Deeply impressed by the commitment to eating that pie

Really appreciate this journey that you have taken us on and all of the details you shared in this build.

You removed a sheet of metal and replaced it with a sheet of glass 😅 I'm so glad I've found someone who is weight conscious too 👍

have you cut off the handles from your toothbrushes yet? Strip out the stove and just cold soak all of your meals in a Talenti jar

Best weight breakdown I've ever seen for any conversion, really appreciate the attention to detail. WTG on that pie! You might need to +2 the estimated weight of you and your partner for future builds! :) Next time, consider a nice thin crust pizza. Or if you build vans as an excuse to eat whole pies, keep up the good work! :)

I think anything under 7000 lbs with that feature set is terrific, and beats any of the factory built stuff like Winnebago hands-down! I think you're still in the sweet spot where the cargo van suspension will have enough weight on it to smooth the ride but not so much to overwhelm the dampers.

Watched a number of your videos today. Very inspirational. I'm planning on a boat build and have the same goals of light cabinetry etc. I have a New Zealand built boat (1985 Farr 1020) and much of the galley and main saloon are built using the techniques you use and describe. I thought it was too light but now after seeing your videos I see that in fact its the right way to go. Thanks!!. Love your pie eating!

Too bad you didn't enjoy that delicious pie a bit more! That looked like quite a struggle as you worked through it... 😀 Thanks for the weight breakdown... and thanks for the ideas about keeping the weight of the conversion manageable. I took heaps of notes about using 6mm ply for the drawers & cupboards, which seemed like a big improvement on the way most van builds do it. I've used Australian paulownia (6mm boards) for my ceiling, and I'm trying to incorporate other super lightweight materials in my build, so I've really enjoyed your channel (both for info and your entertaining style!).

Subscribed for your commitment to the bit

too many features for a true "light" build. I wouldn't try to drag around the, heavy counter top, electric step, safe, stereo, 3000 w inverter. but nice job keeping down insulation and panels. but weight is good, I'm more worried about driver's side being so much lower, unless you're planning to balance it with water?

I think i got diabetes watching you eat that pie!! 😂

Awesome video on so many levels. I don't even have a van anymore but love your channel. Wife and I enjoyed a high roof 118wb Sprinter for many years.

I have a build using 15 series 8020 (yeah... I know...). heaviest single item is probably the 5cf fridge/freezer. But fully loaded for a two week road trip with two bikes, spare parts, all the tool, extra water, etc... about 1700#. This is in a 2015 ProMaster Extended diesel. It is nice knowing that I have well over 2000# capacity left, and does feel like it makes a difference driving it 'enthusiastically' on twisty roads.

Are you going to do a video about the bed ?

This makes me want pie! Seriously I am also a vanbuild weight enthusiast and this is quite possibly the best video breakdown of how the weight can add up. Thank you for doing all the work.

Great video, love the details and technical stuff. I haven't checked all of your past videos, but if you haven't covered hardware, those highly organized boxes of fasteners are intriguing. I'd definitely enjoy watching a video on how you select and purchase and organize fasteners and hardware miscellania in general. One quick and dirty solution for calculating hardware weights would be to weigh those boxes before and after to get a rough idea of how much weight they contributed. Thanks again, great videos!

Word problem: The Donner family was camping at the end of a long dirt road when it unexpectedly rained. They waited a few days for the road to dry out. But the low points of the dirt road were still soft. The Donners were hungry, so they aired down the van's tires and pressed on. The weight distribution of the rear-wheel drive camper van was - front-axle: 3440 lbs - rear-axle: 2980 lbs How much difference would saving 172 lbs make? Answer: Front-axial weight is the limiting factor because - front axle is the heaviest - rear-axial drive Offload 172 lbs from the front axle by removing weight or shifting weight to the rear axial. 172 lbs / 3440 lbs = 5% So the front tires can be aired down another 5% and traverse ground that is 5% softer.

Hah! Colorado plates. Looks like you're on the western slope. I'm on the other side of them thar hills.

Also a heavy build comprises performance and economy. The mwb Sprinter I’m building will come out around 2.5 ton when finished

A few weight reduction ideas: I think I see maple in your van? It is heavier than cherry or birch. Also in residential design there is a netting people are using in interiors. It is stretched on a frame and holds a lot of weight so I’m pretty sure two people could sleep on one span. Also I’d be looking at the tires and the spare. Good work, and thanks for the pie!

Thanks for the detailed breakdown! Normally I see DIY van builders show detailed breakdown of their costs, but never their weights. To me weight is much more important than costs! Also, could you do a video of your flooring system? Or you already have one and I missed it?

