Life on the road in your Wicked Cool Van can be a culinary dream. With a few portable tools breakfast lunch and dinner will be like dinning out at the best restaurant. You can create your own view and enjoy your meal.
Todays top pick for a portable cook top is the Blackstone tabletop griddle https://amzn.to/3dKiOiv
We like this portable cooktop for fast easy cooking. Small enough to store yet big enough to cook a great meal for you and your guest. You can get the grill alone or add some accessories. The Blackstone 22″ griddle has 330 sq. inches of cold rolled steel. 24,000 BTU’s for fast and even cooking. Clean up is a breeze with the rear grease tray. The platform has adjustable legs so no matter where you decide to cook, the griddle will be level. Collapsible legs and removable shelf make it easy to store when not in use.
You are excited and beyond thrilled. Ready to make that dream come true. The van is yours now. Time to start your build. Where do we start. What do we do first. So much to think about.
If you are anything like us you follow hundreds of people that build and live in a van. You watch youtube videos all the time. Stalking #vanlife on instagram is your new hobby. Work countless hours putting together a list of everything you want out of your new home on wheels. Where to start.
Our advice is start a list. Add everything to your list you could ever want in a tiny home. Think from the outside in. Yes you will probably eliminate items from your list after you find out the cost involved. My advice is to be prepared to have as many items on your list as you can. Adding items after you have started can, more times than not, be more expensive than if you had just done it from the start.
You will want to now choose if you will be the do it yourself-er or have a builder, like Wicked Cool Vans, build for you. Do you have the tools needed to do a quality job yourself? Tools can be expensive. Do you have the know how to do it yourself? Do you have the time to do it yourself? Time is money. Lots of questions to answer before you start.
Here at Wicked Cool Vans we encourage our clients to do things themself. We also encourage our clients to have Wicked Cool Vans do the jobs they don’t have the time or tools to tackle the job. We try to provide tips and list of how to do it yourself.
You will find below a list of basic items used in a van build. This is a suggestion list. You will definitely need more items not listed. If you find you need a suggestion send us an email wickedcoolvans@gmail.com we will try to help out if we can.
Roof Rack -at Wicked Cool Vans we make a custom rack for your van but some others are available at amazon https://amzn.to/317dK1V just make sure it is for your make and model van.
Running Boards tips on running boards is for them to be useful they need to be of a size your foot will fit. I prefer 7 inch ones at least. https://amzn.to/317e0xV
Wicked Cool Vans rear windows install on a Ram Promaster Van. Follow Wicked Cool Vans on facebook at http://www.wickedcoolvans.com and check out our website at http://www.wickedcoolvans.shop Contact us today to complete your custom van build. Thanks for watching please like us and subscribe for more DIY videos.
The thought of doing plumbing can be a scary thing. In a van build it is fairly easy to complete your own van plumbing. I am sure you can find plenty of youtube videos. We use pex pipe and parts for our Wicked Cool Vans water systems. We plan to have all water components on one side of the van.
Lay out your plumbing supplies and plan for the best placement.
In the photo above we are making our plan. We will have the sink and all plumbing on the right side of this van. The hot water heater, pipes and pump all need a place. In this build we will be placing the diesel heater in a compartment behind the water system.
The thing we dislike the most is to start a project and not have all the parts on hand. Missing one part holds up the entire production. It is good to have a drawing of your plan. Nothing fancy, just a drawing of how you plan to place everything.
Nothing fancy just your vision in black and white.
We work as a team and it is easier to visualize this way. By the time we are done with the drawing we both have scribbled all over it. After we have a plan that will work we bring it to scale. One key to an entire build is proper planning.
Now build the cabinet. Here are a list of supplies we have on hand for plumbing.
https://amzn.to/3lKbmHU 2 PIECES XFITTING HOT (RED) AND COLD (BLUE) OF 1/2″ PEX BRASS FULL PORT SHUT OFF BALL VALVE – 1/4″ TURN. We have at least 4 sets of these on hand. It is a good idea to have shut offs if there is ever a leak you are able to keep it under control while you repair it.
https://amzn.to/3vY16Am 5 Plastic Poly Alloy 90 Degree Swivel Elbow Pex x FPT Barb Pipe Fitting, 1/2″ x 1/2″ 5 pack. You will need two packs at least
https://amzn.to/3f9Uidh 5 Plastic PEX Poly Alloy Tee Barb Pipe Fitting, 1/2”, White, 5 Pack you will need at least two 5 packs of these.
https://amzn.to/3f74PWB 5 Plastic PEX Poly Alloy 90 Degree Elbow Barb Pipe Fitting, 1/2”, White, 5 Pack, you will want a lot of these on hand. it helps you have a clean look to your plumbing. I would say have five or six 5 packs on hand.
https://amzn.to/3tNqRSc 5 Plastic Poly Alloy 90 Degree Elbow Pex x MPT Barb Pipe Fitting, 1/2” x 1/2”, White, 5 Pack
Pick the size of your tanks. We try to get the same size for both if it will fit into the plans of the build.
https://amzn.to/31aVTHq Lead Free White Poly Alloy Elbow with Pex to Female Threaded Fittings, 1/2 x 1/2
We post pictures often. Send us an email at wickedcoolvans@gmail.com if you have questions. Make sure to check out other pages or our current blogs at www.wickedcoolvans.shop
Fresh water intake, outdoor shower and diesel heater tank.
What to pack for your next trip. In a van every inch counts. Why bring clothes you will not need. We pack based on how often we will need to do the laundry. Doing laundry takes time away from our site seeing. Doing laundry can be an adventure. We like to find a laundry mat near something exciting. Maybe a restaurant or close to a supermarket. This way we can kill two tasks with one stone. Grab a snack while it is washing then pick up some needed supplies while it drys.
Shopping while you do your laundry
Even if we make doing laundry fun its something we don’t want to do often. We find using packing cubes helpful. They let us bring along more clothing. It also helps with organizing. We keep one larger one for the dirty clothes.
hanging packing cubes a great way to store your clothing
We installed bars on both sides of the bed to hang the packing cubes. The bars are from IKEA. They are meant to store kitchen items. In van life you look for creative ways to make use of the small spaces.
We also use the cubby above the drivers seat. This makes a great space for your extra blankets and clothing cubes. In our van we only have overhead cabinets above the sink. We find no need for ones over the bed. This gives us a more open feel.
See the perfect place for our packing cubes full of our clothing
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The thought of doing plumbing can be a scary thing. In a van build it is fairly easy to complete your own van plumbing. I am sure you can find plenty of youtube videos. We use pex pipe and parts for our Wicked Cool Vans water systems. We plan to have all water components on one side of the van.
