corbotron3000
Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2023
Posts: 2
Location: New England
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 Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 9:34 am Post subject: Should I convert my Aunt's vanagon into a 4-season camper? |
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Okay, so I'm a carpenter in my mid 20s and I've fantasized about van/RV life for a while now, but most intensely since 2020 (graduating from college into the pandemic was a turbulent time, I'll say). I've always loved camping and for the winter of 2021-2022 I lived in the wood storage area above the wood shop on my friends property in western Maine that I cleaned up and insulated while teaching high school math. I had electricity but no running water, so point is I'm used to and comfortable with semi off grid living situations.
I was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer and, after rushing to get a bunch of tests, and then flying to Georgia to build a sauna, and then getting my test results back half way through probably the hardest job I've ever taken, it turns out we caught it incredibly early and I have a surgery in a few weeks and should be fine. But I did have enough time before getting those results to work a pretty good existential crisis into there!
Now to get to the point: I think it's finally time for me to make the jump into van life and try it out for the next year! I already travel for work anyway, and I really just want a space that I can make my own. I hate renting and throwing my money away, even though my landlord is a perfectly lovely guy, he's doing well and I'd really rather save that money.
SO I was looking at primarily two options: 1) getting an older Ford Econoline, cutting off the cieling, and framing in/fiberglassing a custom high-top or 2) buying an ambulance. If money were no issue, I'd probably get a Promaster/Sprinter/Transit and build a stealth van, but definitely cannot afford that right now. The second option almost feels like cheating--there are many ambulances available and they're really affordable, but I feel like half the fun is living in a space I built and ambulances are already insulated and everything.
Jump to here if you don't care about the context and just wanna hear about the vanagon!
So, my Aunt has a Vanagon that she's been trying to sell for a bit now. I'm not 100% sure on the details but can update this post when I get them from her. But I believe it's a mid-80's manual transmission with no pop top. We've also been talking about me coming by to build a garage for her, so she's floated the idea of me building the garage in exchange for the vanagon! Now, here's my concerns: most importantly, the size. I don't need a lot of space but I definitely want to be able to stand up (but I'm only 5'4") so I'd plan to cut off the top and build a ~3 foot fiberglass high top. Secondly, I want to be able to get through a Maine winter in the van (yes I do know how absurd this is), and I'm concerned about how much insulation I'd be able to shove in this little thing. Now, I'm not planning on traveling constantly as I'm sure many of you do--I'd most likely do a 2-4 week job at one location, and then head to a friends house to park in their driveway for a month or so. So, I can probably be plugged into shore power most of the time, and don't mind roughing it with a couple sleeping bags on the occasional night between locations, but I'd love to be able to keep the van above 50 F on a sub-freezing night without constantly running a heater. So, one of my thoughts would be to insulate the shit out of the high top and put a second bed up there for the winter, and use it as storage and sleep downstairs in the summer.
Do you guys know of anyone who's done anything like this? I know it's crazy, but is it dangerous crazy or just regular crazy? I have a good mind for mechanical stuff and am a quick learner, but I am definitely not a car guy and one other concern is breakdowns and whatnot. But it just seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up. Would love any advice or insight ya'll can provide! |
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