Home of Nick's Project: VanLife

July Project Update

Friday, July 4th, 2025

Build Day 1

Day 1 kicked off with a 45-minute drive to a friend’s house — he had some of the tools I needed to get things rolling. The two main tasks for the day were installing the roof rack and the Maxxair fan. We didn’t really know how long either would take, but we had about 5–6 hours to work with before I had to head home. Oh, and it was 95 degrees out. With humidity. Not ideal.

We started with the fan. After tracing and cutting the roof opening, we test-fitted the flange and built a wooden support frame to go inside the van. While the glue for that frame dried, we turned our attention to the roof rack. I’ll go into more detail about the rack in a separate post, but we managed to get the four side panels installed and secured.

That took maybe 20 minutes. Then it was back to the fan. We laid down butyl tape, stuck the flange into the roof, applied liquid nails to the wood frame underneath, and drilled the frame into the flange. Normally, you’d clamp the frame to the roof and wait for it to dry before attaching everything — but with two people, one of us held it in place while the other drilled. We test-fit the fan itself and it looked solid. The next step was sealing everything with self-leveling sealant, but since that stuff takes 12–24 hours to dry, we held off until the next morning.

Back on the roof rack — we hit a snag. One of the bolts in the side panel base sheared off. No spares were included, so the rest of the install (especially the front crossbars) had to be paused until I could get a replacement. The rear crossbars would have to wait too.

Day 1 (and a half)

The next morning, I sealed the flange and screws with self-leveling sealant and let it cure for 24 hours. I also reached out to Flatline Van Co about the sheared bolt, and their customer service was great — they shipped a full set of replacement parts without any hassle. I decided to hold off on the crossbars until those arrived.

What’s Next

The replacement parts came in on July 2nd (about a week after the above). I’ll likely wrap up the roof rack install in the next week or so.

I’m currently debating whether to hire a pro for the solar panel install. I’d feel a bit better having someone experienced handle the roof passthroughs for both the solar wiring and Starlink — I don’t want to mess those up. So for now, I’m holding off on solar.

In other news: I picked up three new tools — a Milwaukee drill/driver set and a circular saw. The set came with high-capacity batteries that also work with the saw, so it’s a great starting setup. I’ll still need more tools, but it’s progress.

I also placed an order for building materials, including smaller 20”x30” Baltic Birch sheets to cut into furring strips. Not sure when they’ll arrive, but once they do, I’ll begin work on the furring strips. Once that's done, onto insulation and subfloor.

On a fun note: I tested the fan and external lighting with power hooked up. The fan kicked on instantly — super cool to see it come alive for the first time.

I’ve got a flight in August and I’m hoping to camp in the van the night before at the airport. That means I need the insulation, flooring, walls, ceiling, bed frame, and power system finished by then. It’s a stretch — but fingers crossed.

PS: Out of curiosity, I got a quote for a full wrap to change the van color. The first company quoted $7,500. Yeah. I was expecting $4–5k, which is already steep, but that was next level. I’ll keep shopping around and see if anyone’s more reasonable.

Planned Water System

Friday, June 20th, 2025

Similar to the power system, I’ll have an “internal” water system, as well as a portable water station. The van will have a sink which will require a fresh water tank, as well as a gray water tank. The size of these tanks are TBD.

Some van builds include built in showers. I've decided I don’t want to use up precious space on a built in shower that I might use once or twice a week (at most). In any instance where you’re near a truck stop or gym, you have access to a shower. If I’m back home or at work, I have access to a shower.

The solution to this problem will be a portable water/shower system. Rinse Kit makes both portable rinse/shower stations, as well as a water heating unit that works with the Rinse Kit. Both of these will cost around $550 (total), but requires a lot less maintenance and is dead simple compared to building a water system. These are also portable, and can be taken outside of the van as they’re powered with internal batteries. I’ll look into building a pop-up in-van shower system, if I’m unable to find another shower. I’ll also buy some magnetic tarps to create a private shower in the rear of the van while camping. Van Wife Components sells something like this.

As always, plans may change in the future once the build starts, it will all depend on available space, budget, and other limitations.

Website Overhaul

Sunday, June 15th, 2025

I've gone through and re-built the entire website on a new design/website framework. This looks much, much better, and adds signifiant flexibility for future growth and new features. The password system has also been removed for now, which means some posts have been modified to fit the new website. The old website will still be available at the link below, however because the blog post publishing system was re-done, some posts may not display properly. 

