Hey, we're Alex & Megan, the Slow Roamers. We're overlanding the Americas in our rebuilt Chevy Express 2500 (a 2WD that everyone thinks is a 4WD). YES, we want to show you our DIY van conversion and be on your next video like this one. Lots of DIY Build vids on our channel.
Awesome Brandon thanks so much for featuring us in this top 10 and all your kind words, it means a great deal to us! A great selection of builds here, all so unique 😍
@VanLifeBuilds where can I see a van tour of your build that was featured in this video? I followed the link provided here and just got to your channel page but found no van tour. Thx
We love your channel. It gives us a lot of ideas about what we can do when we get out of the city. These ideas will inspire our customers, and we’ll be pointing them in this direction. They’ll love your content, too! Keep going :)
Hey guys! I like your channel as I've watched for a while and your Instagram too. However I feel it would be nice to state this in opinion based (or maybe that should be assumed). I think there are some really good builds in this "top 10" list. With that being said I personally would only have 1 or 2 of these on my list as I've seen hundreds, stepped into over 100 vans, personally built 2, and have helped build 10-15 others vans. Again I like what you do here and sharing everything. And of course everyone thinks their van should be on this list 🤣
Hey Jarrod! It's completely a opinion based choice. :) We'll most likely do more of these in the future, so we'll change it up. Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
I think it has more to do with UA-cam that is such a big space. Very easy to be missed by the viewers. Everybody that has built a van has got different things that are their must haves
Most camper vans are so elaborate that if something catastrophic happens to the van, it would be a nightmare to move everything over to another vehicle. I have seen quite a few overly optimistic van lifers realize this too little, too late.
05:00 they should not drive thru Germany, Austria or Switzerland, if the police stops them, they are for sure fucked, I highly doubt they met the allowed weight of 3,5T for the car with this Interior which is really beautiful but HEAVY :D :D
really very cool video. can you make a video where you present the top 10 homemade motorhomes? I would be really happy, have been looking for a long time but find nothing
@@VanClan please excuse my bad english, i'm from Germany. I mean a video about a motorhome with a rear garage where a motorcycle fits. so a motorhome as a motorcycle transporter
Is there any interest in "media company losses" and vehicle capital assets to produce an accounting video for all of you hippies exploring a dream? Asking for myself.
I know it seems a little wild but it seems to be the norm with many builds.although that is changing ax people start to spend more money on their builds
Ok, these are all really great, but does anyone else just cringe at stupid things like sliding cantilevered hammock hangars? I get that not all natural areas are full of trees, but come on. Just hang your hammock from the trees, preferably hiking in nature away from the van, or pop open some folding camp chairs on a nice day back at the van. These types of gimmicks are showpieces for youtube or instagram, and are endemic of a #vanlife virtual pissing contest... or at the least, they're #missingthepoint.
jesus h christ......van life is supposed to be a sense of adventure,leaving it all behind,a being out there,diy,just living on the rocks,making do with what u got,a sort of hobo lifestyle,hermit wandering adventurer,escaping from ur past or just sleeping in the carpark variety...yes u have some of ur creature comforts and modern amenities,but sometimes u are supposed to wing it........these people might as well bring their entire living room along,their personal interior decorator and their entire ikea collection and nesting habit.......their tea and cutlery collection from buckingham palace,their finest egyptian cotton linen and these people are just out there seeking their next instagrammable moment or youtube payday.......... has these guys ever cooked shabu shabu on a $50 portable japanese butane stove with $12 worth of ingredients brought from the supermarket under a overpass or bridge somewhere along a river bank just chilling and looking at a deserted carpark?