Keeping the weight down is a struggle. My choice for my own was to buy a '72 Mercedes-Benz L406DG/35. Rated for 4600kg, legally on paper 3500kg for drivers license reasons. And it's a ladder chassis. As with all things tech, I use them up to 80% of their rated capacities. My van weighs 3420kg, including me, everything I always take with me, groceries and full tanks. Close to the legal limit but nowhere near the technical limit. One exception to my capacity rule is the 3500W inline water heater. That is powered by a 24/3000 MultiPlus (in the EasySolar 24/3000). It has a peak power of 6000VA for 30 minutes and continuous power at 3000VA. I shower in less than 5 minutes. Technically I'm going over the limit but the manual says it should be okay and it's nowhere near the peak power limit. For my next build I want the same chassis, keep the cabin and build the rest of the body and interior from foam core fibreglass/epoxy (like boats). That should save me about 400kg. Have done some experiments and with some reinforcements in the right spots it's feaseble. I like the idea that the insulation is part of the structure.

The PIE!

Amazing video! I am still waiting for my van to show up, but there are several places I am saving weight compared to your build: electric system: I’m getting a Bluetti 2.4kWh power station, weighing 60lbs. It’s a lot less power than your build, but enough for me. I also won’t have AC or solar panels. But my furniture will weight more because I am using 20mm by 20mm aluminum extrusions, mainly because my lack of wood working skills. Also check out Exped Megamat. It’s super comfortable and weights like 10lbs. I’ll come back and let you know my finished weight, if my van ever shows up (then I have to actually build it). So it will be awhile.

The real question is: What the hell happened to the crust of that pie?

At least you never need to travel hungry. 🙂

To save time, weighing all your fasteners. Could you weigh the drawers in the beginning then at the end weigh them again to take the difference as the weight used? It still might be too much work, I’m not sure how many drawers, cabinets, and/or containers you use for those guys lol

Lessons learned. Next time more milk.

Is there a reason you use poplar plywood over Alder or Cedar when theyre right around the same weight and MOR?

Nice. I weighed my sprinter conversion, and found I'm a whopping 350kg under max GVW, and it's not finished yet. Missing things like 100kg of water, the multiplus and the solar panels. And I was preeetty conscious about weight, clearly not enough though.

What are your countertops?

You are hard on yourself

What are you talking about hahahaha anything in the 1k lbs ball park is shockingly light for a build. Basically all foamboard slide-in campers for midsize trucks (ie Scout, Total Composites) weigh more than that. Being disappointed in a 1k build is ridiculous. The only way to get significantly lighter (without being stupid on something like carbon fiber cabinets) is to leave it empty and pack a tent & plastic totes instead.

People always under estimate the weight of wiring and connectors..It can weight around 100lbs before you know it... And that 50lb counter top didn't help your goal...

You are fundamentally confused in applying the wrong (comparative) model to your vehicle weight. A commerical vehicle, especially a load-carrying van design, is not comparable to a human body trying to achieve athletic success. That is a stupid comparison. A human frame can but isn't designed by evolution or breeding to be load carrying. It can but that wasn't the design ethos (walking upright etc was). Thereafore excess weight is always undesirable. This is not the same at all for commerical vehicles! If you want athletic excellence in a vehicle then go get a sports car or, a muscle car. A van is akin to a carthorse not a race horse. It isn't designed to be empty only moving air when optimally used. A van is specifically deigned to be load carrying. For sure if it never bears a load, a van and its components will last longer! But that's a dead-end illogical argument because then why own a van. A van is designed to be used under load. If you can't take the costs of that then don't get one. Period. Your obvious and misplaced concern reminds of the reason that annorexia is considered a mental health problem. You simply have the wrong theoretical approach to the issues.

What do you save by weight? Isn't it 1% for every 50lbs? I would say anyone under 1500lbs on a build is doing pretty well. One of my friends did a modular build with clamped in cabinets etc. He used to remove the stuff he didn't need on a given trip. For longer trips he put everything in. Even after a build is done you can pare down weight by gradually removing certain things and lightening items. At 1150lbs (522kg) you're going to spend approx. $4000 more over 200,000km (125,000mi). If you drive the average of 12,000km (7440mi) annually that's $250 a year. Is it really worth all the effort to save $250? I'm not so sure. Still, it's worth saving where you can, but not if you're spending a lot on aluminum, balsa wood, etc. to do it. More info on how weight affects fuel consumption. natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/oee/pdf/transportation/fuel-efficient-technologies/autosmart_factsheet_16_e.pdf