I bought a VAN! | Converting my Ford Transit into a Camper Van (no experience and on a budget!)
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- ☕ www.buymeacoff...
I’ve dreamed of owning my own camper van for years and in July of 2024 I found ‘the one’ without even really looking for it. Come along for a bit of a different adventure: converting a 2013 Ford Transit into ‘Reggie’, my camper van and new adventure buddy.
Mind you, this is not the most aesthetic van build and not a tutorial. I didn’t knew anything about building a van and was on a very tight budget, so it’s far from perfect or ‘instagramable’.
But I’ve worked very hard for it and it’s cozy and I’m very happy to have it as a ‘home base’ in between my hikes. And I’ve learned so much from this project - practical things like connecting a car battery and other very useful things….
Happy Hiking and lots of love,
Elli and Otto 🐕🦺
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Wow, that was unexpected, but interesting - nice job. Top tip though - instead of Heinz baked beans, try Branston baked beans - the sauce is tastier and a little thicker 👍
Ohhh, I've never noticed them in a shop 😊 But will try them next time, thank you 😊🥰
Noooooo!!!....Heinz are the ONLY beans to buy!!
Branston baked beans gets my vote 😊
@ I used to think that too for many years, then tried Branston and have never gone back.
Branston beans 100% 😊
Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate you following along 😊 I think we payed around 3k for the conversion. About 1.5k of that for the electrical setup (only 12V, not 230V therefore less expensive). But that was only possible because the previous owner had basically all the parts like a 2nd battery, wires, charging booster that he gave us with the van. So we 'only' payed for a solar panel and the company that installed everything using our parts that we had.... Then about 1.5k for the kitchen, cupboard, sink and the wood for the bed, bench, worktop, carpet,... the real work took about 2 weeks but with working over 12hrs every day and then a lot of time before to plan the layout, buy everything, etc. It was on my mind basically every day and every spare minute i had for at least 2 months... the wood is Paulownia, apparently the 'aluminum' of wood 😅. It's very lightweight and very resistant to moisture apparently 😊
Definitely cover as much exposed metal as possible as it attracts moisture especially in the winter .
Being practical, cost efficient and cozy is so much more important than being instagramable! Well done! I look forward to following more of your adventures!
Now you and Otto are set for the adventure of a lifetime. Best wishes.
Good job on turning van into a home base. As you say it may not be perfect but it's perfect for you and that's what matters. 💚
What a terrific achievement for you (and your father). Nothing stands in your way that you cannot sort out. Your van will become a real home-from-home for your and Otto. Well done.
Well done Elli you have done a fantastic job looks fab, you and Otto can have some great adventures together and I will look forward to to watching them,big thumbs up from me 👍👍
Oh well done you, finding a practical solution to keep you moving (literally moving!😉) Everything you need in what seems like a small space to me but must seem vast compared to your tent. Enjoy, and hi to Otto x
Wow.. love the van .. your so talented for getting all that done yourself. x
Hardly any talent there tbh 😅🫣 couldn't have done it without my dad 🥰
I'm a new subscriber to your channel and really enjoy watching you treks along with Otto (who makes me chuckle). The van is a great idea to help manage with costs & give you freedom of movement. Many happy adventures which we can follow, especially those in Scotland which remind me of holidays in the early 70's with my long deceased parents (my asthma rather restricts me these days but all is good as long as Otto is happy🙂)
Hey Elli congrat's look's ace! Otto will love some sleeps on that bed! You've done a great job in such a short time, had to smile at the Yorkshire tea, good standards lol. Welcome to vanlife, hope you, Otto and your partner when present have some great times in her. Vanlife has its up and down's but yea vital for a mobile base. Oh and your dad's man cave shed is one hell of a workshop too, bet he enjoyed helping your project a little.
