Van Trend (RV vagabonding, travel)

[AmazingLarry]

Any of you guys ever spend time living in a van? I spent the last three months converting an older sprinter van into a camper, and I'm currently on a 2 month trip around the US with the wife.

Started in Connecticut a couple weeks ago and just left Tuscon to head to California. Arizona almost turned me into a raisin...trying to sleep in the heat is here brutal.


Living in the van is awesome for a short term trip, but I don't think I could live full time like some people do. I'm working part time in the road and it's not easy to be productive.

Definitely not condusive to starting a business, but this process has actually exposed some good business ideas. The camper van trend has exploded in the past few years and there's a lot of needs that need to be met. It's true that if you dive deep into something new and are paying attention, you can find some great ways to provide value.

Also, the number of full RV parks and RVs on the road is rediculous. Seriously considering developing some products for RVs and camper conversions.

 

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[pappaishere]

I think that's a nice idea and a cool niche to work in!

Btw a really cool van!

 

[jjohns500]

Yes! Myself and my daughter built this last summer! Unfortunately we have not had much time to travel. We spent every night last summer building it on the side of the road by the beach in Long Beach. Best summer of my life spending it with my kid.

mom actually looking to sell the van unfortunately. In CA there is a HUGE market for it and I was stopped daily by people offering to buy it or build them one. That definitely got my brain thinking how i could make this profitable.

 

[AmazingLarry]

Yes! Myself and my daughter built this last summer! Unfortunately we have not had much time to travel. We spent every night last summer building it on the side of the road by the beach in Long Beach. Best summer of my life spending it with my kid.

mom actually looking to sell the van unfortunately. In CA there is a HUGE market for it and I was stopped daily by people offering to buy it or build them one. That definitely got my brain thinking how i could make this profitable.

Looks awesome!
How do you like the promaster? I've had some mechanical trouble with my sprinter and it's a huge pain getting parts.

I think this trend was growing and covid just made it explode because people wanted to travel but couldn't leave the country. The prices just for empty vans are crazy high too.

I'm hoping to sell mine for a profit after my road trip. I would love to buy vans and convert them but it's hard to scale that. Lots of other opportunities though.

Hope you have more time to travel in your van soon!

 

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[jjohns500]

I loved the promaster until I ran into problems lol. Maybe it was just my experience but I have had some major issues with it. When COVID shutdown CA of too long my daughter and I decided to move back east to live near family. So we packed the few things we had into the van and drove cross country. Day 2 at 5am in new mexico the van breaks down. Because of tight schedule and deadlines I had to be in GA in 3 days, the shop expected at least 2 weeks to repair it and 6,000. I was floored. Head gasket was blown, heads needed to be replaced due to some default with the factory heads on that year engine, there is some weird oil filter pump, not a normal oil pump, down in the bottom on the motor so the whole thing had to be torn down.

I flew back to NM to pick it up the next month, drove it back across country and it broke down in AL/GA state line lol. I thought the trans had gone, however it ended up being the catalytic convertors and some other things. Due to COVID and that specific engine the parts were very hard to find. Took another few weeks to repair. It gets better. Picked it up from the shop, 2 weeks later trans goes out. At this point Ive almost put as much into repairs for the van as the cost of the van. Im exaggerating a bit but it's been very very expensive.

And you are absolutely correct about the market. The other thing thats happening in CA is they no longer police people sleeping in cars or vans in any parking lot. I lived in a small apartment across the street from the beach and all of the lots where filled with RV's, vans, and broken down cars, all full of people. It was horrible. Majority of those people were disgusting and trashed their vehicles and the surroundings. There is still a large number of van people who are not that way.

 

[Charnell]

I tried it out for a few months at the end of last year, bopping around the southwest visiting friends. Being 6'4, it's not exactly conducive to a positive back-health environment.

But I still have the van, and this fall, I plan on taking short trips in it. Going to gut the interior from an everything-I-need-to-live state and reduce it to a bed, water supply, cooler, & shit bucket. Already have solar up and a Bluetti EB240 that lasts a good while.

Go hiking and catch & cook fishing to get away from the computer.

 

[AmazingLarry]

I loved the promaster until I ran into problems lol. Maybe it was just my experience but I have had some major issues with it. When COVID shutdown CA of too long my daughter and I decided to move back east to live near family. So we packed the few things we had into the van and drove cross country. Day 2 at 5am in new mexico the van breaks down. Because of tight schedule and deadlines I had to be in GA in 3 days, the shop expected at least 2 weeks to repair it and 6,000. I was floored. Head gasket was blown, heads needed to be replaced due to some default with the factory heads on that year engine, there is some weird oil filter pump, not a normal oil pump, down in the bottom on the motor so the whole thing had to be torn down.

