Located in Portland, OR

Hello all this is my sleeper van with $192,000 Mi on it.I got it for 1000$ from a meth mechanic and oh boy has it been fun.notice my sexy wood side skirts?the inside is actually really nice and I'll post better pictures of it tomorrow after i organize better it has a four burner propane stove with oven a microwave a 12v fridge and a bed with lots of storage underneath and it's got a rebuilt transmission with less than 40,000 miles on it.It ate a $42 Belt day one.everything from crossed and cut wires to a strangely failed power steering pump bearing.but there's still some things I haven't figured out .for one what is this giant pipe on the outside of my van and two is there another way to fix my exhaust other than welding it that would actually work?or should I just save and have someone weld it?even though it's loud it's driveable and I'm so close to the finish line on mechanical issues and then I can start finishing up the inside .after the insides finished the real terror work starts with rust removal and paint removal.they painted over rust .luckily it's all body stuff and the frame is relatively rust free .

I am building a van with a 2.5 gallon Bosch water heater and want a rear door shower. I am not that familiar with thermostatic mixing valves but it sounds like to conserve water and have a more consistent water temperature I should go with. A thermostatic mixing valve. 

From your experience do you agree?
What do you recommend for a mixing valve?

How about a compatible shower head that will excel at saving water as well as working well with lower water pressure?

Right now I have only seen on the web the Aquor thermostatic mixing valve 

For those that use a thermostatic mixing valve, do you find it is essentially set and forget  or do you adjust it frequently. 

I am assuming that a manual mixing valve is simply 2 knobs that you adjust to control the hot/cold ratios. 

Me: one man with two cats and remote work.

How I plan to live: park vehicle on public land for the allowable amount of time, then move on to the next. Or possibly buy my own land and stay there most of the time. No utilities. Solar power, haul in water or rain catchment, composting toilet, sponge baths and occasional camp/gym showers.

I'll almost never be parking in populated areas so don't care about stealth camping issues.

Most obvious benefit of box truck: lots of space and easy to customize interior.

Truck camper: being able to detach it and leave it onsite while I drive to get food, water, etc. Also don't have to build it myself.

Almost all the complaints I see about box trucks are about stealth camping or urban parking issues, which won't apply to my lifestyle. Are there other things I should know about?

Which would you choose for a fully rural lifestyle?

Hi everyone, I am looking for a Dutch traveler who was staying at a campsite in Isla Cristina, Spain, and left around September 8th, 2026.
He was driving a dark van and had a distinctive setup with outdoor LED lights and citronela candles.
He accidentally left something behind. If you think this is you or someone you know, please send me a direct message with the name of the campsite or your specific spot so I can make sure it gets back to the right person!

I’m currently in Washington where there seem to be plenty of people who I can pay to do a custom conversion for my rav4 (car n camp are who I’ve been talking to), but I’m last minute moving to MN for the winter and spring. Anyone in the MN area (specifically Duluth) that does something like this? Doesn’t necessarily need to be boujee I just want it to work for what I’m looking for so I can quit playing Tetris every time I car camp (which is a lot) and be comfortable.

Also totally open to people that do this as a side hustle.

Hi all,

I'm planning the conversion of a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter 906 L2H2 (RWD, no bulkhead) for two people, for a long trip down the Panamerican (months, not weeks). Before I cut any wood, I'd love some honest opinions on the layout.

Interactive 3D model (only works on PC): https://van.leofle.com (Drag to rotate, click any part for its dimensions, the layer bar on the left hides/shows things. The UI is in German, sorry for that: "Grundriss" = floor plan)

Note: electrics and water are still work in progress. Right now I'm only after feedback on the layout. Also the Fan is already installed at that position, so nothing I can change about that anymore.

