Van Life Lab

This week we're back with 5 things that are easier in a house, along with 5 things that have been harder for us as we move into our new house and take up part time van life.

5 things that are easier

1. Grocery shopping and bulk food buying

2. Internet bill is much cheaper

3. Getting up and going to bed at different times

4. More space for cooking and cleaning.  Unlimited hot water

5. A daily routine

5 things that are harder

1. Lot’s more things to buy or have.  Need to “fill whatever space you have”

2. Chore take longer.  4 hours to shovel our driveway and roof?!

3. More expensive.  Things to buy, utilities, etc..

4. Going on trips.  Have to PACK now.

5. Adventure access - everything is a trip somewhere now

5+. Projects all the time.  Floors.  Painting.  Electrical outlets.  Old kitchen.  Old bathrooms.

Part 1 of 2 in this transitioning lifestyles mini-series!

What are the hardest parts and unexpected small changes experienced when transitioning from house life to van life? We dive into all of that and more!

Shopping for vanlifers is tough! We don't have the luxury of space, so gifts have to be well thought out. That's why we put together a list of our top 21 gifts for your fellow vanlifers this season!

After having put in over 20,000 miles on our van in the last 5 months we have become well aquainted with long road trips! 48 hours up to Alaska and back? No problem! 2,500 mile weeks to visit family? EASY! We have become ROAD TRIP PROS and have our system dialed in!

Don't forget that we also have an email subscriber list to sign up for!

Okay - Here's the QUICK version of uur top tips for preparing for long road trips!

1. SNACKS!

2. Vehicle Safety!

3. Downloads! Maps, Podcasts, and More!

4. Plan Your Daily Mileage

5. Keep It Sustainable

6. Apps That Make Driving Better? GasBuddy!

7. Where To Stay When You're Just Passing Through

8. What to Avoid On Your Road Trip

9. Your Solo Drive Bag

What exactly is a BMS System? Confused between Internal Vs External BMS? What should a QUALITY BMS system include? Find out all these answers in this technical deep dive podcast!

Key components discussed:

Battle Born Batteries (Internal BMS)

Victron Batteries (External BMS) (5% off w/ code 'engineers')

Victron External BMS (5% off w/ code 'engineers')

Wakespeed Regulator

Nation's Alternator

Our Calculator to Determine Power Usage

100 Amp Victron Buck Boost (5% off w/ code 'engineers')

Why are van walls so often an after though during a van build? Well no more! We discuss nearly all the possible options for constructing and finishing your walls, as well as WHEN to put your wall panels up!

Topics discussed:

-Wall panels Vs shiplap and tongue and groove.

-Staining Vs painting Vs upholstering

-How to make full wall panels. DIY templating vs DIY kits vs fully pre cut.

Relevant Links

-Nassimi Fabric (fabric in our build)

-Marathon Tweed Fabric

-DIY Wall Panel Kit

-Full Wall Panel Kit

Full time vans should be EASY to use with storage in mind, while part time rigs should be VERSATILE!

Outfitting your campervan for full time or part time vanlife? Hear about the different functions your van will serve and how you can properly size your systems and design your layout to best suit your adventure style!

Electrical, water, general storage- we cover it all!

Highlights, lowlights, travel logistics, and everything you need to know about bringing your camper van and traveling to Nicaragua. Kayla from Collies Without Borders has lived on and off in Central America for over a decade and is extremely well versed with the ins and outs of living van life in Nicaragua.

If you enjoyed this episode, stay tuned for one last episode in this mini series. Kayla will dedicate an entire episode to van life in each country in Central America.

Podcast Website: https://vanlifelab.engineerswhovanlife.com/

Follow Kayla: https://instagram.com/collies.without.borders

Final farewell to our amazing cohost Kayla!

In this episode we reflect with Kayla - a full time vanlifer of nearly three years - on the lessons learned, experiences gained, and opportunities seized as she transitions from full time vanlife to part time van life to pursue her dream PhD.

We dig deep into what makes vanlife so special and how it might just be more accessible than you think.

We are back from 2+ months of van life-ing up in Alaska and we are diving deep into everything you need to know to van life successfully up there.  In this episode we cover:

Links Mentioned:

- The Milepost (Alaska Planning Book)

- Go Treads (Traction Boards)

- Spare Fuel Cans 

As always, thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, we would love to hear in a review on Apple Pod, or rating on Spotify.

Colby + Eric

(IG@engineerswhovanlife)