What do you need your campervan to do?
So you have decided that vanlife is for you. If you’re not still not sure, take a quick look at the downsides of vanlife. If, like we were, you are determined to give it a shot; because all the people moaning about vanlife don’t know what they are talking about; you need to start looking at what kind of campervan you want to build
There is a lot of choice out there, and it can be overwhelming. We tried to decode the decision making process and here’s the part where we look at what you need your campervan to do.
It’s important to note, this is not as fun as looking as other jobs (like looking on Facebook marketplace for cool stuff to buy or watching youtube videos about £100,000 4×4 Sprinters).
We had to force ourselves to take the time to write this out, and to really dedicate the appropriate amount of brain space on it. We do this exercise early, well ahead of the build, to save money. And we make it exhaustive.
It’s much easier to change things around when the campervan is in our head, and much harder to change when you are half way through the build.
We save money, time and stress by considering this now rather than later.
Call it a thought experiment.
So, what do you need your campervan to do? Write down your thoughts to the following considerations:
Size considerations
Length of time in the campervan: Are you a weekend warrior? Summer holidays in the van or need something to live in. Is it your daily driver?
Weather and seasons: How many winter clothes do you need? If it’s raining, do you have enough space inside the van? Do you need a way to live outside even in the cold? Will you need to heat and to cool the van?
Location: Will you be spending time in cities or in remote areas? Do you need to be stealthy? Or small and nimble. Driving in Europe? Will you be taking many Ferries? Farther Afield? Off road? Down dirt tracks? Only campsites? What is the temperature going to be like there?
The number of people in the van? Travelling with a partner, family, or friends, What is your bed set up?
The bed set up: Are you happy to put the bed away each day, or will you leave it down the whole time?
Your height: How tall are you? Being able to stand up in a van makes a huge difference, if you are intending on living in it.
Gear you want to bring along: Sports equipment storage/ camera equipment (drones seem to be all the rage these days?), what kind of shoes do you need, or pantry space?
Pets: Van life dogs are almost a requirement, if you want those insta followers. If you don’t have a dog now, just wait until you see the mountain dogs in Bosnia, or the strays in Greece.. You’ll be coming home with one for sure.
Your driving: Be honest, how is your driving? Driving a van can be a big thing, especially on some of the tiny European roads.
Personal Hygiene: Do you need a bathroom in your van, toilet, sink shower to boot?
The functionality of your campervan
Making money in a campervan: Do you need dedicated space to be able to work? Or consistent wifi access? Or a background that is suitable for video calls? Where does your partner go when you’re at work? Is there space for both of you?
Hobbies: What do you like to do? Do you need an outdoor shower because you’re mountain biking in the mud all the time?
1’s and 2’s: What’s your appetite for sitting in a van with someone taking a poo next to you? Toilet’s need to be considered.
Off grid living: How long would you like to be wild camping and free as a bird for? How are you going to wash?
Cooking and food storage: What are you going to be cooking on your trips? Indoors/ Outdoors? You will need to consider a cooking area, food storage, and refrigeration.
Power and lighting: This is a big one. You’ve got a van so you are going to need to install a power system, lighting, and electrical appliances. Jump here for more on that.
Transporting stuff: Do you need the van to transport things for your work, day to day, do you need it to take a kayak or a motorbike?
Other considerations
When are you going to sell it? It’s important to consider the resale value of the van you want to build, what is your exit plan?
Budget: How much money do you have. This is the biggest of them all.
What kind of camper van do you want to build?: A weekend getaway camper or a full-time off-grid rig, or something in the middle.
How much do you care about instagram? Do you need your van to support your ego and be absolutely perfect, or are you happy that good is good enough?
Next step, what are your must haves?
Now it’s time to take this unstructured thinking and idea generation and make it useful. We are going to create a list of must haves.
Must-haves are the essential elements of your campervan build that you can’t live without. These items should align with your travel goals and lifestyle, ensuring you have everything you need to live your best life on the road. Some examples of must-haves might include:
- Adequate insulation and heating for cold climates
- A fixed comfortable bed
- Windows
- Toilet
- Water filtration system
- A bed for the dog
- Power to charge 2x laptops
- Proper ventilation and air circulation
What are your nice to haves?
Nice-to-haves are features that would enhance your campervan experience but aren’t critical to your overall comfort and safety. These items can add convenience, luxury, or aesthetic appeal but may not be necessary for every traveller. Some examples of nice-to-haves might include:
- A rooftop solar panel system
- Exterior shower
- Hot Water
- Comfortable seating for 4
- Sound system
- Swivel chairs
- Cinema set up
Prioritise and budget
Once you have your lists of must-haves and nice-to-haves, review each item and assign it a priority level based on its importance to you. This will help you make informed decisions about what to include in your build and what to save for future upgrades.
What we did
Our guiding principles for the van build:
- Spend as little as possible without compromising on quality.
- Work smart to save time and stress.
- Make planet friendly choices.
We want our van to live in for months at a time. The first trip (now complete) is 5 months from summer to winter driving down the Balkans into Greece. The next is travelling across Scandinavia. We want to be off grid and spend as little money at campsites as possible. After stripping our van, we came up with a list of our must haves and our nice to haves.
Must haves:
- Bed is longways, not widthways. I love to stretch down the length of my bed and know that if my feet touch the bottom of the bed, I’ll wake up. Sleep is unbelievably important, and there are enough things going on in night-time vanlife to keep you up.
- Big enough sofa for 2 people to lounge
- Off grid for >4 days
- Shower and a toilet
- Enough kitchen worktop
- Didn’t want to feel like we were in a vehicle when falling asleep
- Must be able to stand up
Nice to haves:
- Skylights
- Outdoor shower
- Heating
- Awning
- Feeling of space
- Scandinavian/ Hygge feel.
- Soft lighting
- No internal walls, one big space
- Big sink
- Plywood finish/ Scandinavian style.
Footnote: Our exit plan is that we intend to add so much value to the price of the base van and cost of the conversion that we can sell the van at any point that we decide and that it won’t cost us any money. Our best case scenario was that if we did our first trip and didn’t like it, the profit we made from selling the van might cover the cost to build and the cost of the first trip. Spoiler alert: Turns out we love it and the van is staying.