Ken, sorry to hear about your wife. I, among many I'd guess, really have enjoyed/appreciated you build videos. Great inspiration and great work on your van. Hope to see more.

Hi Ken, I was prepared to hear that you were divorced, but not that you lost your wife. Everything makes more sense now. I have been building campervans since the late 70s and work in the RV industry. As a single foster/adoptive dad to over 40 kids I’ve 20 years, I have always needed some kind of camping vehicle to take my crew out on trips. As I am closer to retirement age, I am back to camper vans. I am now raising grandchildren, so having something for day and overnight trips has been great. My twin 13 year old grandsons are helping me build a raised roof Astro van. We are watching you videos for inspiration on how to build it. Now Ken, I think I speak for many of us here, that just listening to you narrate your videos is very calming. When I have a stressful day, I will often rewatch some of your videos, especially you galley kitchen build. Thanks again for sharing with all of us brother. We are here for you also.

The loss of your wife breaks my heart. I’m so glad you are pressing on and making great memories for your daughter. The build is top notch. Thank you for embracing quality! And great to hear about the 2.1L/7 speed drivetrain. Was always curious how it would perform. Please continue to share the Sprinter part your van-maintenance especially. You seem to understand the whole vehicle. Keep the great videos coming!

So sorry for your loss... I have 3 yr old twin girls... I can’t even imagine, bless you

Brother, I begin from heart my most sincere condolences to you and your family. I really enjoy your van build videos. Your YT channel is very unique and well informative to avoid costly mistakes. Thank you Ken for sharing your wisdom and life with the world.

I've been considering doing a camper van conversion for months (doing research every day). Your videos aren't flashy like the other channels, but they are, hands down, the most thorough. You've definitely done a lot of research and as an engineer, I highly appreciate that. Can't wait to see the final product.

Firstly, my sincere condolences for your loss. Also: I really appreciate your thoughts here. Too many people are jumping onto the 'van-life' bandwagon without doing their homework. Godspeed your healing, and your journey's.

So sorry to hear of your loss, my sincerest condolences to you and your family. I have been following you from the beginning and I have to say your approach and sensibilities fit with mine which is why your channel has been a real pleasure to follow. Camping and outdoor time definitely create the best memories, I can attest to that too. Looking forward to more videos come!

So sad for your loss. I am following the whole series, for guidance in my build of a cargo trailer. Your research, design and craftsmanship are top notch. You teach well. The videography and editing is excellent. And great music! You are a great Dad. Kudos.

Sorry to hear about your loss mate. Good on you for picking up the pieces and getting on with it. I for one find your work very educational and helping me enormously with my own design.

Ken, I love your channel and the quality of your van. I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I'm a cancer survivor myself, and that's been a big inspiration for me to build my own van someday. Your daughter has an awesome dad and I'm sure y'all will make a lot of memories in your adventure van. Please keep making these great videos!

We’ve got off track and did nothing on our van for about 8 months but are back at it. One of the first things I did was try to catch up with your videos, Ken, which have been so helpful. I’m glad in this video to learn a bit about you, but am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my spouse 15 years ago, also to cancer. But I’m happy to see you out there with your daughter and looking forward to adventures together. THanks again for all the videos and excellent advice and instruction you give.

Your Daughter has a wonderful and talented father .Hope you are coping with your sad loss .

Ken, I'm a bit late but I'm very sorry about your loss. I also want to say thank you for the detail of your videos and the time you spend shooting and editing them. I am just beginning a van build of a 2016 144 4x4 and your channel has been a fantastic resource. You are one of the top builders that are my go-to sources and I try to reward your efforts by using your affiliate links. I have a long way to go and your insight gives me confidence that I'm doing it right. Much appreciated.

So sorry to hear of your loss. Thank you for the videos they have helped me with my sprinter build. I especially like your attention to detail. Lots of great info. Keep them coming if you can!

Sorry for your loss! I have been learning a lot from your KZfaq. Thanks!

