Bonus: What STOPPED vanlife in its tracks? Behind the scenes look...
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2021
- I DIY'ed the whole build. If I can do it, YOU can do it!
If you'd like to buy me a coffee, THANKS! Hit this link: ko-fi.com/lesliekalk
Here's some of the stuff I used to make the van a camper. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no cost to you:
Square perforated tubing for roof crossbars:
flex-craft.com/
Roof basket:
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Tarp poles:
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Sewing machine:
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Roof rails:
Get the OEM - Original Equipment Manufactured - roof rails:
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Roof cross bars:
flex-craft.com/
Motion activated light:
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Collapsible crate:
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Telescoping table leg:
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Table Support Channel and Slide:
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Rechargeable fan:
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Igloo cooler:
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3-drawer unit in pantry:
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Collapsible bucket:
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Disposable "toilet" bags:
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Mattress:
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Mattress fabric (Looks like the design I ordered was discontinued. But I LOVE this one):
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Zippers for mattress covers:
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Lantern that's crushable, USB chargeable and SOLAR chargeable:
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Toiletry travel bag (Hubby loves this!):
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Quick Dry towel (Another of Hubby's faves):
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Watch Next! >> FULL TOUR of my Minivan Camper: ruclips.net/video/FsCz8USgvJg/видео.html and What I ELIMINATED after living full time in the Minivan: ruclips.net/video/in8H_ilCQPw/видео.html
It's good to be flexible when doing RV life and to say "Everything for a reason." Looking forward to watching how you "mini-van" camp.
Good choice. Pro Tip: Of you don’t already have one, get a small, portable steamer ($40. Amazon). Cleaning nooks and crannies (toilet seat bolts!), baseboards, appliances, tile, shower door tracks; the possibilities are endless.
I mention this because you may not need to touch up the baseboards and cleaning them with a rag and cleaner is tedious as hell. The steamer will clean and sterilize most surfaces WITHOUT CHEMICALS!
Anyway, hope they finish construction soon and I look forward to your next video. 🌿
That's a good idea, Hope. Thanks!
Leslie, I fully understand your decisions to not market your house under these conditions and I support your plans while construction is in play. The heat and humidity must be overwhelming! I'm in New Mexico, so we definitely get hot, but are spared the humidity levels in your neck of the woods. I had to laugh when you mentioned rotting mangoes on the sidewalks. Take care.
Hi Young, Thanks for the supportive words 😄 Yes, the mango struggle is real!!
When my street was under similar construction, I just left my truck at home and rode my dual sport bike everyday...occasionally having to drive up onto sidewalks and neighbouring lawns. It's a light bike so there was no damage.
"We don't want to...attract too low end of a market" As someone who is currently trying to evict defaulting tenants on one of my rentals...YES, it makes perfect sense.
😯🙄Oh no, JW!! Sorry to hear that. We own a long-term rental and so far haven't had to go down that road, fingers crossed. I wish you a lot of luck and speedy resolution.
Exactly! I'd want my money back if I showed up somewhere and it looked like that! 👍👍
I know, can you imagine? Arriving after travelling all day with kids? And maybe dogs? Driving over a dirt road to get to your B&B. All you want is a warm shower... oh NO!! No water. LOL!!
@@TheVanThatGotAway Exactly! "I paid money for this?!?" Lol!
I retired from a career in heavy construction management and inspection. It always amazed me that people that were fortunate enough to get a project would then complain about the inconvenience. You are smart not to rent your home during this time. We have only visited Florida once during the "season" because hostel and hotel coast are so high, but I found a an Art Deco hotel in South Beach that was wonderful about 5 years ago. We stayed at for 3 nights before a 3 day cruise. I liked the hotel stay more than the cruise. The reason it was a bargain was the ratings were low. There was construction near by so it got noisy early in the morning and through the day. Also there was no elevator or central air. It was a lovely hotel and the staff was great. We were out and about all day, so the noise didn't affect our stay. We also did not need an elevator or air conditioning. All the good reviews were in Spanish or Portuguese. It was great to meet all the wonderful travelers from south America too. Thank you for taking the time to produce this video. I hope the construction project stays on schedule and is complete on your block soon. I look forward to your continued travels. Safe travels.
Anita, you will understand, then, my total fascination with this road project. The hubby teases me but I can't help taking multiple trips up and down the block to check out all the progress! I even researched the different types of hydrants, LOL!!! Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciate you being here!
@@TheVanThatGotAway my husband jokes, you are always critiquing infrastructure were ever we go. He's right, but I try not to say anything out loud. Some habits are hard to break. Most people have no idea what goes into keeping the water flowing, trash picked up, waist water going away and their lights on. I'm so glad I don't have to climb down into manholes and under ground vaults anymore with 20 pounds of safety equipment on me. It did keep me reasonably fit though.
