So we've looked at selecting your van according to your budget and a carefully thought out approach to how, where, when and why you are going to use it.
You will recall my strong inclination to high top vans - look at these very basic calculations -
Van A : 2m wide x 2m high x 5m long = 20 cubic metres.
Van B : 2m wide x 2m high x 6m long = 24 cubic metres
Van C : 2m wide x 3m high x 5m long = 30 cubic metres
So : add a metre to the length on a low profile roof and you get an increase of 20% volume but still have back ache all day, add it to height and you get a 50% increase in volume with a more practical vehicle for occupying and manoeuvring. As pop tops generally slant you will add say 5 cubic metres when it's up but the high end space will be just air and out of reach and the low end tapers to less and less usable space and you don't have the advantages of storage, insulation or weather resistance of a fixed top.
Finally doors and windows : I prefer a full size unobstructed sliding side door as it allows use in a tight space, gives easier access and more importantly easier egress in the event of a fire or other emergency - so many vans now have a caravan sized door or the wide opening blocked by kitchen units. You cannot beat the feeling of lying in a warm bed with the door open to a memorable sunset or frosty dawn.
Having a rear tailgate is also preferable to my mind as it doubles up as a changing area, provides a shady area in hot sun (no need for a heavy expensive awning that needs retracting at the merest hint of wind) and is even the place for an al fresco shower if you have the portable kit or your onboard hose reaches. Again it might be that you can lie in bed looking out over the view - wonderful.
Another more flexible option for an awning easily doable with a high top is a good tarp clipped to the roof and held aloft by your tailgate support poles and secured by guy ropes - not much to store and a tarp can have many other uses.
I have also found that tailgate mounted bike racks are sturdier than those attached to just one barn door and can carry more weight - your van struts may not hold the door aloft with this extra weight but the couple of sturdy old sectional tent poles (usable for your awning) will provide suitable props.
Whilst in this area and returning to previous themes a good bike rack on a tailgate, combined with a sturdy cover effectively creates the 'garage' that bigger vans aspire to promote. I store both bikes with both helmets locked on, the spare fuel can, track pump, folding table and two chairs beneath the cover. I use a long length of bungee cord to secure the cover even more firmly and prevent petty pilfering and have the hazard board necessary in much of Europe in situ - the pocket for this is a great place to keep a coiled water hose.
Anyway it's all about choice and for many casual users vans are about style, the 'scene' and so on - nowt wrong with that but when I see running bars, roof rails, chromed mirrors, bull bars, spoilers and the like I see unnecessary weight and expenditure and don't even mention lowering!!
Anyway on to other considerations and basically van life mirrors basic human existence with the same needs in the same order.
Air, Shelter, Water, Food, Security and Company which should all be linked to Sustainability.
These headings give the structure for the rest of this post.
AIR
Simple enough you might think but there are implications regarding van living.
Modern well designed vans will pay as much attention to ventilation as insulation but older or well used vans and many a self build will fall short.
Whilst it would be very hard to achieve in reality, a hermetically sealed van would of course prove fatal but it is possible to end up with quite a well sealed unit that could be dangerous. Gas is likely to feature in your van if only for cooking and needs careful thought in its use and storage - when burning it produces quite a surprising amount of water vapour on top of those boiling pans and kettles so good air circulation is important to keep your interior dry. Similarly LPG is heavier than air so can pool in unvented voids - use a proper sealed gas cupboard with plenty of drop outs. Cookers should not be used to heat up the van, although boiling (almost) the kettle for that first cuppa will take the edge off a frosty start. Vents for fridges or heaters should be kept clear and any grilles removed as necessary before use. A combined fire and carbon monoxide alarm, tested regularly is vital and at least one good sized fire extinguisher and a fire blanket should be in place.
The small dry powder extinguishers are not in my opinion big enough for van use (they also tend to settle when stored so should be shaken up regularly) and expiry dates noted. My preference is for one in the driving area to deal with an engine or dashboard fire and one near the cooking area - often you cannot access front mounted kit when the seats are swivelled.
When cooking keep an eye on pans - they don't need to be bubbling away furiously, use lids and bring the kettle just to the boil to reduce steam and vapour. Washing up water produces a lot of steam - perhaps use site facilities or do it outside with a bowl. At night keep windows or roof vents slightly open as an average person will produce 500ml of water vapour overnight just by breathing.
Candles can give a nice atmosphere and do emit a surprising amount of heat - for many years I used a tray of tea lights floating in the sink but on reflection there were obvious safety and health considerations, but I was young and carefree : just carefree now although I guess a care element is approaching relentlessly
Wood burning stoves in a van are only likely to be of use in much larger vehicles than I am concerned with and come with a host of other considerations - plus benefits - but are outside my remit.
