Sneak a Peek inside my Stealth Camper Van! Van Tour 1.0 | BRV042

[@norcalvandweller8401]

Hey Rob Love your van build vids and following you from Sacramento Please keep it up

[@bigrobsvan]

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Lots more videos to come, don't worry about that! I subbed to your channel as well. Would love to take my van out west this year!

[@vancebocas7626]

I love your personality! It's just so friendly, down to earth, common sense. I was smiling throughout this vid. Thanks for the entertainment.

[@bigrobsvan]

Aw, thanks so much! If you promise to come back I promise to keep being entertaining!

[@SuperTekBoy1]

Flex Seal is fantastic tape.

[@bigrobsvan]

By the time I am done I expect at least 40% of the van to be made of tape.

[@TronDD]

Cool stuff. Glad you did a tour. I like to see things evolve and the reasons for it. And just showing an end state usually hides that things didn't go right the first, second, third... time.

[@bigrobsvan]

Yeah it's a process for sure. I def have a pile of stuff that didn't work for one reason or another waiting to be sold or gifted.

[@melissa-jh4wb]

Great video!❤

[@bigrobsvan]

Thanks for watching! I hope you stick around!

[@GetterBetterChannel]

So many awesome ideas! The van journal is especially cool, I may have to start one of those too!😁

[@bigrobsvan]

I know it sounds corny but when so much of your life is online it's nice to have one little part just for yourself.

[@GetterBetterChannel]

@bigrobsvan Sooooo true though and important to have!

[@TheUrban.Camper]

I always found it funny when people talk about stealthy camping i. A small town or city, and they use reflectics on the windows. I mean, it's a dead giveaway. Great channel new sub 👋🇨🇦

[@bigrobsvan]

Thanks for checking it out. Yeah, anything other than a black window looks sus to me except maybe blinds in a conversion-style van.

[@ericcomp7032]

Nice winter beard 👌

[@bigrobsvan]

I am preparing for hibernation. :)

[@WaywardAbode]

This was so awesome! So many great ideas I'm almost certainly going to steal when I set up my new van! Thank you! :)

[@bigrobsvan]

Hope you get into a new rig soon! Happy holidays, wherever you end up spending them!

[@ANoss13]

Great build!!!! Loved the bloopers! Hahaha nothing like laughing out loud at 1am haha I’ve definitely thought how I’d build a mini van out as a camper!

[@bigrobsvan]

Half my build is a blooper reel lol. Minivans are great, a lot of people build them out and they would be the ultimate stealth camper. Like I said, I wish they still made the Chevy Astro, I would buy one in a minute.

[@plants4thewin]

The tennis shoes....👍

[@bigrobsvan]

If they don't match the outfit, they don't count.

[@PattisArtInnaVan]

I love watching van tours! I'll be starting my 4th build out in the spring and always looking for ideas! I like your wallboard.👍

[@bigrobsvan]

I am the same way! All my best ideas came from other people's builds!

[@lgDukeCity5018]

First time viewer. Great vid. Nice to see a commonsense van without all the frills and social media hype.

[@bigrobsvan]

Hey, thanks for watching! I hope you subscribe and stick around. I tried to build my van for function. I am too old and unattractive for social media hype so it works out, lol.

[@adventurebythemile]

Mr Buddy is on my list at #1

[@bigrobsvan]

I think Mr. Buddy is probably the most efficient and economical heating solution. Unless you have a many-thousand-dollar electrical system. anything electric is not feasable. Diesel heaters are nice but not portable (they involve drilling holes in your vehicle for exhaust and need power and involve carrying diesel). A Mr. Buddy heater seems to be the best solution I've found. I don't think those smaller propane containers are especially affordable and if I were doing long term camping int he winter I'd get an adapter for a larger propane tank (and figure out a way to mount it outside the car). That's the other thing I like about the Mr. Buddy -- not only is it portable and completely contained, but it's also stealthy.

[@lgDukeCity5018]

Also loved the outtakes.

[@bigrobsvan]

If I am not careful the outtakes will be longer than the videos!

[@ThePlanet_L.I.]

With proper measurements, u can slide a piece of plywood into the back of the seat, which will allow u to hook that garbage bag instead of looping it around the seat

[@bigrobsvan]

Ah, that's a good tip -- I might try that. Thanks! I've considered buying a more traditional waste basket but like everything else... "space."

[@adventurebythemile]

It looks warm in ok!

[@bigrobsvan]

On the day I filmed this it was 37F -- warmer than St. Louis, but still chilly!

[@adventurebythemile]

There’s a guy from Missouri called: Brandon De Garbage Disposal and he has another channel that will be linked in his videos (I can’t remember the name) where he goes camping. You might like.

[@bigrobsvan]

Cool, I will check him out!

[@adventurebythemile]

Yay !!!

[@TronDD]

Working the algorithm here? 😄

[@adventurebythemile]

I want a van fan 😃😃😃😃

[@bigrobsvan]

It's a TOTAL game changer in the summer, for sure. I put mine on high and crack the front windows and it makes a nice breeze through the van. My only minor regret is that with the fan I think it puts my van right at 7'6" tall which prohibits me from going in most parking garages I've seen. With a high top you might already be over that limit.

[@lgDukeCity5018]

@@bigrobsvan Is there a way to recess the fan a little?

[@adventurebythemile]

I got to go to Oklahoma so you can show me how to do that kind of stuff.

[@adventurebythemile]

My backup camera quit too

[@michaelohara2161]

For survival they say: one is none, two is one. I love simple builds like yours. Too fancy for the average person, seams un-obtainable. I turn them off.

[@bigrobsvan]

I honestly don't know how those fancy builds stay together. My van rattles and everything is constantly banging around. Some of the builds I see look great but I can't imagine the owners put many miles on them.

[@crusherjones6809]

The E150 door handle CURSE. Absolutely ridiculous!

[@bigrobsvan]

I could literally make better door handles out of LEGO and paper mache'.

[@lgDukeCity5018]

I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty, 55,400 miles. Jeeps are notorious for window regulator failure. I have replaced three (You Tube assist) and now one of my locks is on the fritz.

[@adventurebythemile]

The rain things don’t go up under? I wonder if they make them for my van??

[@bigrobsvan]

They have two styles -- one kind goes up into the window slot and the other kind (the kind I bought) is held on with VHB (very high bond) adhesive. It's the same stuff they use to hold body molding onto cars and will last for decades.

[@adventurebythemile]

I need a solar panel but my van is hightop and not flat on top so I don’t know how to mount it.

[@bigrobsvan]

If you are parking in places that allow it during the day, you can always get a foldable solar panel and set it ourside your van. I'd have to see the top of your van but my solar panel is flexible (to a certain degree). I've seen people build structures on top to hold their solar panels, so that's always an option.

[@adventurebythemile]

I skipped the sink and use gallon jugs instead

[@bigrobsvan]

I need to put together a video of all my sink footage. It was such a pain to put together and I never use it. I think it is more important for full timers in larger rigs than mine.

[@adventurebythemile]

I see your wife is the driver???

[@bigrobsvan]

Hah! Sometimes. Mostly it's just me on these adventures but that clip was from our trip to West Virginia and we swapped back and forth quite a bit.