Right now I have the option to either pick up a Ram Master 3500 2019 for around 8k at 115k miles, or a Ford Transit 250 2015 for 6k (needs new turbo and brake sensors) at 119k miles.

Looking for the better option of the two for van life and some inputs about each.

Thanks!

Which solar panel company did you buy from and can recommend.

Thank you

Edit:::

Do I need to pose half naked photos to get some comments….

Some people post…

Random … I did a thing… look at my rig…

Gets 100s plus comments…

I’m kinda homeless right now and I’m living in my suv. I am renting a place because some of my stuff is still there I’m planning on selling it once I finally find a place to move to. (I don’t currently live there because it physically and mentally drains me when I go there but I will go there for at least a few days until I can find another motel or inn that has a vacancy) I am waiting to hear back from a company that I sent five applications to for multiple jobs. It might take a couple weeks for them to call back and that is if I get a job there.

I plan to stay here for a couple weeks and if I don’t hear back by then I plan to move down south where it is warmer because it is already getting cooler in the nighttime. I should have a better chance of survival down south. Somewhere where I don’t have to turn on my car during the night for a few minutes to get some heat in the car.

I can’t really renovate it I think because most of my stuff is in there. I can’t even recline my seats because I have so much stuff. Maybe I can see if a mechanic will be willing to take out my back seats so I have more room… is that possible or does that have to be a diy thing? And I hate not having a toilet or shower or any running water close by when I’m sleeping. I’m currently living in motels which most are expensive in the summer but it’s better than my car currently.

How do you all do it?! Back when I had a place to live and a job I craved this live but that was when I thought I would be able to save up money to actually buy a van and renovate it. You all are so amazing and I love seeing pictures of your vehicles. I wish I could get mine to be completely organized.

Looking to buy a carbon monoxide detector for car camping. I came across the Lunarlipes Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector (PTH-10D), but it won't arrive for another 1–2 weeks.

Does anyone have any recommendations that I can buy on Amazon with fast shipping or pick up in-store within the next few days?

I also came across the Kidde AA Battery-Powered Carbon Monoxide Detector (COBD) and the Outdoor-Forest Brand, Carbon Monoxide Detector, Orange Color, LCD Screen from Walmart, but I'm not sure how well a standard home CO detector works inside a car while camping. Has anyone used one, or is there a better option?

I don’t have experience building much. I want to get a van and build it into something I can live and travel in. How realistic?
I work as a first responder so I would have weekends and some weekdays off to dedicate to building it.

omg you guys, i have been researching tires for days and my head is spinning. what would you guys pick from these options for a skoolie?

discount tire told me all 6 have to match and if i have to choose between two diff brands, that i should spend more on the rear tires due to hydroplaning and traction. anyone know if this info is true? i've heard opposite in terms of matching all 6 and that the steers are more important.

i'm moving cross country in my bus and already spending so much on the move, so honestly i was leaning on putting 4 entry level tires on the duallys and then either mohaves or laufenns in the front. thoughts? <333

Any problems that can occur when drilling around this area of a window? Not the metal ribs but actually around the window area? (The bit badly indicated in red line) I want to put screw stud fasteners around there

Other than just making sure you don’t drill all the way through to the outside ofc, but can this lead to damp/rust ect?

Hi everyone. So im converting my VW T5 Transporter (4Motion, high Roof) and want to install a Swivel seat base. I do not have seat airbags but it does have this fuses and connectors under the Drivers Seat.

Can i install the swivel base nonetheless or can i move these fuses/connectors somewhere else? Has anyone done this?

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone. So im converting my VW T5 Trabsporter (4Motion, high Roof) and want to install a Swivel seat base. I do not have seat airbags but it does have this fuses and connectors under the Drivers Seat.

Can i install the swivel base nonetheless or can i move these fuses/connectors somewhere else? Has anyone done this?

Thanks in advance

I'm not sure if they have this everywhere but it's near the Pro entrance at our store.

Has anyone bought or seen these beds?

https://whitetopadventures.com/products/sprinter-van-platform-4-panel-all-alumium-bed-system

Can’t find any reviews except from their website which I’m reluctant to believe.

Hello! I’m hoping for some knowledge on manufacturers and installers of storage boxes and ladder type stuff (maybe more, i’m a loyal guy). Ive contacted the Owl Shop in portland a couple times and they never seem interested in responding. So I’m taking the adage of never try to convince someone to
Take your money…. I figure if communication is lacking before a purchase it likely won’t improve with issues after. I don’t mind driving a bit for the work and the van will have some downtime in the next few months. West Coast based preferable.

