YOUNG COUPLE's Beautiful Hand-Crafted SPRINTER VAN Conversion
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Pete and Tay decided to buy a Sprinter van and turn it into a mobile home on wheels that they affectionately call Saunder. After going on a travel stint in southeast asia, they realised that the travel lifestyle is something that really blended well with their personalities. They weren’t far away from graduating from college, and the idea of settling down into a conventional lifestyle with nine to five jobs didn’t really sit well with them.
They were afraid that going the conventional route would end up with them stagnating and falling into a routine that they weren’t happy with. They started looking into alternatives that would allow them to live more intentionally with more control over their time and allow them the flexibility to continue travelling. For them, vanlife was the perfect fit. Pete and Tay don’t have a ton of commitments like kids or a ton of bills to keep up with at this stage of their life, so they figured it would be the perfect time to jump into something different and take the risks they were thinking about.
The van they ended up getting used to be an airport shuttle bus, complete with bus-style front doors which they really like. While the clean white exterior of the van looks stock, it was harder to achieve than you would initially assume. The van, when they got it, was completely covered with bright red and blue vinyl. This caused them a lot of headache to remove, but after a few weeks of hard work they were able to pull it all off and reveal the clean white finish underneath.
For cooking, they have a collapsible Coleman Stand Up Camping Grill that they primarily use outside. With limited space inside the van, it works best for them to do their cooking outside as much as possible to limit cooking oils and fumes inside. This works well for them, while still maintaining the ability to bring everything inside if they need to.
For electricity, they have an agm battery that charges off the vehicle while driving.. They opted to cut a vent for it in the side of the van just in case it ends up off-gassing. While it isn’t common with this type of battery, they figured it was better to be safe than sorry. They sealed a small PVC elbow bracket to the opening to make sure that water wouldn’t get in. They also have a plug for shore power to recharge from the grid if they have the opportunity.
Behind the driver and passenger seats they set up a privacy curtain that runs along a curtain rod at the top of the van. It allows them to easily block out light and heat as well as giving them privacy and the places they park.
To store food, they have an ARB Fridge which runs off 12-volt provided by the vehicle. It doubles as a seat for their dog Snoop while they’re driving. While it seems small, the chest-style fridge is able to store a surprising amount of food. Over their counter they have a magnetic spice tins and shelf which stores all of their seasonings, and a fruit hammock to store fresh produce.
They have a pull out cutting board that slides out from underneath the counter which gives them plenty of additional food prep space. They also have a sink that draws water through a hand pump from a 5 gallon water jug with the grey water going into a second identical container. It's a simple system that allows them to easily remove the bottles to refill and empty.
All the cabinets and countertops are hand made by Pete and Tay. It’s a time consuming process that not a lot of people go through when you can easily adapt cabinets from places like IKEA, but by doing everything themselves, they were able to guarantee a level of quality that would hold up to the stresses on the road, while also custom fitting everything to ensure the maximum amount of space was used properly. These cabinets store all their necessities ranging from food and kitchen items to their camp toilet. For their bed, they decided to make a convertible setup that goes from being a sitting area during the day to their bed at night.
They’re advice for folks wanting to do something similar? “Don't be afraid. Just go for it. You just can't let that fear of uncertainty keep you from doing the things that would really make you happy.” They think that the key to living is to embrace uncertainty and the knowledge that not everything is controllable. By taking small steps and taking the challenges as they arise, you’ll be able to accomplish way more than you realise.
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