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PURPOSE
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LAYOUT
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ELECTRICAL
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WATER
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HEAT
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EXTRAS
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THE BASICS
Clifford (the big red van)
2015 RAM Promaster 2500, 144", High Roof
273,000 miles
3 seats up front!
$7300
2015 RAM Promaster 2500, 144", High Roof
273,000 miles
3 seats up front!
$7300
PURPOSE
We built out the van (*we're not done yet!) with a few basic principles in mind:
COST: We weren't going to take out a loan, so the van build had to be affordable. We got lucky and found a great deal from a super nice guy on Craigslist!
DOGS: We wanted the ability to bring our corgis with us, so a design that worked safely for 3 dogs was a must
TIMEFRAME: We purchased the van in August, and wanted to take it down to Texas in December, so wanted to get as much done as we could in that timeframe.
RUNNING: We are not full time vanlifers. The main purpose of the van is to get us to trails over long weekends and week+ long trips, so we wanted to keep that in mind while designing and deciding what we needed and what we could live without.
SIMPLICITY: We didn't want to have to deal with a propane system, period. Most vanlifers have one, but not being full time, we can use that space and those resources in other ways to make our build our own.
SIZE: It had to fit in the the driveway and we wanted it to fit in most parking spots, so we opted for the in-between size.
COST: We weren't going to take out a loan, so the van build had to be affordable. We got lucky and found a great deal from a super nice guy on Craigslist!
DOGS: We wanted the ability to bring our corgis with us, so a design that worked safely for 3 dogs was a must
TIMEFRAME: We purchased the van in August, and wanted to take it down to Texas in December, so wanted to get as much done as we could in that timeframe.
RUNNING: We are not full time vanlifers. The main purpose of the van is to get us to trails over long weekends and week+ long trips, so we wanted to keep that in mind while designing and deciding what we needed and what we could live without.
SIMPLICITY: We didn't want to have to deal with a propane system, period. Most vanlifers have one, but not being full time, we can use that space and those resources in other ways to make our build our own.
SIZE: It had to fit in the the driveway and we wanted it to fit in most parking spots, so we opted for the in-between size.
LAYOUT
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We went thru many iterations of the van design, ultimately arriving at the final layout after taping out the various options on the van floor. We had an idea of what we wanted, but no concept of how any of it would feel in the space. Even after settling on our "final" design, we still made tweaks on the fly to problem solve tricky framing areas and to better suit our needs after experiencing the space first hand.
Our "final" design included:
Our "final" design included:
- Raised bed in back, sleeping sideways, high enough to store bikes underneath
- 3 dog crates (ultimately cut down to two to add room for toilet/storage)
- Bench seats (1 as a dog crate/1 as toilet) sitting across from each other next to the bed
- Long kitchen cabinet for stove, fridge, storage and one crate on driver's side wall
- Short kitchen cabinet for sink/greywater on the door side
- Electrical in a "cabinet" under the bed (we regret this, more on that in the following section)
- Water tank storage over the passenger's side wheel well
- Bedroom cabinets on driver's side of bed, kitchen cabinets over long cabinet
ELECTRICAL
I left the electrical system design mostly to Josh, an EE by trade. We wanted to have the option to be off grid for a few days at a time, so having a larger solar capacity was a priority. The addition of an induction stove (no propane system in our van) also necessitated a slightly larger system.
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The main components in our electrical system are:
Solar panels: Newpowa 180W RV Solar Panel Charge controller: SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 Charge Controller Battery: Battery Monitor: Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor Inverter: Renogy 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter B2B Charger: Renogy 40A DC to DC Battery Charger Shore Power: Samlex SEC-1215UL 12V Battery Charger Fuse Block: Blue Sea Systems 5191 Fuse Block Other Components: Mains switch, bus bars, circuit breakers, lugs, wire, fuses, etc |
The main appliances in our electrical system:
Fans: Maxxair 00-06200K MaxxFan (x2) Lights: acegoo Recessed Ceiling Light 4 pack (x2) Fridge: Whynter FM-45G 45 Quart Portable Refrigerator Stove: True Induction TI-1B Single Burner Induction Cooktop |
More on the installation of the electrical system here.
WATER
Our water system is pretty basic, and having never done pluming, it was much easier to figure out than I expected (although I think I lost count of how many trips I made to HD to the get the right connectors/adapters ... LESSON: just bring the parts in question into the store and try out the fitting there)! No propane, means no hot water, so one less facet of the system to install.
The main components in our water system are:
The main components in our water system are:
- Sink: Ruvati 13x15 Undermount Sink
- Pump: Shurflo 12V 2.3 GPM Water Pump
- Filter: Waterdrop WD-RF10 Undersink Water Filter
- Freshwater tank: A.A. 21 Gallon Freshwater Tank
- Greywater tank: Aquatainer 4 Gallon Tank
- Faucet: Homipro Lead Free High Arc Kitchen Faucet
- Sprayer/hose: Dura Faucet Quick Connect RV Faucet
- Piping: Pex pipe and other clear vinyl tubing
- Other components: Various valves, adapters, plumbers putty, tape, plug, etc.
More on the installation of the water system here.
HEAT
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Since we chose to avoid a propane system in our van, we were left with 2 options for heat -- electric or gasoline. Unless we are hooked in to shore power (which we don't really ever intend to be), electric is just not feasible with our energy storage capabilities, so we decided to go with an Eberspaecher (Espar) heater. Although we tackled everything else in the van ourselves, neither of us felt particularly confident about installing a gasoline heater, so we went with the Esper as there is a dealer/installer on the other side of town -- easily the best "extra" money we spent on the van! RAM Promasters have a built-in fuel tap in the cab which made for a much easier installation under the passenger's seat.
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EXTRAS
Curtains, cushions, and covers, OH MY!