No offense intended, but the typical van is: OVERWEIGHT This is testimony to just how obsolete and out-of-touch present-day Van and RV manufacturers are in the United States. I am an engineer and have some constructive criticism. Every gram of weight counts. People think their van is a house. It's not. It's a road-worthy, resource-efficient machine. Here are seven issues with typical van builds: 1) NOT ECO-FRIENDLY Heavy ceiling / van causes causes low MPG. Poor cornering because of the high center of gravity of ceiling. Should have big solar to make the claim "Best Quality and Design". People insist on outfitting their rigs with doodads like heavy wood ceilings, wood closets, wasteful showers, heavy wood cabinetry, exterior lights, wasteful water heaters, roof decks, vents, sky lights and ladders. Most van build windows are heavy outdated silicon glass. They should be dual-pane acrylic like in Europe. Insulation is minimal because cockpit is not thermally isolated from living area. Reflectix is not insulation. Materials are way OVERWEIGHT. Polyiso has 2x more R value than wool and has no fibers, which are condensation nuclei for water vapor, causing water build-up. The wood cabinetry and doors could be lightened by 50% or eliminated. Please care about the environment. 2) EXPENSIVE All of the above doodads cost money that unwitting customers pay for because they do not understand first principals of engineering regarding minimization. Lithium batteries in typical van cost about $1000/usable KWH (KiloWatt Hour). My Tesla battery cost about 8x less. My empty Sprinter van with a BlueTec i4 turbodiesel gets 30MPG, and 25MPG with the camper build at 55 MPH. The van in this video is so overburdened I doubt it even gets 16MPG. Expensive fridge. My fridge costs $195 and is 2x larger. 3) HOT WATER DELAY With a remote hot water heater, it will take up to 30 minutes to get hot water. If the hot water tank is pre-heated, it still may take 30 seconds to get hot water. Meanwhile, much water is wasted. This hot water tank design wasted both water and energy. To resolve this, I installed a true-instant hot water faucet; six seconds for hot water. 4) NOT BOONDOCKABLE Greenwashing: Since there is inadequate solar, fossil fuels must be used to charge the battery and keep the van warm. If it is winter, very little solar power is available. Wasteful water design will require frequent trips to replenish. 5) FOUR-SEASON, NOT Customers camping in the hot summer or cold winter will have issues with energy usage and temperature control due to the lack of insulation and outdated climate control. My Mitsubishi mini-split heat pump has a SEER of 33 and can heat down to -13F. A lot of fossil fuel will be needed to stay warm in winter. Water will freeze and burst pipes. 6) NOISY The choice of outdated climate control like Maxxair fans will lead to excessive CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) airflow, causing high noise levels. Maxxair fans are noisy, are bug collectors, are not insulated and don’t move much air. Diesel heaters noisy, emit toxic gas and are high-maintenance. 7) POWER Small battery, solar and inverter are inadequate to power a house on wheels. To resolve the above problems, see my Tim's Tips van build at: ua-cam.com/video/YxPj21nckd0/v-deo.html
Hey, we're Alex & Megan, the Slow Roamers. We're overlanding the Americas in our rebuilt Chevy Express 2500 (a 2WD that everyone thinks is a 4WD). YES, we want to show you our DIY van conversion and be on your next video like this one. Lots of DIY Build vids on our channel.
the one from vanlife builds is so perfect, feels like a mini-apartment with everything in it and more
Thought the same thing. One day hope mine can be just like it
Yes, I am seriously thinking of that, I am not in good health but I think the lack of stress would help that, the vanlife builds was fantastic.
Awesome Brandon thanks so much for featuring us in this top 10 and all your kind words, it means a great deal to us! A great selection of builds here, all so unique 😍
Discovered your builds through this video, can honestly say they're probably the best designs i've seen.
Incredible craftsmanship.
@VanLifeBuilds where can I see a van tour of your build that was featured in this video? I followed the link provided here and just got to your channel page but found no van tour. Thx
So glad Susi made the list! She's my favorite youtuber :)
She’s fabulous!
Great collection of wonderful van conversions! Thanks for putting this together!
Our pleasure!
Very inspiring! I’m converting a Ford transit connect and love to see different ways to do it!
You should include singletracksampler his van is so well done
I’ll look him up
We love your channel. It gives us a lot of ideas about what we can do when we get out of the city. These ideas will inspire our customers, and we’ll be pointing them in this direction. They’ll love your content, too! Keep going :)
Thanks for featuring our van! ☺️✌️
Brilliant 👍
Wow these are all fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you like them!
10.00 "wooden counter tops contemplating the white walls and ceiling" hahaha
Me encanto la variedad de Van life Camper. Felicitaciones a todos. Gracias por compartir.
