Van Build

The best place to start is with that amazing van tour the Vankookz and CharcoTravels did with me! I met these guys at Descend on Bend 2018, then bummed around Oregon with them for a few weeks after. It was a great time hanging out in our nomadic van community, and I’m already missing traveling with them.

Little E (in honor of the Little Engine That Could) is a 2007 144″ Sprinter that I converted from a cargo van in 2016. She’s been my home for two years, 34 states, and 75,000+ miles, and I’m still quite happy with the build. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to fit everything I wanted (bike and gear storage, kitchen, fridge, toilet, shower, heat, and ample power and water) into the shorter Sprinter. This resulted in a few complicated features to best utilize the available space, but overall a very functional layout.

Little E, nestled in the Oregon forest

For more details, check out the posts below diving into various aspects of the build

Van Build Overview

Campervans 101

Finding the Van

CR Laurence Window Installation

Insulation and Ventilation

Disappearing Shower

Webasto Dual Top EVO 6 Installation

And finally, here are some random pictures from the build and my favorite picture of Little E!