My heart goes out to you and your daughter. I'm sorry for your loss. Beautiful van build out you are doing here, and thank you for taking the time to share.

Ken, sorry to hear about, cathartic to share, glad you did! I am just starting my build on my 170 4X. You have shared your build and so appreciate the time and energy you invested in build and videos, has moved many I am sure to confidence and guidance to do their own - me included, Like the thought on ceramic add for insolation. And cant wait to see plumping and H2O systems add! Best of Luck!

I'm am 2 years into my 2017 Ford Transit build. I 100% agree with "living in it before you do any irreversible work" on the van. I have spent 9 months living in the van and am almost (but never!) done. Have thoroughly enjoyed the build and the results. Your channel has helped in part. THX.

Hi Ken, this is such a nice visit with a kindred spirit... Thanks so much for sharing your build and life story. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon. Best wishes for your every happiness !

Ken, I will be using many of your videos to help me build my van. I enjoy this van build series very much. I look forward to watching the rest. Best always

Absolutely love your videos! Your sophistication and quality is an inspiration. Thank you for all your time and research.

Great vid, I love the thought that went into your build.

So very sorry for your loss Ken, all the very best to you from Newcastle in the Uk. Your van reflects your meticulous approach to your work and I'm sure you and your daughter will share many an adventure in it.

Great series, I bought an '07 3500 and I'm getting to start the conversion and your videos are presented just right for me to understand what to do, your series also helps me when the idea of this conversion seems crazy. Keep it up.

There isn't anything I don't like about your build. My favorite is your electrical system! Thanks for sharing!

So sorry about your loss. My Van is kind of therapy too! Thanks for posting and all your efforts. Might see you on the road someday.

Excellent videos, I learnt a lot from them. Thank you very much for the sharing. I will most likely follow what you have done. I am so sorry for your lost. I also admire the trips you have spent with your girl.. Thank you again.

Condolences for your loss Ken. I can't imagine what you've had to deal with. Your build is inspiring and I'm sure your daughter will have similar fond memories as you did. Looking forward to seeing the final result

Really appreciate your time and efforts here. Thank you! Lot's to learn and discover, but your series has already relieved more than a few migraines! Happy and safe travels!

Rough? This is awesome. I've watched several of your videos, all were very informative and well done. Glad I caught this one since it really shows how much thought you have put into it to make the van meet your needs and desires rather than just copying what others have done. Best reason to build your own.

Thank you for the video. I would say your best yet to date!

Very sorry for your loss. Your daughter is adorable. Great job on your build and looking forward to seen no what you do next. Take care, Pete

I’m in the process of replacing my truck to a van and been watching many build videos but your build is absolutely the best and specs I’m looking for. Especially your material selecting shows how much researching you have invested and extremely clean result beyond paid-professionals. I’ve been through tough losses in my family for same reasons you went though and I feel your dents in tour heart as I have. Cheers to your 90% completion and looking forward to see your upcoming improvements.

Ken, another great video as usual. The van is looking great and the quality of your work is extremely high end.

Ken, thanks for creating all the wonderful content that you do. Love the build, and your attention to detail. So sorry about your loss, I can't even imagine. I have a young one at home as well. We have recently upgraded from a pop up, to a '15 sprinter with the 2.1/7 speed combo you have. Glad to hear you like the motor. Love all the 80/20 you are using, it looks beautiful! Looking forward to your next post!

I think you have become an expert van builder. Really well thought out. What fantastic adventures you will have with you're daughter. Makes me remember how important my dad was to me. He always made me feel like I was important to him and how much we enjoyed each others company.

I am very sorry for your loss.

Very sorry to hear that devastating news about your wife‼️ God Bless You and Your Daughter‼️🙏 You have made some great choices with the Van Layout and Products. Look forward to future videos, your attention to detail is noticeable and Construction Quality is Top Notch. THANK YOU For Sharing your Build & More‼️🙏👍. Vinny 🇺🇸

Ken, I started watching your videos to learn about the 80/20 aluminum which I had never heard of. The way you go about building your van, the thought process is excellent. This is really a work of art and labor of love. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and making it possible for us to go forth and build. I know the van will be the center of many memories with your daughter.

