I did an enormous amount of research for this van, and it seems only reasonable to document products we found to work out quite well. Part 1 will show items used in the van build itself, whereas part 2 will be stuff that makes van camping and travel more comfortable.
In no particular order, here are a list of products that I would buy all over again if I had to start from scratch.
In no particular order, here are a list of products that I would buy all over again if I had to start from scratch.
After much deliberation, we selected the Thetford 565 Curve portable toilet. The unit is completely self contained, with a fresh water tank in the top, a waste water tank in the base, and even a toilet paper holder built in. We installed it in our 'wet bathroom' with a quick release base, so it can be popped out whenever we'd like more room to shower.
Some reviews state the electronic flush mechanism doesn't last forever, but it has held up just fine for our use so far. It feels like a regular toilet to use, and the waste tank seems to keep odors contained surprisingly well. It's also not particularly awful to empty, and lasts two people almost a week of regular use between dumps.
Some reviews state the electronic flush mechanism doesn't last forever, but it has held up just fine for our use so far. It feels like a regular toilet to use, and the waste tank seems to keep odors contained surprisingly well. It's also not particularly awful to empty, and lasts two people almost a week of regular use between dumps.
A kitchen faucet seems like a lower priority, but we use it constantly and I'm so happy I found one I love. This faucet has a stiff but flexible neck, so we can push it low in the sink to reduce splashing, or lift it high to wash larger items, and it even flexes out of the sink entirely if we need to fill a water jug. I found this one on amazon, and it looks and feels far higher quality than the price would imply. We like it so much, I'm planning to buy another for our home.
I wanted as large a refrigerator as we could squeeze beneath our countertop, but being highly energy efficient was also a priority. We landed on the TruckFridge TF130 AC/DC. Higher efficiency fridges exist (most often 'chest' style rather than upright with a door), but this one seemed to strike a great balance of size, convenience, and efficiency. The DC only version of this fridge would have worked fine for us, but the AC/DC model was on sale at the time of purchase, so I went with that upgraded model. The only time I use the AC feature is when we are loading the van for a trip, and I can plug it into my house to get the initial chill in the fridge without using batteries. After that, the fridge is entirely powered by our battery, which can last well over a week without any sort of charging. Generally we drive everyday, which recharges our battery completely in an hour or less. In the future I'd like to put a solar panel on our roof, which would power the fridge whenever the sun is shining. For what it's worth, the fridge uses about 4 amps when the compressor is running, and if we're not getting in the fridge, the compressor runs about 10-20% of the time.
Staying in the kitchen, we also love the CampChef Camping Oven. This oven uses no electricity, and heats with propane (either a small 1 pound tank attached to the back, or through an adapter to a larger propane tank. I have it plumbed to our large propane tank in the back for long term use. Some people make the oven removable so you can use it outside the van during hot weather. Ours is not removable, but it does have a fan and vent to help reduce the heat inside. It also has a air intake in the back to feed the burners with plenty of fresh air and eliminate any worry of poor combustion, carbon monoxide, or other 'confined space' worries. That being said, the oven is made for use outside, so do you own research and make your own decision if you are willing to use it inside a van. I installed a CO detector very nearby just in case something were to go wrong, but we have used the oven many time, even up to 10,000 feet above sea level, and have never had an issue, or registered any CO at all.
We installed a microwave as well, but we need to plug into power or run a generator to use it, so we have found the camping oven to be far more useable for our camping style. It is a bit slower to heat our food, but the propane seems to last quite awhile, so it has yet to be an issue.
The stove has worked well for us also. I do wish the grate was a little finer, and perhaps one burner was smaller, but in the end, it seems to be the best option available. We use is with a stovetop percolator to make fresh coffee every morning. Again, no issues whatsoever up to 10,000 feet.
We installed a microwave as well, but we need to plug into power or run a generator to use it, so we have found the camping oven to be far more useable for our camping style. It is a bit slower to heat our food, but the propane seems to last quite awhile, so it has yet to be an issue.
The stove has worked well for us also. I do wish the grate was a little finer, and perhaps one burner was smaller, but in the end, it seems to be the best option available. We use is with a stovetop percolator to make fresh coffee every morning. Again, no issues whatsoever up to 10,000 feet.
A safety item that absolutely should be mentioned is the Smoke and CO combination detector we selected. As we have two propane appliances as well as a diesel engine and furnace, all within a very small space (that we plan to sleep in!), I knew a combo detector was a necessity, but I didn't know if I should just grab one off a shelf or find something more specific.
In the end I found a great combo detector on Amazon, which I've ended up loving! Not only does it function like any other detector (screeching alarm when in danger), it also has an LCD screen that displays any detectable carbon monoxide. I loved the idea of this screen, because it meant we could notice and adjust to CO levels, long before they become dangerous and an alarm sounds causing panic.
The detector served it's purpose on one of our first trips when my diesel furnace exhaust was inadvertently getting inside the van. With no odor or reason to believe anything was wrong, the blinking numbers increasing caught my eye, and I was able to adjust our roof vent from blowing air out (causing a vacuum that was pulling in the exhaust), to pulling fresh air in, which cleared out the exhaust in no time and eliminated the problem. It was an easy and quick fix with no harm done, but had we not had this particular CO detector, we would have had no idea of an issue until it started screaming at us.
As smoke tends to raise and carbon monoxide tends to sink, I purchase and installed two of these detectors; one low and towards the rear, and one high and towards the front. Two is overkill, but I absolutely do not want to die in my sleep in my camper van.
In the end I found a great combo detector on Amazon, which I've ended up loving! Not only does it function like any other detector (screeching alarm when in danger), it also has an LCD screen that displays any detectable carbon monoxide. I loved the idea of this screen, because it meant we could notice and adjust to CO levels, long before they become dangerous and an alarm sounds causing panic.
The detector served it's purpose on one of our first trips when my diesel furnace exhaust was inadvertently getting inside the van. With no odor or reason to believe anything was wrong, the blinking numbers increasing caught my eye, and I was able to adjust our roof vent from blowing air out (causing a vacuum that was pulling in the exhaust), to pulling fresh air in, which cleared out the exhaust in no time and eliminated the problem. It was an easy and quick fix with no harm done, but had we not had this particular CO detector, we would have had no idea of an issue until it started screaming at us.
As smoke tends to raise and carbon monoxide tends to sink, I purchase and installed two of these detectors; one low and towards the rear, and one high and towards the front. Two is overkill, but I absolutely do not want to die in my sleep in my camper van.
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