Camper Conversion, What to Know Before You Go

Loads of lessons. That’s what we’ve learned on our first several months on the road. Some of the lessons we’ve learned have been easy, but others have been downright shitty and often expensive. We didn’t presume that this camper conversion would be simple or cheap, but some of these lessons should be passed along so that other adventurers can learn from our trials. 

1. Older Vehicles May Fall Apart Need Repairs

Stuff went wrong on our two week shakedown trip and we try our best to make repairs

While we would have loved to purchase a brand new and ultra reliable vehicle, it just wasn’t in the budget as Bitcoin never hit $500k and we aren’t suddenly millionaires. Damn. We had a list of must haves, diesel engine, under 150k, shuttle bus, sex appeal, and so on, which meant our hunt for a decent and well maintained older bus wasn’t easy. We finally found Onward in Jefferson City, 6 hours away from where we live in Oklahoma, and snatched her up.

However thoroughly we presumed to have checked her over before buying her, she still ended up having loads of little/not so little problems show themselves the more we drove her which were quite costly. The coolant hose was broken, the tires needed changing, and the turbo went out along our shakedown trip. Double damn.

That being said, even with all the repairs, maintenance, and build costs, we still have paid far less than a sprinter van + build. Is our bus perfect? Psssh, no. But every vehicle has it’s downfalls, so keep this one in mind.

Read More: Our New Home on Wheels

2. Squeaks and Creaks, the Ballad of Road Noise

We drive about 5-10 mph down washboard roads. This makes it easy to jump out for picture opportunities and then hop right back on!

Our biggest problem on the road is all the noise that our not-so-brand-new bus likes to make. You will constantly be trying to find whatever the cause of the sound is. This is basically passenger’s part time job. Other jobs include serving the driver food and drink, navigating road maps when your GPS fails, disc jockeying throwback tunes of the 90’s, and spotter of wildlife. Try not to stress out too much as these squeaking and creaking noises are normal and WILL happen. Tell yourself that at least.

3. Your DIY Furniture WILL Have Issues

Yup, definitely DIY

Another huge problem we have on the road is all the shifting our furniture and cabinetry does due to crappy roads throughout America. Seriously, washboard roads are the norm for most of the free campsites you’ll be staying at while on the road. Large vehicles shake, a lot, and it does a number on your build. Our furniture has so far lost a lot of the caulking, shifted boards and cabinet doors, and warped our not so sturdy last minute overhead shelving… so bear that in mind and look into buying supplies specifically for RVs that will flex and move with the bumpy ride.

Read More: Buying a DIY Camper

4. Weather, the Road Trip Wild Card

Condensation, camper conversion enemy #1

Weather has also taken it’s toll on us. Unless you have a generator, A/C unit, and heater, you are going to be dealing with whatever weather Mother Nature throws your way. It’s like her way of testing your tenacity. We have windows that open and allow cross breezes through in the summer and a Mr. Heater Buddy / window covers that insulate us in the colder months. However, when the desert was so hot it could fry and egg inside a chicken, the adhesive glue that we thought was such a good idea to use were useless (liquid nails and sticky velcro included). The cold weather has so far only resulted in a little condensation on the outside of the bus, but a real threat is mold. Do your research before you build so you aren’t dealing with these issues later on like we did. Then again, prepare all you want, but nature is still going to kick you in the ass.

5. But, Where Will I Stay?

Every once in the while, the side of a road will do for a quick campsite

Many in the van life community are living right in the city, parked stealthily on an unassuming street. We didn’t exactly choose the most subtle vehicle on the planet, so we generally try to stay out of the cities unless we know someone there who’ll let us guilt trip them into park at their home in the driveway.

This leaves the question, where will you stay? There are plenty of free campsites across the states is you are on a budget like us. Most nationals forests and public lands have free places to stay, so check those out if you are into primitive camping (ie: digging a hole to poop, bathing outside, and sometimes grizzly bears). If you need more amenities and less bears, there are loads of KOAs and other paid RV / tent camping that offer showers and even laundry facilities. Or just pull into their parking lots and pay to use the showers and laundry for less than an eighth of the cost!

Read More: Ultimate Guide to Overnight Parking

6. Never Enough Storage For All Your Crap Super Important Gear

Storage disguised as a couch

No matter how big your rig is, storage will never be enough! We bought this bus for it’s size, mostly so we wouldn’t be crawling over each other in a too small, but super sweet, Astro Van or the even more trendy Westfalia. We thought our spacious 155 square footage would be sufficient for the two of us and maybe a third tag along friend, but it still gets a bit tight when trying to cram all our gear and seasonal clothing into every available inch of room under our benches. We recently changed some of the overhead storage for enclosed cabinetry.

Food storage is another problem, especially when we head out of the cities for more than a week and really need a well stocked kitchen to tie us over until the next time we come back to town. Before you build, really research the best storage solutions for your camper conversion. Maybe forego the couch bench for a wall of shelving or second closet?! Now there’s a good idea.

Read More: Our Conversion Common Questions

7. Remote Locations, No Signal.

Sometimes, no Wi-Fi is perfect. Two weeks with no Wi-Fi, people start thinking you probably died

We have to plan out our routes much more carefully in order to regularly still work online from time to time. My mom also gets worried when she doesn’t hear from me in several days, sorry Mom. Check how much nation wide coverage your cell provider gets to see if it is the best possible choice for you. We chose AT&T and then went to the NW where most towers are for Verizon. Clever. We also check out the campsites beforehand for the best possible signal, if there is any. Another idea is to make routine stops in cities to resupply, do laundry, and grab/steal some internet. If this still isn’t enough for you, a signal booster is a costly, but effective way to keep connected while traveling cross country.

8. Must Have: Alternative Transit

Wanna stare off into the sunset with our bikes? Sure!