Thank you for your sincere video. It is very touching. Thank you also for sharing van build knowledge. Bless you & your daughter & your extended family.

The most purposeful use of a Van, Good for you Ken and your daughter. By the way the Van look great!

Sorry to hear about your loss mate........Great work on the van, Very inspirational! Love the look and the fittings etc. Keep up the great work and enjoy those trips with your daughter. Good luck from down under!. 👍

Good video Ken. I enjoy watching. I wish you the best

I love watching the channel particularly bc how organized you are, however I got a low budget on my projects and need alternative materials. Thanks

Sorry to hear about your loss~ I wanted to thank you for continuing to share and put so much love and dedication to your build. My only wish is that I could have ordered the twin...way better milage. Maybe the next one...:)

Awesome build. The phased development is really the way to go. Give yourself time and place to think things through. It's great that you are building something with your daughter. My son is now twenty, on full music scholarship in his junior year, owing in large part to my band bus driving/building when he was a young kid. He helped and came on many trips and we have that together as beautiful memories. Your daughter will flourish despite the tragic loss of her mom. It's beyond me to say, I but I'd guess her mom would be delighted that you are building something that can carry your daughter into healthy childhood. Trips with the kids are just awesome. My son travels with professional bands and I told him from day one, you gotta be a pro, not just playing, but traveling too.

Ken, My condolences on the loss of your wife. I wish you and your little girl many happy adventures in the van!I appreciate your clear, well-explained videos. You have given me some great ideas for my own build.

So sorry on the loss of your wife. Thanks for sharing your build.

I’m so glad I stumbled across your channel and I hit the subscribe button three videos into you build. What a great dad!

Great story! Kudos for creating connection with your daughter. Wish you both the best in your future journey together.

My friend Ken, I'm so sorry for your lost.. it's hard but I'm pretty sure that she will proud of what you did and what you will for your daughter.. you are a friend and a brother.. I've learned a lot from you in this year.. you did a great, elegant and high standard level of build.. I wish you in this year health, wealth and happiness brother hope to talk soon when you have a time. Sincerely

So sorry about your loss. You have my ideal van

Your build is high quality love the sink stove cabinets I am in the process of changing mine over to aluminum like yours.

So sorrry for yor loss.But you did a fantastic job! Happy live forever with your child!.

I have gotten some great ideas from you and look forward to watching more of your channel. I will be picking up my 2016 / 170 next week I agree with slow transition and use the van as you go.

I am so very sorry to hear about your wife’s passing. 😥. I have watched many of your videos and written down so many of your ideas so that I can incorporate them into my build. I hope you and your daughter can enjoy many many days travelling in the van. If you ever get up to Alberta (Edmonton), dinner is on me. I would love to give back for all you’ve given to me. Take good care. 😊🤗. You’re an inspiration to many.

Hello from Canada Ken..... I just came across your channel and have already watched half the episode you have post on this channel. I was sadden to hear of you and your family’s loss. I think your daughter is blessed to have such a caring father. I hope life is better for you and your child as you create precious memories with her.

Thanks for your video I like your videos a lot

Thanks for sharing.

I really appreciate your videos and how meticulous your build is. very well thought out and executed. Sorry for your loss. I used to use jugs in my camper van and later converted to a 39 gallon fresh under my high mounted bed. grey water is a 21 gallon square tank that fit perfectly in the spare tire compartment (spare mounted to door). I prefer the large tanks since my van is a daily driver so there is heavy use on the water system. much more easier on my bad back too when i empty and refill too.

Thanks for another great video. Your project is an inspiration and I'm glad it has allowed you to cope with what must have been a difficult time. I'll be upgrading my VW T5 to a Sprinter soon as we're running out of space with our 3yr old. Good luck and look forward to the next installment.