Thanks for collecting all the best ones
You’re welcome, thanks for watching! 😊
great video, ive just bought a vw mini bus to covert to camper from owen commercials, they have a great selection for sale
why there is no mention of the brand and model of the van? it's honestl one of the most important elements!!!
i'm confused, is number 10 number 1? non the less all these conversions are nice. i love the white against the wood on offgridwith.
Hey guys! I like your channel as I've watched for a while and your Instagram too. However I feel it would be nice to state this in opinion based (or maybe that should be assumed). I think there are some really good builds in this "top 10" list. With that being said I personally would only have 1 or 2 of these on my list as I've seen hundreds, stepped into over 100 vans, personally built 2, and have helped build 10-15 others vans. Again I like what you do here and sharing everything. And of course everyone thinks their van should be on this list 🤣
I'd hope people would know it is a subjective list. Your build is great too, Jarrod. Love the murphy bed design!!
@@mrgravyman Thank you! Yeah, I would hope so too. Never know on the internet.
Hey Jarrod! It's completely a opinion based choice. :) We'll most likely do more of these in the future, so we'll change it up. Thank you for watching and commenting. :)
I think it has more to do with UA-cam that is such a big space. Very easy to be missed by the viewers. Everybody that has built a van has got different things that are their must haves
There's another fantastic couple who converted a school bus. Justin & Juby. I live their shower area and so much more.
In number 8/2, what is the name of the fan that goes in the roof?
A must for me in any 🚐 is a 🚽 and 🚿.
Necessário mesmo
Cool video and cool RVs. Best regards from russia
Most camper vans are so elaborate that if something catastrophic happens to the van, it would be a nightmare to move everything over to another vehicle. I have seen quite a few overly optimistic van lifers realize this too little, too late.
We started out camera van! It's so exciting! And filming videos as we make it! Lots of info for people that want to fix theyr van check us out!
Imagine vanlifing in the UK lmao it's like
.... One state in size 😂
Some of the youtube links are broken...
I want to live in a van SO bad!
Start saving and you can. :)
I want to know the mpg of these vans. Especially the ones with the excessive useless decorative wood
Nice conversions, but all bar one have side on beds, not good for a 6ft male!
Can’t see where to get book “ how to build diy van”
what does "shop ball camper" mean?
can you do a video titled: Clash of the Vans?
How is Kombi Life not in this List
Suzi is the only one I know that actually lives in her Van.
in the USA we say "homey" so when u say "homley" we think it means ugly.
Diy camper very fantastic ^^
im sad bearfoot theory is not included in the top 10.😞
😍😍😍
Not all links work
So it's not the 10 best it's 10 of your UA-cam buddies?
I like your video, you should add hellopeople channel :)
05:00 they should not drive thru Germany, Austria or Switzerland, if the police stops them, they are for sure fucked, I highly doubt they met the allowed weight of 3,5T for the car with this Interior which is really beautiful but HEAVY :D :D
Top 10 is irrational, unless you put it to an online poll.....Some are good but keeping it real....
Ma per sapere i prezzi?
Porta potti isn't a toilet lol
Only one here even looked like it should make the list .. the others ? No thank you !
soundsmith
really very cool video. can you make a video where you present the top 10 homemade motorhomes? I would be really happy, have been looking for a long time but find nothing
You got it, thanks for watching Tobias!
@@VanClan please excuse my bad english, i'm from Germany. I mean a video about a motorhome with a rear garage where a motorcycle fits. so a motorhome as a motorcycle transporter
Is there any interest in "media company losses" and vehicle capital assets to produce an accounting video for all of you hippies exploring a dream? Asking for myself.
£5 book is actually £10
no toilet? no way !
I know it seems a little wild but it seems to be the norm with many builds.although that is changing ax people start to spend more money on their builds
a
"Homey," not "Homely."
Mate a bus is not a VAN!!!
Full of creaky wood they must weigh a tonne
Ok, these are all really great, but does anyone else just cringe at stupid things like sliding cantilevered hammock hangars? I get that not all natural areas are full of trees, but come on. Just hang your hammock from the trees, preferably hiking in nature away from the van, or pop open some folding camp chairs on a nice day back at the van. These types of gimmicks are showpieces for youtube or instagram, and are endemic of a #vanlife virtual pissing contest... or at the least, they're #missingthepoint.
