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A Life of Vanlife - My Journey

A lot of people have encouraged me (Zach) to write a short post about the long strange trip I’ve had with camper vans and, well, the dude abides. Some people don’t believe me but I literally made “houses with wheels” with my Legos on a regular basis. The idea of a moving home intrigued me from a very early age. Growing up, my dad, who was always building and creating things (tinkering as he would put it) had a “VW phase” in which he restored countless VW vans including a few Westfalia campers. I think most of them were from the 60’s and were absolutely beautiful! If only he had kept a few of those. Maybe I can dig up some photos of those some day. Eventually, my family bought a nearly new 1989 Vanagon Westfalia in 1990. This is the car that I learned to drive with! We had a few family road trips in that van and a few more in my teens, including a very memorable excursion with my dad, brother and good friend to Vegas for a Dead show including camping at Circus Circus RV park on the strip. That was 1993 and, later that year, I would purchase my first camper van – a 1971 VW Westfalia. My girlfriend and I spent the next 6 months (or so) preparing that van to travel the USA for about a year (not just Dead tour). So, with the help of my dad – who was the only one of us who knew anything – we rebuilt the engine, updated the camping equipment/interior layout and painted the van red. My first build! Shortly before we hit the road, and without any consideration of the extreme law enforcement scrutiny we would encounter as a result, my girlfriend and another artist friend adorned the van with all manner of hippy/Grateful Dead art and stickers. We would quickly learn that smart hippies, who had been around the block a few times, drove mini vans with D.A.R.E stickers – flying stealth. Anyway, the van was named A Smile From Gondwanaland or just Gondwanaland for short (because that’s so short) and she took us across the country and back at the top speed of 55 mph when the road was flat or downhill. Uphill or on mountain passes we were lucky to get to 15- 20 mph. If you’re old enough, you may remember being stuck behind this red van on a one-lane road with about 65 other cars back in 1994. If so, my apologies. One thing I reflect on about this period of time is how primitive technology was. Nobody had a cell phone and, if you did, it was the size of a briefcase and rarely worked. There was no widely available GPS and certainly no apps. The internet and apps would be years away. I marvel at how simple things were. We had paper maps and our friends and family had no way of knowing where we were or how to get in touch with us. We would use pay phones at rest stops to phone home. Finding campsites was a real chore, sometimes driving down dead-end roads. Today’s vanlifers have literal miracles in their hands connecting them to resources, campsites, gas prices, their friends and family and other vanlifers! Learning About RV Systems We eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay area briefly and then Boulder, Colorado. Getting turned on to the van lifestyle and living on the road for about a year in a very (very) basic camper van combined with my sort of engineering and DIY streak led me to learn about “RV systems” while tinkering with my old Westy trying to upgrade things to be more like a fancy Vanagon Westfalia. I wanted a few more lights, I wanted to add some kind of heat (it’s awfully cold in Colorado), I wanted a refrigerator instead of an icebox. I found a beat up 3-way refrigerator that I could learn with, I explored RV salvage lots, I broke a lot of things, I tried to act like a legitimate buyer when pouring over RV dealership lots and I spent a lot of time at libraries so I could read Trailer Life magazine which is now RV.com (again, pre-internet). I’m pretty sure that I was the only reader of that magazine under the age of 55! Over the course of a few years, I would completely transform that van into what was, essentially a new build. It was also repainted to reduce my run-ins with the police 🙂 Upgrading To 65 MPH (In The Right Conditions) Sometime around 1998 I was able to use my miraculous, newly installed “broadband internet” service (400 kilobits/second – less than half a megabit,) to locate a 1985 Vanagon Westfalia for sale nearby. The seller thought it was likely to need an engine rebuild so I got a pretty good deal and hoped I could figure that out when it blew up. I only had that van for about a year and a half, but I did a bunch of upgrades including adding a secondary (“house”) battery, a small inverter and a catalytic propane heater before someone slowly slid into my slider door at a stoplight on an icy road mid-winter. Winter sucks and I live in Florida now, but that van was “totaled” by the insurance company. I ended up keeping it with the salvage title and selling it to someone who parted her out. Here we are on a road trip to Lake Powell in that van. I think we had just cut out of there without getting stuck in the sands and I was pretty proud of myself or something. I do remember how hot that van was without air conditioning in the desert! Dream Van Sometime around 2003, I had enough dough to buy my dream van – a 1997 Volkswagen Eurovan Camper! This was pretty much the most awesome camper van of its day – well before the availability of the modern high-roof cargo vans like Sprinters and ProMasters. Travel back to the 90’s and join Mike, Kali and Tiger to tell you about the Eurovan Camper in this VHS-quality gem of a video. No longer a Westy, the Eurovan camper was a partnership between Volkwagen who supplied empty cargo vans to Winnebago who then upfitted them into surprisingly European-styled camper vans. This van could keep up with the speed of traffic, it wasn’t prone to perpetual mechanical failures and wasn’t older than I was when I bought it. It was much more like an RV with a real refrigerator, forced air furnace, modest house electrical system with shore power charging. It even had a fancy tank monitoring system, which is something I had long admired about “real” RVs. I did add an inverter and made a few tweaks. It was a great van and it started a tradition of me using my camper vans as cargo vans as well. I have so many great memories adventuring in that van. Here’s a shot of us caravanning with my dad who was driving the Vanagon Westy that I grew up with. Fun fact: he still has this van – it’s basically a part of the family now. Camping in Wyoming in 2007: Panamanian Moon In 2007, I moved to Panama, which is another story. So, I ended up selling the Eurovan Camper to fund building my house inside the crater of an extinct volcano in El Valle de Anton, Panama. Selling a camper van is nothing like unloading a car. First, they tend to hold their value much better and, emotionally, they’re more like a home or a pet. You have so many experiences in these vans! Miles Van Camper – My First Promaster Build By the summer of 2016, I was back in the USA, living in Florida (one avoids going too far north after living in the tropics!) and took