Thanks so much for talking about the stuff that you've changed as well as what went according to plan. My limited experience is that a big grey water container is more important, as you say you can always have more potable water as luggage. I agree with you on the blinking lights, and night lighting in general - I prefer to sleep in the dark. And yeah, it's always going to look rough right until the last step when you put up the pretty coverings. I'm sorry about your wife.

Hello Ken, as noted by others, I also really enjoy your posts, your patience and care in each detail is truly exceptional. I bought my 144 4X4 this year and have been bouncing back and fourth on how I want it to be and how I will get it done. Your videos are extremely educational and helpful. I am also building this for my 4 yr old daughters memories as I to grew up out doors a lot. my self and my family are truly sorry for your loss and wish you all the best. Thank you for sharing I hope to get the chance to connect at some point in person. Thank you!

oooh so sorry to hear this news. i watch your vids there helpful. i hope you get plenty of help in the future! and i hope your not to proud to accept it! blessings to you and your daughter and all that help you both lost my sis too it 2014 and my other sis has just had a marrow transplant its tough bless everyone fighting it! mmerry christmas bud and a happy new year !!! and i honestly hold your build right up there at the top goood work young man and thanks.

And also love your videos!

Thanks for the effort of putting this series up. My Sprinter is the 2006 model 4.2m wheel base extended body. I'm doing the Espar D4 air heater and also Espar hydroplate water heater that holds 11ltr hot water and will also heat 11ltr per minute on demand. Diesel oven too (Wallas 87D). If I used propane it needs to be certified and externally accessible only (in New Zealand) which would add about $1000 to my build. Thanks again for sharing.

Greetings from a fan in Toronto. Wonderful work and terrific videos, Ken. Warm thoughts to you and your daughter.

Thanks for sharing

Fair play Ken I think you have done an amazing job of your bus. Just wanted to say you have inspired the hell out me to the point of ordering a sprinter to convert👍🏻thanks for all the informative vids plenty of people have learnt alot from your journey 🤙🏻much love from the 🇬🇧.

sorry to hear about your wife. cancer effects everyone. it sucks, i worry about my mom every day now. she just started treatment. Thank you for your courage to keep making these videos. you have helped me tremendously with the planning and research of my van build. Please stay strong and keep doing wonderful things for this community. We appreciate you dearly.

Sorry for your loss. I wish you all the best in healing and moving forward. Your van is superb. I just bought a 2013 cargo Sprinter and plan to upfit it - your ideas resonate with me and I am seriously considering the 80/20 option (I built a 3d printer with that material and it's rock solid, albeit a little pricey) instead of all wood. There's a guy (I think John Lee) that built a van around a Nissan. Also superb work. he uses multiple water jugs for longer trips and reduces to a few for shorter trips. That makes good sense and the maintenance must be much less. It depends upon the mission. For long trips, a full up 30 gallon water tank might be more convenient. For shorter weekend or weeklong trips, the jugs seem to rise to the top of ideas.

Good update. I have been following your You Tube videos since you started with our van. I started our build about a year ago and our progress is going at about the same speed as yours. I went through many of the exact same first time planning and processes as you have and it is a relieve to see that I am not the only one moving kind of slowly. We purchased a 2016 170wb cargo van with the extension. It took me several months to get up the courage to take a jig saw to the side of the van to install the 5 CW Lawrence windows. I was afraid I would end up with the only convertible van in the country. LOL With a little planning the process went really well and I am pleased with the quality of the windows. Speaking of ceramic coatings. a few years back I built a very large plate steel kiln and lined the interior with 2 inches of ceramic fabric insulation. It feels and works just like fiberglass insulation. The highest temps we got the kiln up to was just a tad under 2000 degrees. You could briefly touch the outside of the metal kiln and not burn your hand. The exterior of my dark colored van gets hotter on sunny days then the exterior of the kiln running at full temps. The ceramic fabric is amazing stuff. It would be expensive to line a van but for those living in sunny or hot locations, this would be a game changer and maybe something to consider? If you look around you can find it much cheaper then Amazon or Ebay.

