5 Mistakes I Made in My Build: 1 Year of Full Time Van Life

Рет қаралды 10,233

6 ай бұрын

It's already been almost a full year since we finished up the van and hit the road. We've been all over the western half of the United States and Canada, from Vancouver Island to California and from New Mexico to Montana. But after all that adventuring, we made it back to my home state of Indiana for the Christmas and New Years holidays.
So while we're back here for a bit recouping and organizing our next steps, we thought it would the perfect time to address all of the issues we've had in the van!
From our kitchen appliances to our hoarder's paradise garage, we'll walk you through some of the things we totally whiffed on during the build process, and some things that just havent worked out for us over the last year. And for any of you wondering how our heat has held up, we'll give you the inside scoop on how the heated floors and hydronic system worked out for us so far.
If you have any questions make sure to shoot me an email at dogcatmanvan@gmail.com or leave a comment!
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#vanbuild #vanlife #sprinter#diyvan #diyvanbuild #renovation #alternativeliving #nomad

Пікірлер: 85

@RothePhoenix 6 ай бұрын

YAY! Some of my favorite people!

@TheBecke1983 6 ай бұрын

Rocky is definitely dropping an album soon.

@anneliesjoss 5 ай бұрын

Yeah, even for us part time van lifers,we swapped our cooler fridge for a regular small apartment fridge, with a small freezer on top. We LOVE it, and we love that we use the previously unused space above our composting toilet now (we just put the toilet on sliders so we can just pull out the toilet when we use it, mostly at night.

@susantosi695 6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year, Enjoy 2024 and let US watch…haha

@MRP.Germany 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your “mistakes”/didn’t work for you!!! This was the first video that I’ve seen where van lifers/skoolie sharing what didn’t work out as planned. It’s great to grow and learn what works best to meet your needs!!! Thank you sharing as this will help so many others!!!!

@MAGA-kw3ol 6 ай бұрын

Can I make a suggestion about storage, I finally gave in and bought a single axle 5X8 enclosed utility trailer to tow behind my van. It has been a game changer, yes you do get a little space drunk but it’s so nice to just drive my e-bikes into it plus we have room for our pop open screen room and a propane stove for cooking outside in our screen room, plus what we have done is park the utility trailer in the sun and let the solar on its roof keep our batteries charged while we have the van parked in the shade. We were boondocking for 2 weeks in Montana and did a lot of side trips with the van but left the trailer behind all locked up and the solar kept the trailer battery fully charged and the roof vent kept it cool. Last fall we drove the entire length of the blue ridge parkway towing the utility trailer and never had any problems, honestly you forget that we were towing it.

@iamjoec62 6 ай бұрын

You guys are awesome! Looking forward to the van videos again. I wish I could subscribe 40,000 more times to double your subscribers because you guys definitely deserve it!

@nanerlea 6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year! Missed your beautiful faces! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for 2024!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Happy New Year!!! Hope you guys had a good holiday:)

@SewingBoxDesigns 6 ай бұрын

I'm sure the rework will be beautiful. Might I suggest a trick we do in summer with our 53 quart split fridge? Ice Blue blocks for lunch bags, cycled out, to keep drinks in a separate thick insulated cooler bag, (Sprouts has the best, if you can locate a store) along with the meals of the day, supper thawing on the bottom keeping everything cooler as well. That cuts down on the fridge digging. Then the bag goes in the closet in winter. Good luck on the organizing! We're on year seven of "gonna get organized"🤣🤣🤣

@ROMENESKO 6 ай бұрын

Yes, 5 best things vid. Gimme all dat content!

@chuckiego5189 5 ай бұрын

I love your dogs Rock Rock and Reli the cutie ❤❤❤❤❤❤

@throwfardude 6 ай бұрын

Fantastic info!

@annaredar3763 5 ай бұрын

Looking forward to seeing your fixes , hope you can salvage some kitchen counter , so much work and it’s so nice

@doritaboyd9667 6 ай бұрын

Yeah, you're back! Happy New Year!

@garylgoldberg 5 ай бұрын

I'm addicted to organizing bags, containers, bins, hooks, everything has a place -- love how your friend Brian thinks similarly.