a short trip to Colorado. My girlfriend and I borrowed the old family Westy from my dad and took it up to some of my favorite camp spots. True to form, the Westy broke down in a parking lot in Boulder at the end of our trip. Fortunately, Boulder is a great place to have a VW repaired and despite this, my girlfriend – who was brand new to vanlife, caught the bug as well and we talked about future trips. That short trip made me realize how much I missed having a camper van and I started scheming a DIY build. I had been wanting to do a DIY build for years (decades?) and the newer high roof vans seemed perfect for the conversion. There wasn’t nearly as much info out there on the internet and social media in those days, but I started diving into the research and design. I ended up trading in my trusty Honda CRV and buying a brand new ProMaster 2500, 159″ wheel base van. I had never purchased a new car before and I had no idea how I was going to pull of the conversion. I had plenty of doubts and was pretty sure I was getting more insane by the minute. But, I also had years and years of ideas from all of my traveling in vans and I was so excited that this gigantic ProMaster van was big enough for all the things I could only dream about in a VW van – things like a fixed bed, large galley and a shower. Oh my gods, a shower! Through continual persistence and occasional desperation, I figured out how to find the materials I needed and how to stumble my way through my first build – all in my driveway with pretty limited tools and a spare bedroom full of materials. Years of home renovations and learning about and staring at RV/boat systems definitely helped, but it wasn’t easy. My first project on the first build was removing the seats to install the swivel bases…and I striped the bolt. Each time I would learn something “the hard way” I felt compelled to share with the handful of other people I imagined might want to build their own campervan. I was thrilled with my first build and loved how it turned out. And despite how difficult it was, when the conversion was over, I realized how much I enjoyed the process. Toward the end of my first build a friend asked if I had heard of the vanlife Reddit. This was deeply confusing. What is vanlife and why would there be a Reddit for it? It wasn’t until that moment that I realized that there may be more than a handful of people doing these “builds” and I discovered that this stuff I had been passionate about for so many years was becoming an increasingly popular thing. So, I started a blog to share a few things and made a video about that first DIY build. Since then I’ve built out two more vans and now we are in the business of making a DIY camper van easier, faster and more enjoyable. What a long strange trip! Thanks To Everyone Who Forged The Way Some people might read this and think I was early to the “lifestyle,” but that’s far from the real truth. While I was “vanlifing” over 20 years before the term “vanlife” was coined, I was following in the footsteps of the hippies who where influenced by the beats who were inspired by the gypsies and the gypsies must have been turned on by someone else. I’m eternally grateful to everyone who forged the vanlife path for me (not the least of which is my dad) to find and so excited that I have so many more potential friends on the road. Oh, and that technology stuff is really cool too. I hope our blog and store helps others discover vanlife. As we say on our “about page“, there is real magic in the alchemy of adventure, discovery, freedom and challenge that you experience living on the road. With a van you can go just about anywhere – from culturally rich cities to wonderfully desolate deserts, enjoying both the excitement and novelty of travel along with the comfort and security of home.

How To Get Insurance For Your DIY Camper Van

In this post I’ll be talking about why you should have insurance on your camper van, how to get insurance on your camper van, how to title your van as an RV, who I ultimately chose to insure my van and why I specifically chose them. You’ve spent a lot of time and money building out your dream home on wheels; it’s only natural that you want to make sure all of that time and money wasn’t wasted should anything happen to your van along the way. One goal of vanlife is to maximize your adventures and experiences, so it’s important to be prepared for anything. Houses, cars and personal property are insured for theft, unforeseeable circumstances and accidents…so your van should be too! Let’s be honest, insuring your van isn’t exactly the most exciting facets of vanlife. However, getting insurance on your van is a necessary part of the process so you can hit the road with the peace of mind knowing your van is covered in the event that something goes wrong. I’ve seen a good friend total their van when they hit an elk and luckily they were insured for the full value of their van and build out. Insuring your vehicle in the event of a theft or accident ensures you will be able to continue vanlife, no matter what issues arise on the road ahead. Living in a van comes with a different set of challenges than a “sticks and bricks” home – whether it’s finding a safe place to sleep, seeking out a hot shower, repairs & maintenance, or simply finding wifi or cell signal to get some work done. One of the first challenges you might encounter is finding someone to insure your van. Unfortunately, most standard insurance companies haven’t really caught on to vanlife and don’t yet have solutions for self-built camper vans. At this point you might be asking yourself, what’s the difference between simply getting auto insurance vs. getting RV insurance or camper van insurance? The main difference between standard auto insurance and RV insurance is that RV insurance insures the build out of your rig in addition to the liability and collision coverage you’d get with a standard auto policy. In some cases an RV policy can even cover personal property such as furniture, camping equipment, and other belongings inside the vehicle. Technically a camper van is a “class B RV”, but the problem with RV insurance is that it’s usually only for RV’s specifically built by large corporate build companies like Thor or Winnebago. For custom built and DIY camper vans, you’re going to need something a little more tailored to “vanlife”. I recommend shopping around and talking to agents so you can find the policy that best fits your needs and “understands” the DIY camper van world. I’ve already shopped around and have found one of the best solutions for insuring your camper van on the market. Before I get into the boring steps of how to get insurance for your campervan, I want to save you a little bit of time and let you know why I ended up choosing Roamly, the company that I ultimately decided to insure my camper van with. Roamly was created by Outdoorsy. If you don’t know about Outdoorsy, it’s an platform similar to Airbnb or Turo that allows you to rent your camper van or RV for extra cash. This is important to know because Outdoorsy (and thus Roamly) actually understands vanlife and the needs of vanlifers. I found that Roamly was the best insurance option on the market specifically for vanlifers and skoolies for a few reasons.   