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I'm so glad you're enjoying the content, Laurie. Originally I focussed on videos about the contruction process, hoping to give back something to the community. But I think visitors prefer videos about actually camping in the skoolie. (And they're more fun to make.) I have several if you look through the list.

@@theskoolielife Oh don't get me wrong, I looove the construction videos too! I was just thinking "Ok, once I build the Skoolie, then what?" so it's nice to see the then what. haha.

@Okayyyjesss It's been three years so details are hazy. I think it was a few hours per day for two weeks. You can contact a local truck driver school for details about their training.

@@nc4328 Thanks so much!

@@Fatima.114 Thanks! I was proud of that accomplishment.

@brendahayah Good question. Memory doesn't serve here, so I checked my records. They show that the police report had arrived before I did the road test. Not sure about the timing of the written test. If you drop by a testing centre, staff can tell you.

I see from rewatching the first few minutes of my video that I had the medical report and police report done before I did the written test. I suspect that's required, but MTO staff can confirm.

@@theskoolielife thank you. I will definitely go there on Tuesday

No. I'm not set up for towing a car. (I have an e-bike and e-scooter to get around. ) my wife drove the car.

I absolutely agree that the dashcam was tilted up too far. I plan to aim it lower next time. The angle will include some of the hood, but that's ok. Regarding wild camping, at some point I will have to be willing to test how well the batteries and solar panels will power the fridge and other loads without shore power. I haven't got a date for that test yet. My next big camping trip is 16 nights in a campground, but with electricity supplied.

Thanks, Jakub.

No, you did mention the wind turbine. I may be unfairly discounting how much energy it will provide. Best of luck on your build. Please send an update when you start to take it on the road.

Thanks. The three batteries you refer to - are those the bus's starter batteries? Most people avoid using them as house batteries for fear of running them so low that the bus won't start. What loads will you have in the bus? Fridge? Fans? Recharging electronics?

​@@theskoolielife thanks for replying to my comment. Yes I will be using the three bus batteries for my LED lighting. LED'S use such a tiny amount of energy. I will use the current coach lighting for inside lighting which are mounted in a panel just above the windows. I plan on using a toggle switch for each lamp there is seven of them. I have a propane generator that will be mounted on the front of my flat nose bus in a carriage. It will supply AC current when I'm boondocking or dispersed camping. I have a 3.2 cubic double door fridge that I would use when in a park with amenities. Also I have a counter top oven, ice maker and microwave and another appliance I may not have in mind. I will have a miniature fridge ( ice chest type ) that runs off the bus batteries but usually when traveling. As for fans, I use open windows but I do have portable fans, and one window air conditioner that can be installed and removed easily when camping in the boondocks. My work is a slow work in progress at 81 years of age and working alone. I like keeping the work inside simple, convenient and comfortable, reducing excessive costs. Doing my own plumbing and electrical. I will have under floor black and gray water tanks, 30 gallon round tanks costing $15 each. These tanks are very durable. I will continue watching your videos for ideas. The school bus is one durable vehicle and will last a long time compared to the lavish and luxurious expensive motorhomes. Thanks again for reaching out to me. Makes me feel appreciated as a human being.

@alvisjenkins1305 mine us an inverter generator, which is quieter than most, and the enclosure I built has sound insulation. But because the enclosure is bolted to the bus body and bumper, sound from the generator is conducted into the living area. It's tolerable, but not something I'd want to hear constantly. I'm concerned that this may also be your experience. A reasonably sizes power station (eg from Jackery, Blue Yetti or Ecoflow) would give you a reserve of energy available when the generator is not running. It might allow you to run your fridge even when you camp without hookups. You could charge it with portable solar panels, or by the vehicle's alternator.

Thanks so much. A lot of work went into them.

I did take classes for the Z endorsement. It cost money. Learned a lot. The school handed out helpful written materials that went beyond the MTO handbook.The school was authorized to administer and grade the tests. The tests were both written and practical (conducted in the cab of an 18 wheeler tractor. I'm happy to discuss this more.

There are similarities for sure.

That heating element would be 220 volts, no?

@@theskoolielife you could use it either way 120 or 220. My generator provides both.

Thanks. While I didn't video it, we did visit the big spring. It was beautiful.