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Send us some of your favorites if you ever have time! Always needing a good recommendation:)

@therugglet 6 ай бұрын

It's helpful to know about the things you'd change a year later. I was considering an IceCo chest setup, but now am going for an upright style with a freezer. Ice cream and waffles are fuel for adventures.

@susantosi695 5 ай бұрын

Agree…My chest fridge has drinks and a few pieces of meat and cheese…no room for vegies…they have to go into a cooler. Extra space, right?

@christinasmindfulmovement 5 ай бұрын

I’m busy packing up my house for a move and have just been saying “Julie and Ben don’t need all this crap, time to get rid of it” as downsize inspiration 😂❤❤. You saying “we have too much stuff” made me laugh and feel shame haha. Here’s to home improvements!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

haha made you feel shame. Well cheers to reducing excess and hopefully finding more joy in the future:)

@christinaw6 6 ай бұрын

Missed you guys! Happy New Year! 🐾🚐💚

@denisecafferky2248 6 ай бұрын

Those 5 things were not so bad. All can be easily enough rectified 🙂. Happy New year 🎉

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Happy New Year:)

@lisamillard1272 6 ай бұрын

Great seeing you 2 kooky wook again 😅 hope new years awesome for you guys, glad your van in good shape from travels.

@ifell3 6 ай бұрын

Love you guys 🤙 apparently you also messed up on the used cue tip bin, could 3d print one for you 😅

@welderman1221 6 ай бұрын

I followed yall doin that build, I thought you did a fantastic job!!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Thanks so much:)

@igoslomo 6 ай бұрын

I’m in the middle of my own build - solo… And I’m old.. I 🙏🏼 that my biggest mistakes are along the same lines as y’all’s - all fixable. Irritating. But fixable. PS I’ve missed y’all. A month is too long!❤

@bchurchill3551 6 ай бұрын

Yay for being ‘old’!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Yes I think we've lucked out so far with our "mistakes" or dislikes being minor. We dont reallyyy want to build a new kitchenette but we think it'll just make life in the van easier and more efficient. Thanks for watching:)

@charlesmoman 6 ай бұрын

We are in Indiana too - southern Indiana off I-65. We are a retired couple, but we do trips - full-timing is of no interest to us. We converted a 2018 Ford Transit three years ago and we love it. Many have enjoyed our van build series on my channel. ICECO also gave us a VL60D and we love it - maybe awkward a little, but it works well of us. Be safe!

@BSB100022 6 ай бұрын

You two are a real hoot! Subbed.

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sub!

@maciejmikos8338 6 ай бұрын

Soo how much solar do you have? And a tip for your bathroom doors i saw on another video, didn't test it yet: you can use milling machine to trim the bottom edge in the way, that the inner edge is the lowest point on the doors. That way water should stay there, as to move outside it would have to go up against the gravity. I hope my explanation is somewhat helpful 😅

@-ellimist- 6 ай бұрын

I'm concerned that there's another mistake but it's currently hidden by your walls and ceiling! I don't recall you using a variable vapor barrier in conjunction with putting Havelock wool in your van's walls and ceiling, and that will spell big trouble later on with condensation collecting in the ceiling and walls. I just watched a video by KZfaqr Chuck Cassady ("Insulation is a SCAM (& the truth about Havelock and Hushmat)") which had a great and very objective (despite the clickbait-sounding title of the video) discussion about how best to use all sorts of insulation, including that Havelock would benefit from being covered by a variable vapor barrier to get the best moisture. Some in the comments of that video have said their non-barriered Havelock is fine so long as they're dilligent keeping lots of air flow and keeping the van well heated with a lot of dry heat. I'm just concerned with your shower and evaporative cooler that there's a lot of water vapor regularly going into your walls and the wool may be waterlogged and allowing an environment for mold.

@chrisdaniel1339 6 ай бұрын

Chuck was completely correct. Havelock wool gave free product to KZfaqrs who would use and talk up their product, it is a poor option for vans. Not to mention the wool insulation is going to settle as they drive leaving the upper half of the van walls/doors without any insulation.

