>>3007211
EPS/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
>inspection
whats 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 fit
best off buying something reliable with resell value and easy repairability and then slowly building out the camper from there

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>>3007224

We 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.

>>3007275

Where 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 project
lolmao

>>3007211
Choose 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.

>>3007432

I 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 way
I used one instead of a bed in my college housing. it was actually the most comfy sleep I have ever had. loved it
the space saving was great
can't really bring a girl in comfortably though...

>>3007211
>The do its
Buy reliable van that doesnt look shitty and out of place
>don't do its.
Buy an old clapped out van that looks out of place

Thats 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.

>>3007507

I'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.

>>3007511

In 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.

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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.

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>>3007952
congratulations

>>3007957
People 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.

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>>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.

>>3007970

I 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.

>>3007275
Just let him do it. I learned this by having sons.

>>3007952
The issue with a dodgy looking van is that it attracts police attention but other wise good for you anon, I’m considering the same

>>3008006
He never said he pulled the trigger. He said he's decided too.

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>>3008610
miserable 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.

>>3008609

I 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
>Finland
There's your explanation

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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.

>>3007952
Nice start Anon
Éireanon 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 windows
We 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 drips
Usual 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 it
When that doesn't work, duct tape the fuck on the outside but it looks knacker

>>3008729

Well, 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.

>>3008706

The one I bought actually has professionally installed insulation.

>>3007211

So a bit of a different use cases here.
Because I live in EU cuck territory, the regulations kind creates a high floor if you want to re-register a van to a camper. I ended up not going for a full time camper van thing. However, as bridge for various inbetween living or errands, it's great and actually saves money at the "outset".

This meant it became a flexible build(easy to turn back into a pure van). If your case is similar it might make sense to get those martial arts mats. Super good insulation, super easy to add, cut and remove. It should sit fairly snug, but obviously not completely moisture proof. Works well as a comfortable floor, that you can technically sleep on.

So giving up on perfect insulation, I was planning on not doing super comfy temperatures inside ( I know lol) and rather just get a sleeping bag. Otherwise just the regular insulation setup for walls, with sheep wool in the already present panels, but still something elaborate with the roof. Leaving the load-bearing structure walls exposed which is perhaps 10 % of the interior surface, in the absence of a good solution.

I haven't completely finished it yet, but seems to make a lot of sense even if you're not completely living in it as it's still EV, still a van for handy DYI. Just shaving a month extra rent or not paying when visiting, lasting maybe 10 years (by which time you probably got a house) made a lot of sense. I estimate ROI to be 70 000 km(at normal fuel prices), which lands the total to 120 000 km. Then if I skip rent a month or avoid renting when visiting etc, it quickly makes financial sense especially considering >>3007970


The insulation stuff is something you do perfectly or change your approach in a cold climate, because so many people fuck up there, and then build in a way in which they can't go back --> give up on the whole vehicle. But if you're a good DYI'er unlike me going all the way probably make sense.

Let me know if someone did something similar.

Sounds like a reasanoble plan. Just don't invest too much time and money in your first build. Keep it dirt simple, something to sleep on, heat. Very basic insulation (if at all) and some way to make things hot and keep things cold.
I can guarantee the second you make something and use it you will realise the thousands of ways you could do it better.

And please take inspiration from van lifers. Thet live in the trucks and some of them actually talk about what works and what doesn't.

>>3008609
That's because all American vans are used for rape, kidnapping or government work (also rape and kidnapping). Here in Europe we also use our vans during the day for work and then in our free time for rape.

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Project update: Even though the van I bought was inspected, it has massive rust issues so what happened is straight up corruption to a level I thought was not possible. I think I can offload it for at least half of what I paid but jesus... Turns out some of the guys were right here. I just did not think it's possible to cheat inspections this wildly and on top of which there doesn't seem to be a tip off tool, really.

What I think happened is the previous owner who had diligently done all the maintenance at a shop so the engine is strong and stuff, was just not simply aware how badly the bottom of it was rotted. It doesn't show from the outside but yeah, there is some and a shop declined to work on it saying it would cost as much as the van to fix it, and then maybe some.

So in the end I got duped, I can only be mad at myself for not being more diligent. I should've not trusted some yearly inspection blindly because apparently this kind of wild west shit does still happen. Now I'm just torn because I love the way it drives and has all the good equipment but won't be a very solid platform for multiple years. Considering maybe a 2-3 year lifespan and junking it maybe.

>>3010589

Might still be worth as a learning experience(remember to document). I am terrified of cutting into my van, because it's my MAIN car (FML). These vans, especially bought used vans have more value in it's custom additions more than the actual vehicle, which often depreciate much much slower. Maybe consider designing around modularity and flexibility so stuff is easy to transfer between vehicles. Hear with family whether they have family offers on car insurance thingy (where they help u if ur car kaputs). You can often save 40 % or something on those offers. Really sucks if you want to travel all over Europe dough.

If there is one thing I've taken from vanlifers is that the second is always much much better, so if you can still do your shitty first one cheap, eh maybe not so bad either way.

>>3010589
Perhaps find the same model and year van with a nice body but a destroyed engine for cheap and combine them into one working vehicle? Is that legal in Finland? I'm in the last steps of engine swapping my '79 G10 and I wouldn't trade that box on wheels for anything.

>>3010589
>how badly the bottom of it was rotted
Unfortunately not too uncommon with vans. The two big things you need to always check are motor (duh) and the frame integrity for rust. That means crawling underneath with a flashlight.
That's always a good idea, partially to check and partially because it makes you seem like you know what you're doing, thus allowing you to set price expectations.

Anyway, my condolences for the bad purchase, it happens. As for your original question regarding insulation and such it seems you've learned a lot already so this is probably too late, but superfastmatt on youtube has a good video on it, that's coming from more of an engineering perspective (so no le epic van life cringe) and is realistic in going over the options, materials and prioritizes laziness and cost. Might still be worth a watch.

>>3008609
consider some custom magnetic door signs that hint at:

1)its some kind of "service van" that some local citizen has called and authorized to be parked in that 'hood.
2)Nothing worth stealing inside it.
3)It will be parked overnight in some 'hood and that is normal.

>>3010601
>is that legal in Finland?
if you have to ask its illegal

>>3010666
and if they say its legal it might still be illegal

>>3010601

Yeah I guess I could do this, but I'd have to find a good donor frame and that's the hard bit. I think I could do the engine swap sure, it's a simple diesel engine.

Maybe I'm prejudiced, but I automatically assume that anyone living in a van is a pervert.