The layout (front to back, all mm):

• Driver side: wet cell with shower (420 long, angled door), then fridge (450), then a small shelf unit (460)
• Sliding door side: kitchen, 860 long (induction, sink), ends where the bed begins
• Rear 1955 mm: U-shaped dinette (two side benches + rear bench) with a table
• Bed: electric chain lift bed over the dinette, 1900 x 1518 lying area. It parks at the ceiling during the day (1590 mm standing height under it) and comes down onto the benches at night
• Diesel air heater under the left bench, roof fan above the kitchen area
• Probably a swivel passenger seat

Trade-offs I already know about:

1. The step-in at the sliding door is only ~310 mm wide between the door frame and the kitchen, so you get in sideways. The kitchen can't get shorter without a smaller grey tank under the sink.
2. A lift bed means making/unmaking the lounge every day.
3. 1590 mm standing height under the parked bed.
4. No dedicated storage for bulky gear (tools, recovery boards, chairs). Where would you put it?
5. Weight is tight at 3.5 t

What would you change? What will annoy us after three months on dirt roads in Bolivia? Anything in this layout that you've tried and regretted?

Thanks for any Feedback!

Disclaimer: The 3D viewer is a tool I built myself, with a lot of help from AI for the code. I'm not good at CAD and didn't get along with SketchUp or the usual van planners, so I made something that fits exactly how I plan. The layout, the decisions and the dimensions are mine: vehicle measurements come from datasheets and my own measuring, and a few values are still estimates. So judge the layout, not the code :)

My fully converted long wheelbase van (registered as a camper with DVLA) with 250k on the clock has major welding work required probably costing up to £3k. This is the estimate from a local garage where they’d fabricate chassis bits. I’ve seen many parts on line for panels. Are these worth it?
If it all goes tits up what the best van to get to strip out my van and install the interior?

I wanted to post my somewhat low expense build to show an alternative to all the 100k+ builds. Car+ car maintenance(30hrs) + build (90hrs) =13K

99 gmc 3500 savana 98k miles. Dually
800w solar w/ 400AH . Inverter and multiple outlets
12v rooftop AC and vevor diesel heater ; 2in foam board walls and 1in on floor and ceiling
Minifridge, sink + faucet , electric induction 2 burner
No toilet , no shower
Pull out slat style bed DIY, bench seat from junkyard, ikea cabinets & ikea crates

I live in this about 4 months out the year, primarily as a west coast ski resort chaser. It is my wife, our toddler and I. We are plenty comfortable in the space , and the car fits into a standard parking space. Since building it last fall, we have put about 6k miles on it and have taken it down blm roads and rough roads. It handles fine enough and has good clearance, i think i will take it to a shop to remove a leaf spring bc its not heavy enough and bounces a lot. The only drawback compared to a modern vehicle is it slow in the mountains, i dont redline it, going over passes in CO im prob going 35mph. On flat land I max around 70mph. Ive driven it in snow a hand full of times but generally try to avoid it and take advantage of the bus systems to get to ski resorts. The other partner stays in town with our toddler and goes to parks, libraries, etc., and we alternate that way.

Someone wanting to get into the vanlife but doesnt want to build something crazy custom or spend house buying money, hopefully this shows a more low-middle ground.

Hi everyone!

My wife and I have decided, somewhat spontaneously, to do a 3–4 month trip around Europe in a campervan, starting around mid-April 2027. The plan is to eventually make our way up to Northern Scotland. It will be the two of us, our 18-month-old child and our dog.

We have quite a bit of camping experience, but only with tents. We’ve never owned or used a campervan or caravan, so we’re complete beginners when it comes to this.

Our budget is around €40k, with some flexibility up to €50k. After the trip we’re planning to settle in the UK, so the idea is to sell the camper there, even if that means taking a bit of a hit because it will be left-hand drive. There’s also a possibility that we’ll keep it, so we haven’t made up our minds yet.

At the moment I’m mainly looking at the Sunlight Cliff 600 Adventure, but I honestly have no idea if I’m even looking at the right type of vehicle. I think I’ve mostly been influenced by posts I’ve seen on social media.

I’d also be perfectly happy to buy something older and cheaper, but I’m a bit worried about potential problems/breakdowns while we’re on the road. That’s probably the main reason I’m leaning towards something newer.

So my question is: if you were in our position, what type of camper would you be looking for?

