In 2015 I met the love of my life. In 2016 we bought a van (Moby) and converted it to a home on wheels so we could travel for a year. Below are some pictures of the build process. Most of the work was done in my parent’s garage or at a friend’s shop in Reno NV.
We started with a bare van and installed 2 vents and 4 windows ourselves. Cutting holes in the roof and sides of your vehicle is nerve-racking at first, but you quickly get used to it.
To keep our home powered, we used 2 AGM batteries that charged off the alternator while we were driving and a solar system on the roof while we were stationary.
I used the highest R-Factor rigid foam I could find to insulate the van. It was a pain in the butt to install, but it paid dividends during the cold months in Canada and the summer months in the Midwest.
Paneling was a challenge because there are no straight lines in these vans.
One of my main design requirements was the ability to carry 4 seasons worth of outdoor gear inside the van. The one thing I compromised on was surfboards. I designed a removable surfboard rack which we used to haul boards all the way to Baja and back.
Mountain biking was one of our major activities. Because I wanted to have a more open living space, I couldn’t do the typical bike-under-bed storage solution. Instead I designed and fabricated a vertical bike rack on rails that minimized the volume of the two bikes and could move out of the way so we could access other gear.
I divided the van into a garage and a living area which allowed us to have a clean and a dirty area. The garage has a shower, a porta-potty, and all our gear. The living space was for cooking, hanging out and sleeping.
This is the unfinished view from the garage into the main living area. We put a pocket door between the two compartments so that in the winter you don’t have to go outside to use the facilities. Its a small thing, but really nice when there is a foot of fresh snow on the ground.
To maximize the usability of the living space I designed a folding bed. It’s more or less a futon with a motor. Because it has 4 sections to it, a space is formed against the back wall where all the bedding can be stored when its in couch mode. A slight interference causes the choppy motion but I didn’t have time to fix it before we left.
The table can seat 5 comfortably, but we mainly used it folded in half since it was just the two of us.
When it’s not in use, it folds down flat against the wall.
Our little kitchen used a nice 2 burner camp stove. A tiny refilable propane tank hides under the sink with a flex tube that comes out of the counter to connect to the stove. When not in use the stove lives in the top drawer. Our sink cover doubles as a cutting board.
We learned that a bug net is really important after our trip to Baja.
Our fridge and freezer is where we put all the stickers we collected during our travels. The unit also serves as a seat for the table.
This was a regular thing! Since our van is so much more open than any other design we’ve seen, we often had 7+ people in it for cocktails!
Winter was cold. Good thing we had a diesel heater to keep us toasty. Even when it was -30F in Banff Canada, the van was a toasty 58 degrees.
With a 35 gallon water tank, showers weren’t a problem. You can shower outside, or inside. Notice the shower curtain and porta-potty on the right of the bikes.
Kirsten added a nice artistic touch with her mountain mural, incorporating some of our favorite ranges.