I think you mentioned having been in the hospitality business before you began traveling, and I can see that you know your "stuff". If you were to try to rent out your home at this time, I would probably have to say, "Good luck", because I doubt many would want to rent even for a week under all the road construction going on. So yeah, you're smart to do what you are doing. A couple of small trips can keep you going, but in the meantime, don't think just because you began your channel building your van and traveling that we aren't interested in seeing other things. You could show us the work you'll be doing on your house. You could also do some cooking if you're a good cook and let us see some of the dinners you're preparing for you & hubby. Women love new recipes! You could also let us shop with you as you prepare to hit the road.... what you buy, anything new you're getting for the van, and what about that shade canopy you were planning to reconstruct? People would enjoy seeing what you do with that, as you are doing it. Let me assure you that we all like to see you do the work, not just the results of the labor after it is all done. As smart as you are Leslie, I'll bet you can share a lot of things with us which everyone would really enjoy other than just traveling..... "if you're so inclined"! LOL (That's your trademark expression. Cute!) I'm assuming you must be near the ocean so why not just take an evening walk by the sea and show us that? And how about any parks and other things of interest around you? You don't have to go a thousand miles away to find things which are interesting to us..... Just give it some tho't and take your phone with you to record some videos! Thanks for sharing with us and letting us know what is going on!
Pat, Thank you for that very well thought-out comment. I appreciate your encouragement, as we all need a little of that once in a while, right? This is great feedback, as I'm trying to balance the idea of sharing the van build with other parts of my life that might be interesting to the group of kind people who follow my shenanigans. Thanks for being here and thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights. I really appreciate you!
Oh man...what a mess!!! Well, it sounds like you have a good plan, and hopefully everything will be done sooner than later, and just in time for fall travel...aka cooler weather!
Hi Alis, I hope so too. Also, holding out for "sooner" LOL!!
It is the right thing to stay home, you need to be there during this major project in the neighborhood. The road can wait, it’s not going anywhere!😁
Hi PJ, You're so right! We'll be back soon with a rental that's more popular than ever 😄
Hi Leslie!, Wow! That’s a mess right??!! At least when it’s all done, hopefully there will be no need for any type of that mess going on again any time soon. Whew. When we owned our motel in Nevada (we live in Utah now), we had a pipe problem and they had to dig up part of our parking lot. Of course it took longer than it was originally proposed it would take. Doesn’t it always? But yeah, things like that can be a real aggravation and necessary inconvenience. Things like that have to get done sometime. And that time is NEVER a good time. For any one. Hang in there! This too shall pass!! See ya sweetie. ❤️💜💚
Hi Paige, Thanks for the good wishes. I keep sending out good vibes to the crew, hoping they won't park the porta-potty in front of our house, LOL!!
Good luck. You had no idea this was coming?
HI BMC! We knew it was imminent but weren't sure of the timing. The county said "starting in April" but they didn't start til May, so you know how that goes. We also hoped there'd be a window where it wouldn't be too intrusive so we could continue the rentals, but it's been too tricky to figure that out. Blah!
Also, thanks for the good wishes 😀
@@TheVanThatGotAway Thx for response. That's a big project.
Hi, Leslie. One of your videos popped up in my recommended feed yesterday, and I've been binge-watching your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I have to ask about something that I see in all of these type videos: Why, after designing and building framework, bins, etc., does no one finish with some sanding and paint? Just curious.
Well Howdy TJ, Welcome aboard! It's so great to have you here. That's a good question, but I can only answer for myself. So I will!
There were parts of the build that I did finish with paint, like the pantry cabinet and the arch that goes behind the front seats. And the pantry counter was finished with a little polyurethane. But in terms of the shelves in the 3rd row window wells and the bed frame, although I did sand 'em good, I didn't see the point in painting.
I liked the look of the shelves as natural wood. And the bed frame doesn't make enough of a visual impact to be painted. I wondered about protecting ALL the wood from any moisture, so I checked in with one of my heroes, Eric Enjoys Earth, whose build design was a major influence. He said he didn't polyurethane any wood to keep down potential fumes, so I followed his lead. No issues so far!
Does this help address your queries? Thanks for asking.
Wow, all of your decisions to not rent, lower your rental price, stay close to home all make sense IMO. I just think it sucks that construction took place during peek season (I’m not sure how far behind you post videos).
Omg, Esther! This is actually not peak rental season for us, the big market here is January to March. So it IS a bit of a blessing that this big ol' mess is happening now. Gotta find the silver lining, right?😄
@@TheVanThatGotAway wow, ok. Now, that changes everything! 🤣🤣
Thank goodness, yes! 😊
Quite an extensive project and road construction. Here in Wisconsin we have 2 seaons winter and roadwork. Roadwork has been mainly highways as most cities cannot afford to fix their roads. Although plans are in place to raise some funding. I can obviously see why you are temporarily suspending any long camper van trips. Short ones can be fun though right. It also as you said gives you an opportunity to spruce things up. Good luck in any case. Still a beautiful place there in your lanai from what I can see. But yeah rotting fruit is not fun. Smell, bugs, visual...yuck.
Hi Jo, LOL!!! Winter and Roadwork! That's funny. Thanks for the good wishes.