If you decide to use a portable generator ensure that its exhaust is discharging well away from any of your ventilation points, similarly you might run the engine for a period to warm things up, make sure your exhaust system is intact and well maintained.
Have your gas appliances checked and serviced regularly - the jets and thermal cutouts need to work properly, flues cleaned, all pipes should be secure, flexible hoses changed before their use by date and any regulators or isolation taps working properly. I will look at gas again later with regard to practicality as opposed to safety.
Finally don't overlook the gasses produced by 12v batteries charging - if yours is tucked away in an internal cupboard make sure the vent tube is in situ and discharging externally and keep flames away.
SHELTER
Obviously any van will provide a degree of shelter from the elements but again there are factors to consider. Larger vans will be harder to heat although the degree of insulation will help. Plenty of other blogs deal with insulation for converters - one tip I would provide : if possible in the floor, both sides and even the roof incorporate a small duct running full length and leave a drawstring secured through it so should you ever need to run in additional pipes, cables or wires (and you will!) it should be far easier.
Stealth vans often minimise the number of windows but for me a van is to live in and enjoy and I spend time in places I want to look out on. Double glazed perspex windows with integral blinds are the gold standard but whilst I have two in the high top all the others are the standard single glazed panel van windows. However good quality thermal screens make a huge difference and are available for many specific makes and models - otherwise cut up camping roll mats to fit snugly, packets of suckers available from www.justkampers.com, and consider heavy duty lined curtains. I've recently added squares of mat to fit the two roof vents as well but do be aware of earlier thoughts on ventilation especially when using gas or candles. Any clothing acts as insulation if in cupboards as does bedding perhaps in overcab storage so leave it all as plumped up as possible in cold weather - my good down jackets are left puffed up when not in use - better for them and good insulators. Keeping empty spaces to a minimum helps and although as almost everything I own is here in the van I rarely have space to fill a few extra loo rolls or packets of cereal can fill cupboard voids without a huge weight penalty. I tend to shut off the bathroom area and just heat the living space until mid evening and have put an extra layer of cheap 'conference' carpet on the floor which is tough, hard wearing, easy to clean and can be removed and replaced as needed.
Keep the hot drinks coming in colder weather, move about regularly and perhaps have friends in - the average human gives out 100w of heat at rest so a group in a van will soon warm it up but remember that water vapour....
Your 3 way fridge running on gas will also put a little warmth in the van, they use very little gas - see later .
An excellent investment is a simple electric blanket - 12v versions are available but a basic single bed 240v blanket is usually rated at 40 watts so can be run off a small plug in inverter without too much detriment to the leisure battery.
Consider where you park up as wind chill is a significant issue so find a sheltered spot, possibly under trees if it's not raining or too stormy - far less chance of a frost or if you are small shelter between the big boys!
Again my preference for a high top van is underlined by wind, rain and snow - pop tops are great for 2/3 season use especially if it's scorching but driving rain can challenge even the best single skin fabrics and my pop top roof once lowered quietly overnight under the weight of settling snow. Strong winds exacerbate the situation and may cause damage - a high top may rock a bit but as most of the weight is low down - engine, gearbox, fuel tank, water tank, gas bottles etc they are very stable although this stability decreases with the larger vans that have great slab sides. Heavy rain can be noisy on any roof but relax - you are at least dry. Factory high tops are the most watertight but a good fibreglass roof should be OK but do check the seals around roof vents, TV aerials, solar panel cable entry points and so on are intact - water has a habit of reappearing a long and often illogical way from where it is entering.
Insulation works both ways so a well insulated van should be easier to keep cool and this is where your choice of windows and roof vents is important. Plenty of windows should open ideally opposite each other to promote cross flow but effective fly screens will be necessary - do not underestimate the Scottish midge or the New Zealand black fly. A high top van will provide more shade opportunities especially if you have your DIY tarp awning. A linked consideration is that if you have fixed solar panels on your roof you will have to choose between solar gain and shady protection - hence my preference for a fold away panel with a decent cable that can be situated as appropriate - of which more later.
WATER and waste.
Water is heavy - a lot of water is a lot of heavy. We need to drink around 5 litres per day (but often don't) and use more for cooking, washing and flushing. An average UK household uses 350 litres per day or 140 litres per individual. This is not practical for van life but of course as with most of the developing world we can reduce this.
Using campsite facilities etc does reduce the onboard usage but I am focusing on off grid living as far as is possible so offer the following.
