We lived out of this van full time for a year in 2022, but now we’ve settled down in a house and have a one year old baby. Unfortunately, this has meant that our beloved cabin on wheels hasn’t been used as much as we’d like. We decided it’s time for it to get back on the road with someone new!
So where do you want to go?
Big Baby Blue was custom built by our good friends @jill_ontheroad (IG)
Kitchen + Pantry
We love to cook/bake and made sure this van was outfitted properly to allow that! It has a two burner propane stovetop with plenty of room for bulky pots and pans. There’s also an oven, which we’ve used to make plenty of cookies, scones, and other tasty treats. The spacious countertop offers plenty of room for prep and the deep stainless steel sink is great for washing dishes.
The Dometic chest fridge/freezer pulls out and can have each side’s temperature set independently. We use it as a fridge on one side and freezer on the other (because ice cream), but you could set it up as a double fridge instead. Chest style fridges are nice because they don’t let all the cold air (or your food) spill out like an upright fridge, which saves power!
There are two large pull out drawers under the bench. We used one as a pantry and the other for storing all our pots, pans, cutting boards, and tupperware.
For meals, there is a 44” two person bench with a hideaway table that extends out 48”. There’s also a small slide out seat for a third to sit semi-comfortably. Another option for a guest joining for dinner would be the swivel passenger seat in the cab!
Storage
There is a large bulk storage area under the bed. It’s accessible from the rear exterior and also from inside (via a hinged bed platform) which is really handy for rainy days or cold nights.
Bedside table with two drawers, each with USB and USB-C ports for charging devices.
Cabinets above the foot of the bed, but not above the head so it doesn’t feel claustrophobic.
There is also a bonus storage area above the cab where we kept our insulated, light blocking window covers (included for windshield and drivers/passenger windows) as well as jackets, camp chairs, etc.
Our favorite unique storage is in front of the sink where we store our toothbrushes and other small toiletries.
Bed
The raised bed platform has a super comfy Full-size memory foam mattress (included). Unlike many van builds, there’s no need to convert your bed at night. It’s always there when you need it, thanks to the extra length of the 3500 EXT model van.
Roof
There is a skylight above the bed which opens up to a 48”x65” wooden roof deck. It’s a great place to sit for dinner and the sunset.
The roof also has two Maxx fans for ventilation and 500W of solar for passively charging the batteries.
Systems
There’s a 30 gallon fresh water tank mounted in the storage area over the rear left wheel. It is fillable with a hose from a port on the outside of the van. That tank feeds into a water pump for the kitchen sink as well as a two-stage filter for drinking water with a separate faucet. Grey water storage is a 7 gallon tank under the sink which can be easily disconnected and pulled out for dumping.
For power, there are three lithium ion batteries and a 1000 watt inverter. There are three ways to charge the batteries: 1. Solar, 2. Plug in from the side of the van 3. From the alternator while driving. There is also an inverter switch so you can turn the inverter off to save power if you don’t need the AC outlets. You can easily monitor the battery charge level on a digital readout on the nightstand.
To make our cabin on wheels feel extra cozy, we included two separate dimmable zones of recessed lighting for the main cabin and the under cabinet lighting in the kitchen.
We have an under mounted 12 gallon propane tank which can easily be filled at local hardware stores or tractor supplies. Included is a Mopeka sensor on the tank which reads out to an app on your phone for easy monitoring.
Toilet
The van has an AirHead composting toilet which is mounted on a pull out slide that stores out of sight under the bed. The toilet is currently only set up for pee. To use the “composting features for number two”, we can include the kit to add the necessary ventilation hole. We lived in the van full-time, but just decided to handle our business elsewhere.
Mechanical
The van has had no major mechanical issues. We have kept up to date on oil changes and recently had it inspected at a Ram Service Center. One thing to be aware of is that the front tire treads are getting low. They could either be rotated or replaced soon per the service center.
Note
Something to be aware of is that due to the floor material chosen (vinyl), it has warped slightly over time with some raised areas. It’s a minor cosmetic issue but we wanted to be transparent about it.