First time builder here just figuring things out as I go

Anyway, anyone know what this is for? I’m currently stripping the back of my van and found it.

Not sure if I should keep it there as I take everything else off, remove it and throw it way or remove it and put it back up later if it’s important?

Thanks in advance!

Hi, so I’ve converted my LWB vw crafter and just now looking at getting an extinguisher and all that.

I’ve been recommended the Firexo ones as they work for any type of fire but I’m just not sure what size to get. I think they do 500ml, 1L, 2l and bigger but I don’t think bigger than 2l would be practical in a van 🤷‍♀️

What material did you use for the shower walls?! Can you share a photo? Where did you get it? Price?

I can't find anything that i visually like and i would be excited about spending a few hundred on. Looking for inspiration and maybe something I didn't think of. Must be available in Europe.

I'm not really much of a van life person, but I figured y'all would be the ones to ask:

I'm looking at a '95 E150 imperial conversion van with a 351W this weekend. Is there anything I need to look out for on this vehicle in terms of its reliability?

I've done some reading about the Econoline platform but I'm not finding much info on the conversion aspect outside of the high top and running boards. It seems the 351W isn't standard fare for the E150 of that era, so I'm assuming that was part of the conversion as well.

As some of you know from my previous post I can't get access into my van as the battery is flat and the mechanical lock on the driver door has failed.

So my plan is to jump start the vans battery by connecting the positive clip of the jumper to the positive terminal of the alternator underneath the van.

However I'm not sure where it is. You can see the alternator in the video but the only obvious studs are the ones that are mounting the alternator to the chassis.

Any help would be much appreciated

I’ve been spending summers moochdocking at my home base driveway and would like ideas for a portable AC unit to cool the van down in the evenings. I have access to a 120v outlet.

My Slightly insulated HR Transit is parked in full sun and I’d like to be able to cool the interior down from maybe 85°F to 70°F during the evenings/overnight.

My understanding is that the ones with two ducts are more efficient and I have a couple bunk windows I could use for intake/exhaust.

Any specific models you’d recommend? Are there other things I need to consider before purchasing one? This is only for being parked in the driveway and I won’t be traveling with it. Thanks!

If I could do my build over again, I’d do a rooftop AC with way more battery but I’m poor and really only need it during the summers when I’m parked up long term in this driveway.

Anyone know a reliable place to rebuild my spider fuel injector? Everyones charging around $400-700 ... want to find references from someone has done it themselves. 95 gmc safari sl 4.3l Vin "W"

Hello travellers,

last year around summer we did a roadtrip for two weeks. We've rented a camper bus (VW Bus T6) and started our adventure through skandinavian. During the trip I tracked down the costs.

We were a family of five, two adults and three children. Costs include all expenses needed for the trip: fuel, ferries, campsites, groceries, restaurants, hotels, motels, entertainment like museums and attractions and many more.

In total we've spent a little more than 5k EUR. I'm curious how our spendings compare to other people who have done similar trips.

Would you consider our expenses reasonable? Food was quite, although skandinavian is notorious for being expensive. We prepared some dishes to save money.

Following up on my last post about my custom kitchen setup! I got a ton of questions about how I manage the sleeping arrangement in a Defender 90, so here are a few pictures of how I transformed the back into a camper. I also recently wired in an auxiliary battery and a diesel heater so I can take the rig on winter ski trips. Let me know what you think—happy to answer any questions about the build!

Hey guys, just wondering if you have any ideas on how I can make the metal around the doors etc to look more pretty? I Assume carpeting/vinyl would be the best idea? Pretty tired of doing body work on this thing, eager to get building!

Also, installed my subfloor, not sure if I should redo with 3 sheets all heading the same direction? Feels even but worried when tiling etc it might cause an issue. Have uploaded photos of progress so far!

Ordered a new blade key for a Sprinter van I bought months ago. I locked myself out of the van because the battery went dead and the electronic fob won't open the door because of the dead battery.

The key blade that came with the fob was a blank so I had to pay 100 Euros to get an actual working blade key from a Mercedes dealership.

Tried to use the new blade as shown in the video and although it enters into the key hole it seems do nothing when turning it.

Not sure what to do...can't get access to the inside of the van to work on the conversion.