New website features & pages will arrive in the coming months once the van nears completion.

Old website: legacy.nickandavan.com (unsure how long this site will be active)

Planned Power System

Friday, June 13th, 2025

Power is going to be a major focus for this build because of the number of devices I plan to run. The van will be outfitted with 600–800 watts of solar panels and (2–3) 300Ah batteries, which can also be charged through shore power.

I won’t be using alternator charging — some van builds do, but I’ve decided against it to keep the living space fully independent from the van’s drivetrain and electrical systems. The goal is a system that’s self-contained and built to last long-term.

The internal power system will run the fridge, AC unit, Maxxair fan, Starlink, a hotspot, and a 24/7 microcomputer that handles GPS tracking (more on that in a future post). It’ll also power a gaming PC and either an Xbox or PS5, though those will stay fully off when not in use.

While I’m still finalizing the exact specs for everything, I’ll be using a 2000W–3000W inverter for AC power, a solar charge controller that can handle the panel array, and all the other necessary components to tie it all together. Power usage will be carefully managed, especially with high-draw devices like the AC and gaming setup.

June Project Update

Friday, June 6th, 2025

We’re about two weeks into owning the Promaster now. I’m beyond excited to dive into the build, but it’ll still be a few more weeks before anything major starts taking shape. Since picking up the van, I’ve already placed a bunch of orders for Phase 1 — the MaxxAir fan, solar panels, Starlink, and a few other roof components are either already here or on the way.

Once everything for the roof and exterior shows up, I’ll start tackling the installs. I also reached out to a van builder near Chicago to get a sense of labor pricing for some of the stuff I’m either not confident handling myself or won’t have the time/resources to take on. They’ll likely be installing one or more windows around late June or early July.

So what’s the plan for the next 2–3 months?

I’m heading out of the country for vacation at the end of August, but I also have a weekend in August where I’ll need the van in a usable state. It doesn’t have to be fully finished or fancy — it just needs to be functional enough for that trip. After I get back from vacation, I’ll probably have to hit pause on the build for a few weeks due to missing work and catching back up. Until then, build days will be pretty limited, but I’ll keep posting updates here whenever there’s progress worth sharing. 

I'll detail more in the Phase 2 or 3 post, but I've also decided on a few high quality pre-built cabinets. This will speed up the build significantly. I'd like to have the build finished by October of this year.

P.S. I’ve set up a YouTube channel for the van build, but I probably won’t post much there until I’m deeper into the project. Updates will be few and far between early on, but I’ll share videos here once there’s some solid progress to show.

Next week I’ll dive into the planned power system for the build. Until then :waves:

Build Plan: Phase 1

Friday, May 30th, 2025

Unfortunately I’ll be limited to so many days per month I’ll be able to work on the van. This is due to my work schedule, as well as aligning my schedule with the person that will be assisting with the build. Some portions of the build I can do solo, but a majority will require 2 people. I’ve broken the build plan down into 4 phases:

• Phase 1: Outer Components & Insulation


• Phase 2: Core Build (Framing, materials, etc)


• Phase 3: Road Ready (Bed, appliances, etc)


• Phase 4: Build Completion

Phase 1 (Outer Components & Insulation)

• Roof mounted spotlight:
  This spotlight will be used when locating a camping spot at night. The controller for the spotlight will be in the cab of the van.


• Exterior lighting:
  • Scene Lights (side/rear mounted scene lighting for night use)
  
  
• Maxxair Fan
• Solar Panels
• Extra Antennas:
  Several extra antennas will be installed for CB radios, HAM radios, scanners, and GPS.

Chapter 1: No Turning Back

Sunday, May 25th, 2025

The morning of Thursday, May 22nd, I got a text from the dealership I’d been talking to for a couple days. They said everything had been approved on their end and wanted to talk numbers. We negotiated — not much, but enough — crunched some numbers, I made the deposit, and that was that.

A day later, I drove up to the lot (about an hour away), walked in with a hoodie, some cash, and a dream… and drove out with 3,500 pounds of steel and a payment plan. Close enough, right?

What did I end up with?

A brand new 2024 Ram ProMaster 159" High Roof — the exact model I’d been chasing for months. Honestly? I didn’t expect to go the new route. I spent weeks combing through sketchy used listings, trying to find a trustworthy dealer with a clean, low-mileage van. Nothing felt right.

