Skateboarder Living in a VW Syncro in Los Angeles
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Justin Burbage is a professional skateboarder that decided to get into van life back in 2016. He originally had an apartment right on the beach, which he loved. It was an affordable price and had an amazing view. But when his rent suddenly doubled, he realized that the price he was paying for rent every month was the equivalent cost of buying a plane ticket around the world. While he liked the spot, he realized that the money he was paying wasn’t worth it to him. So he started looking into alternatives, and in the process stumbled across vanlife.
His favourite part about the lifestyle is the flexibility. You can live in the mountains one day and on a beach the next. Since he travels a lot for work, he likes bringing that sense of adventure with him whenever he returns home to California. Because of this, getting a van made the most sense.
The van he ended up buying was a 1989 Volkswagen Westfalia Syncro that he named ‘Maggie.’ It has four wheel drive, and a pop top that allows him to stand up on the inside. It isn’t like most Volkswagen pop-tops, it’s actually an aftermarket option that was taken from a Country Homes camper. Since the whole ceiling lifts away from the vehicle when engaged instead of just one side lifting like other Westfalias, he has more room on the inside to stand up.
One of the best parts of having a pop top for Justin is the added ventilation. It has numerous windows in the canvas which allows for a ton of air circulation when open. In the pop top he has a slide out bed platform which he can put his tempurpedic mattress on. Down below, he has a couch that can pull out into an additional bed if he ever wants to sleep somewhere where he can’t have the top popped.
On his windows, he put on a reflective tint to give him more privacy, while also blocking out heat during the day. It’s a great solution when you want to maintain some level of privacy while still having windows, and on vans you’re able to legally apply it to the side and back windows in most regions.
For lighting, Justin has hung up Christmas lights which run off the van’s auxiliary battery. While he doesn’t have a solar panel, he finds that running off the van’s alternator gives him plenty of electricity to work with, especially since his needs are minimal. He has a few cigarette plugs located throughout the van that allow him to charge things like his phone over USB. That being said, he’s definitely open to installing solar as there have been odd times that he’s drained his batteries more than he should have.
He has several kitchen appliances like a stove and fridge, both of which run off propane. For water, he has a 6 gallon water tank that runs to his sink. Most of the camper setup came stock with the van, but he’s made it his own with paint and other furnishings. Being an athlete, he has tons of room for various gear ranging from mountain biking equipment to towels and swimsuits. To let stuff dry, he uses bungee cords as clotheslines and curtain rods. The floor is plastic, so keeping it clean is as easy as sweeping.
According to Juistin, ziplock bags are the best vanlife hack. It makes it super easy for him to keep track of loose items that would normally go missing while not taking up a ton of space when they aren’t in use. For example, he keeps all of his toiletries in one easy to grab bag so he doesn’t forget anything when he hits the gym. During the winter he uses LA fitness for showers as there are a lot in the area that he lives, and during the summer he’ll use the outdoor showers available at the beach for free.
“My message to everybody is don't be scared to go after something that's different from what the world says is okay. To have a happy life or a stable job, whatever you want to do, whatever your dream is, pursue it as hard as you can and don't give up. You're going to find a million ways to fail but that one time you figure out the way to do it right it's worth failing a million times.”
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