Escaping the winter
Since installing the wood stove, I’ve experienced temperatures far below the freezing point. While the whole van was covered with frost outside, it was comfortably warm inside. Nevertheless, I prefer the long and sunny days in the south. After spending...
Building storage furniture
I moved from the Mercedes 209D into the 508D more than a year ago. While working on the 508D, I stored all my food, tools and clothes in boxes. I wanted to get rid of the chaos in my van...
Installing a wood stove
Last year, I installed a diesel heater which I’ve only used to warm and dry up the shower cabin. When the temperatures dropped below 15 degrees Celsius at the end of October, I had to use the heater more often....
Maintaining my van
I mostly paused the work on my van during the trip through Italy and the Netherlands. There were still a few projects left on my list. While driving through Germany in the summer, I occasionally worked on some maintenance projects....
Enjoying the sun with friends
I managed to build most of the technical features during the winter. By the end of March, I was able to store my mountain bike, take a shower, cook warm meals, treat dirty water, sleep and work in my van....
Installing the water system
The water system of my previous van was pretty simple: a 40 liters tank with a submersible pump and a small sink. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the water drinkable without some chemical additives. I didn’t like the idea of drinking...
Building the kitchen
I decided to split my kitchen into two parts. A bigger, permanent countertop with the sink next to the shower and a smaller, foldable countertop for the electric cooker right next to the door. The later would allow me to...
Building the bed
I had a two-section bed in my mind: A permanent part in the back of the van right above the pull-out bike rack and a convertible part in the middle that could be transformed into a seating area with a...
Laminating the shower
The shower cabin that I built out of plywood had to be protected from the water. I spent a lot of time researching suitable materials. I found several solutions based on PVC panels that were sealed with silicon. These solutions...
Building a pull-out bike rack
I really like mountain-biking. I’ve already crossed the Alps multiple times with my mountain-bike before moving into a van in 2017. I took the mountain-bike on my first van trip through Europe and northern Africa where I enjoyed awesome rides...