Determining Your Needs
Primary Use
If you plan on living in the van for long periods of time, you will likely put the following needs high on your list: bed, storage, insulation, heat, ventilation, privacy and security. Will you travel alone, with a partner, a pet, or travel with family or friends? Where will they ride? It is also important to list the large items you want to bring with you and if they need to be stored inside or can be attached to the back or top of your van.
Bed options
There are a few primary solutions for sleeping in your van. Permanent beds are often built 3-4 feet above the floor allowing a large garage area. Convertible beds that convert into a dining / working area allow flexibility, but do not allow a large garage area. Pull-out or murphy beds are another clever way hide the bed or use it as a couch when it is not needed.
Toilets
A critical decision you will have to make is whether you will have a toilet in your van. There are a number of popular toilet solutions that do not take up much valuable space and have varying processes for emptying including flush toilets, composting toilets and portable toilets. Toilets can be installed in a shower area, under a seat or even a cabinet with a pull-out function
Showers
While you can get by without a shower for a few days or find a gym or campground to take a shower, you may want to have the ability to shower in your van. A space saving solution is to have a shower in the back of the van . An inside shower takes up a bit of valuable space, but will allow you to shower in complete privacy and can double as a bathroom if you incorporate a toilet inside your shower.
Garage Storage
It is important that you identify what large items you plan to travel with and what needs to be stored inside. If you plan to travel with your bicycles, snowboards, surfboards, kiteboarding equipment, you will likely need a large garage space. If you prefer to use a hitch mounted bike rack or store large items on the roof in a cargo box like us, you can get by with a smaller garage.
Kitchen
For preparing meals, you can decide to cook inside or outside your van. If you wish to cook and prepare meals inside, you will want to have a sink and at least a small countertop to place a stovetop, kettle or toaster on. You can choose to store these appliances and bring them out when you need to, like we did, or you can build them into your countertop.