One thing i may just recommend, and it really depends how you run your van and time of year re condensation, but i cannot recommend enough drilling a grid of circular holes under the mattress into the "garage part" as you can get condensation there pretty quickly resulting in mold on the underside of the mattress, this just allow's ventilation. I also found that building a wooden bulkhead behind seats into the back so that the thick insulated curtain can velcro to at the sides (i made one just with 2 standards curtains sewn together filled with insulation) makes a huge difference, its unreal how much heat is lost from the cabin part (also insulate the roof above the cabin helped) and will save you on the diesal costs required for the heater with is not tripping in as much.
Not sure what you went with for water storage inside etc - but even if just using a solar shower pack hung off the open door (or make your own using household kits etc) but being able to put a shower curtain across the back doors is really useful and a drop/roll down one one on the inside edge to not spash the bed/garage area. I mean alot of time super remote but its just sod's law dont have the curtain up when trying to shower and a driver comes past.
One other thing which may of may not be relevant, if you park alot on sides of mountains etc, for peace of mind i leave mine in reverse or 1st gear opposite to the slope direction just if the handbrake fails, yikes, only saying as you mention its your first van.
That’s the way to go Elli, there’s no stopping you now.
😊 thank you so much!
Well done Elli, practicality is way more important than instagram - it will make things so much easier for you between hikes :)
Yesss, I'm really looking forward to having my own "home" with me in between my hikes 🥰
This was a perfect video! I love that is was real life and NOT Instagram! You have some serious skills to take this on and you should feel really acompmished!!
I am looking forward to this new series...
We've just finished living full-time in our converted van after 4 years, travelling Europe (including Arctic Norway in autumn and winter), hiking, trail running, swimming and diving and it was the best time ever. All the best on your new adventure
Well done
Well done you have worked hard. looks stop on.
Great video Otto is Lovely 😍 ❤❤
Elli, great job! It's wonderful that you took a chance (yet again!), and strived to learn a lot of new skills and techniques. Your reward for taking that risk is that you now have a great little van for Otto and you to travel to your next adventure. You are an inspiration.
Wow you are really clever. Good idea and good job!👍🏻😊 Enjoy your travels 🤩
Cracking build Elli, enjoy 🙌🔥🙂
Hope you get many enjoyable trips out in the van Elli, do you need a job as an electrician, you did a good job with the lights.
I'm exhausted watching you being so industrious. My wife and I are now old, but we were really into motor caravanning in the 80s and 90s. It can be great fun and a joy to get away from day to day 'house' living. I'm not sure about Germany, but we found that in our era, France was the place to motor caravan in style. An excellent video, and I wish you luck in what you are planning.
It looks really cute ❤
That's a brilliant job Elli. Is there no limit to your talents. I'm so happy for Otto - no more freezing nights. The two sections of your video blend in perfectly A simple dehumidifier might be handy ! Sheffield South Yorkshire.
Hahaha, no talent at all when it comes to this 😅🫣 this was honestly so hard and time-consuming and I couldn't have done it without my dad and his advice 😅
the van is starting to look great.
Nice van
Fantastic well done - can hardly wait to see you travel around on your future adventures.
It looks great, function over aesthetics every time, you want to keep the van as light as possible or your fuel consumption will go through the roof. A little tip when using sealant, have a pot with slightly diluted washing up soap, and dip your finger in before smoothing off the sealant, you get a nice finish and it stops it going all over you.
I actually had a bucket with soapy water and used it, I think it's not really visible in the video :) thank you so much for the kind words and for following along 😊
@ ah, apologies then, i should have known that the research was done thoroughly by yourself, enjoy yourselves, cheers.
Toll, dein Projekt - wie du zusammen mit deinem Vater - den Ausbau vorangetrieben hast. Das Ergebnis kann sich sehen lassen.
Nun viel Spaß auf euren Reisen. 🥰🐕👍👍
Otto loves his bed looking out the back window, so he approves of the van build
It’s good to see you getting into van life, Elli. There is no single layout that works for everyone and everything you do in a van is a compromise. I think a fixed bed takes up a lot of room in a van the size of yours. I would have gone for something folding, personally. Looking forward to seeing more of the van on your channel. ATB, David.
