VanDwellers
!vandwellers
@sh.itjust.works!vandwellers
@sh.itjust.workshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov8rtDow-_Q
A complete start to finish timelapse of our ENTIRE camper van conversion journey! Going back through all this footage made us realllllyyyy appreciate the tin...
I know nothing is one-size fits all, so I was curious what everyone uses to cook their food.
Campfire? Induction hotplate? Camp stove using butane? Diesel marine stove? Propane stove? Air fryer?
(Any particular brands of device you rec?)
And do you have multiple methods and any backups for if you run out of fuel or something for your primary method?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVfnmiMtuaw
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@CheapRVlivingWelcome to the most incredible ambulance build I've ever seen, filled with innovative ideas and a stunning ...
Don't mind me, just trying to populate this community lol.
A commonly asked question from newbies is "how do I get internet in a van?" The good news is, there are a lot of options these days, some better than others. They're constantly changing, and info from two years ago is now likely inaccurate. The bad news is, no single option will always give you good coverage.
By far the easiest option, most smartphones these days allow you to provide internet access to another device through WiFi or USB. There are a lot of variables based on your carrier, like signal coverage, 5G availability, and data caps/throttling.
There used to be actually "unlimited" plans from the big providers, but those seem to be gone now; Even on the plans advertised as "unlimited," the fine print specifies that data is throttled after a certain amount. Which is usually a much lower amount through tethering than phone data.
For example, My AT&T plan is "unlimited," but throttles phone data at 100GB/month, and throttles tethered data at 30GB/month. I do get surprisingly fast speeds and low latency (generally between 10-40Mbps at 20-60ms, depending on signal strength)
Basically the same as above, except using a dedicated device that generally has a long battery life, marginally more powerful antenna, and can provide for more devices. You can often tack these on to an existing phone plan. Some vandwellers will get by with using one carrier for their cell phone, another carrier for their hot-spot, and using whichever has better signal for a given location.
IMO, these don't give much of an advantage over phone tethering. If you install an external antenna, you can get better performance. But if you're the type to go through that much trouble for internet access, you'll probably be hitting the data cap pretty quickly.
The new kid on the block! Providing (theoretically) blazing fast speed with low latency in the exact middle of nowhere. It's still relatively new tech, and seemingly has some kinks to work out still. When it works, it works great. But some users are having issues with reliability. Especially if you don't have a wide-open view of the sky (hope you don't like forests).
That and it's expensive: Currently $600 in hardware and $150/month for the basic plan. And would require you to either set/strike the dish every time you move, or get the much more expensive flat-mount dish and permanently mount it somewhere.
More of a proven tech, but has its own downsides. It's even more expensive than Starlink (especially if you're a full-timer without a residential plan), with more expensive hardware, and also requires an unobstructed view, and can be impacted by weather. Still a plausible option for full-time boondockers with jobs, but seems to be falling out of favor in the community.
It's getting more and more common these days; Every 4th business seems to have their own WiFi. Though obviously, it requires you to be in or near the business, and the speed can vary greatly, and it's, you know, public, so it's a bit more dangerous. I'd suggest getting a VPN if you plan on doing anything substantial through this route.
Before I upgraded my own system, I had mapped out businesses that I could get a decent connection to from inside my van in the parking lot. Turns out McDonald's is generally a pretty good choice; I found one where I was getting 100Mbps+ at 20ms from the parking lot.
It's easy to overstay your welcome doing this as well. I mean, if you're just parked in the lot for free internet, you're not really welcome to begin with. In two years I've gotten precisely two knocks, one was from a McDonald's manager asking why I'd been parked in his lot for 4 hours haha.
Your reward for making it to the end of this post, my current main option and favorite of everything I've listed. Basically the same concept as mobile hot-spots, except it's not meant to be mobile. Actually unlimited data on the Verizon 5G network for $50/month. And if you have a good connection, blazing fast. Easily 100Mbps+.
It is, however, made for home internet, and even states in the TOS that it's not for mobile use. So whether this is a reliable option for the future is a bit dicey. Verizon does keep a connection log with which towers you're connecting to. I had to call customer service because my hardware was crapping out, and he started reviewing the connection logs while I was innocently whistling to myself. It would not be hard for them to deduce I'm using this thing on the road.
And while it is marginally more powerful than a cell phone, it's still reliant on cell service. I've spent far too much time hunting for boondocking spots with decent 5G signal for my internet-addicted ass.
But overall, it's been pretty great. I'm a heavy user (online gaming, video streaming, torrents) and I've yet to have any issues while I have service.
If you're just starting out, you can probably get by just fine between cell tethering and public WiFi. I did for 6 months until I got tired of parking at McDonald's.
Next step up would be Verizon 5G. Pretty cheap and great service for 90% of the populated country. Not a great option for boondockers.
Finally, Starlink for boondockers. It's expensive, but likely to be a better option than traditional satellite.
What do you all think? Any other recommendations?
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/pqzu9KEVZBQt9GX4roUmnQ
My goal is to replace the loud clicking fuel pump that comes with pretty much every Diesel heater, be it from Eberspächer, Webasto, Autotherm (Planar) or from China. Autotherm offers a improved piston pump for a hefty price tag. But also that pump remains a clicking pump. My idea is to use an inexpensive peristaltic pump that is easy to service and cheap to replace, if needed. Unfortunately I ran into a problem with the temperature control element of the Diesel Heater, after my first test with the peristaltic pump. The Diesel heater did run with it for a few minutes, but gave an error after I attempted to start it for a second test. Apparently I had overheated the thermo-fuse since the air was not guided over the cooling ribs of the heater, without the housing, during my test. Possibly I may have overheated the little Chinese Diesel heater by pumping too much fuel into the burning chamber with the peristaltic pump, running at the same pumping frequency as the piston pump. To be able to continue with my project, before the new thermo-fuse arrives from China, I started testing the feasibility of replacing the original Diesel Heater controller with an Arduino mini computer. In this video I will show the first steps with the Arduino on the Chinese Diesel Heater. To be continued in following videos.
I've a question about builds.
Obviously, a lot of builds on YouTube or whatever have wood or other rigid siding inside to make it look nice.
But I was thinking--why not, like, put rugs against the wall? Or fabric? Over your insulation? Why not some sort of cheap board that has wallpaper with a nice design pasted to it? Seems like a bunch of drapey fabric would both be lighter weight, and just as pretty. And some hard backing with wallpaper would be lighter and pretty too.
Is there a downside that I'm too much a newbie to get? Fire hazard? Moisture-trapping? Would it get dingy with dust or something?
(I could see wallpaper un-sticking with time, I suppose, moisture messing with the glue and making it all moldy, and perhaps that's why nobody I've looked at has done that idea.)
Or is it simply a cultural thing where everyone does wood because they saw it elsewhere and it looked nice, so everyone copies and doesn't think of alternatives?
I'm just trying to brainstorm here and figure out if there's a hazard I'm unaware of or not.