I flew back to NM to pick it up the next month, drove it back across country and it broke down in AL/GA state line lol. I thought the trans had gone, however it ended up being the catalytic convertors and some other things. Due to COVID and that specific engine the parts were very hard to find. Took another few weeks to repair. It gets better. Picked it up from the shop, 2 weeks later trans goes out. At this point Ive almost put as much into repairs for the van as the cost of the van. Im exaggerating a bit but it's been very very expensive.

And you are absolutely correct about the market. The other thing thats happening in CA is they no longer police people sleeping in cars or vans in any parking lot. I lived in a small apartment across the street from the beach and all of the lots where filled with RV's, vans, and broken down cars, all full of people. It was horrible. Majority of those people were disgusting and trashed their vehicles and the surroundings. There is still a large number of van people who are not that way.

Damn that sounds awful haha. Those are like the biggest things than can go wrong, so hopefully there won't be any more big issues like that! It's the worst when you have a schedule to keep and can't make room for down time to chill do repairs. Super stressful.

I just had my alternator pulley break off driving up a hill a couple days ago. Thankfully we were only a couple miles from some family we were visiting, and they had a connection at a local shop so I was able to get an alternator and install it myself in one day. We got lucky for sure. Hearing your story makes me realize how much worse it can get.

 

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[AmazingLarry]

I tried it out for a few months at the end of last year, bopping around the southwest visiting friends. Being 6'4, it's not exactly conducive to a positive back-health environment.

But I still have the van, and this fall, I plan on taking short trips in it. Going to gut the interior from an everything-I-need-to-live state and reduce it to a bed, water supply, cooler, & shit bucket. Already have solar up and a Bluetti EB240 that lasts a good while.

Go hiking and catch & cook fishing to get away from the computer.

I hear you on that. I'm 6'4" too and I can't quite stand up all the way. I did the floors and ceilings trying to save every fraction of an inch I could. If I get another van in the future it will definitely have more headroom.

 

[loop101]

I'm considering getting a Nissan NV 3500 with a low-top, and getting a Fiberine high-top for it. Then building it out as a campervan. The NV 3500 with a stock high-top is about the ugliest van I have ever seen, they call them "top hats". I heard Promasters are good because they have front-wheel drive, and the missing axel allows the floor to be lower - giving more headroom in the van. Except front-wheel drive vehicles are (supposedly) not great at towing, and I need to tow a trailer. I've heard Sprinters are expensive to maintain and Transits are still a bit of an unknown. Supposedly there are AWD Transits available. I was thinking of an NV 3500 because I've never had a Nissan break down.

I've never FT'd in a van, but I have in an RV. I was always trying to get: Water, Electricity, Gas, Repairs, directions, and safe places to stay. I was always trying to get rid of: Garbage, Greywater, Poop.

NV 3500 low-top:



Fiberine camper-top



Fiberine high-top



NV 3500 stock "top hat"




Bob Well's videos:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxZXvYQT8ig

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S-9_H0oRz8

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iehYHtyM5Lo

 

[SteveO]

I travel in a 39' diesel pusher. Currently at the beach in San Diego for a few days. Been traveling with a motorhome for many years. Beach, 4 wheeling, dirt bikes, family vacations.

Getting ready to do a remodel on my house. Will be living in it for a few months.

 

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[SteveO]

I hear you on that. I'm 6'4" too and I can't quite stand up all the way. I did the floors and ceilings trying to save every fraction of an inch I could. If I get another van in the future it will definitely have more headroom.

When I was young, I really wanted to be taller than the 5'8" I measured in at. That desire changed when I started flying commercial.

Now I figure that I can pull out the step stool when I need it.

 

[AmazingLarry]

I'm considering getting a Nissan NV 3500 with a low-top, and getting a Fiberine high-top for it. Then building it out as a campervan. The NV 3500 with a stock high-top is about the ugliest van I have ever seen, they call them "top hats". I heard Promasters are good because they have front-wheel drive, and the missing axel allows the floor to be lower - giving more headroom in the van. Except front-wheel drive vehicles are (supposedly) not great at towing, and I need to tow a trailer. I've heard Sprinters are expensive to maintain and Transits are still a bit of an unknown. Supposedly there are AWD Transits available. I was thinking of an NV 3500 because I've never had a Nissan break down.

I've never FT'd in a van, but I have in an RV. I was always trying to get: Water, Electricity, Gas, Repairs, directions, and safe places to stay. I was always trying to get rid of: Garbage, Greywater, Poop.

NV 3500 low-top:

View attachment 38904

Fiberine camper-top

View attachment 38905

Fiberine high-top

View attachment 38906

NV 3500 stock "top hat"

View attachment 38907


Bob Well's videos:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxZXvYQT8ig

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S-9_H0oRz8

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iehYHtyM5Lo

Nice. I was looking at the NVs because they seemed reliable, but I couldn't get over the shoe look of the high top haha! The add-on high tops look much better though.

