40 Days and 5000 miles later...
Since 2018 or so I had wanted to buy a mid-2000s Sprinter van and build it into a camper. I had done a ton of research on the best model to convert and had designed the build in my head; and nearly pulled the trigger on a few vehicles on eBay. However, the more I thought about it, I came to accept that it would spend most of its time parked on the city streets of Santa Barbara, likely collecting tickets because it exceeded the city street height limit meant to prevent a proliferation of RVs throughout town.
So, in January 2020, I bought a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, with the idea that it would be more adaptable than a full-time camper van - small enough for running errands, while big enough to sleep in and camp out of on the weekends (and it looks cool too! ;-) ). Like everyone in March of 2020, my life changed pretty significantly... and I wish I had bought a Sprinter van before everyone else wanted one. But, I had to make do with what I had.
By July 2020 I had gotten pretty stir crazy basically never leaving our one-bedroom apartment. So, I got to work building out my minivan. I built a bed that could convert between a single and double modes, put in a sink, stove, and plenty of storage; I built a solar-heated shower out of ABS pipe to stay clean on the road; and added a solar panel and portable battery so I could easily work from the road (provided I could find internet).
I took off up the coast of California all the way to Washington, toured all around Oregon, booked it across to Yellowstone due of the horrible fire season on the coast, continued down to Colorado, explored all around Colorado, through New Mexico, and Arizona and back to Santa Barbara. 40 days, 11 National Parks, and 5000 miles later, I was back in Santa Barbara, which was when the photo above was taken.
And since then, when people see my setup they can't help but comment on the design of the showers or how much I have been able to fit inside such a small space. So, I figured I could share my knowledge and this webpage is how I have decided to do it. I will continue to update this with new tips, tricks, and designs.
Thanks for stopping by!
- Timmy
p.s. And since that initial trip, I have completely redesigned the bed, designed a new 14-gallon water reservoir, installed a heat exchanger to get truly-hot showers, and added a signal booster so I'm not limited to where I can find someone else's internet when I work from the road.
So, in January 2020, I bought a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, with the idea that it would be more adaptable than a full-time camper van - small enough for running errands, while big enough to sleep in and camp out of on the weekends (and it looks cool too! ;-) ). Like everyone in March of 2020, my life changed pretty significantly... and I wish I had bought a Sprinter van before everyone else wanted one. But, I had to make do with what I had.
By July 2020 I had gotten pretty stir crazy basically never leaving our one-bedroom apartment. So, I got to work building out my minivan. I built a bed that could convert between a single and double modes, put in a sink, stove, and plenty of storage; I built a solar-heated shower out of ABS pipe to stay clean on the road; and added a solar panel and portable battery so I could easily work from the road (provided I could find internet).
I took off up the coast of California all the way to Washington, toured all around Oregon, booked it across to Yellowstone due of the horrible fire season on the coast, continued down to Colorado, explored all around Colorado, through New Mexico, and Arizona and back to Santa Barbara. 40 days, 11 National Parks, and 5000 miles later, I was back in Santa Barbara, which was when the photo above was taken.
And since then, when people see my setup they can't help but comment on the design of the showers or how much I have been able to fit inside such a small space. So, I figured I could share my knowledge and this webpage is how I have decided to do it. I will continue to update this with new tips, tricks, and designs.
Thanks for stopping by!
- Timmy
p.s. And since that initial trip, I have completely redesigned the bed, designed a new 14-gallon water reservoir, installed a heat exchanger to get truly-hot showers, and added a signal booster so I'm not limited to where I can find someone else's internet when I work from the road.
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