First of all, Roamly’s policies were the most competitively priced (I also called Allstate and State Farm) but more importantly, they were the most flexible in terms of working with me on what they required to get the policy bound.   Second, Roamly was by far the easiest solution and had the least amount of hoops I had to jump through. Many of the other insurance company that I spoke to wanted an invoice from a professional van building company or an established RV company. Other companies I talked to simply didn’t offer insurance (Geico & Progressive) for converted cargo vans or kicked back the policy when they realized that my van was a self-built camper van. Other companies (Allstate and State Farm) wanted way too much in terms of paperwork and photos. The process with Roamly was super simple and the agent was very sharp and extremely familiar with vanlife and had all the answers to my questions.   Lastly, another huge bonus benefit of insuring through Roamly is that they are able to provide van/RV owners with a personal policy that allows them to rent out their van on a rental platform (Outdoorsy for example). Most personal insurance carriers have exclusions in the policy documents saying that you void your personal insurance policy if you rent out your vehicle even though the rental platform is what actually covers anything that were to happen during the rental. Generally speaking, there are a few things that are good to have when choosing insurance for your van. Those include: Learn About Laws in Your Specific Location. Some insurance companies require more details based on state laws such as the van’s weight, a statement on the vehicle conversion, or specific testing. Make sure to look up state laws or ask your insurance agent for a list of requirements. RV title (Title your Van as an RV if possible)With your newfound knowledge on what your state requires, you will want to title your vehicle as a motorhome if possible. Although not every insurance company requires it, many do. As mentioned above, most states have hoops (procedures/paperwork/red tape) you must jump through in order to title your van as a motorhome. Each state varies in regards to the amount of hoops you need to jump through to title your vehicle as a motorhome. Some states require a statement, an inspection, photos, a weight slip or all of the above. You’ll need to do research on your specific state, here are some examples. In Florida for example, you need to submit proof of insurance and a “Conversion Affidavit” that certifies that you converted (or had your vehicle converted by someone else) into a motorhome. The letter states that you added a 120 Volt electrical system, a plumbing system OR propane system. You’ll also need to bring the original title, your driver’s license and proof of insurance. That’s all you need to submit in addition to paying Uncle Sam his money and you can walk out the same day with a motorhome title. I did not need a weight slip or anything else! The details are spelled out in this form. My friend Ken has written a good post about how to register your van as an RV in California. At the end of this blog post, I have provided each state’s vehicle registration authority to help you with your research. I also suggest a web search along the lines of “Your State RV or motorhome vehicle title” to find the the laws regulations pertaining to the licensing and registration of home-built campers or RV conversions in your particular state. Take Photos for Security and DocumentationTake detailed photos all around your van including the exterior, interior, and your personal property. Most insurance companies will want to see these photos before binding your policy. Keep these photos stored somewhere you can access such as Dropbox or Google Drive just in case if you wind up needing them to submit a claim. Keep Your Build ReceiptsA good paper trail of everything you purchased for your build and, ideally, anything you store in your rig is crucial for documentation. Most insurance companies will want to see a list or invoices before binding your policy. The list of paperwork insurance companies ask for sometimes can be a little over the top. This includes invoices throughout the building process, labor hours, and a list with receipts of all belongings inside the vehicle. Luckily with the minimalistic lifestyle of vanlife, this isn’t as extensive as property in and stored in the cloud. Get an Appraisal DoneIn some instances, an insurance company or Roamly may want you to have an appraisal done by a third party. This could be a professional van builder. Having an appraisal provides the insurance company with photos as well as an assessment of all the components and features built into the van. It may also let the insurance know of the quality of the van build. An appraisal would be similar to a buildout spec sheet or final invoice that a professional builder would typically give you. Since yours is a DIY van, then an appraisal would be comparable. Your insurance company will most likely let you know if they need this. Consider Investing in an Anti Theft SystemI have an aftermarket anti theft system installed in my van for multiple reasons. In addition to the obvious protection against your van being stolen, it’s nice to have a “panic button” next to you in bed, in case you hear someone lurking outside your van. Also, in many cases it can reduce your insurance premiums enough to pay for itself. There are many options on Amazon and I recommend the Viper security system without remote start because it’s less expensive and less complicated to install. If you want a security system with a remote start or don’t want to install the system yourself, it might be a good idea to get it done at a local shop. Use a GPS trackerHaving a GPS tracker hidden in your van and paying a monthly subscription might seem like overkill, but once you have one you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. You’ve invested thousands of dollars in your home on wheels, why not have something that lets you know where it is at all times. Imagine coming back to your van after a few days away and it’s not where you left it. How would you feel? Now imagine being able to look on your phone to locate it and letting the police know exactly where it is…sounds like a much better outcome. While not as stealthy, if you use a phone as a hotspot like our recommended Visible internet service, you can use the “find my phone” feature to also find your van! I do a lot of backpacking and often trek quite far from the van and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to be able to look at my phone and know where my van is. I personally use the Tracki which is inexpensive and has great reviews. The monthly subscription is pretty competitively priced as well at around $12/month and it may pay for itself if your insurance carrier offers a discount on your premium for having it. Hopefully this blog post was useful to you. If you would like to reach out