Based in Ventura, California, we built our van with two purposes in mind: a) overnight/long weekend trips up and down the coast to surf/trips up the 395 to mountain bike, climb, and hike in the Sierras and b) an annual, extended road trip across the western United States during the school calendar summer.
The van spent the first part of it's life as a utility van and has been in California since new. It has 89,000 miles on it at the time of this listing. The van is under an extended warranty until 109,000 miles or June 15th of 2022 - whichever comes first. This is the top of the line warranty offered and includes all components of the van (powertrain, electrical, etc.) with the exception of normal wearing parts including brakes and tires. All services have been performed as scheduled/recommended.
Two Renogy 100 Watt 12v solar panels (200 watts total) on the roof power all of the essential functions of our van. Solar power is made usable by our Rengoy Rover Li 20 amp MPPT charge controller and is stored in our Renogy 12 volt, 100 AH deep cycle hybrid gel battery before being distributed by our Blue Sea ST Blade fuse block to our Maxx Air 7500k fan, 4 LED puck lights controlled by the front dimmer switch, Sureflow water pump, and rear rocker panel including cigarette lighter and two USB ports.
For surfing, the 21 gallon, top fill water tank feeds our L5 Ecotemp tankless hot water heater to provide on-demand hot water. We wanted to have enough hot water for two people to have a nice shower after surfing and rinse off at least two boards and two wetsuits. Water is fed into the tank via the 12v Sureflow water pump that is controlled by the rear rocker switch. This propane based system runs off of one pound propane tank(s) for safe and easy transport. The heater is effective and efficient enough that, on it's hottest setting, makes for quick work of dishes including cast iron after searing. On the higher flow setting, we're cleaning off our mountain bikes before they're stored back inside the van.
The full-time queen size memory foam mattress lets us get straight off of the road and into bed if we're getting into town late - no converting a couch to a bed, no spaces between pillow cushions to shift in the night. Additionally, the front 55" of the bed offer an amazing amount of storage when the front of the bed is lifted on the pneumatic strut which supports itself for easy loading and unloading of all of our climbing and backpacking gear and luggage. The rear portion of the bed stores the 21 gallon water tank, propane line, shower head, battery/fuse block, and our 40" full extension drawer slide rated to 190lbs. We use this drawer slide for all types of gear and storage but it's best used as a platform for outdoor, open air cooking on our coleman propane stove.
For insulation and temperature control, the van walls and ceiling are insulated with wool and secondarily insulated with poly-iso board where applicable. The floor is 1" poly-iso board topped with baltic burch subfloor and finished with Lifeproof vinyl plank flooring that is backed with a scratchproof/wear and tear lifetime warranty. The Maxx Air 7500K fan with the remote keeps our van cool and odor free following meals as it drawers air in or out. The walls are cedar tongue and groove and the ceiling is maple - it is our favorite part of the van build without a doubt.
We have an opportunity to move to Kauai, HI for the 2020/2021 school year, otherwise the van would continue to meet and exceed our needs. Please do not hesitate to text or call at (561) 459 7517 with questions or to set up a time to come see the van!