@eppell 6 ай бұрын

On our house, we heavily utilize those vacuum seal bags that compress down like 4 or 5 times the original size. Sheets, jackets and pillows reduce great in these bags if it helps in your garage! The pack we got came with a small one-way hand pump so if you don’t have a vacuum it’s no problem

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

That might come in handy, thanks for the suggestion!

@rmontena4583 6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year! Tx for sharing :) Rich upstate NY

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@tomaustin4526 6 ай бұрын

Thanks guys for another awesome and funny video posts. Y’all are so cute, love your honesty and sarcasm 😂 thanks for sharing your life and van adventures with us. I’m retired 4 years now and in July 2023 I purchased a 2023 Winnebago Travato 59G campervan. Love it and the things it allows me to do. Your videos have been a big help and your positive energy have helped me enjoy vanlife more and with confidence. 😊 thanks sharing and safe travels ❤

@bchurchill3551 6 ай бұрын

Retired vanlife is THE best! Enjoy. 🚐

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

That's great to hear! So glad you made it out on the road and are enjoying it:) Thanks for watching

@Negative1Photo 5 ай бұрын

Fresaire has a mini reservoir now that you plumb in line with your fresh water tank. it kinda just like a bypass and filters in the small excess that returns down from the unit. I bought mine recently but haven't installed yet.

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Oh that's cool to hear. I know FresAir mentioned that it was possible to plumb your unit directly to your water tank, but they wouldnt provide instructions on how. At the time we installed our unit a year ago we just used the 18L they gave us to keep it simple. But we probably should have just slowed down and plumbed it straight in at that point

@qminke4256 6 ай бұрын

Awesome video! Excited to see some renovations love you guys’ creativity! Keep It up!

@jfxl1977 6 ай бұрын

Happy New Year, y'all! Good video! It's nice to see what works and what doesn't. I had the same overall take on my IceCo unit. It worked great, it did everything it said it would, but the way I pack it, it sucks using it. That said, I really don't have a better solution given the space. But, I keep searching. I look forward to seeing if you find something more useful, and to the renovation videos! Woohoo!!!!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

The fridge is on my list to conquer. I still havent found one that checks all the boxes...Want it to be 12v, fridge/freezer combo, big enough to live off of but not massive and heavy, andddd want it to not be $2k haha it's a unicorn

@brlowe1 6 ай бұрын

Great video. I'm sure after a year everyone finds things they do not like or that they did wrong. I feel like your list was small and not bad.

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Haha yeah our list is thankfully not terrible. It's more like things we want to change to improve our quality of life. But so far, fingers crossed, we havent had any major issues

@bchurchill3551 6 ай бұрын

Great to see y’all back! Hopefully you are recharged and have a plan for conquering 2024. I’d be curious to know (on PATREON) what you’ve learned about travel planning and videoing strategies from last year’s trek. Positive vibes your way!

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Yeah we're close due for the next Patreon insights!

@therugglet 5 ай бұрын

Could you keep the ICECO as a freezer in the garage area then add a new fridge in your galley that's upright-style? Reuse your slide-out drawer so it's easy to access.

@TheRealKellyMc 6 ай бұрын

Looking forward to amazing things from you guys in 2024!

@user-lx3mk4bl4v Ай бұрын

nice video. just watched your hydronix install before this video. Have you considered tying your hydronix system into your car engine? you could use a wireless van starting remote and boost your temps. Just an idea. Great info about the hydronix. Good ideas about the upgrades.

@chuckiego5189 5 ай бұрын

Your toilet n shower is 5 star 😊

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Thanks! We're super pleased with how it turned out:)

@jameshancock4394 6 ай бұрын

Are you ever concerned about the potential introduction of moisture into your van from your fresh air cooler, leading to issues such as mold?

@allegrosotto2126 6 ай бұрын

Always great to see you again, happy reno. It’s summer here in Oz, but I’m having trouble getting enough solar charge many times, especially with high cost of fuel I spend more days in one place. When my last fridge gave out after years of use, I went to upright but had to go smaller than I wanted due to space, so now use a cooler for things other than meat and dairy and use freeze bricks for that. Pro and con for upright or chest style but changing an existing cabinetry is a pain. Poor Rocky in that jacket😂

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

We definitely hear you on the fuel costs. That and having to edit the videos probably slowed us down more in our travels than we originally thought it wouls haha Im curious, do you guys get full sun in the summer or are you struggling with cloudy days?