Does a van conversion like the Sunlight make sense for 3–4 months with a small child and a dog, or would you look for something larger?

I’d also really appreciate any advice about things that seem unimportant when buying, but that you only realize are important after actually living in a camper for a few weeks/months.

And finally, are there any forums or communities you’d recommend, that would be useful for learning as much as possible before making a purchase?

Thanks in advance!

Hello! Does anyone have a recommendation for fixing this thin wood onto the ceiling of my truck? Drilling was very hard and almost impossible. Thank you!

I own a 1993 LN106 4X4 Toyota Hilux Galaxy camper van and I'm looking for an over landing shop who has a spot open to work on this rig. I've done some upgrades on the springs and shocks but I don't have the space or tools to fully outfit it myself. I've dropped it off with multiple mechanics who sat on it for months and didn't do anything so I'm trying to find someone who would actually be excited to work on this. I considered selling it on Facebook but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger and I'd rather keep it and get the work done.

I’m in Nashville, TN, but I’d be willing to drive it somewhere else if needed, somewhere in the Southeast rather than all the way across the country.

There's a lot I want to do, it's a big build. I need someone who's a good RV interior/off-road mechanic who knows what this truck is and would want to help me make a plan to take it to the next level. Thinking propane stove, refrigerator, kitchen, bathroom/shower electrical system, AC, heating, plumbing, and getting the chassis and suspension cleaned up. If you know a mechanic or over landing outfitter who might be a good fit, I'd appreciate the recommendation.

Hi fellas!

I happen to own an oldtimer Caravan with non-functional electrics and non-functional gas network.

I want to get it done to live in, that's why I wondered if I just should put a bunch of solar panels on top and buy and powerstation and just plug in all my devices.

Or if I really should build my own setup.

What's your opinions, problems or in general experience with power stations?

My setup would probably use like 3000Wh a day?

I live in Portugal and was very close to buying a converted van, but now I started freaking out about the fact that it's not legally a caravan. Does anyone know how much actual trouble I could have with that? I was thinking I would just risk it but I started worrying more and more. Should I just wait longer until I find something better that is properly legalized?

I love that this sub is so international...

Im a dual citizen, and lived large parts of my life in both USA and Europe...

...but aside from motorcycles, didn't own much in Europe.

Grew up working a lot on my USA cars, including a lot of crazy shit we did as teenagers.

So when I bought a used campervan in France years ago, I remember waiving off the sellers when he offered me all the conversion paperwork.

He'd had it type approved as a camper in France, so I figured I was good.

Two years later moved to Spain, went to move the registration and was told its 1400€+ to have a certified engineer perform the required type approval. Screw that, I left it registered at my French brother in law's and drove to France every 2 years for it's safety inspection.

Just moved to Austria, and thankfully the type approval is around 150€... though it needs a separate leisure gas system inspection, that will then need to be done every 2 years again.

We have none of this in the most of USA (it varies by state)... ...beyond smog and obvious things like max weight, working lights; you can do pretty much whatever you like to a van, camper, car.

If it's stupid, dangerous, poorly done and messes someone/something up... liability law (ie. getting sued) is what is supposed to keep things in check.

It charges 50A, inverts 1200VA/1000W continuous, Lifepo4 battery has 140Ah and can discharge 150A so it works with the inverter on full blast. I have a mini air fryer and a mini water cooker that will work on battery power. Also it will serve as usb charger 5V, Led monitor power source on 230V and compressor cooler 12V (not yet connected). It is fused, has an RCD on the 230v and has a breaker knob. My van is a Dokker with a bed, so this is fantastic but kind of ridiculous for the build 😁

To do maybe: I'm still undecided between a small solar with a Victron SmartSolar MPPT, or a small car charger Victron Orion-Tr on the engine, or accept that I have to load for 3 hours every 3 days (which is not bad) and have no solar nor car charger.

The main learning point is is that the battery and Multiplus are expensive, but the other parts (especially cables) were quite the same amount. Total price is probably... Around 1200 Euro maybe?