Love the van well done 👏, I have a VW transporter which I converted myself.
Super video enjoyed the build would be far to afraid to take on the same myself. Added two new songs to my playlist from the first two time lapses, great choices!
I love your choice of music! ❤
Looks amazing Elli 😃... Looks like your going to have a fabulous time in your van 👌. Otto looks at home already bless him 🙏🐾💖🥰😘
Really nice Job. Viel Spaß noch
Well done Elli, the van looks great!
I'm excited for you, Elli. I had a camping van once and it was so nice to sleep dry inside while the thunderstorms poured outside. Happy adventures! Name suggestion: The Rolling Banana
I love the van 😍 I want one x
What a great project to work on, and the sense of achievement when it is all done is priceless.
Omg, that's so true!! It doesn't even look like much but it was soooo time-consuming 😅 especially in the beginning when you work all day and hardly see any progress 😅🫣
@@ellihikes The great thing is that it's your van, you did the work (with help) so it's personal to you. I'm sure you'll have many magical trips with Otto. You deserve this.
Wonderful, I would not even have the courage to do what you have done and Otto must be the perfect travelling companion!
Have you noticed that I'm a 'Reggie.' I was always called that when I was a young boy. These days, only one of my nieces calls me Reggie, everyone else calls me Reg. My mother used to call me Reginald when I did something wrong. When I heard her call out "'Reginald!" I knew that I was in trouble.
Looks fantastic! Better than those instagram ones for sure! Happy travels! 😃
Happiest of happy days to follow, what a brilliant idea 😊
Good decision, Otto will be so happy 😊 if I am younger, I probably would love to do it . Well done 👏 ❤
Absolutely luv this and well done for doing all this ❤
Wow it’s so amazing what you achieved with your van conversion it’s so impressive . I can see you will make good use of it on your travels also great for festivals too 😊 well done 👏👏
Great job Elli. Little Otto already looks settled in at the end. xx
Can’t wait to see you and Otto on your new adventures in your mobile home! A dream of mine and my husband’s to own one too one day ❤
Aww, thank you so much for the kind words ❤
Wow. Love it. I'm very envious and have watched a lot of videos on van conversions. Loved seeing Otto and he looked very at home on the bed.🥰 What was that tea? Especially for biscuit dunking? Have you tried the HP sauce on the beans on toast. Yummy. Happy travels. PS. Make sure you have a special hook for your car keys. x
Well done Elli! gave van envy
So exciting for you! This will be a game changer for you and Otto ❤🎉 I love what you've done. I much prefer individual vans, rather than Instagram over styled vans. It has character!
Congratulations Elli on your lovely new van Reggie ❤A new home on wheels and definite upgrade to your car which will make such a difference to the comfort and enjoyment of all your adventures. I’m so happy for you. I also want to buy my own van one day so was very interested and impressed to see you doing much of the conversion yourself. I will keep my eyes peeled for you on highways and byways of the UK. Happy travels 😊
I recognise that park up! There's a great walk around that moor. Loads of interesting shooting huts, memorials and reservoir workings! Although best avoided in shooting season, as I found out ☹️ . Hope you got to explore it 😊. Good job on the van too!
Great job! Now have fun!
Cool! I bought a VW Crafter last October to convert it into a Campervan. Still a lot of work to do, as it’s the first time for me too convert a van but I’m making slowly progress😅. First roadtrip planned for August/September to bonnie Scotland 🏴 together with my dog, Loki. Looking very much forward to this. Good luck with your project and I hope you and Otto will have some amazing trips together.
Great job on the van. Its looking cosy and will be perfect for your travels
Thank you so much for following along 😊🥰
Hi your doing a very good job on your new van 🚐
Wow amazing - you have done something that I have always wanted to do . Fantastic I hope you have some fabulous adventures in it!!! 😁
I always fancied a camper but I'm too poor to buy one and too lazy to convert one! Looks like you've got your mobile base well on the way to completion. Congratulations!
