Discovering three ingenious vans
By Catherine Blais
Over the past few years, you've probably seen a lot of adventure vans plying our Québec campgrounds. Van conversions and their originality never cease to impress. The Go-Van team will introduce you to some “vanlifers” who have agreed to share the ingenious tricks of their little homes on wheels.
Whether it's a modified bus, a tiny Dodge Caravan, or a converted Promaster, there's vehicle for every prospective vanlifer wishing to set off on a year-round adventure and spend their nights in some of Québec's most beautiful places.
The comfort of a school bus
For Samuel and Jessica of @skoolie.ca, taking the plunge and living in a school bus didn't mean giving up all their creature comforts. For this couple, who have now been living full-time in their “skoolie” for over two years, preserving the small pleasures of life while on the road was of paramount importance.
First of all, one of their favourite features is the wood-burning stove. It provides round-the-clock heating on those chilly Québec winter days, while offering a comforting ambience. The chimney is simply removed when it’s time to hit the road, and the mobile home is ready to rumble again. For firewood, the young couple reuse pieces salvaged from sawmills whenever possible. This trick enables them to recycle pre-cut tinder, absolutely free of charge!
The space provided by a school bus also allows Samuel and Jessica to entertain their vanlifer friends on cold or rainy evenings. With their oven, large couch, and wood-burning stove, their humble abode is the perfect place to entertain over a tasty nacho platter. It's not uncommon for the skoolie to become the gathering point for van get-togethers.
What's more, the space is large enough to accommodate a 110V fridge, as is usually found in our conventional homes. Even though the fridge is heavier, it lets them to store all their food without running out of space, is more economical than 12V fridges, and even consumes less energy than the latter variety. Their fridge is often the envy of others!
Finally, the bathtub is also a favourite feature of their mobile home. Who on earth can treat themselves to a relaxing bath on the road? Jessica spent nearly six months imagining and designing this bath to match the contour of the rear wheel, even creating a little bench for sitting on.
For the couple, having a skoolie means giving new life to a vehicle that would otherwise have been abandoned, while retaining all the little pleasures of existence - from the warmth of a fireplace, to the comfort of a relaxing bath, to fondue evenings with friends.
Traveling smaller…and saving bigger
Vanlife doesn't have to mean big vehicles or months-long car conversions. Instead, Fred and Kim fell in love with the Dodge Caravan format, and particularly with Road Loft's removable conversion kits. These made-to-measure kits offer a bed base that can also be transformed into an interior dinette, with plenty of storage that adjusts as needed, as well as an outdoor kitchen. What the couple particularly like is that the kit can be transferred from one vehicle to another at trade-in time.
For Fred and Kim, assembling and disassembling their kit in less than five minutes also means they can access their van at any time, and park anywhere, from tight city parking lots to more remote wilderness campgrounds. What's more, traveling so small enables them to cover long distances with impressive fuel economy.
To optimize their van, Fred and Kim have added a portable toilet that fits perfectly behind the passenger bench, and a roof box for storing things they use less often, such as tools or dirty laundry. They also use cushion covers to store clothes, thus saving space and decorating the interior of their mobile home. Two birds with one stone!
Traveling in a Dodge Caravan allows the couple to stay dry when it rains. On colder or hotter days, the couple use the remote starter to crank up the heating or air conditioning, without even leaving their bed, as it switches off after 15 minutes. Thanks to the small surface area to be covered, the living space quickly becomes comfortable.
For Fred and Kim, traveling in their Dodge Caravan allows them to adopt a more minimalist lifestyle, while spending more time outdoors. So you don't necessarily need a big space to have the best adventures!
A van for sporty adventurers… and their dogs
For many people, owning a van is, first and foremost, a way to live out their passions. This is the case for Alex and Cynthia, who converted a Transit and use it all year round for skiing, kitesurfing, and mountain biking.
For the couple, their van gives them the flexibility to set off at a moment's notice and catch the wind for kitesurfing or the powder for skiing, and all this with their dog. For them, vehicle insulation and an autonomous energy system with solar panels and battery charging are essential. Investing in a good heating system also makes all the difference. This enabled them to be completely off-grid for a whole week in Gaspésie when temperatures plunged to -50 degrees Celsius. It also provides a dream living environment for their dog, who can accompany them on their adventures or stay comfortably ensconsed in the van if a human activity isn’t a canine one.
Alex and Cynthia also chose to use a propane oven rather than induction hobs, as electricity consumption in winter is more limited. Using the propane oven even adds an extra source of heat to the van.
The couple is able to store just as much equipment, such as their bikes or skis, as long as the van is organized according to its use. So they opted for a fixed bed with a storage space underneath to squirrel away everything they needed. They also added extensions to the side of the vehicle to accommodate a transverse bed and leave more room for their shared space. The couple also added a rooftop box that they use for storage or even as a freezer in winter.
One of their little pleasures is being able to take a hot shower after their adventures. Although the shower can't be used in winter, even during the chilly season it comes in handy to dry wet clothes and keep the ambient air pleasant and sweet.
According to Alex, every storage space is important to save space. He mentions that L-Track (aluminum rails, fittings, and straps) is very popular with vanlife enthusiasts. Removable hooks allow you to hang things anywhere in the van as needed. Cynthia mentions that fruit hammocks are also a simple and practical way to save space.
Alex and Cynthia exemplify that, whatever the season or hobby, van life is accessible to all. So vans and vanlifers really do come in all shapes and sizes!