Ken, I'm so sorry to hear about your wife, it happened to me too. I lost my fiance about 2 years ago now from Cancer too, I will continue to follow you as I have placed an order on my van and will be continue watching your videos as they are very informative, thank you for the priceless information that you are providing us!

Hi I have been watching tons of van conversations..I am a single lady with a small dog dreaming of one day having my own Sprinter Van . May I say your information is very good and this is the first time I have written on any sight . I look forward to more of your blogs to come ..best of luck .😊

Thanks for your insight. I'm looking at a cargo van or a cargo trailer, but the builds will be similar.

I would agree with the small water jugs under the sink. I carry 3, 7 gallon jugs. One under the sink and two in the back of the van. The system works very well with lots of flexibility for long or short trips . I have a demand pump mounted under the sink and one in the rear of the van for a wash station - shower at the rear of the van. Make sure to plumb in a electric line to the rear of the van if you decided on a similar set up.

Sorry for your loss. I have an 18 month old as well, was debating on building my own van vs paying someone because of the time investment. Your videos will save me dozens hours which in turn equal more time with my daughter. Thanks for the videos.

Hey Ken I'm building a 2016 4x4 3500. I really appreciate your blog and I have used the information on Installs on my building. I also used Lizard skin but applied it all over. I am installing a water system with tanks and a marine water heat exchander. The water/antifreeze is heated and circulated by a diesel fired Sebastopol. Cook top is diesel powered Wall as and also provides heat. Floors and tanks are heated by coolant circulated in PEX TUBING. I really like your cabinets with the aluminum frame work out of extrusion. I tig welded 3" angle to build a sturdy frame covered with high grade plywood. Good luck on the rest of your build.

Hey Ken. I found you when I was researching for my own build. Started following you right around your Espar install video. For my water system I went with a 25 gallon fresh tank mounted behind the driver's seat (encased in cabinetry). I get into some cold areas sometimes so I wanted everything inside the van. For grey I used a 3 gallon directly under the sink. 99% of the places I go I can dump grey onto the ground so the 3 gallon works well for those infrequent times that I need to not dump to the ground for a day or two. I've had a boat and an RV and what I've found is that its a pain to keep the water system super clean, so don't bother. I use those 2.5 gallon Arrowhead dispensing bottles for drinking water. I can store 2 under the rear seat although I leave the in-use one on the counter when parked. Despite this, I still do my best to keep the water system clean. I used PEX tubing throughout and plumbed it so I have a hose fill at the sliding door step or I have a loose ended piece of PEX under the sink that connects to the pump suction to fill the tank from any container. I highly suggest adding a small accumulator to the pump discharge as it will significantly limit pump usage. By flipping a few valves under the sink I can do the following: 1. Suction from tank, pressurizes system normally. 2. Circulate water through system and back to tank (for cleaning and also useful to keep the water warm during showers as I have a tankless water heater). 3. Suction from any water container, to system or recirc into the tank (very useful when on a trip as I can use a collapsible 5 gallon bag to refill the main tank instead of needing to find a hose bib). 4. Gravity drain the tank onto the ground 5. Pump the tank to the ground You also mentioned alternator charging for electrical. While I also find that my solar is more than adequate, I did choose to tie the house batteries to the alternator. My system operates on 2 separate systems but when the engine is on I have an isolation relay that allows the alternator to charge the house batteries. When the engine is off the 2 systems are separate but I built a bypass jumper around the relay using a breaker as the "switch." This came in useful earlier this year when I parked the van with the lights on and exited via the sliding door. The lights on alarm only works on the driver door. I came back from hiking all day to find that I couldn't start the van. No problem, I simply pulled the fuse cover on the drivers seat and closed the breaker on my jumper. This tied my starter battery to the house and I had an easy jump start without having to dig my way down to the starting battery. Something worth considering.

