Guys I have decided to finally pull the trigger and make my own camper van. I am not influenced by the stupid vanlife social media shit, this desire predates that movement and is more closer to Bob Wells was about. I just want to be able to take trips in this during summer and winter. Because I don't know really what I'm doing, I'm starting with a cheap kind of piece of shit van.I'm most worried about properly insulating it. I'm not good at DIY so I think sprayfoam is out of question. I think closed cell foam pads would do the job and keep it relatively insulated so I can run a diesel heater during winter. Condensation handling is a worry of mine, how do I make sure I don't get mold? I figure insulation and a diesel heater will work to reduce indoors moisture, but I am looking for input from people who have messed with similar shit, be it a van or boat. Any other input is valued. The do its and don't do its.
>>3007211EPS/XPS are good and easy to work with, mineral wool is more fire safe - but can hold/hide water more easily. Should do at least 5cm thickness of regular polystyrene types. Vapor barrier + very hardcore sealing along any edges and joints. Any exposed metal piece will cause condensation. Must have some way of venting air and occasionally do the venting to keep moisture in check, especially if you want to cook in it.
>>3007211>I'm starting with a cheap kind of piece of shit van..false economy, better starting with the best base van you can afford and upgrade gradually. You don't want to be putting hours of time and expense into some rust bucket thats gonna fail an expansion or keep leaving you stranded middle of nowhere. Also choose a popular model of van (eg Europe might be Transit) so parts and advice are easy to source.
>>3007224>gonna fail an expansion*gonna fail an inspection
>>3007225>inspectionwhats that?t. free state
inspection or not, it's dumb to invest 20k on a 10k truck that might fail in 5 years and you can only recoupe appliances because everything else is cut to fitbest off buying something reliable with resell value and easy repairability and then slowly building out the camper from there
>>3007224We have yearly inspections here and I'm prepared to weld and paint it a little. With these visually ugly vans the purchase price is much lower than what it would be for some visually nicer van. I intend to paint it shittily my self. If the van has a fresh inspection it's good enough as a platform, if it's a total rustbucket it won't pass an inspection here. I kind of want it to be ugly a little so it doesn't look interesting to thieves who might want to break in, nicer vans usually might have nice tools inside or something.>>3007275Where are you getting 20k? That van is gonna be like 2500 to 3000 max. I am not going for some #vanlife type of shit. I am already writing off the van as a complete loss because it's gonna be some ugly but technically working old box. The project goal is to make it cheaply and learn as I go. I don't even know how much I'm gonna use it yet, so putting any more money than this would be crazy. Here is my inspiration, this guy used to post to /o/ during 2008-2009. I think the house he rented with his roommates got foreclosed during the financial crisis and he had to move in a van. The van was a piece of shit but he lived in it for like 2 years or more. Everything was DIY. It was inspirational, the guy could just fuck off anywhere he liked in that thing and it cost him nothing.I'll be glad if my first camper conversion lasts for 2-5 years after which it may or may not be junked, but I can swap out the batteries and other expensive things to a new project.
>>3007275>muh resale value on a custom projectlolmao
>>3007211Choose for reliability, common parts and ease of repair.The white Dodge is a fine example especially because they're less known than GM and Ford, though if you choose any from the 1980s/mid-1990s from those makes they're easy to deal with. Study the fuck out of every model you consider and know how to inspect it. I bring large cardboard to lie on and a BRIGHT flashlight. Inspect all fluids visually and make sure to observe the van do a COLD start. Beater life is freedom. I keep vehicles bought in the condition of that van for decades. (Paying off my rural land and home early then slashing my overhead by never going in debt for a ride has been glorious.) Experiment with hammocks. The cheap Walmart variety is comfy and they're far easier to maintain and store than a bed. An underquilt and a sleeping bag rated for well below the coldest your area ever gets makes heating optional. Quality wool socks and decent thermal underwear plus a watch cap is life-changing in winter. Never rely on external heat for survival, only comfort.
>>3007432I live in Europe so that kind of a Dodge or GM is out of the question. The OP picture Fiat Ducato is probably the best choice for me since they are common vans around Europe, especially where I'd like to travel where it's warm.I'm not gonna go with a hammock, I'm gonna camp in the van. I don't like sleeping outdoors at all so I'm planning a nice bed inside the van and a nice diesel heater to keep me warm during nights. I don't intend to camp without it as I'm not really a camper. I hate being cold and I hate to put on layers of clothers. I am in Finland so I'm too familiar with coldness and how to combat it.
>>3007447>I'm not gonna go with a hammock, I'm gonna camp in the van.just saying you can hang a hammock in the van, then put it out of the wayI used one instead of a bed in my college housing. it was actually the most comfy sleep I have ever had. loved itthe space saving was greatcan't really bring a girl in comfortably though...
>>3007211>The do itsBuy reliable van that doesnt look shitty and out of place>don't do its.Buy an old clapped out van that looks out of placeThats literally the most important thing. Everything else in the glamping van dwelling world is mostly window dressing. You cant afford to stay at an RV park or paid parking every night. If you have what looks like a rusty rape van or that it has explosives in it, you arent going to get free parking anywhere.
