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After months and months of dreaming, planning, talking about, and watching eleventymillion YouTube videos, we found a van that fit with our vision of what #VanLife looks like for us. We drove our new van home on September 28, 2019.
We are building a fully contained camper (translation — has water and a full shower and toilet set up) that is agile enough to travel the backroads and fit in a regular parking spot.
Van Specs
Margit the van is a 2019 Grey metallic Ram Promaster 3500 extended cargo van.
Here are the other basic details:
- Dual sliding doors
- No windows (yet)
- Stock stationary driver and passenger seats
- OEM floor
- Not much else to mention in this big empty van
First Steps
We have planned and replanned and planned the interior over and over again. Some things we could do right away though, regardless of the final floor plan.
Here is what we have done so far.
- Removed the OEM floor to insulate and attach a propane tank under the van (blog post forthcoming).
- Applied KillMat to deaden the road noise and rattles (blog post forthcoming).
- Installed a ‘dash clipboard‘ to hold navigation devices.
- Installed this rearview mirror backup camera. Read our rear camera install and review here.
Next up…
Insulating the floor, walls, and ceiling, then finalizing (again) a floor plan to get going on the main build.
Helpful YouTube Videos and Websites
We have watched and read many so far. We will watch and read many more. Like this website, we will add to these resources as time goes on. For now, here are some of our standout favorites as we start this buildout.
YouTube
- CatDogManVan – Informative and hilarious
- VanLife Outfitters – Innovative and detailed information
- Creativity RV – Got a question about life on the road? It has probably been answered here.
Websites
- VanLife Outfitters – An excellent resource and companion site to the above YouTube channel.
- FarOutRide.com – Two engineers who provide lots of details.
- Promaster Forums – If you are looking at a Promaster, this is a great starting point.
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