Always enjoy your videos! I have to get rid of my RAV and get me a diesel rig like yours about same mileage I get but no comparison to your amenities! Unfortunately, I can feel your loss! My wife is undergoing radiation treatments currently. 5 more days of that then commencing with chemo pill. She has bone cancer along with melanoma. She beat melanoma twice but we know it might not happen again. The early stage seems to be the worst! Getting better now that radiation is almost done. We have had a good life. I am 78 (birthday in Mar) and my wife is 72 (also birthday in Mar). I will continue watching you videos.

I just purchased a 2017 4x4 144" and am in the process of converting. Luckily, I found your channel as it has helped a great deal. I had already installed Dynamat Xtreme for noice damping (with okay results) and then purchased the Lizardskin sound control. I coated the roof, floor and walls and the results were 100% better. Next up is the Lizardskin ceramic thermal insulation. I will coat 1 back door and test the temps and report.

Just finding your channel and looking forward to following you. I am so very sorry about your wife. May this project bring both you and your daughter some peace.

God bless Ken sorry to hear about your wife I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time in your creation

Sorry for your loss what you're doing for you and your daughter is fantastic and I hope it's helping to heal your wounds. I love everything about your build. I may have commented on another one of your videos about our experience with a large water tank in our old Sprinter. It was a pain (even on our 5 month road trip, I found it to be more trouble than it was worth). We are slowly building our new 144 low roof and we will be going the small jerry can route like you mention. We also bought a food grade stainless 5gal jerry can from Dinuba for drinking water only. That way if the galley water comes from a less than stellar source, we can filter it into the drinking can. Looking forward to more videos :)

Ken, wow, my eyes feast on the eye candy that is your work, while my heart feels so heavy and compassionate for your loss. I’m so sorry. I do have lots of thoughts based on experience of my build, which I’ve traveled in for 3 years now. Do you have email or a website or some means of sharing info directly?

Looking good, glad ya liked the LIzard Skin ceramic, I sprayed 11gal in my van 158" 2006 and love the stuff, the headliner in my 06' was stained so they wanted some serious $$$ to redo it, I instead rattle canned it with dupicolor fabric paint for $16 and it came out super great. I have my RenicBuilt Neoprene seat covers finishing Thurs so first one off the press will be Friday! So many reasons to roll with them. Back to the ceramic, I am going to run it on my hood & sides as well then bedliner over it will be great for baja bushes etc.. waiting on some T slot rails to come in mon as I will run the low profiles horizantally on the walls and top and bolt the sink module, bed and cabinets to them, then if we decide to move the sink module to the back or front etc it's simple as you know. I also got in 20' 1010 80/20 to knock out the cabinets and sink module & fold up bed so hope to have that done in some weeks. O forgot, the LizardSkin above the headliner really kool the cab as we have sun here in so cal, 70-80º lately and loving it. I suggest to everyone to pull that headliner out and spray it !!! I Love our passenger seat swivel as well, will come in handy, didn't do the drive seat. Anyhow nice 1st year so far for you! and Sorry about your wife dealio.... !

Given your thorough planning, I’m interested in your ideas for the Porta potty and how you tackle privacy, use and it’s storage.. great video as always👍🏼

thank you for sharing your work, I really congratulate you not everyone has the dedication to do it and less to share it on video. Your videos have helped me a lot in my project I would like to know where you bought the half window that you installed thank you again and congratulations

So sad and sorry to hear about your loss Ken I can't even imagine. I'm a bachelor this weekend and have spent the better part of it watching your amazing build! I'm a Technician at MB of El Dorado Hills and we are thinking about buying a Sprinter from our Rocklin Dealership, and making our own build! We have spent many years and miles camping and exploring in 5 different Land Cruisers, but it would sure be nice to do it in a 4X4 Sprinter! I tried to find your contact info to see how you felt about us stopping by to check out your van but couldn't and as a result I post it in public! Keep up the great videos!