Most importantly do drink as much as you should - that is not where to make savings - but ensure that your tanks and pipes are clean - on a newly acquired van consider flushing through with Miltons or similar, change or service any filtration systems, ensure filler caps are clean, clearly labelled and preferably lockable - incidentally if these caps end up stiff then like your blade seal in the toilet cassette lubricate with a little olive oil.
Cassette toilets use far less water than domestic lavatories and may incorporate a separate flush tank. - I use a combined top, bottom and waste tank concentrated liquid from Olpro but use biological laundry tablets in the cassette - as they are septic tank friendly, cheap as chips and very compact to store - plus you've got them for the laundrettes who often dispense powder at a price not far off that of the finest Colombian Marching Powder - apparently.
A good shower head will still do the job even with the possibly lower pressure of a van system - incidentally if there is a long pipe length between heater and head fill a container with that first few litres of cool water rather than let it go to waste. Short hot showers are the order of the day - perhaps indulge once a week on a campsite especially if there's a lot of hair washing to be done - not my most urgent consideration these days...
You are likely to do your laundry at a machine elsewhere and even the simple stuff like using a mug rather than running a tap for teeth cleaning will make a big difference. When cooking use any hot water from draining veg to rinse off the worst of any plates or pans that will then get a proper wash and don't overfill those pans in the first place. Use foil to line grills and baking trays to reduce the need to wash up, adopt continental habits of using the same cutlery for different courses and a slice of bread to wipe plates as clean as possible. I also tend to wash up once a day saving on gas and water.
So how much to carry - I would say for a couple around 70 -100 litres would be about right - any more and you may well be compromising your MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) as that is included - and amounts to effectively an extra passenger. The more you carry the less careful you tend to be and a still substantial amount of water sloshing about in a partially empty tank can affect vehicle handling. Inboard tanks are infinitely preferable but I've had to settle for a centrally mounted underslung tank that helps with handling but has affected ground clearance and proved so far to be difficult to insulate - given my 5.2m van length inboard location would have been difficult. A good modern van will have winterised tanks - insulated and possibly even heated.
So the 77 litres I have will, with care, last me about 5/6 days including a daily shower, all meals cooked, washing up, personal care and drinking water, for two people this drops to around 4/5 days. The Hozelock Pico Hose Pipe Reel at 10m in length with a quarter inch bore is ideal for filling, includes a spray nozzle useful for washing your van, bike, dog or muddy gear and costs around £30. It is very compact has a five year guarantee and unlike lay flat hoses or the coiled type will not kink whatever the pressure. A 10 litre collapsible bucket and funnel add to filling options and I also keep a 12v submersible water pump that would draw water from a suitable source.
Incidentally my Thetford C2 has an integral 15 litre flush tank which lasts about a fortnight and within reason doesn't of course need drinking quality water. The cassette holds around 20 litres and is easily removed for emptying. If you buy an older van and are a bit squeamish Thetford do a freshen up kit that includes a new toilet seat and lid and a whole new cassette - upgraded these days to include wheels and a towing handle - very welcome as a full one can be quite heavy to transport to the CDP. Again some vans now have rather smaller cassettes but of course these will need emptying more frequently.
I will return to this later but PLEASE deal with your waste responsibly - thoughtless, selfish toiletting (and littering) habits are the biggest threat to off grid living.
Grey water tanks are often overlooked but letting this out on your pitch is unfair on the next guys and environmentally unsound out in the wild. Grey water tanks will not need to be as large as the fresh water but should be within 10% and again underslung helps with handling. They are not as prone to freezing as the contents will be contaminated but if possible insulate them and the pipes as a frozen outlet is a real pain. Converters use pipes far narrower than domestic plumbing so be good at avoiding food waste going down the plug, minimise fats going the same way and keep a cheap plunger somewhere - you could store your kitchen or loo roll on it, suckered to a convenient point....
FOOD
With planning it is possible to take several weeks of food away which if you are heading to say Scandinavia is a big consideration but surely part of the joy of travel is sourcing and enjoying local food - I once met a couple in a large van who had prepared 200 frozen meals at home to avoid that foreign muck!
Dried food in tight lidded containers is recommended - whilst vans can be fairly well sealed mice (at best) are attracted by the warmth of a van and food crumbs if parked up for more than the odd night and ants will soon find their way to any sugary source of nutrition. Circles of ant powder around all wheels will deter them and good practice will deter rodents. In New Zealand I had mice eat their way through a bulkhead wiring grommet (fortunately not damaging the loom) and running behind panels to chew on the wooden spatula which despite washing still retained the taste of spag bol - I now use plastic utensils.
