How to Mount an ARB Awning to the Rain Gutter of a Sprinter / September 10, 2019 by Ray Phung

For Christmas, my mom was so kind to gift us an ARB awning to complete the van buildout. However, figuring out a means of attaching it proved to be a bit challenging. The only hardware these awnings come with are used to attach them to a roof rack of your extreme 4x4 vehicle. Sadly, the Sprinter does not have a roof rack, and even then it would be entirely too tall for me to roll and unroll. My goal was to attach them to the rain gutters that circumnavigate the van.

Creature Comforts and Other Van-Warming Items / July 31, 2019 by Ray Phung

During this first trip we had a house (van-house anyway), but we did not yet have a home. While perfectly functional, it felt like we were missing a few things here and there. A weeklong trip to climb in the desert was a great test what else is needed to make the van more comfy and figure out what worked and didn't work.

Total Costs and Items Used / September 29, 2016 by Ray Phung

After cruising in the van for almost a year now, one of the most common questions I get is "how much money did you put into it??" Since most of the work was done by me and McKinley, the only real costs was in the materials themselves. I dug through my Amazon account, as well as my credit card statement to figure out the total costs of it. I always preface this by saying that the total includes a lot of big ticket items, like the fridge, solar panels, and batteries. And, well, here it is!

Plumbing / January 14, 2016 by Ray Phung

I was not super stoked on figuring out the plumbing. If you've ever done a plumbing project, you know it always takes a million trips to the hardware store to get all the right fittings. So I waited until the end to get it done. But having running water and a working sink is important, and in all reality, it wasn't super difficult.

Extending Bed Frame / January 14, 2016 by Ray Phung

In the original design of the bed, I wanted something that could convert from a couch to a bed. Like a futon, only less college-dorm and more space conscious cabin. The reason for this is two-fold.

Kitchen / January 13, 2016 by Ray Phung

Building out the kitchen turned out to be easier than the storage shelves. The kitchen cabinets have shorter sides (less warping!) and are smaller in general. I felt like it was easier to ensure everything was perpendicular and square. Also, I chose to overlay the cabinets doors which I feel better hides imperfections.

Storage Shelving / January 8, 2016 by Ray Phung

Next to wiring the electricity, building cabinets was something I was really nervous about. I have not done a lot of wood-working, and cabinets require a lot of precise skills. The last thing I want are lop-sided cabinets with wonky shelves that don't stay closed. In reality, the cabinets only took a couple weeks to do, and for the most part, turned out pretty well.

Electricity / January 7, 2016 by Ray Phung

Electricity was a topic that came up early in the planning phases. We had a lot of hypothetical discussions of the type of amenities we would like to have and whether we would realistically use them. This is quite a large topic, but I will go over installing solar power, hooking the batteries up to the van's alternator, installing the fan, and other wiring and fusing issues.

Insulation and Sound Deadening / January 6, 2016 by Ray Phung

Insulating and sound proofing are an essential aspect of a camper van conversion, and I will talk about both in this article.

Cab Upgrades / January 6, 2016 by Ray Phung

Soon after purchasing the van, we decided to take a trip up to Squamish to climb and to test out its livability. But before we embarked on the 6 hour trek, I insisted on making some much needed upgrades to the cab.