Hey Ken I'm so so sorry about your loss. I've watched all your videos and you definitely put craftsmanship and quality in everything you do to your van, and more so into you doing research before making any move. I have my 2016 Ram ProMaster front wheel drive sitting in my driveway here in New York right now it's way too cold to build it but I will be starting in April I am ordering all my stuff now and lizard skin will be the first thing on my list. Because of your video I'm sold on that .my concern was staying cool as I can in my van and anyway I can do that by reducing the heat penetrating will be a plus this seems like the product to use. I'm going to start off with 2 gallons of sound and two gallons of white ceramic and I'll have to purchase the mixer and the gun. I'll start on the roof and work my way down the Walls hopefully it'll get me halfway down. Would you have used this on the floor and wheel wells also is my question? Thanks Andy

Greetings from France. Re-building a (longer, taller, heavier) Sprinter, and benefiting from your experience. Thank you.

Ken insulation for me will be a big part of my build. I have three birds that I want to take with me and so anything that I can do to keep the van at a comfortable temp will help considerably. As I live in Australia cold won't be a real issue but heat definitely. So a big thanks for the lizard skin paint idea. Btw sorry to hear about your wife.

Hey Ken, I went back and forth several times on the water system. I'm happy I went with a permanent setup. Sure the jugs are super easy, but changing out water jugs often didn't appeal to me or running out while out was always a fear. Plus if you want to have a hot water system it's easier with a stationary system for the "don't have to worry about it" factor. Also your winterization process will be more complex the minute you add a hot water system as that introduces more lines into the van that lay flat where water can pool. Jug or stationary system, you're still going to have to winterize. As for hot water, my Promaster has a Webasto Dual Top combo hot water/forced air system (espar makes a similar model). It's installed inside the van to protect the water lines and like you said about your espar, the dual top gets really loud at start up and shut down. It uses diesel which is great, but you've already got your espar for the forced air heat so unless you want to replace it (which I don't think you want to do) this option is out. Webasto does make straight diesel hot water heaters and that would be the obvious choice. However I'm not sure about their availability in the US. As for electric, they are a large draw on your system, but you've got lifepo4 so it will be able to handle the high current to heat up the water. However you'll need a bigger inverter than your current magnum. I haven't done much research on electric heaters, but maybe there are DC models on the market?

Wide mouth glass carboys would work well. The wide mouth makes them super easy to clean. 7 gallon one costs around $55 on Amazon. Glass makes water taste like water rather than like plastic.

I really enjoy your videos.......I stumbled across a video about a “Lagun swivel RV table”. You can buy it on Amazon and watch KZfaq videos to see it. You probably already know about it......keep up the great work and God bless you and your daughter/ family.

Hi Ken, my sincere condolences for your loss. Thank you for sharing your build project with the world, it is much appreciated. I have one question for you: I am considering a van build, but am planning a fixed/permanent bed in a 170" wheel base van. Would you say the extruded aluminum is a good material to use for that? I am thinking strength mostly?

Ken, thank you for your honest and open video, and I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Like many others here, I really appreciate the time and effort you're putting into both your build and your videos. These are some of the best Sprinter videos I've seen and they are very inspiring. Keep going! Just curious - you mention being largely happy with the van itself. Now that you've used it for a while, any thoughts on the overall size? Do you ever wish you'd gotten the 170? I know the van isn't finished, but have you missed or do you think you might eventually miss anything a larger build envelope would afford (e.g. simply more space, more conveniences, etc )?

Hi Ken. Sorry for you lost. I do like your craft and you perfection a lot. I do dream to do the same one day. I do life in the bay area and work for MB. In case I can help you out one day. Cheers Luke

I put tanks under my transit van. 120L (31Gallons) each for the fresh and grey. I think the big thing is are you going to have a shower? If so, then tanks are essential to carry that much water. If not, then under counter portable tanks might be more than enough.