months but I can double to 14 if I use half the time and I can double it again to 28 if I shut off water in middle. That's one every 3rd day not horrible. Plus I might be able to collect a barrel or two of water from a river or rain. Decisions decisions but I don't want to wait until the last second and have no plan. Might also have to use lithium to reduce weight. But I'm trying to be realistic. At 550 lbs per drum that's 1650 lbs just in water!
Good tips there. I think it depends on the van as well. If ypu waych Max and Occy (also Australian) he has a long wheel base Iveco but it just feels so spacious in there. He has a skylight and 2 Max fans but also windows. However, its not a proper mattress and doubles as am eating area. The pluses with that is you can sit 4 people easily. But l do like yr design. Great to see a toilet and shower. Omg l dont care. Even if l was in Cairns l'd still want a warm shower!
I like the drawer suggestion.
Get a Berkey for your water. Or a sawyer squeeze, you can filter your water.
I've been deliberating over whether to buy a cheaper van that's already built with the money I have, or get a loan to buy a newer model and design the van I want (I never buy anything on a loan but this would save me rent so it works out). I'm very precise and certain in how I want to design it as I'd be running my business and carrying stock. After seeing your video I think it's worthwhile to fork out, because as you say, time is money in the long run.
Absolutely. While I’m not an accountant and this isn’t tax advice but since you’ll be running your business out of it then you can write off most of your expenses anyway.
And it’s especially important to get it right if you are running your business out of it. The last thing you want is to run out of power when you need it most
@@MitchAsser I'm actually trying to figure out how to get a business vehicle loan for the van because the interest is way lower... living in it (whilst working) and not paying rent proves I can pay off the loan easily... however I have to say it's for work at least 51 percent of the time... but if I tell them I'll live in it then that negates that percentage haha. Conundrums.
I would do away with the kitchen, I'd be making a under bed space into a pull out one, creating more space
Thanks for all this info, mate. I actually wrote down most of them to consider now that I'm starting my van conversion.
About the two fans, would you (and the rest of the viewers) recommend having a Max air fan right above the kitchen and another max air fan above the bed? Or just the max air fan in the kitchen area and a more affordable/basic one (to keep costs down a bit) above the bed?
I'm building a Toyota Hiace Commuter with two windows at the front, worth considering
The cheaper ones sometimes actually let more air in so I’d put that where ever you want more air
Thats why you need to go with double the power you think you need plus install a generator as well for does cloudy ⛅ days
You may not need hot water in Australia. With exeption of Snowy Montains there is no freezing region. But that is not true in Europe, Canada, US. On the contrary you have to think of anti freeze measures of your plumbing and tanks.
Yes I can imagine 😅
Wow, you hit pretty much everything that's important. Piano hinges are the best with doors. Berkey countertop water filter will solve the water issue. You can poor water into from any source and have good, safe drinking water.
Awesome, thank you. Will check it out
I am building my second van out and those were the same mistakes I made on my first van.
Power, hot water, draws, air flow and small bed
Awesome Mitch, power is important what what power would you recommend? For myself, once I do make the van move, charging power tools is important, the chargeable blue tooth speaker for tradies, a blender, a small microwave, these are probably the most energy sapping items I'd want to travel with.
Big lithium batteries and a decent sized inverter. I’m not really an electrical expert so it’d be best asking the professionals
Alot of people use baskets on shelves? Similar to drawers but much easier to build?
This is very helpful
Awesome
How many Ah of power is it that’s not enough? I found 30-40ah/day to be sufficient for general Van stuff. New build has 200ah total capacity (lithium batteries), am optimistic.
I agree with you 100%
Awesome :) thanks for watching
Hello Mitch, I was recently watching Will Prowse and his DIY Solar Power channel and he mentioned Relion batteries. What I remembered was Relion offers Lithium Ion Phosphate batteries in all sorts of sizes. I'm wondering if a couple of those would work as drop in replacements for your lead acid batteries?
I love Will's channel so interesting.
What is that red thing you are sitting on with back support. I want
Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, Qld has great water refilling taps.
Also, have you tried moving seasonally with the climate, like say...humpback whales? Lol just an idea heatwave, I know its not always doable.
Oh nice good to know. So does Noosa actually. Haha I’ve done that most of my adult life. Always chasing the sun
What’s that little chair you have when you’re on the blanket? Looks nifty
Just saw it on special at Bunnings once for $10 and grabbed 2. They are cool, stores nice and flat, and keeps you sitting up right fairly comfortably when seated :)
Mitch Asser cheers, I’ll look into it 👍🏻
I have a passenger van so I've heard in the summer insulation is only useful on the roof and the floor would you insulate the windows?
Yep makes a huge difference. You can buy window covers that have multiple layers and help insulate. Then take them off when you want to let light in
Great tips. I would love to get a van and convert it. Would a 73 yr. old be able to do it? ☺
do it
Why not
I’m 68 and are building a Toyota Hiace now, go for it
@@loriscook5231 Starting my Toyota Hiace Commuter conversion as well! Good luck with yours!
Sure, u can do it!
Wonderful. I am doing the same as you. I want to live by car.
Tell us about your tap water hypothesis
Not having a go at u Mitch but i couldn't imagine u having a cold shower in the central west of new south wales or let alone an hour out of Sydney in the greater blue Mountains my friend haha But ya i understand where your coming from not to mention im sure u stay on the coast being a Newcastler wit the humidity n all 'Anyway great tips buddy.. #peace.
I wud never add shower, toilet or hot water heater? I never use them!
Why are there no many pillows?!!?!!?
I subscribed bc I am gorgeous 😂
No Hot water. Your are probably right but I will leave provision
Wife won’t like the cold showers.
How long is your van?
Antonia Baker 7 metres :)
@@MitchAsser thank you :)
Just wondering why U think the power cost U so much
Good lithium batteries and inverters aren’t cheap
@@MitchAsser $2000 for battery 300 amp and solar panels $200 300watts
Hey Mitch, I have one of these at home, and you can get smaller ones and even mobile ones. You can add this now with ease. www.berkeyfilters.com/ Also, looks like you are having some condensation issues? The ceiling looks like it has water stains. more ventilation and fans like you mention should help!
Thanks will check it out.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments 👉👉👉
When I got started living in a van, I decided to just 'wing' it and hopefully it would work out. The van I bought looked great, but there are 7 things I would change about the van build if I were to start again from scratch.
Get an insight into those 7 van build changes in today's video. I hope you can learn from these so you don't make the same van build mistakes.
The link I mentioned in the video - How To Become a Successful Digital Nomad: bit.ly/yt-dns
I subscribed bc you are gorgeous 🤗🥰
Haha thank you 😉❤️
Dude idk if its just me but ive tried to watch a few of your vids but I cant stand the camera work, its always a super closeup on your face. its too close for me, good luck tho