Thanks for those suggestions!

Thanks, Judy. You don't need a skoolie to attend these events. If your circumstances permit, consider coming with whatever you have.

Absolutely! I found 2024’s event on Facebook, so I don’t forget.

The organizers use Facebook to pull the event together. You might want to set up a free FB account to stay informed. I visited the FB page for Skoolie UP 2024 just now. It says the event is happening August 2-12 next summer. I think you'll enjoy it if you're able to make it.

Nice to see another Canadian doing the skoolie thing. There were very few Canadians at Skoolie UP this summer. It would be good to change that.

We drove to Michigan with two heavy ebikes on the bike rack. Went over some nasty bumps. The bikes were flailing around a lot, but the bike rack has remained intact. Locking the bikes down with straps and bungee cords helps.

Glad I could help. I've learned so much from other contributors.

I'd been wanting to build out a bus for decades, but had put it out of mind because it was so far fetched. Then circumstances aligned in a way to make it possible. Perhaps they will for you one day.

@@theskoolielife I’m glad you’re doing what you like. I’ll be watching your video and I like watching others that has other camper. Good luck maybe one day we could see each other on the road

Old ? I am 81 and a widower, and I'm converting a flat nose rear engine 2002 International bus to a fully self contained camper.

I'm old too but I bought a used school bus off of Facebook Marketplace and I'm in the conversion process to make it simple convenient and comfirtable, a fully self contained camper, a 35' rear engine bus..

Thanks. A project like this is non-stop problem solving.

Hi Billy: I'm happy to share the vendor's contact info, but not in the comments section. Feel free to email me at David@TheSkoolieLife.com.

Oh, good. It's not just me:)

You can kinda see it in this video even though I don't specifically call it out. ruclips.net/video/a7ETML8wqmo/видео.htmlm34s

Thanks! That's helpful to know.

I see your point. If only the ground conductors were in the box, it might be acceptable to skip the door. But I've run both positive and negative conductors (thick as your thumb) into the box. If a piece of metal ever got in there and shorted them together, it would be quite the light show.

Thanks! I'm making steady progress.

Good luck on your search!

Do you mean with respect to parking the bus? No. I'm fortunate to have found a place to park it legally while I build it out. And the bus is properly registered, plated, and insured. What issues might the police have with a skoolie in Thorold?

You're most welcome. Are you planning something similar?

Thanks for those great ideas. It looks to me like the battery compartment on my bus would fit a third battery. I may get one. I'd love to add a battery tender, too, but I have no access to shore power where I park the bus. Do you have any experience with block heaters? With no shore power I couldn't keep one plugged in constantly. But I could power it with the generator for a while before trying to start the bus. Not sure how long "a while" would have to be, to make a difference.

@@theskoolielife Most of our buses have them, except the couple that came from Arizona which we added later. Definitely recommend them for cold starting. They work best if you can plug in 3-4 hours before starting. On my bus conversion (also an Arizona bus), I don't have the block heater installed yet, so I use a magnetic portable heating element block stuck to the oil pan for a few hours to help get things going. It's not as efficient as the block heater, but better than nothing.

@@thetslabus Thanks. Very helpful.

No. I've spent hundreds at the dealership diagnosing related electrical issues, and this one remained. I didn't fancy spending more on diagnosis, when this project offered three different benefits.

You're on to something. This vinyl doesn't shrink with heat (perhaps unfortunately.) but there are loads of videos showing how to relax wrinkles using e.g. an iron on low heat.

Thanks for your comments. My intuition is that there IS additional strength with additional thread length. Otherwise, why are couplers as long as they are? I have a rivnut kit. Perhaps they would have been strong enough. But I was concerned about the relatively thin aluminum they'd go through. The gap under the panels will create a lift force at highway speeds. My approach sandwiches the aluminum between pieces of 1/8" steel. I try to err on the side of over-building, especially in this case where a panel coming loose at highway speeds could kill others on the road. Speaking of erring, it was only last night that I saw a RUclips video that mentioned the importance of having all the panels on one plane, as the output will be no higher than that of the panels angled most poorly to the sun. I wish that had been part of the curriculum at RUclips University when I was preparing for this installation. I'm sure it won't be the last "oops" in this build. Thanks for raising the issue.