with questions or comments please contact us. List of Licensing Authorities for all USA States AlabamaAlabama Department of Revenue–Motor Vehicle Division AlaskaAlaska Department of Administration–Division of Motor Vehicles ArizonaArizona Department of Transportation ArkansasArkansas Department of Finance and Administration CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles ColoradoColorado Department of Revenue–Division of Motor Vehicles ConnecticutConnecticut Department of Motor Vehicles DelawareDelaware Division of Motor Vehicles District of ColumbiaDC Department of Motor Vehicles FloridaFlorida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles GeorgiaGeorgia Department of Revenue–Motor Vehicle Division HawaiiHawaii Department of Transportation–Public Affairs IdahoIdaho Division of Motor Vehicles IllinoisIllinois Secretary of State–Vehicle Services Department IndianaIndiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles IowaIowa Motor Vehicle Division KansasKansas Department of Revenue–Division of Motor Vehicles KentuckyKentucky Transportation Cabinet–Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing LouisianaLouisiana Office of Motor Vehicles MaineMaine Department of the Secretary of State–Bureau of Motor Vehicles MarylandMaryland Department of Transportation–Motor Vehicle Administration MassachusettsMassachusetts Department of Transportation–Registry of Motor Vehicles MichiganMichigan Secretary of State MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Public Safety–Driver and Vehicle Services Division MississippiMississippi Motor Vehicle Commission MissouriMissouri Department of Revenue–Motor Vehicle Titling & Registration MontanaMontana Department of Justice–Driver Services NebraskaNebraska Department of Motor Vehicles NevadaNevada Department of Motor Vehicles New HampshireNew Hampshire Department of Safety–Division of Motor Vehicles New JerseyNew Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission New MexicoNew Mexico Motor Vehicle Division New YorkNew York State Department of Motor Vehicles North CarolinaNorth Carolina Department of Transportation–Division of Motor Vehicles North DakotaNorth Dakota Department of Transportation OhioOhio Department of Public Safety ‐ Bureau of Motor Vehicles OklahomaOklahoma Tax Commission–Motor Vehicle Information OregonOregon Department of Transportation ‐ Division of Motor Vehicles PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of Transportation–Driver and Vehicle Services Rhode IslandRhode Island Department of Revenue ‐ Division of Motor Vehicles South CarolinaSouth Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles South DakotaSouth Dakota Department of Revenue and Regulations–Motor Vehicles Division TennesseeTennessee Department of Revenue–Vehicle Title & Registration TexasTexas Department of Motor Vehicles UtahUtah Division of Motor Vehicles VermontVermont Agency of Transportation–Department of Motor Vehicles VirginiaCommonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles WashingtonWashington Department of Licensing West VirginiaWest Virginia Department of Transportation–Division of Motor Vehicles WisconsinWisconsin Department of Transportation ‐ Division of Motor Vehicles WyomingWyoming Department of Transportation

How To Level Your Camper Van

Let’s Talk Leveling… Some of the most beautiful and rugged wilderness camp sites are the most unlevel and often that driveway you snagged at your friend or family’s house has a pretty significant slope. So, in this short post, I’ll explore a few options for leveling your camper van. It’s worth noting that some people simply don’t care if their van is unlevel. I wish I was like them! But, for me, leveling my rig is important to be able to sleep well. Larger motor homes and trailers typically have some sort of leveling system included with the rig but, camper vans don’t so you have to bring something along. Stuff Laying Around Some folks swear by this method. They simply harvest rocks/etc. from the surrounding area, put them under the tires that need to be leveled and voila! The clear benefit to this approach is that it’s entirely free and you don’t need to carry anything with you so it doesn’t use any space inside your van. The obvious down side is that not every camp site is going to support this approach – particularly in urban areas. It’s also a lot harder than it seems to find just the right size objects for leveling and it can be a real hassle to drive onto some of these odd shaped things. Wood Bits You can cut some wood (such as 2″ x 6″ lumber) into short sections (think tire-length strips) and then lay those onto the ground near the tires you need to level and drive up on them. In my view this is the worst option. First it takes up too much precious space in your tiny van. Then it gets really dicey when you need to stack more than one “layer” of boards to level a really wonky camping spot. However, this approach does work for some people and you may even have the scraps of wood laying around ready to repurpose this way. Leveling Blocks The commonly used plastic leveling blocks are like oversized legos. They are 8.5″ x 8.5″ square and 1″ tall. The idea is that you build a sort of pyramid out of the blocks in front of the wheel(s) you need to level and then you drive onto this pyramid. When you’re done they (theoretically) stack up onto each other to stow away into a bag provided with the blocks. Until I discovered the Flat-Jack (more on that below), this was the actually the best option. They were the devil I knew but definitely a freaking devil. There are several things I hated issues with these things. First, camper vans are heavy and you’re using these on unlevel ground so, when you drive up onto them they twist and crack which means they only stack correctly for the first few uses. That makes them hard to set up because you’re trying to use the least damaged blocks on the bottom in order to build your pyramid of blocks. That initial problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that it’s nearly impossible to drive onto these pyramids and then stop at the exact right space (remember only 8.5″ wide). You are basically juicing the accelerator to get up on the blocks while simultaneously slamming on your brakes. If you get that right – after ten attempts – there’s a good chance your van rolls slightly off when you put it into park! Each attempt to drive onto the blocks smashes them deeper into the ground which is often muddy or sandy while crushing their shape further. So, after you use these things, even a few times, they are so mangled and dirty, they don’t stack up anymore so they end up taking up way more space than they did when they stowed away fully stacked up. The Flat-Jack Cue the angelic music. After years of disappointing experiences with other leveling systems (see above), I discovered there was a thing called the Flat-Jack widely available in Europe but not available here in the USA. So, long story made short, we got in touch with the Flat-Jack folks and became the exclusive seller of these magic air leveling pillows in the US. So, I’m certainly biased, but I think