Eventually, peace of mind won. This van came with zero miles… ish, zero question marks, and zero compromises. It might not be perfect — no van is — but if something breaks, at least I’ll know I’m the one who broke it.

What’s next?

The exterior.
Solar panels. Maxxair fan. Antennas. Flood lights. Anything that needs a hole? It’s going on first.
Once those are mounted and sealed, the real build begins.

Phase I plans will be in an upcoming post, but the goal is simple: build smart, build clean, and build for the long haul.

This was a huge step toward something I’ve been dreaming about for years, but it’s still just the beginning. There’s no turning back now.

Planned Features

Friday, May 16th, 2025

First off, design. The van will have a sleek, yet functional design. The attached photo is the design I’m going for. The exact design likely won’t be figured out until I purchase the van. I have a few ideas, but it’ll be hard to really visualize until I’m standing in the space.

The bed
The bed choice is a small detail but makes a huge difference on how much can fit in the van. At the end of the day, you have 3 options: Convertible couch, twin bed, or full size bed. The full size bed is most common, but takes up a ton of space. The twin size is 16 inches thinner than a full size, which in the case of a van build, every inch matters. I haven’t fully decided on which bed choice I’ll go with yet, it’ll come down to how many trips I plan to take another person on.

One of the key points to this van build is stealth. Solar panels will (hopefully) not go all the way to the edge. The maxxair fan can’t be hidden, nor can the Starlink, but the rest will be as stealthy as possible. If I’m able to travel full time, I plan to take the van stealth camping in cities quite often. Having a low profile van will be essential in making this work.

Below are a list of features I’d like to include in the van, sorted by must-have, first. I’ll go more in depth on a lot of these items in future posts.

Core

• Water/Plumbing System
• Internal Power System
• Starlink Mini & Hotspot
• Max Air Fan & AC
• Heater
• Hidden, Secured Safe
• Swivel Seats
• 24/7 Custom GPS tracking

• Sink
• Butcher block counter for cooking
• Cooktop
• Portable Toilet (emergency use only)

• Bed (Size TBD)
• Desk large enough for 2 monitors
• Storage for a Gaming PC & console
• Hidden radio cabinet that can be opened/closed without a door in the way
• Radio Rack W/ Scanners & Radios, close enough to the desk to read the radios
• Radio speakers mounted facing the desk seat

• Bug Nets (rear and side door)
• Blackout Curtain between front seats and living space

Website Update

Sunday, May 11th, 2025

Today, the website Project: VanLife (previously on my personal website) has been moved to nickandavan.com and has been made public. Certain posts have been locked to those with a key, these posts may contain more personal information. For those in my Discord, you may have access to the key under Blog category “#key-private” channel. At the time of writing, this Discord is currently private to only those already in it.

Future website updates will include the public GPS map (detailed in a future post), van specs, videos, and much more.

May Project Update

Friday, May 9th, 2025

Since the last update, I’ve been approved for financing on a Ram Promaster — one of the final steps before I can kick off the build. Now it’s just a matter of finding the right van. I’m looking for a 159” model with low mileage, clean history, and no major red flags. Easier said than done.

Because I’ll likely be buying out of state, coordinating a pre-purchase inspection and figuring out how to pick it up without spending a fortune on travel will be a challenge. Plane tickets and one-way rentals don’t really work when the timeline is uncertain.

I’m planning to wait until the end of May to put down a larger payment and reduce long-term costs — especially if full-time van life becomes the goal. The window for all this is tight, but I’m aiming to have it wrapped up soon.

This post was edited on 6/15/2025

Planned Internet Choice

Friday, April 25th, 2025

Planned Internet Choice
Internet will be an important component of the van build. There are 3 viable options. Weboost, Cellular Hotspot, and Starlink. Each option has its own set of pros and cons.

• Weboost is essentially a roof mounted antenna that boosts the cell signal inside the van. This has a larger up front cost, with no monthly cost (it’s only a signal booster, not its own service).
• Cell Hotspots are self explanatory, these are great for when you’re any decent sized town, but terrible for when you’re out in the country or national parks. The average cost for hardware is around $300, plus the monthly service fee around $30/mo.
• Starlink is the last option, this is great for open environments with a clear line of sight to the sky.

April Project Update

Friday, April 4th, 2025

April is shaping up to be a big month for this project.

Behind the scenes, a lot of groundwork has been laid to prepare for the vehicle purchase and financing. I’ll be sitting down with a local credit union soon to explore loan options. Since I’m financing a commercial vehicle through a personal loan, it’s a bit of a gray area — but I’m hopeful things will move forward smoothly.