>>3007507I'm fat I wouldn't want a hammock. Since Finnish law requires a bed of 120cm wide when laid out, I'll have to have a bed that meets that criteria to register it as a camper. So I'm gonna just lean into it and have a 120cm wide mattres. It's gonna swivel up to the side against the wall when I don't use it so I have more floor space. Stole that idea from the cruiseferries we have here in the baltic sea. Since the van will have a high roof, there is easy room to swivel. I'm not worried about bringing a girl, I want to use it alone. I'll maybe consider a foid maybe in the next iteration.>>3007511In Europe, especially when you go to a country with warmer climate, these clapped out work vans are common. Construction workers use these shitty beaters so you can park it in the middle of a city or in the sticks, nobody cares. Free parking is mostly a US thing where you lack civil freedoms like being able to sleep in your car, in Europe it's much more relaxed, nobody is going to molest you if you park a van somewhere down the street. Sure I'll paint it a bit nicer than in OP picture but even as such I can park that thing almost anywhere here and unless it's there for multiple days nobody gives a shit. It's just a shitty work van that people use to haul bags of concrete and stuff since nobody has a pickup truck here, and we for some reason use vans only.
Guys I did it. I went to look at one and realised the advert was missing half the things to make it stand out. The paint is roached but that was always a given when buying a Fiat Ducato/Citroen Jumper/Peugeot Boxer, the paint starts to peel. I'm already going to paint this with some rugged boat paint or something matte.The thing was nice, full service history and only 200k km. It has working AC, working webasto with a remote, working cruise control, it already has insulation conversion done by a professional company that also did a side window, cam belt is done and honestly since it has an inspection from april the frame isn't rotted it either. The guy selling it had not mentioned working cruise control or AC in the ad, he left out pretty much all the positive expensive things and just focused on the fact that the paint is a bit ugly.Drove it 250km home and everything worked fine. With a little paint this thing is going to be fucking fantastic. I could not risk me missing out on this.
>>3007952congratulations
>>3007957People that *live* in vans never live in new vans. People that 'live' in vans are always those weird silicon valley guys that make 6 figures but don't want to buy a place because prices are insane but are too proud to live in a trailer. So they live in a van parked where they work for a few years and then plop down cash for a house when they move to a cheaper city. The vans they buy come customized from the builder and the down payment on them would be $45k.How do I know? I worked with those guys. Hell, I did IT stuff for a 'bespoke' used car dealership (think cars that start at $75k used) and they did a brisk business buying up these vans and reselling them. They didn't even bother buying vans that were more then 2-3 years old because there were so many people selling them after they bought a place.People that *live* in vans don't get to park them in the giant parking lot of a Google campus. They have an old GMC van parked on the street that looks like it s clearcoat started to peel off when flared pants where still a trend. They have salvaged furnishings, mismatched everything, and specially *don't* live in a camper van because those always get hassled by cops when parked on the street.
>>3007970>shows us on the mystery machine toy where the van touched you
You have not pulled the trigger. Pulling the trigger is when you do the thing: The final thing you do to shoot a gun is fucking pull the trigger.You have contemplated pulling the trigger and are now ready to maybe buy a gun and maybe the ammo will be bundled, but you don't know, because you really only "pulled the trigger" on completing a fucking captcha.YOU ARE A FACEBOOK BABY AND YOU NEED TO FUCKING DIE.
>>3007970I have a coworker who got a van with her boyfriend and they have been travelling southern Europe through the winter. They seem to be happy but it's weird to me that my rape van is the same size as their van, and they are two people with two small dogs. I don't think they are making a lot of money by living in the van, they work the summer and travel the winter.I think it's more like a US thing where rich people live in a van. I don't think I've met anyone rich here who lives in a van because vandwelling over the winter is not easy or comfortable. I'm sure some people do that, I hope to do that a few times a year, but not as a permanent thing.
>>3007275Just let him do it. I learned this by having sons.
>>3007952The issue with a dodgy looking van is that it attracts police attention but other wise good for you anon, I’m considering the same
>>3008006He never said he pulled the trigger. He said he's decided too.
>>3008610miserable faggots are triggered by other anons actually doing things on /diy/youre supposed to only post here about why chinkshit cordless drills from the quickiemart are better than anything else
>ruin a good van to make hobo heaven.
>>3008609I can leave my van in any place in Finland and nobody bats an eye. It looks like a regular old construction worker's beater.
>>3008631>FinlandThere's your explanation
You can just use glue some foam in and cover it with plywood to make it look a little better. Leave some slots so the air can circulate behind the plywood.I would recommend to get a camper vent you can put on top of the roof.I would prefer a box van so that its possible to swap the box over to the next one, they are quite universal and can be refitted to another vehicle within a day. Its also easier to find a 4x4 version if wanted.I wouldnt bother painting it.
>>3007952Nice start AnonÉireanon here, this advise is coming experience 20 years ago so, hopefully they've improved quality and another anon can say I'm wrong on models since X but fix it again time (Fiat). Ducato's were leaky bitches, before you put to much inside, check the seals on doors and windowsWe ended up with one in the van and the other outside with a watering can. Outside slowly poured across every seal and inside watched for dripsUsual fix was cut and remove, bad part of the seal and patch on a new but replacing the full length is best. Look this shit up first, loads of guides for itWhen that doesn't work, duct tape the fuck on the outside but it looks knacker
>>3008729Well, leak wise mine is fine but it has rust that I gotta get taken care of. Kind of amazing it passed the rather strict inspection just in April as it is, but I guess 3k€ means there's always work to be done. >>3008706The one I bought actually has professionally installed insulation.