They had nested under the battery tray whilst I was parked up and were only defeated with traps and bait - nowadays if I leave the van anywhere for a period of time I place bait in the engine compartment as well as the interior.
I keep dried milk as a back up, a litre of water and some dried meals in case an unexpected overnight stay arises but not tins as they are bulkier and heavier but otherwise eat fresh local produce as far as possible. Some basic herbs, spices and other condiments are worth having and although you are likely to have just the two burners and possibly a grill it is possible to eat well. I generally cook twice a day especially in winter as the heat is always useful but only wash up once as per water saving measures earlier. Similarly I would cook extra spuds, rice or pasta to save gas using the excess in salads etc. Noodles and couscous use the least gas and adding your veg to the carbs pan as appropriate makes sense.
When using my grill I keep pots simmering above it, use lids to reduce water vapour - I usually open the roof vents when cooking to dissipate steam and again tend to grill more than just the planned meal using the cold for salads etc. I have a single electric ring rated at 1000w for when on hook up and an electric travel kettle both of which could run off my small genny (not simultaneously) and which won't compromise most hook up points.
Keeping food fresh is a consideration and a fridge essential. For occasional use a powered cool box is of use but a fridge will be more effective long term so you have a choice of absorption or compressor options. I find the 3 way absorption fridge to be the best and have the standard 60 litre model found in many vans and caravans. It has auto ignition, thermostats for the gas and 240v power sources and will run off the alternator when travelling. Only one source of power should be used at a time and gas consumption is very low - this and most other modern appliances will run on either propane at 37mb or butane at 28mb with the appropriate regulator. These fridges will not, and should not, run for long, if at all on your leisure battery, whereas the compressor fridges (often seen nowadays as they are easier to install avoiding the need for vents and drop outs) will run off a healthy leisure battery backed up by a good solar installation. Bear in mind that if this is fixed to your roof you may have to park in full sun to get the benefit. For UK use a main brand like Calor is most widely available and I have space for two 3.9kg bottles with cost currently ranging between £13 and £23 per exchange. If your local recycling centre is friendly enough you may be able to avoid the initial additional cost of your cylinders. Each cylinder lasts me 2/3 weeks depending largely on the numbers showering - fridge and cooking usage staying relatively constant - so about a pound a day. Bear in mind that in remoter parts of Scotland at busier times exchange cylinders are on a par with rocking horse manure and less popular brands may be even harder to source. The other option is Campingaz, usually the blue butane 907 cylinders that hold 2.75 kg of gas and again are exchanged but these are an expensive option in the UK at around £35 per exchange so 3 times the price - incidentally a nose round the back of a large Calor plant revealed that they fill Campingaz cylinders discreetly out of sight (presumably under contract) which strikes me as sharp practice at best.
Whilst in the UK I stick with Calor but for longer trips abroad switch to Campingaz which is widely available in much of Europe but not for example Greece or much of Eastern Europe and usually much cheaper than the UK especially in Spain. Italy's cylinders have a different logo and labelling scheme and so despite being Campingaz can be harder to exchange in France, especially as you get further from border areas. Both Calor (for the UK only) and Campingaz (pan European) have useful store locator websites at www.calor.co.uk and www.campingaz.com
Incidentally in Morocco they use cylinders compatible with 28mb Campingaz regulators but don't exchange your shiny EU cylinder as the battered often green relic won't be accepted back in the EU. As a full cylinder is only a couple of quid and refills around 80p you will be happy as a pig in **** anyway, just be aware that the multitude of colours are sometimes brand specific but Total (as in the petrol chain) seems commonest.
The final consideration over LPG choice is the ability to cope with low temperatures which is where propane is the clear winner.
Refillable cylinders from a company like Gaslow are a consideration despite high initial costs which would be recouped in due course but I have limited space to install them and not every country is comfortable with the refilling process - this applies to permanently mounted LPG tanks, as does the space consideration for me.
Finally a word of warning - treat gas with respect and steer clear of the online videos suggesting that you can refill cylinders yourself. The guys who do so may have more knowledge than you but probably less fingers.
SECURITY
An important subject that deserves consideration - you will have a lot of capital invested in your van and a concentration of expensive gadgets and possessions.
Specific camper/motorhome insurance may well cover additional contents but will have strict requirements that all doors and windows should be secured - read your small print. Often if you have left your vehicle to return home the cover will not apply whilst you are not in the same country as your vehicle.