the Flat-Jack is the way to go for camper van leveling. As the name suggest, they store flat so they take up very little space in your van. I have mine stored in mesh pockets attached to my rear doors but they can be easily stashed away in so many places. When you want to use them, you simply lay them on the ground in front of the tire(s) you want to level and then drive onto them. Because they’re flat, this is super simple – all that frustration trying to get up on sets of blocks (or rocks or wood or whatever) goes way. You just lay them on the ground and drive into place. Then you connect up an air compressor or hand pump and inflate to the desired height – all the way up to 4.75″. As you inflate, you can fine tune the leveling in a way that blocks/wood/rocks cannot begin to match. The only real “con” is that they’re expensive. However, if you take into consideration how valuable space is inside a small van and how much frustration they will eliminate I think the value starts to shine through. And, unlike the leveling blocks that essentially self destruct as you use them, these will last a lifetime if you treat them well (don’t overinflate and protect from sharp objects). We’ve only been selling them for a few months UPDATE: for many years now! but we’ve already had very positive feedback from other vanlifers an we encourage you to check them out! A Sassy Video Comparing Leveling Blocks To The Flat-Jack

Camper Van Mobile Internet

2026 update: Since this post, many vanlifers have enjoyed the availability of Starlink satellite internet. The Starlink Gen 3 and Mini antennas are great fits for vans. Peplink routers for LTE & 5G service are another rock solid, but somewhat pricey, option for RV internet. This post still details a lower-cost, easy to deploy option for vanlife internet. We get a lot of questions on how to stay connected on the road. Internet connectivity is very important for most people and even more essential for digital nomads like myself. I’ve tried a number of things since I built my first Promaster camper van back in 2016 but haven’t been really thrilled about any of them. I started with a Sprint MIFI that featured unlimited bandwidth but was severely limited by Sprint’s lousy network coverage outside of densely populated areas. Later, in early 2019 I fell for AT&T’s bait and switch routine when I put the Roadlink Togo “bubble” on the roof of my van. It was actually a great system but then they jacked up the data plan prices crazy high in late 2019 like a strange precursor to the nightmare that was 2020. So, now that hardware is worthless roof clutter unless I use its WIFI extending capability which I have never done and probably will never do. The truth is that there are limitations and caveats to any mobile internet setup and the word “unlimited”, when used with mobile providers, is almost always “marketing speak” for “read the fine print to learn about the actual limits”. However, I’m pretty happy with the set of compromises in my current setup and I’m a heavy consumer of data that hasn’t run into any issues with this setup. Knocking on wood! Visible By Verizon My setup centers around Visible service which uses the Verizon network – including their new-ish 5G speeds where available – but offers “unlimited” data plans starting at only $25 per month total – without any taxes, fees or other nonsense. More on pricing below. It’s well known that Verizon has the best coverage in the USA followed by AT&T. The other carriers seem to lag far behind in coverage. So, there’s a real advantage to being on the Verizon network with Visible – particularly when you’re outside of urban areas which is often the case with vanlife. Visible Pricing The base plan with Visible is $40 per month but if you join a “party” of 4 or more people the price drops to $25 per month. There’s an entire sub-Reddit dedicated to finding Visible parties and, importantly, you don’t need to know the people in your “party” since every party member pays their own bill. The primary thing to look for is a party large enough to support some of the members dropping off. One of the great features of Visible is that there are no commitments so a larger party helps ensure that you’ll stay in the preferred pricing bracket with 4 or more members.  Visible also has a referral program. If you use a referral code (like mine which is 3lSHB6) when signing up, you’ll receive $20 off your first month service and I will get a $20 credit for your signup! How It Works When you sign up, Visible will send you a SIM card that must be used in a smartphone that is compatible with their service. You cannot use the Visible SIM in a hotspot – it must be used with a phone. I wanted a dedicated phone for this purpose so the internet connectivity would be constant and I could use my “real” phone as I normally would, so I purchased the ZTE Blade A7 Prime phone for $79 from Visible when I signed up. When the SIM card arrived up I had no trouble inserting it into the phone and activating the service. My Setup I use the WeBoost Drive Sleek signal booster that utilizes a small, magnetic rooftop antenna to pull in and “boost” wireless signals. It has a “cradle” that I’ve mounted just behind the passenger seat. Whatever device you put into this cradle gets the signal boosting. So, this serves not only as a booster but a handy mounting point for the phone I’m using. As I mentioned before, I use a teeny-tiny Mango router that has a USB connection to tether to the phone via USB. This becomes the “single” device that the phone’s hotspot allows and it creates a WIFI network inside the van much like a router at a home or office that I can connect all my devices to (other phones, laptop, security devices, etc.). The entire setup with the phone, router and WeBoost signal booster was right around $300. My Experience I’m writing this post at the end of March 2021 and I’ve been using the Visible system in my van since early February. In that time I’ve traveled from Colorado to Florida and, overall, I’m really impressed with the setup. In my experience the service is truly unlimited. There are no speed limitations when using mobile data on the phone itself but the hotspot functionality (when tethering) constrains the bandwidth to about 5 Mbps (megabits per second). While this sounds crazy slow, I find it adequate for most things including video streaming, Zoom calls and working from the road. According to Zoom, for group calls you need 1 Mbps upstream and .6 Mbps downstream bandwidth for “high quality video”, 2.6 Mbps/1.8 Mbps for 720 HD video and 3.8 Mbps/3.0 Mbps for 1080 HD video. So, the “throttled” 5 Mbps should be good enough for even the highest quality video. For some real world context, I just completed a one-hour Zoom call with two other people from the van where I had “3 bars” of signal in an urban setting. During the call there were two brief periods of time, each about 15 seconds in length, that I saw the dreaded “your internet connection is unstable” message appear. Another limitation is that there can only be one device connected to the phone’s hotspot. However, if you add a router to your