We share your excitement of the laveo dry flush... The replacement cartridges are not cheap, so the liquid solidification powder (pee powder) helps extend the time between flushes. But still have to be careful about the weight as it nears the last flush. I plan to double bag on the next long trip just in case!
I love this so much : ). Stoked to follow your guys' journey and binge some of your van build vids. Sending good vibes and luck your way. - From another first time transit converter (still in the infrastructure phase).
Obviously, you survived the inaugural experience and you learned a lot about: 1) The reality of your needs 2) Information and tech that you don't yet quite have full understanding of 3) How you'll want to finish out your van, given all this. Most nomads (and part-timers) end up revising their builds over time, which is the beauty of that life (it's WAY easier to do in vans, schoolies and cargo trailers than brick & mortar homes). When we reached the point of adding off-grid bug-out capability to the 6x10 trailer I use for teaching scuba, I can't tell you how much research across UA-cam, etc., I did before making my first mod. If I had the entire trailer as my "canvas", there's so much I could do. But I'm still teaching, so most of the space is necessarily taken up with our scuba compressor, tanks, gear, safety equipment. Our first reno was decent, but it didn't take too many trips (short and long) to realize weak points in our build and how we really used it. As a result, we upgraded from a cooler to a fridge/freezer, which necessitated increasing our 200w solar w/100ah gel hybrid battery to a 400w w/200ah lithium. And while we do have shore power installed as well, that's not always available (or within reach, as you found out), so a small 1000w pure sine wave generator is in our tongue box for backup. At the moment we have an inexpensive chemical toilet for emergencies, and we've looked at the dry flush like yours, but I'm pretty sold on a composting toilet at this point, so that will be another upgrade. The things we had to learn about ourselves were: 1) How long would we wear clothes before needing to change, which would also inform our laundry frequency and clothing storage; 2) How frequently would want to have to replenish perishable and non-perishable food, which would inform our food storage size and refrigerator size; 3) Our realistic power needs while off-grid, which meant we had to focus on getting as much to work off of 12v DC and as little to rely on an inverter as possible (AC power always wastes battery, even in best of circumstances). I love that you were able to take your first experience in stride and kept a great sense of humor about it. I'm looking forward to following your adventures!
We are also building a 148 not extended Ford Transit and using it in a unfinished but functional state. First trip went great but the third trip (30 degrees) we also drained our 540amph battery with a space heater because the shore power tripped. We love it so far and you may have convinced me to get that toilet. Our van has a home built Jackery bed that can be leveled so we do not have to level the van, sink and fridge. We will only stay in our van for 1-3 weeks at a time but so far we love it. I watched a lot of your build videos and your AC video really helped me install ours. look forward to watching your videos.
Those pesky space heaters are power intensive. I'm glad to hear we weren't the only ones that drained our battery system. The toilet is the best thing every, you saw how Joey shares his enthusiasm on the thing! We are a few months behind on editing UA-cam videos but we are done with the build and spent 5 months exploring the west coast and into Alaska. It's worked like an absolute champ. Glad the AC video helped!
Yeah, I learned right off the bat to avoid as much 120v AC appliance use as possible. While we're very much aware of the moisture issue that using a propane heater (we have a Little Buddy heater) brings (and we've taken some reasonable steps to minimize this for now), the diesel heater is definitely the way to go as long as you have decent battery capacity (540ah is great). The micro wood stoves are getting more popular for obvious reasons (very dry heat, replenishable fuel supply...most of the time). While both those options have installation and safety challenges, the downside of the diesel is battery and fuel requirements, and the downside of the wood stove is limited capacity, forcing you to throw more wood in pretty frequently and forage for wood wherever you go.
Thank you for watching! If you want to see more of our Van Life adventure, make sure to *_Like This Video & Subscribe To Our Channel!_*
If you're looking for a link to the Laveo Dry Flush Toilet, here ya go: bit.ly/KAJOTG_Toilet
3 minutes 47 seconds you guys are a trip I'll leave you 2 alone great video
I'm 36 seconds in I love the honesty
We share your excitement of the laveo dry flush... The replacement cartridges are not cheap, so the liquid solidification powder (pee powder) helps extend the time between flushes. But still have to be careful about the weight as it nears the last flush. I plan to double bag on the next long trip just in case!