"Homey", not "homely". Lol.
sorry .. look the example.
jesus h christ......van life is supposed to be a sense of adventure,leaving it all behind,a being out there,diy,just living on the rocks,making do with what u got,a sort of hobo lifestyle,hermit wandering adventurer,escaping from ur past or just sleeping in the carpark variety...yes u have some of ur creature comforts and modern amenities,but sometimes u are supposed to wing it........these people might as well bring their entire living room along,their personal interior decorator and their entire ikea collection and nesting habit.......their tea and cutlery collection from buckingham palace,their finest egyptian cotton linen and
these people are just out there seeking their next instagrammable moment or youtube payday..........
has these guys ever cooked shabu shabu on a $50 portable japanese butane stove with $12 worth of ingredients brought from the supermarket under a overpass or bridge somewhere along a river bank just chilling and looking at a deserted carpark?
My adventure with woodworking started with Woodglut.
No offense intended, but the typical van is:
OVERWEIGHT
This is testimony to just how obsolete and out-of-touch present-day Van and RV manufacturers are in the United States. I am an engineer and have some constructive criticism. Every gram of weight counts. People think their van is a house. It's not. It's a road-worthy, resource-efficient machine.
Here are seven issues with typical van builds:
1) NOT ECO-FRIENDLY
Heavy ceiling / van causes causes low MPG. Poor cornering because of the high center of gravity of ceiling. Should have big solar to make the claim "Best Quality and Design".
People insist on outfitting their rigs with doodads like heavy wood ceilings, wood closets, wasteful showers, heavy wood cabinetry, exterior lights, wasteful water heaters, roof decks, vents, sky lights and ladders. Most van build windows are heavy outdated silicon glass. They should be dual-pane acrylic like in Europe. Insulation is minimal because cockpit is not thermally isolated from living area. Reflectix is not insulation. Materials are way OVERWEIGHT. Polyiso has 2x more R value than wool and has no fibers, which are condensation nuclei for water vapor, causing water build-up. The wood cabinetry and doors could be lightened by 50% or eliminated.
Please care about the environment.
2) EXPENSIVE
All of the above doodads cost money that unwitting customers pay for because they do not understand first principals of engineering regarding minimization. Lithium batteries in typical van cost about $1000/usable KWH (KiloWatt Hour). My Tesla battery cost about 8x less.
My empty Sprinter van with a BlueTec i4 turbodiesel gets 30MPG, and 25MPG with the camper build at 55 MPH. The van in this video is so overburdened I doubt it even gets 16MPG.
Expensive fridge. My fridge costs $195 and is 2x larger.
3) HOT WATER DELAY
With a remote hot water heater, it will take up to 30 minutes to get hot water. If the hot water tank is pre-heated, it still may take 30 seconds to get hot water. Meanwhile, much water is wasted. This hot water tank design wasted both water and energy. To resolve this, I installed a true-instant hot water faucet; six seconds for hot water.
4) NOT BOONDOCKABLE
Greenwashing: Since there is inadequate solar, fossil fuels must be used to charge the battery and keep the van warm. If it is winter, very little solar power is available. Wasteful water design will require frequent trips to replenish.
5) FOUR-SEASON, NOT
Customers camping in the hot summer or cold winter will have issues with energy usage and temperature control due to the lack of insulation and outdated climate control. My Mitsubishi mini-split heat pump has a SEER of 33 and can heat down to -13F. A lot of fossil fuel will be needed to stay warm in winter. Water will freeze and burst pipes.
6) NOISY
The choice of outdated climate control like Maxxair fans will lead to excessive CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) airflow, causing high noise levels. Maxxair fans are noisy, are bug collectors, are not insulated and don’t move much air. Diesel heaters noisy, emit toxic gas and are high-maintenance.
7) POWER
Small battery, solar and inverter are inadequate to power a house on wheels.
To resolve the above problems, see my Tim's Tips van build at: ua-cam.com/video/YxPj21nckd0/v-deo.html
This is much easier to watch on mute😳
Retro dodo
dude . . . you're retro dodo tho what is going on.
,l
All terrible van builds! not to mention the last one is a bus not a van. Smh
This video was so bad 😂
I thought it was lovely -- don't be a dingus