@allegrosotto2126 5 ай бұрын

@@dogcatmanvan definitely unusual cloud cover and a pattern is setting in this summer with storms and flooding. A woman drowned at a campsite recently. Even fungi are popping up in mid summer- that is weird! Queensland gets summer storms normally but I’m well south of there mostly in Victoria which normally has hot dry summers. Last year for instance due to the heat I took a motel room for two nights so the animals ( and me) could have a respite. That’s a snapshot of what’s happening now.😳

@Fossilsforall 6 ай бұрын

I have a 300ah system for one person and im running into similar electeic problems. I stopped using an inverter entirely and put it all on 12v dc. Still in winter its tough. Same issues with my top loading fridge as you! These numbered list videos absolutely slap, keep doing these

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info, glad to hear someone else is having similar experiences!

@danielfunk1979 5 ай бұрын

Same here. I went with a 400ah battery system and cooking and using starlink all day drains it real quick. Like you mentioned, if you aren't driving to top up everyday I'll last about two days max. Winter is much harder than summer to keep charged.

@trudiswanson9855 5 ай бұрын

There will always be change challenges. You're doing great! Happy New Year! Self Tattoos! Love you guys. Hey, get married and get some blessings!! ❤. T

@Bellasafari 6 ай бұрын

Would you still go with an indoor shower? I love my outdoor shower, and use the sink for a ‘French style’ bath. Hands down no to the swamp cooler and the cooler fridge. I don’t know what 12v a/c to go with…the mini split or the dometic roof top kind. This is my next ante up.

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

I think outdoor shower sounds nice if youre mainly based in a warm weather location. Because we move around so much and are frequently in cold or wet climates, it's nice to have our little private heated bathroom. I think it's worth the space it takes up

@Bellasafari 5 ай бұрын

@@dogcatmanvan If I weren’t solo, I’d probably want an indoors shower too:)

@Jayda08 11 күн бұрын

Friends...sleep outside with the bears or pop a tent on the roof. 👍

@DexterGoneWild 6 ай бұрын

I personally think that Frezair fan is really bad for vanlife. We are already fighting the humanity from our breath, crazy to think you'd want MORE humidity pumped into your van. Guess if you only stay in super dry climates...

@SewingBoxDesigns 6 ай бұрын

You really have to crack a window or run a vent fan when using a 'swamp cooler'. I agree,humidity is the biggest rv/van life annoyance. We spray everything with 90% rubbing alcohol to stop the mold in our van. Nothing else worked. And some appliances just collected condensation even when we put dollar store cake racks under them. For some reason the electronic ones were the worst.

@gristburger 6 ай бұрын

What type of A/C would you get now instead of an evaporative cooler?

@ioanandrei8814 6 ай бұрын

I think normal rooftop ac) their idea with this cooler was not great for beginning… it useless in many areas that have hi humidity

@richardsracingmad 3 ай бұрын

I’m building a van for me and 2x ACD’s….😂

@christinasmindfulmovement 5 ай бұрын

Rocky is not about hoody life 😂

@jatorresrv 6 ай бұрын

A stove and oven an Achille's Heel. Huh? Yet, the world thinks solar, and batteries are the future. Yet, a simple stove and oven...Otherwise, thanks for sharing.

@phoenixgirl70 6 ай бұрын

Well they are in a very different position than most people as it’s their house that moves around to different climates. So for the other 99% using things like solar, wind, water, other than gas or oil is pretty do-able IMO.

@SaintTrinianz 6 ай бұрын

😏 You MIGHT be a lil' spoiled if you complain about your fridge full of food. I mean, you've got a fridge, right? And you have food...

@dogcatmanvan 5 ай бұрын

Yeah that's very true; we're thankful for what we have. And, in the event that anyone is using this channel as it's intended to be used, as a how-to van build resource, here's how the build decisions have been working out for us