I love this so much : ). Stoked to follow your guys' journey and binge some of your van build vids. Sending good vibes and luck your way.
- From another first time transit converter (still in the infrastructure phase).
This is awesome! Thank you guys so much for sharing! I am looking forward to your next adventure!
Obviously, you survived the inaugural experience and you learned a lot about: 1) The reality of your needs 2) Information and tech that you don't yet quite have full understanding of 3) How you'll want to finish out your van, given all this. Most nomads (and part-timers) end up revising their builds over time, which is the beauty of that life (it's WAY easier to do in vans, schoolies and cargo trailers than brick & mortar homes). When we reached the point of adding off-grid bug-out capability to the 6x10 trailer I use for teaching scuba, I can't tell you how much research across UA-cam, etc., I did before making my first mod. If I had the entire trailer as my "canvas", there's so much I could do. But I'm still teaching, so most of the space is necessarily taken up with our scuba compressor, tanks, gear, safety equipment. Our first reno was decent, but it didn't take too many trips (short and long) to realize weak points in our build and how we really used it. As a result, we upgraded from a cooler to a fridge/freezer, which necessitated increasing our 200w solar w/100ah gel hybrid battery to a 400w w/200ah lithium. And while we do have shore power installed as well, that's not always available (or within reach, as you found out), so a small 1000w pure sine wave generator is in our tongue box for backup. At the moment we have an inexpensive chemical toilet for emergencies, and we've looked at the dry flush like yours, but I'm pretty sold on a composting toilet at this point, so that will be another upgrade.
The things we had to learn about ourselves were: 1) How long would we wear clothes before needing to change, which would also inform our laundry frequency and clothing storage; 2) How frequently would want to have to replenish perishable and non-perishable food, which would inform our food storage size and refrigerator size; 3) Our realistic power needs while off-grid, which meant we had to focus on getting as much to work off of 12v DC and as little to rely on an inverter as possible (AC power always wastes battery, even in best of circumstances).
I love that you were able to take your first experience in stride and kept a great sense of humor about it. I'm looking forward to following your adventures!
We are also building a 148 not extended Ford Transit and using it in a unfinished but functional state. First trip went great but the third trip (30 degrees) we also drained our 540amph battery with a space heater because the shore power tripped. We love it so far and you may have convinced me to get that toilet. Our van has a home built Jackery bed that can be leveled so we do not have to level the van, sink and fridge. We will only stay in our van for 1-3 weeks at a time but so far we love it. I watched a lot of your build videos and your AC video really helped me install ours. look forward to watching your videos.
Those pesky space heaters are power intensive. I'm glad to hear we weren't the only ones that drained our battery system. The toilet is the best thing every, you saw how Joey shares his enthusiasm on the thing!
We are a few months behind on editing UA-cam videos but we are done with the build and spent 5 months exploring the west coast and into Alaska. It's worked like an absolute champ.
Glad the AC video helped!
Yeah, I learned right off the bat to avoid as much 120v AC appliance use as possible. While we're very much aware of the moisture issue that using a propane heater (we have a Little Buddy heater) brings (and we've taken some reasonable steps to minimize this for now), the diesel heater is definitely the way to go as long as you have decent battery capacity (540ah is great). The micro wood stoves are getting more popular for obvious reasons (very dry heat, replenishable fuel supply...most of the time). While both those options have installation and safety challenges, the downside of the diesel is battery and fuel requirements, and the downside of the wood stove is limited capacity, forcing you to throw more wood in pretty frequently and forage for wood wherever you go.
Hey Jay - do you have any pics or videos on your jackery bed?
I will try to make one. @@michaelcoy8021
ua-cam.com/video/R8Hlvb8owZM/v-deo.html I made a video last night of the van. @@michaelcoy8021
I’ve never believed anyone who loved their toilet. Until now
This was a fun video!!! I'm getting close to finishing my DIY camper and it was helpful to see all the mistakes that I'll soon be making lol
In the end, how much did you spend on ALL materials? A range or rounded number would be cool, though I’d understand if you don’t want to share.
Very roughly, 60k for the van and 30k for the build-out.