This is so cool Elli, congrats with the van built and looking forward to the adventures to come
Congrats on your van conversion Elli, looks great! Really practical, and comfy too which is important. I wonder how much the electrics and the heating cost to install?
Ho Elli. Doing a great job on the van so far. Don't worry about the Instagram looks, it's how you want it. I bet half of the Instagram crowd out there wouldn't know one end of a screw driver from the other! Little tip. Have a look at Allen's conversion of his VW Caddy on Bushman and Blue. He did a cracking job also on a bit of a budget. Cheers,Ozzy.
Fantastic Elli, congratulations! ....and look how many subscribers you have now! :)
Aww, thank you so much for the kind words! I knooow, these past few weeks have felt like a dream honestly, so happy with the channel ❤
Exciting ❤
Oh wow, I've been impressed with everything you've done so far but I'm really looking forward to this - Because I also want to do this. You are living my dream :)
Whoop!! Congratulations to you all, Elli! It makes so much sense ...now you have complete freedom 😁
I was hoping that it was your van when you launched it in the Spine Race vid.
It's great that your dad could teach you.
This looked like an attainable build for intelligent people with no skill, like me. It's nice to see true crafts people create incredible designs ...but it's unattainable for most of us.
If you don't mind, perhaps you could let us know the approximate costs and time taken.
Lovely wood - what type is it ?
Using fabrics to add colour is a good idea.
You can get special stick on catches to keep the cupboard doors closed when driving (perhaps they're childproof?) and there's stick on sound deadening material - if you have any metal still exposed.
I don't want to jinx it, but if you ever need a garage in the UK the Good Garage Scheme website is good.
Beans on toast is such a ridiculously simple and good meal - apparently the UK eats more than the rest of the world.
Amazing work, love it! =]
Love the van!
Such a great idea, to use a van, for your hikes and to keep yourself and Otto comfortable in between your adventures. I wish you so much fun days for the rest of 2025. M and L.
Thank you so much, Maria 🥰 I really appreciate you following along 😊
Fantastic job, well done :)
Cozy!
Good stuff Elli! I have a camper and wouldn't be without it now! 👍 I'm out in it now! 😅
It really is such a great way to travel, isn't it! 😊 thank you for following along :)
God created heaven and earth? And then there would be light. Amazing project Elli. When you are done with your jobs you can always come and help me in my woodworkingshop.
Try some brown sauce on your beans on toast.
The van looks great! Did you drill holes in the bed base? Other van travelers got mold on the bottom of their mattress because the bottom couldn't breathe
Hi Elli, just discovered your channel and loved catching up on your adventures especially with Otto along. Great to see you here just intrigued why you choose the UK over the many other options ?
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the kind words! I've answered this question in detail in my Q&A video a couple of weeks ago: ruclips.net/video/8iBsxX5kjUs/видео.htmlsi=mRXEUlDOYTgJy167
@@ellihikes Gotcha ! and you are quite right of course, climate and trails here are great for humans & dogs. Its fab seeing you here, especially in our own backyard of North Yorkshire.
Great job! What kind of insulation is that?
Thank you :) I've used Armacell
How do you keep your food?
Great video and a great self-build. It looks really good, well done. Happy adventures. Please can I ask where you got the table with the movable arm from?
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the kind words 😊 I found the table on amazon: amzn.to/40OSKv9
@ellihikes Thanks Elli 👍😃
Its hardly a suprise, hiking RUclipsr gets dog,then gets van,converts into camper and travels Europe,then buys run down cottage and piece of land 😀
Hahaha 😅 Otto came first though and I think I'm too much of a nomad for a cottage and my own land 😅😊
@ellihikes that's what they all say😅😅but you'll need a base eventually,the amount of van life RUclipsrs that have settled over here in the west coast of Ireland is unreal 😊