r/VanLife
▲ 17 r/VanLife
Control Panels from Scratch
Couldn't find nice looking switch panels so I made them myself🫡 Toggle switches for roof vents and air compressor / horn, battery & inverter monitor and also on top three custom dimmer knobs for various lights in the van. All held in place with magnets :) Happy weekend!
u/gazingaaa — 2 hours ago
the absolute peace of being the first one awake in a warm rv. no slack, no emails.
sitting at the dinette right now with some crappy instant coffee. my wife and little girl are still completely passed out under a pile of blankets.
i used to dread cold nights like this. our first few trips off-grid were basically just me managing a failing power plant. i’d be up at 3 am in a freezing rv, staring at a flashing low-voltage light because the old lead-acid bank died trying to run the heater. it felt like i was doing stressful chores instead of actually taking a vacation.
finally got sick of it and dropped a vatrer 12v 460ah lithium battery under the dinette seat right before we left.
the heater kicked on and off all night, kept everyone warm, and i didn't have to check the monitor once. no buzzing phone. just watching the frost melt off the windows and listening to my kid snore. it’s wild how fixing one technical headache finally lets you be present.
anyway. gonna go try to quietly chop some wood before they wake up and demand breakfast.
u/Different_Bother_444 — 23 hours ago
National Park Adjacent
Zion Adjacent / Capitol Reef Adjacent. Southern Utah is amazing. Fall 2025. Clear Creek Canyon Domes looks like a fun place to stay.
u/Sirroner — 10 hours ago
Where to start buying a van?
hello! I've just passed my driving test and I'm looking to invest in a van, only problem is I'm quite nieve and it'd appreciated if anyone could lend some perspective
ideally I'd like an electric van and eventually put on solar panels later on as I don't have a driveway to charge it on I plan on only using public charging. the electric vans im looking at on the cheaper scale seem to good to be true even looking on trusted sites such as auto trader I can't help but feel like there's a catch/ maybe a reason they are so cheap? I'm talking about 10k vans with low mileage but their diesel counterparts are the same price for waaay more miles so I'm a bit skeptical.
if anyone knows why this is it'd be very appreciated !
u/Longjumping-King5606 — 2 hours ago
▲ 3 r/VanLife
Emergency electricity: EV charger or generator?
I have purchased an adapter and step up/down converter to charge my power station from an EV charger. There are plenty in my home town. (But this may not be true everywhere I go.)
I have considered buying a generator to recharge in emergencies. I suppose I could also alternator charge although that is much less efficient.
In your experience, would you rather have EV charging or a generator? Do people in EVs get weird if they see you charging your batteries from an EV charger?
u/Chris00008 — 5 hours ago
▲ 2 r/VanLife
Framing challenge
anyone can help me with how I could frame this section of the van so i can attach a wall to it? This is the rear of a 1995 G20 van. The box is a rear AC/heater unit that I would like to keep. To the left of the heater is my only rib I can attach the wall too. I do not have any ribs to the right of the heater. I would like to add a wall that would start at the left rib and end at the rear door wall and cover the ac unit, maybe have some little storage if it doesn’t complicate the framing too much. Would be very happy to hear some suggestions from more experienced folks, this is the only part blocking me from starting the walls. Thanks 🙏
u/lesgrosman23 — 7 hours ago
▲ 1 r/VanLife
Not sure if allowed: advice for beginners.
I was fortunate in life and able to buy a house at a relatively young age, I'm waiting for the market in my area to go up and then I want to sell my home and use the proceeds to invest in the van life. I'm tired of living the traditional 9 to 5 life and would rather have a more nomadic lifestyle.
I guess what I'm asking for is people's experience if they have been in similar situations, what they would recommend. Should I take a year or two exploring the US to see where I best fit, or should I continue the rat race in another state.