setup, as I did, you can get around this limitation since the router is considered the single device but provides a WIFI network that all your devices can connect to. In all cases it appears Visible traffic is a bit slower and has higher latency than plans using Verizon directly and are subject to “network management”. In my first three weeks I used over 44 GB of data! Perhaps even more impressive is that I have had a strong signal literally everywhere I have camped so far. I don’t expect that will always be the case but I’ve covered a lot of ground without any signal issues whatsoever. The Mango router is also impressive and the USB tethering has been super reliable. So far I’ve only had to “reset” it’s USB tether connection twice in many months and thousands of miles across the USA. In other words, the USB tether between the Mango router and the phone was stable for weeks at a time and, if it did stop working, I simply unplugged the USB connection from the phone, reconnected it and then went into the phone’s settings to “turn on” the USB tether again. So, the bottom line is that this is a very affordable and solid solution for people who need regular, reliable data connections in their van and are willing to take the “slow but steady” route where the speeds are capped but the total bandwidth is not. It’s also a good idea to have your personal mobile phone service be with a different provider so that you have that secondary network as a backup that you can use if your primary option (Visible in my case) isn’t working in your location. Eliminate Throttling? In this video created by Jake & Heather, they discuss a way to use Visible from a hotspot by “repairing” the IMEI number on the device which, apparently removes the bandwidth speed throttling on the hotspot, and allows multiple connections like my router that is tethered, because it’s treated as a “phone”. I have not tried this but it just might work! Update – September 2022: some folks on the Promaster Forum report that some changes to the computer you’re tethering or the router that you’re using to tether can be used to work around the bandwidth throttling. If you want to dive deeper into mobile internet, the Mobile Internet Resource Center website is fantastic and their post on Visible is worth a read.

Vanlife Respectfully

There’s Nothing Like Traveling In A Camper Van For the most part, I’m thrilled to see vanlife becoming increasingly popular. There is nothing like traveling in a camper van! There is real magic in the alchemy of adventure, discovery, freedom and challenge that you experience living on the road and deep in the wilderness. With a van you can go just about anywhere – from culturally rich cities to wonderfully desolate deserts enjoying the excitement and novelty of travel right along side the the secure comforts of home. However, I’m one of many people who are deeply concerned about how some vanlifers are behaving and the consequences of that for all of us. Camping Respectfully We all need places to camp. That is the most fundamental requirement of vanlife – even more so than the vehicle itself! If we are not respectful of where and how we choose to camp we will no longer be welcome. The potential combination of increasing numbers of vanlifers with a reduction in available places to camp is a catastrophe in the making for all of us. So, this post is going to dive into some things to consider when camping. These are just my thoughts which are centered around respect. Ultimately, how you live and your decisions are entirely yours. The storyteller makes no choicesoon you will not hear his voicehis job is to shed lightand not to master– Robert Hunter, Terrapin Station Advocating for Vanlifers We hope to help galvanize the vanlife community around these issues and also advocate for more places to camp with Together We Van, the non-profit we’re starting up. For instance, we think it’s time to make public lands public again – even after dusk! There are tens of thousands of public spaces that “close” at night despite being paid for and maintained by public funds. These range from beach parking lots to recreational areas to hiking trailheads to marinas and more. In many cases these “closed hours” are established specifically to prohibit overnight camping in what would otherwise be a perfect place to overnight. However, it’s essential that, as a community, we don’t trash the places we’re asking to be welcomed into. By the way, if you’re interested in helping to get this effort off the ground, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t Camp Where You’re Not Welcome So, We’re Welcome More Places There are great apps like ParkAdvisor and iOverlander that can help you find places to camp just about anywhere – from paid campgrounds to reliable boondocking spots. I wrote another post about these apps and others. And, the longer you live vanlife, the better you will become at spotting potential campsites. The key is to only camp in places where you’re welcome. I certainly struggle with this as you can see my earlier “rant” about making public spaces public again. But, the bottom line is that we have a better chance of advocating for being welcomed into more places if we only camp in places we’re already welcome. Be A Good Neighbor The Golden Rule applies here. Wherever you camp treat it as if it was your town, your lake, your driveway, your parking lot or your anything. Also, try to fit in. Don’t be loud when everyone else is quiet. Don’t put out an awning and camp chairs in the Walmart parking lot. Definitely don’t leave any trash or, eh, fluids of any kind (grey water or worse). If you have a generator, only run it when it seems appropriate. Be kind! Support Businesses That Support Vanlife It’s well known that many businesses are welcoming to RV’ers and, by extension, vanlifers. Unfortunately, many of us have sort of taken this for granted and some of these stores are being forced to put up “no camping” signs because of people leaving trash and being disrespectful. Others are overstaying their welcome. A Walmart or a Crackle Barrel is a great place to camp overnight but it’s not a place to stay for many days for you or the store. If you do find yourself overnighting at these businesses please consider going into the store and purchasing some things. Leave It Better and Leave No Trace Whenever possible and ALWAYS when I camp in the wilderness, I try to leave the camp spot in better shape than when I arrived. It’s easy to pick up any garbage that is laying around or to address any damage any previous campers have done. When I’m doing this I often imagine what an impact we could have as a group if every vanlifer did this simple thing. I encourage you to learn about the seven principals of Leave No Trace which provide guidance to enjoy our natural world in a sustainable way that avoids human-created impacts. The principles have been adapted so they can be applied in your backyard or your backcountry. Matty Van Halen Talks About What Happens If We Don’t Get Our Act Together

My Favorite Vanlife and Travel Apps

Great Things for Vanlife. Stuff That's Worth the Space It Takes Up!