My only experience of a theft was ironically whilst in supposedly secure airport parking at Milan - the company insisted on retaining the keys, moved the van off site and clearly staged a break in as items they stole could not be seen unless the deadlocked doors were open. They denied any knowledge or responsibility and over £1000 of equipment was stolen - choose a parking option where you keep the keys and the promised guard and CCTV actually exist. A great option in Lisbon was a company that used a multi storey car park where I secured a roof top space well away from 2 and 4 legged vermin and kept the keys. I even saw the van from my seat as we flew over the airport perimeter - very reassuring.
Regarding day to day concerns choose your parking carefully, a few quid in a monitored option far off sets the misery of dealing with broken windows, damaged bodywork or trim and replacing items - all possibly being dealt with in a foreign language and at great inconvenience. Set all your alarms, fit a highly visible steering lock, close all blinds, curtains or screens and perhaps leave a portable radio playing quietly. If you have bikes on the back perhaps reverse up close to a wall, similarly your sliding door could be tight to a wall as front doors can be harder to use as access and escape routes. I often leave a pair of shoes outside and have heard of people leaving heavy duty dog leads and a water bowl outside even if dogless. Unfortunately well meaning people in hot weather may jump in to rescue mode if they can't arouse the non existent dog - embarrassing all round....
It is also possible to fit additional external locks to vehicles or internal security measures such as straps linking the front doors together but windows and the huge skylights found on many vans are still vulnerable. A clever DIY modification might be to fit something like the Discarnect Battery Master Switch from www.richbrook.co.uk which allows you to disconnect the earth lead from your main battery whilst a small fusible link keeps essential monitoring equipment and the alarm running but blows if attempts are made to start the engine.
I try to take all expensive gadgets with me - most are small and useful anyway leaving the thieves with little to take, but hide what you have to leave behind - buried in clothing or perhaps in those storage areas that aren't immediately obvious. Take photos of everything, including serial numbers, do the same for all your cards, travel documents, vehicle and driving documents, insurance policies (maybe downloaded), health policies and put the lot on a well hidden USB stick along with a list of contact numbers for all the above. My insurance company have issued a bottle of liquid microdots to be applied to all valuables and companies like www.selectadna.co.uk do kits for possessions, bikes or vehicles - worth a look. I have hidden a spare set of keys externally - real peace of mind, after all the spare set are no use at home, or make sure a responsible member of your party has the spare set. Ideally get a third set cut and if necessary programmed and ensure that they work - when I shipped the van out to NZ I discovered at the last moment that the 3rd set cut for the shipping company had not been programmed correctly and whilst they opened the doors they would not overcome the immobiliser.
Keeping your vehicle clean is less likely to attract attention from the forces of law and order but something big and shiny is a magnet to the light fingered so perhaps a finely tuned travel patina is a consideration. Again in Morocco which (as anywhere apart from the largest cities) is a very safe country there is usually a parking gardien who will keep an eye on your vehicle : good practice and a great way to engage with someone with local knowledge.
I keep a 'mugging' wallet on the dash with a small amount of local currency, old bank cards from long dormant accounts and a driving licence from an old address plus a broken smartphone to hand over. Thefts are often reported from overnight parking spots on motorways near larger cities across Europe so perhaps plan your journeys to stay elsewhere but basically if in doubt don't stay anywhere that looks suspicious - broken glass on the floor, poor lighting and 'just a feeling'.... I always leave the van in as ready a condition to get away as possible if it does feel dodgy ie facing outwards, nothing stored outside, keys handy, thermal screens off and everything stowed away in departure mode inside. You might even consider putting the nearest police station in your sat nav... on this note when setting up a new device it is good practice to put your neighbouring street in as home, after all you should recognise it and the thief will not be able to phone a friend and advise them that 23 Acacia Avenue's occupants are en vacances.
Think through your safety strategy (as you should practice a fire drill, trying out escape routes, location and accessibility of fire fighting kit, especially in the dark) and consider a grab bag containing all your most essential things plus a good torch and whistle to raise the alarm. I could if necessary retreat in to the washroom where a couple of defensive items are stored, two best not discussed but also an air horn, powerful strobe torch and an aerosol deodorant - both to quell the stench of fear but more usefully to spray in to the eyes. In reality these items should be a last resort as basically hand over what they want and live to fight another day - most things can be replaced - concentrate your energies on noting their appearance, accents, clothing, transport details, direction of escape and the like.
Right that's a lot to absorb and whilst I have referred to sustainability at times I will return to this theme in the next post which will look at the daily and more long term practicalities of van life covering such areas as off grid living, camping options, what you need on board (and perhaps more importantly) what you don't
Basically
Small is Beautiful
and
KISS - Keep It Simple (and) Sustainable
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