So far I'm thinking either Ohio or Texas. I have experience in both the real estate/mortgage and fuel/petroleum industries and I know how to frame my experience to give me job opportunities just about anywhere. But I also have enough experience as a handyman that I feel like I could sustain myself for a while if I were to live as a nomad for some time.
u/teethalarm — 4 hours ago
🚚 Quel fourgon acheter pour l'aménager 🚚
Mon premier fourgon emménagé
J'y pense déjà, parce que ce sont des choses qui sont préférables d' étudier à l'avance, et surtout pas au dernier moment, comme une semaine avant l'achat.
Surtout pour une première fois, et des tas de choses sont à voir. Pour combien de personnes, des animaux à bord, pour combien de temps et avec quel confort, quel budget etc etc.
u/Capitaine-Jack — 12 hours ago
👋Welcome to r/MountainEquipmentComp - Introduce Yourself and Read First!
Hello and welcome to the official MEC community.
I wanted to create this Sub dedicated to MEC’s products and services as there currently isn’t a dedicated sub.
Please feel free to join and to post about any question or just your love for your gear.
Please note I nor any Mods of this sub are affiliated with Mountain Equipment Company in anyway shape or form. This Sub is also not affiliated with Mountain Equipment Company.
u/Carwash227 — 18 hours ago
Electrical circuit for marker lights - NL610
Hello all. I have an older Northern Lite 610, which I upgraded electrically to newer standards. I added new Anderson connector, dc-dc charger, a camper battery, a fuse panel, etc, but I kept the original wiring for appliances, lights, fans, fridge, and marker lights. Except for marker lights, everything works well. So for marker lights, I planned to lead a new wire from the engine bay through the ignition-switched fuse to the 7-pin connector (built in camper) and negative wire to the 7-pin truck battery from that 7 pin connector. But when I was checking continuity, I noticed that the negative pin in the 7-pin connector connects to all other negative wires from camper appliances. So now is the question on how to do it properly? Should I just do the positive wire to the 7-pin connector to light up marker lights, and the negative would go through my main path? Or should I add a negative from the 7-pin to the truck battery, but then I technically have 2 negative wires going from the camper to the truck battery, and they are connected inside the camper. Unfortunately, the marker light negative connection with other negative wires is somewhere that I can't access, so I can't separate them. Appreciate all help!
u/Middle_Ad_3562 — 13 hours ago
▲ 2 r/VanLife
Ignition interlock on my work van sometimes won't turn on, anyone else?
My ignition interlock on the work van randomly won't power up after sitting overnight. I turn the key and nothing happens with the unit. It usually works fine later in the day. This has happened three times this month and it makes me late for work.
We have Smart Start Interlocks and their technician said it could be a loose connection or power draw overnight, but it keeps happening. I have a service check coming up soon. Just want to know if other people on the program have dealt with the same issue on their vans, what could it be? Thanks.
u/Busternookiedude — 22 hours ago
How to remove these clips
making it difficult to fit my floor in but they need to go anyways later on down the line
u/Dry-Classroom-4737 — 19 hours ago
▲ 1 r/VanLife
Question: Motorhome vs Caravan
Me and my girlfriend are thinking of buying.
We are living in Norway and are mainly thinking of ski touring, so temperatures are a factor (-15 / -20).
Thinking of caravan, because only one car, with an electric car.
Has anyone tried this? Any do's and dont's? tips?
Or is a Van much better?
Thank you :D
u/Sjuttu — 20 hours ago
▲ 0 r/VanLife
Shower build in 5th gen Mopar last row Stow N Go seat basin?
Any Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Caravan fifth generation owners out there who made a shower in the back ?
My 2015 has wires under the carpet in the stow n go seat storage basin. Those wires can break when people use that as a storage area with heavy sharp objects and they don’t know it until it happens since the wire wires are under the carpet !
So I would need to make a tub with feet that are supported off of the wires under the carpet back there. And obviously make a drain avoiding the wires that is also waterproofed so the wires don’t sit in water.
There is a guy who did this on YouTube in a Toyota sienna which apparently they don’t have wires back there. Or at least he didn’t mention it. I would like to make a better basin than what this guy made though.. (vinyl coated wood is not all that waterproof)
u/MooseBlazer — 12 hours ago
Week