Our entire store represents the items I've used (or would use) for my DIY Promaster camper van. So, I figured I’d write another post about the things that go inside. There isn’t a lot of space in a tiny home on wheels so the things that you take with you must be awesome and useful. Below is my list of things that I think are worth the space they take up in the van and do the job well. Flat-Jack Air Leveler It’s much easier to sleep and cook and generally not go insane when the van is reasonably level. For years I’ve used the (evil) plastic leveling blocks that stack up and pretty much hated them. They were hard to set up, even harder to drive onto and always got smashed up by the weight of the van making them even bulkier to store and harder to use. BOOO! The Flat-Jack solves all this! It is *flat* so it can be stored away just about anywhere without taking up space and also so much easier to drive onto. Then you just inflate it to the height you want. Check out our silly video comparing the Flat-Jack to leveling blocks! Kikkerland Rhino II Step Stool Great little step stool that folds up to take almost no space. We use it to get up into the bed loft, in and out of the van near the slider, to stay off the ground when using the outdoor shower, as a sort of chair up against the wet bath wall in the van and so on. Super handy! Bike Rack Unless you store your bikes inside the van (in the so-called garage area), you’re going to want to have a bike rack because bikes are the best way to get around when you’re van is at camp! I’ve researched this extensively and used many racks over the last 4 years and I can recommend this one: the Fiamma Carry-Bike is a great option. 8.5′ Aluminum Telescoping Ladder You’ll get a lot more juice out of your solar panels if you keep them clean and if you don’t have a permanently mounted ladder this thing will get you up there. It’s extremely small when collapsed (30.75″ x 18.75″) and versatile. Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Kitchen Drawer Organizer This is a really clever space saving organizer for your silverware. The knives, forks (and so on) slide into the various stacked compartments and there is a little icon next to each one so you know what’s what. BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool The nerd in me likes to monitor stats like engine load and coolant temperature – similar to the way I’m always looking at how much energy the sun is giving me through the solar panels or how much fresh water I have using the tank monitoring system. This gadget plugs into the OBDII port on the van (below the steering wheel) and transmits all kinds of data from the van’s computer to an app for your mobile device. It also allows you to read any “check engine light” codes. And, if you have a Promaster at least, you might notice that the engine temperature gauge in the van is always slightly below the middle. According to this video from an Promaster owner whose engine blew up, that gauge is only there to make you feel good and it’s not at all accurate. Casabella Dustpan and Brush Set When you’re living in a van you’ll be cleaning a lot. This is a broom and dustpan that is nice. What can I say, it does the job and doesn’t take up a bunch of space. OMNIA Stovetop Oven Kit Most vans don’t have an oven and sometimes an oven is what ya need for making delicious food. Think baked goods, nachos, pizza or garlic bread. Yum! This thing is an oven that work with most cooktops. However, since it’s make of aluminum it does not work with induction cooktops. The link is to the kit that includes the rack and the silicone “insert” which makes it way easier to clean. 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump Super handy little air compressor. Can fill up your van or bike tires or any inflatable things like tubes for riving tubing! Sometimes it’s helpful to let some air out of your tires for enhanced traction and this pump can get you back to full pressure when you need to.  Thetford Curve Cassette Toilet Some folks don’t want a toilet of any kind in their van. I think it’s a worthwhile luxury (along with my shower). This is the unit I’ve used and it works great. It has a water tank at the top for flushing and a built-in “black tank” for your evacuations 🙂 You can empty it in a variety of ways and it’s not nearly as bad as you think. I wrote more about it and the wet bath in my van in this post. You should use special RV/dissolving toilet paper. This particular toilet paper is soft but, eh, sturdy enough for the job – highly recommend. Magma Nesting 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set I don’t have this set but if I ever upgrade my cookware this will be the one! They work with all types of cooktops – including induction stoves, they nest into a small footprint and appear to be really well made with non-stick coating. They seem perfect for vanlife. Ultimate Ears BOOM 2 Phantom Bluetooth Speaker A high-quality, durable and waterproof speaker really is an essential for vanlife. I have the “last version” of this and it’s awesome. I can only imagine they’ve improved it for the new version! Camco TastePURE Water Filter Many times the source of your “fresh water” is a little less fresh than ideal. This filter connects between the water source and your fresh water tank inlet and to filter the water as you fill up! 4-Way Multi-Functional Utilities Key Speaking of fresh water – sometimes it’s hard to find. Many gas stations, office buildings and other commercial structures have water connections that are hidden away behind access doors. This handy “key” opens most of those. A great thing to have in a pinch. 15 amp to 30 amp Adapter If your van has a 30 amp shore power connection (and cable), you’ll probably want this little adapter that allows you to plug into a standard 15 amp outlet. Of course you’ll have to be mindful of how much AC power you’re pulling but in my experience, 15 amps has been plenty – even when running the rooftop AC unit. USB-Powered Goosneck Light This tiny gooseneck light with an LED bulb and power switch can be plugged into any USB jack and provide a little reading light. It takes up no space and has a to of utility. I installed a USB power outlet in the headliner of my van between the two seats in the cab and routinely use this light to read maps/books/whatever while sitting up there. Rechargable LED Headlamp A headlamp is a true essential for vanlife. Great for camping, fixing things, finding things, lighting up things. I like this particular headlamp because it’s bright, fits well, can run of standard batteries or use it’s built-in rechargeable battery that charges from any USB jack. Bike Lock That Uses Your Van Key (Promaster and others) Less is more in vanlife. This bike lock uses your Promaster van key instead of a combination or separate key. One less thing.

