What happens when a fine artist builds his first van from scratch — no tutorials, no research, just artistic instinct

and a pile of cardboard boxes?

Troy is the founder of Nanna Vans, a custom van build company based in DeLand, Florida, operating under his

design firm TR Designs. He came to van life not through YouTube or van life forums, but through years of ceramics,

large-scale environmental installations, and high-end residential and commercial design. His van — named Janet,

after his late grandmother — is both his proof of concept and a rolling portfolio that's helped him sign design

contracts off the back table. In this conversation, Troy breaks down how art school thinking changes everything

about the way you design and build.

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Tim Jowers quit a 25-year warehouse career in December 2021, bought a ProMaster, and started building vans out of his Texas driveway with his son Ryan. Twenty builds later, he’s still in that driveway — and still loving it.

Tim builds what he calls weekend warrior vans: complete, functional, and specifically without showers. In this episode he walks through why — the condensation issues, drainage problems, and cost math that make showers a non-starter. He also covers why cabinet work is the part that humbles every builder.

Tim’s rattle prevention method, his advice for first-time builders (rent a van before you build), and what it’s like to run a 20-build business out of a driveway with zero advertising.

Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

www.vanlifeoutfitters.com

Grant Wilson from FreedomVanGo joins Episode 06 of Vanlife Roadmap to share what years of building, using, and refining camper vans have taught him about making better build decisions.

Grant’s advice is refreshingly practical. Before you commit to a full van build, go use the van. Sleep in it. Try a simple setup. Rent other vans. Learn what actually matters before spending heavily on layouts, parts, and upgrades.

In this conversation, Grant talks through the lessons from his own first build, including why some good-looking ideas did not work well in real life, how his thinking changed after 20 or 30 nights in the van, and why electrical systems deserve extra care. He also shares how FreedomVanGo grew from side projects and garage installs into a professional van build business.

If you are planning a DIY van build, this episode is a practical reminder to use the van before you overbuild it – and to let real travel shape what belongs inside. 

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What happens when a simple vanlife problem turns into a full product?

In this episode, Dutch shares how dealing with bugs in his van led him to create the Bug Wall—and how trial and error, simple thinking, and real-world use shaped the outcome.

In this episode, we cover:
 • Dutch’s background in carpentry and hands-on building
 • The challenges of designing a family van layout
 • Why bugs became a bigger problem than expected
 • How the first screen designs came together
 • The role of iteration and problem-solving
 • Why simpler systems often work better
 • How a DIY fix turned into a growing business

Whether you’re building your own van or just getting started, this episode offers practical insight into how ideas evolve—and why starting small matters.

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Clayton Houser joins Episode 04 of Vanlife Roadmap to share what building around 50 vans taught him about layout, electrical planning, quality parts, and the tradeoffs that matter most once a van is actually in use.

In this conversation, Clayton reflects on how his thinking changed through real-world experience – from early layout choices that looked good but created friction in daily life, to the importance of planning ahead for future upgrades and using better components from the start. If you’re a DIY van builder, this episode offers practical perspective from someone who has learned these lessons through repetition, iteration, and real use.

www.vanlifeoutfitters.com

In this episode of Vanlife Roadmap, Justin Shipp of Site Seven shares how family roots in the RV industry, a detour into custom bicycle building, and years of hands-on experience shaped his approach to van design. The conversation centers on a practical idea – better vans are not always the ones with more features, but the ones built with more intention.

Justin explains why quality, simplicity, and real-world use matter so much, why some vans end up overbuilt or harder to live in, and what DIY builders can learn from a shop that designs around actual experience instead of complexity for its own sake.

www.vanlifeoutfitters.com

Josh Theberge left the “Miami starter kit” behind and built a van that’s now on its third iteration. In this conversation, he shares what held up in real use – and what he’d do differently if he were starting a build today, from electrical planning to comfort decisions that quietly make life on the road easier.

www.vanlifeoutfitters.com

Vanlife Roadmap begins with a conversation that sets the tone for the series. 

In Episode 1, we sit down with Zach Daudert – co-founder of Vanlife Outfitters and Peace Love & Vans – to talk about his path into vanlife, long before it became an industry. 

Zach shares stories from building and living in his first van as a teenager, following the Grateful Dead, and learning van systems through trial and error. He explains how documenting his own build turned into a blog that exposed a major gap in the vanlife world – and why that gap ultimately led to the creation of Vanlife Outfitters. 

The conversation also explores the philosophy behind Peace Love & Vans, why community matters more than commerce, and what first-time DIY builders often misunderstand when starting their own camper van conversion. 

This episode is for anyone who wants to understand vanlife beyond the surface – and make smarter, more intentional decisions along the way. 

www.vanlifeoutfitters.com