test trip with the van was a success, Heater I put in is way too hot but I roll the windows down a bit and works fine. rest of the season I'll be trying to avoid big storms and head to the mountains when its clear. Think my build is pretty much finished now, a water heater for shower could be cool instead of using a solar shower as I do now, but regardless I have to shower outside and am not going construct an in van shower - which is possible but meh.
So this was the start of the build, just figuring out a bed solution. With some piano hinges this folds up and down really easy from a 2 sided couch into a bed. I have to move around cushions and pillows but can sit like tailgate style if I'm hanging out at a beach or park, inside couch I use when day/night while in the van, and then it folds down for a nice bed which is super easy to make as I leave the scrunchy bottom sheet on the far cushion and then it just pulls over the rest, toss a sheet and pillow down and good to go.
I've added more, but typical setup for when I'm in the van at night. I got rid of LED light strip since it uses AC power, now I have 12v lights that I don't need to run the battery's inverter for
Back couch. I use that alot after surf/snow as I don't want to get in yet and am still sandy/wet/taking off snow gear
Bed folded down. I don't like sleeping bags unless its super necessary, normal bed has been fine down to 15 F so far when I turn the heater on for a bit at night.
Have a table that I use as a desk or cooking space for inside/outside. If its windy on the passenger side and I want to cook outside - it's easy to setup the desk on the driver side or back hatch. Just using a single burner propane stove that's as big as a laptop. Also have a USB screen that folds down from where the stock DVD player was so I have another screen either for poker work stuff or mostly netflix
Roof headliner is saggy in spots but I fixed that with becoming mexican and tossing up a flag
Table off the back for beach cooking. This is in Abreojos, Baja, Mexico. Stayed here for a week, was a perfect spot to get my paddle arms back and even bought a cheap 5'6" foamy to lessen the back to surfing struggles.
Nine Palms, baja sur, mexico - not too far from Cabo. Spent probably a full month here. So hot in the day but found out that inside with doors open and fan on is way cooler than sitting under and awning if there's no wind. Glad I had the awning anyways.
Nine palms - dawn patrol getting ready for sunrise session
Current state of the build and not sure what else I really want to add. Installed a diesel heater and ducting, sink, faucet with a 3gal tank below and another 3gal water storage I can refill with. 12v lights are bright but I should have done more smaller lights. They do dim and have a blue night setting, but I miss my LED strip lights a bit. Extend-o table is where I put my stove for cooking. Little trash chute i thought was rad, as normally the trash is just a can that floats around the cabin. Battery is also in the middle shelf and I was able to run most things 12v (if you run off AC power, the inverter turns on which is less efficient and takes electric just to run) - so I have lights, solar, fridge, diesel heater, and cig outlet that charges the battery all connected to 12v now. Top shelf is kinda just for stuffing clothes in, and with snowboard season that works fine as everything is puffy and bulky. Come summer I might put in more dividers or shelfs for better organization. Bottom shelf is where heater sits in the back and the duct work runs thru and comes out under the sink. Also have a blackout curtain installed for easier stealth, which is one reason I love this van. It's just a random minivan you can't see into, unless I have the heater going which exhausts under the car and has a noise- I can be full cooking a meal or watching TV with the lights on and nobody would have a clue. I poop in the trashcan or dig a hole or swim out into the ocean or go to any store/business.
Ideally this is my last year of ultra cheap living and making sacrifices. Next build would be something that I can stand in that also has a stand up indoor shower, larger kitchen space, much larger battery/solar that can support A/C in summer. Great learning experience overall though and I'll be 6+ more months in this rig before moving back to asia