Why I Picked the Promaster for my Camper Van Conversion

I’m often asked why I chose the RAM Promaster over the Ford Transit or the Mercedes Sprinter for my camper van. I drove them all and researched this question extensively. Ultimately, all of these vans are fantastic and there are aspects of all of them that I like but I’ll break down why I chose the Promaster despite its horrible name. I really don’t like the name. But, here’s why I love the van. George from Humble Road has a great video comparing the Sprinter to the Promaster. Spoiler alert: he would choose a Promaster for himself. How it drives. The Promaster is the only of these three choices that has front wheel drive and I like the way it drives, handles and parks. Width.The Promaster is also the only of these three that is wide enough across (on the passenger to driver side dimension) to fit a standard full-size bed that way versus needing to either cut down the length of the mattress or position it lengthwise (rear to front). This is a significant space saver in my layout. Ducato history. Even thought the Promaster is pretty new to North America it’s really just a re-badged Fiat Ducato which has a long history in Europe so the platform has been road tested for years. It’s also the number one base for camper conversions in Europe where there are a lot more suitable van choices. I like the way it looks. This one is simple, I just prefer the look of the Promaster the best. I especially like the front profile of the van. Somehow it reminds me of the “smile” shape that I would see in the front profile of my old Volkswagen campers. The Sprinter is nice too but I don’t like the look of the Transit. Sorry. Value. The cost of a Promaster is lower than the other vans – particularly the Sprinter. In addition, getting parts and service is easier and less expensive at the RAM/Dodge dealerships than the Mercedes dealerships. Which Promaster Model To Get For A DIY Camper Conversion? After I settled on the Promaster, I had to decide which version of it to use for this conversion. I had already decided that I wanted a new or nearly new van – since I was going to invest a ton of money and time into the build out, I wanted to be sure that there was plenty of life and a solid warranty on the van itself! The Promaster comes in three “wheelbases” – there’s a 118″ wheelbase, a 136″ wheelbase and the 159″ wheelbase. But that’s just the distance between the wheels. The actual total length of the 118″ wheelbase van is 195″ (16.25 feet), the 136″ wheelbase model is 213″ (17.35 feet) and the total length of the “standard” 159″ wheelbase is 236″ (19.6 feet). Then there is an “extended version” of the 159″ wheelbase (EXT) which is 250″ long (20.83″). This is all illustrated in the image below. Then there is the various suspensions which refer to the payload capacity of the vans and how beefy their suspensions are. These are referred to the same way as RAM trucks; 1500 (GVWR of 8500 pounds), 2500 (GVWR of 8900 pounds) and the 3500 (GVWR of 9350 pounds). Importantly, the “extended version” of the 159″ wheel base is only available on the 3500 versions of the van and seems to cost about $3000 more for that additional 14″ of length. You also have to consider if you want the “low roof” or the “high roof” version of the Promaster. Each of the wheelbases/suspensions are available with the high roof except the smallest, 118″ wheelbase van. I think that the high roof is much better for a camper van that you’re going to be living in and also gives you the ability to elevate your bed/loft in a way that gives you space below the bed and adequate space for the bed area as well. I built my van, Miles Van Camper, on the high roof version of the 159″ wheelbase with the 2500 suspension. While the extra 14″ inches of the “extended” version would have been nice, my design allowed me to fit everything I wanted into the standard 159″. It’s also easier to drive and fits perfectly into standard parking spaces! I also chose the gasoline engine over the diesel option. I would definitely recommend making sure the van you buy has the backup camera and cruise control which, believe it or not, is an “option” My Experience with the Promaster I’ll just start this off with a hearty knocking on wood. I’ve had great experience with the Promaster. If find it comfortable to drive, it has plenty of power and seems to ride better the more stuff you put in it and the heavier it is! It’s remarkably agile for such a large vehicle. The only issue I’ve had was a faulty airbag sensor that happened right after I purchased it. That took a few trips to the dealer to figure out but was not a major issue. There is a “feature” that I don’t love but I presume the engineers are smarter than me. When you’re driving downhill on grades or passes the van engages to provide some additional slowing/braking power. I wish that could be turned off sometimes. The stock speakers are lousy but that’s the case for all cars I think so I did upgrade them. So, overall, I’ve very pleased and hope that it holds up and continues to be awesome and reliable! Other Resources This is a handy comparison page for the different versions of the Promaster on RAM’s site Sportsmobile has a really great page that details the dimensions of the Promaster, Sprinter and Transit vans here on their site. I made a PDF template document for planning the interior layout of a Promaster 2500 (either the standard 159″ wheelbase or the extended version). It’s designed to scale such that one inch in the document is one foot in the van. I used Adobe Illustrator to plan my layout because I come from a design/video/web background rather than a engineering background. So, if you open this document up in Adobe Illustrator you can use this “one inch to one foot scale”. Otherwise, there is a visible “grid” where each cell in the grid is equal to one foot. Download this Promaster Layout template here. When it comes to finding a van to buy, I found CarGurus way better than the other options like Craigslist, AutoTrader, etc. Great video comparing the Sprinter to the Promaster including a bunch of dimensions. Our store!