FORD TRANSPORTER VAN HOW TO
FORD TRANSPORTER VAN FULL
FORD TRANSPORTER VAN PORTABLE

FORD TRANSPORTER VAN FULL

And another secret? You don’t have to do it full time. The best tools to bring with you are a sense of humor and adventure. But then you’ll see that sunrise over the Walmart parking lot and think “huh, this is oddly kind of wonderful.” You’re also going to be woken up by the sound of a couple arguing in the car next to you at a rest stop, you’ll look around and wonder how such a small space got that messy, there will be nights where you can’t find a place to park and feel sad and frustrated and god forbid you accidentally spill your pee bucket. You’re going to see amazing things and gain a sense of freedom and find places and opportunities you might have otherwise missed. As with everything in life it isn’t going to be the highlight reel or all gloom. Your views are going to alternate between beautiful vistas and a whole lot of parking lots. Not having those things won’t make your adventure less enjoyable or worthy–nor will it make you whatever parents feared people in vans were in the 90’s. Or knowledge of carpentry, electric run and kitchen built. You can have an inexpensive build in a small van you don’t have to have an arsenal of tools. Those aren’t the only options and your reality will probably fall somewhere between the two. The expensive, beautiful builds with raised roofs and gorgeous views, or the societally shunned creeper vans down by the river. Often when people think of living in a van, they think of one extreme or the other.

FORD TRANSPORTER VAN PORTABLE

Just hanging out, reading and making tea on my portable stove. I spend many late night hours parked at the beach by my house with the doors open to the water. You trade some things for others and roll with changes as they come, right? But that aspect aside, I love being inside my van.

FORD TRANSPORTER VAN HOW TO

If I start going back to markets at the rate I was previously I’ll figure out how to add it in. My show supplies still fit though not in as comfortable or practical a way but that’s ok. I’ve also added the small model Jackery power bank and a personal touch I’m quite happy with: a cane holder.

The van now has some insulation, flooring, a pull out couch/bed with a built in cedar chest, and a cabinet with two folding tables. A friend and I took it from a single platform to a wee home on wheels. Because the future of my livelihood is uncertain I took the opportunity to gut the van and rebuild. I could safely drive a city or two away, get take out food from a small business, and park my van somewhere pretty to eat and read. My full time home is a stationary fifth wheel in New Smyrna Beach, Florida–but the van became my refuge. When the pandemic started my business took a huge hit as markets closed up. That simple cheap build was an office, a workshop, and a home. But sometimes it would be weeks or a couple months at a time where I’d be creating new products in the mountains and in the back of the van. Sometimes it was just a night or two in a new city with stops to my home base in between. My first year she took me 33,000 miles (remember that gas mileage I mentioned?) to 63 markets in 5 states.

This build wasn’t the prettiest #vanlife build but it worked. I keep an orange extension cord under the driver’s seat and I can just plug one end into the outside of the van and the other into a power source like a campground hookup and voila! Power in the van with only one $20 part. Inside, there’s a female outlet on a short cord. Cut a small circle into the van and on the outside there’s a female outlet with a cover. My lights and fan (no roof vent for me) were battery operated and for the times I was at a campground or parked in someone’s driveway I installed an electric pass through outlet. The platform would fit all of my show stuff underneath with extra space for whatever essentials I needed. To allow for as much multitasking as possible, I went with a basic L-shaped wooden platform. Not only due to finances but you’d be surprised how much space a full art show display and product takes up.

Ford transporter van