This is a quick update on our van conversion progress this week. We have been working as much as we can over the last month because we are trying to take it on a road trip to Colorado in December, so the plan is to have water, electrical, and some cabinets done by then.

On my end there was lots of sewing happening around here lately. The original sun shades we made for the van from the foil laminated foam that you can buy at the home improvement stores for that purpose had begun to flake and come apart due to constant use. It was time for an upgrade to a more permanent sun shade solution. You can see the exact sewing process used to create these new shades over at Making Denim Sun Shades on Deborah’s Blog, if you are interested in how we made them.

Sun Shades

The new shades are more sturdy, denim on the inside, black on the outside, and have a heat resistant layer sandwiched in between the two. These should last a lot longer and work better at temperature regulation inside the van. These are much heavier and look much more ascetically pleasing than silver foil. They blend right into the denim walls and also match when we did the Re-Covering the Cab Headliner.

Installing Water Tanks

After much thought and debate, we decided that, for our needs, we wanted to install fresh and grey water tanks. We have a seperate toilet that is independent of the water system, so we really just wanted a way to wash dishes, hands and occasionally our feet before getting back in the van from walking on the beach, etc.

These tanks will do the job. We have installed them over the back axle to keep the weight of the van distributed well and all the plumbing was done this week. As things usually go with water, it took many tries, trials and failures, leaks, fixes, but we finally have a reliable water system inside the van. We will be installing our galley cabinet with the sink in the next few weeks. Travel days are getting closer and we are getting excited for our first extended trip coming very soon.

Every little thing we have done over the last month has gotten us closer and closer to being back on the road, but I’m still amazed at how much of a difference every little thing makes. In a project like this, small wins make a huge difference in the end result.