Once financing is confirmed, the search begins. I’m expecting to cast a wide net to find the right Promaster — ideally something with good mileage, clean history, and a fair price.

On the financial side, savings are steadily growing and I’m getting closer to the goal. The van is within reach now — and if all goes according to plan, May’s update will include some exciting news.

The Van Type

Friday, March 14th, 2025

When it comes to VanLife “Nomads”, there are tons of different options for vans out there. Between the makes, models, sizes, used/new, and much more. For the sake of this post, I’ll mention the 3 most common here in a few. There are other types, including some old VW vans, a school bus, city models, etc, however those wouldn’t work for a few reasons. The first is the age of the vehicle, and my lack of mechanic skills. Most of these vehicles are older, sometimes 20-30+ years old. And while they look really cool, and would probably be a blast to use for VanLife, they’re not practical for my specific needs. These vehicles are prone to mechanical issues, and while some may not be a big deal, fatal issues could cause serious headaches and stress when you’re alone, 2,000 miles from home. That’s not to say modern vehicles won’t be, but getting someone to work on older vehicles may be more difficult.

So that brings me to the 3 most common vehicle types for VanLife in 2025. The Ford Transit, Ram Promaster, and Mercedes Sprinter.

The Transit comes in a few sizes, but tends to max out at 148”. The actual build length inside is shorter, and the top is more of a curve.

The Ram Promaster has 3 main size options, 136”, 159”, and 159” EWB. This vehicle is more of a box-y layout, which makes it much easier to build in.

Lastly, the Mercedes Sprinter. This has 2 size options, 144” and 170”. Similar to the transit, these are more rounded. The sprinter is slightly more narrow, and sits higher off the ground.

Both the transit and the Promaster come in around $50,000 for a brand new model. The sprinter sits somewhere around $65,000. The sprinter also has higher maintenance costs, just due to it being a Mercedes. This leaves the Transit and Promaster as viable options. Both are around the same price, similar in build volume, and have (about) the same reputation as far as reliability.

I’ve ultimately decided to go for a Ram Promaster 159” (non extended). The extended would have more build volume, but wouldn’t fit into a standard parking spot. So, why the promaster? The price, and box-y inside. The price is a big factor, as this will already be an incredibly expensive project. The inside being more of a rectangle will make it a lot easier to build in, when I already have very little experience building anything like this. I’ll be searching for a used promaster with between 10-30k miles. I’m expecting the price to fall between $28-33k, likely on the higher end.

March Project Update

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025

Life Happened

Friday, January 3rd, 2025

Since the last post, the plan has changed. VanLife is still very much in the works, however personal financial goals must be met first. The first goal is paying off my car, which I’ve been working towards. The completion estimate for this is the end of January (Jan 31st). Once this is done, every penny will go towards the down payment for the van.

I’ll be looking for a used van between 20-50k miles, between $25-35k. My preference will be a black van, however I’d be fine with white. I’ll make a future post with specific van features I’ll be looking for.

September 2024 Update

Sunday, September 15th, 2024

It's been about a month and a half since I launched this webpage, so I figured I'd give a bit of an update as to how things are going so far.

I've second guessed myself several times, which is to be expected given the extensive work this project will take and all of the life changes it requires. I've told myself that when December rolls around, I'll see how much money I have, and where I stand in terms of the possibility of funding this lifestyle from the road, then I will, or will not pull the trigger.

I haven't fully decided on the van type yet, color, or specific features.. but I'm sure that decision will be made soon.

I'm still extremely pumped about this project. The idea of being able to travel freely, live in whatever state I feel like for the month, just seems like an exciting lifestyle to have, even if it's only temporary. Ideally, this will be something I can try for a year or two. By that point, I'd imagine I'll find a spot I'll want to settle down. Won't know until I try.

The Idea

Thursday, August 1st, 2024

I've lived in the same city for all my life, which after a while gets really, really old. After getting a taste of freedom the last 2 years, I finally decided it was time for a change. I'd pondered with the idea for a very long time of getting into the VanLife scene, but due to the initial investment cost, I'd never truly considered it a real possibility.

It took a lot of planning, and initial life changes to get the ball rolling, but I've decided to dive head-first and go for it. This webpage was built to track the progress of this project, from the initial concept to hitting the road. I'll post as frequently as I can, both financial updates, and design/build updates.

Welcome!

Post updated 5/11/24