 

[AmazingLarry]

When I was young, I really wanted to be taller than the 5'8" I measured in at. That desire changed when I started flying commercial.

Now I figure that I can pull out the step stool when I need it.

Haha oh man when I fly it's one of the few times I wish I was shorter.

Flying in coach from the US to Korea was my FTE (not srs......semi-srs). I just want to be able to pay for whatever seats I want every time I fly lol.

 

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[loop101]

Nice. I was looking at the NVs because they seemed reliable, but I couldn't get over the shoe look of the high top haha! The add-on high tops look much better though.

Apparently, Nissan is getting out of the van business after 2021, so I will *not* be getting an NV now, lol.

Nissan Is Out of the Van Business In America

It seems NV stood for "non-viable."

www.thedrive.com

 

[Lee Ashby]

We started our entrepreneur journey in a caravan on tour. In fact we had a second car as well towing our toybox full of toys and extras... eg high powered ebikes! It was awesome. It lasted 6 months up the East coast of Australia. In fact we are celebrating 5 years in business right now.

It was really hard. I was ok for the first 4 months - but then shit got real and hard. To be fair we were green and didnt know what we were doing as far as marketing and everything goes.

So when we got back in a house business took off. My partner is a counsellor, and I was doing web stuff. But soon knew I had to support my partner in the counselling business.

Anyway, Van life I'd say is great for certain phases of business or stints away. Great if you can do it minimalist style, eg no physical products etc. But stable internet is a big concern!

I'd blend it it in with work, so if you are needing time for design or writing for example and are not overly dependant on the internet - do it!

Good luck - and I agree there are many 'needs' and business ideas that could revolve around 'van life'... But you'd have to get specific I'm sure.

Cheers.

 

[AmazingLarry]

Hey guys, just an update on the van.

Finished up my trip in September and sold the van earlier this month for an $8k profit. Not bad considering making money wasn't the goal.

I got a ton of interest when I listed it online and sold it to the first person who contacted me. I also received a lot of very positive feedback on the interior.

Last week I decided to start up a van conversion company and I'm planning to use this as an execution thread. I had been validating another business idea prior to this and it turned out not to be feasible right now, so this seems like the best move right now. My normal engineering work has been slow recently, and I want to get this going quick to help pay the bills. The demand for this is very high right now, so I believe I can get some work right away. Converting one-off vans is not really scalable, but I do have some good ideas in this space that I can execute further down the road when I'm deeper in the industry.

So far I've reviewed most of the existing van conversion businesses to get an idea of what they offer and how much they charge so I can come up with some solid value skew. I picked a business name and started setting up a website. My current plan is to get a nice website up, advertise, and see how much interest I get and hopefully land a customer for Jan/Feb 2022.

I have pretty much everything I need to get started right away. May need to buy some additional tools as I go along, but I'll have time to do this once I get my first job.

Next step is to come up with my pricing plan, create a logo, and set up the website.

 

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[Runum]

Nice Van conversion and sale. We have lived full time for several months in a 6x12 cargo trailer conversion. It was fun but tight

We are now traveling west US full time in a 22 ft travel trailer, more comfortable. We left home in June and headed north. Coeur D'Alene was great. Now in the Bakersfield area and meandering to SPI for part of winter. We plan to be back home Oct 2022.

I get frequent requests for van and trailer conversions. It is a booming biz right now. The vans are great for mobility but much for space.

My suggestion is to standardize as much as possible

Good luck with your venture.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Hey guys, just an update on the van.

Finished up my trip in September and sold the van earlier this month for an $8k profit. Not bad considering making money wasn't the goal.

I got a ton of interest when I listed it online and sold it to the first person who contacted me. I also received a lot of very positive feedback on the interior.

Last week I decided to start up a van conversion company and I'm planning to use this as an execution thread. I had been validating another business idea prior to this and it turned out not to be feasible right now, so this seems like the best move right now. My normal engineering work has been slow recently, and I want to get this going quick to help pay the bills. The demand for this is very high right now, so I believe I can get some work right away. Converting one-off vans is not really scalable, but I do have some good ideas in this space that I can execute further down the road when I'm deeper in the industry.

So far I've reviewed most of the existing van conversion businesses to get an idea of what they offer and how much they charge so I can come up with some solid value skew. I picked a business name and started setting up a website. My current plan is to get a nice website up, advertise, and see how much interest I get and hopefully land a customer for Jan/Feb 2022.

I have pretty much everything I need to get started right away. May need to buy some additional tools as I go along, but I'll have time to do this once I get my first job.

Next step is to come up with my pricing plan, create a logo, and set up the website.

Nice, seems to be a growing market with trends moving in the right direction. Please start a new thread on this as this thread seems to be about RVing, moreso than starting a conversion company.

 

[Ismail941]

Very nice RV journey. This is awesome.
Thanks for sharing. I appreciate you.

 

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