I think by this point in #vanlife‘s jarring popularity, most folks are aware that living in a van isn’t always opening the back doors to a killer mountain view or half-heartedly playing the ukulele beside your supermodel girlfriend while she slices an avocado for your breakfast on the beach. There are a ton of extra daily hurdles that you just don’t have to deal with when living in an apartment and even though we love it, it undoubtedly is not for everyone.

Long time no talk! For those that didn’t know, we decided to rent an apartment on a short-term lease for the winter this year. Although making the return to being slaves to rent goes against everything we’ve worked toward over the past 2+ years, we made this somewhat reluctant decision for a couple of different reasons.

Initially, we considered spending the winter in Mexico but Pierogi (our pupperino) doesn’t do well in the heat and we didn’t have the time or resources to figure out an air conditioning solution. So, we figured it would be best to stay in Canada again – that way we have the freedom to travel into the states this summer without worrying about maxing out our visas. Last winter, we settled into the warmest year-round place in Canada: Vancouver Island. It was fantastic until February hit and we were stuck spending our nights at truck stops and rest areas because most of the forest roads were inaccessible with the heavy dumps of wet snow. Although the worst of the winter had blown over by mid-March, that month and a half of unpleasant conditions were enough to make living in a metal box outside not the most comfortable. Not to mention the mould….lots and lots of mould.

Anyway, with our options limited, we decided that hunkering down in an apartment for a little while would be a good opportunity to save up some money and not have to worry about things like heat and water. We settled on Calgary because we knew we had to be here for the Christmas holidays and it’s a very affordable place to live. We signed a 6-month lease, wrangled a ton of free furniture from Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji and moved on in.

Now that our six months are coming to a close, we’ve reflected on what we’ve enjoyed about being in an apartment and what we really miss about being in the van. So, behold our personal list of pros and cons of van vs. apartment living.

VAN

Pros

• No rent – This one is obvious. When you’re in the van, you can spend as much or as little as you need to on gas based on how much travelling you plan to do. All your annual fees coming due in the same month? No big deal, just stay stationary for a little while.
• Flexibility – Storm coming? Annoying neighbours nearby? Move on! In a van, you have the flexibility to chase the sun, follow a touring band or hit up every National Park; you’re not tied to any one place (that is, assuming your work allows for it).
• Owning your own home – When you live in a van you’re not subject to any landlord or building rules to hold you back from painting all of your walls pink if you so choose. You also have all of your possessions with you all the time and going on a road trip without having to worry about packing a bag is pretty great. Also, road snacks when you have a proper fridge and stove are always that much better.
• Living outdoors – A lot of people always ask us, “how do you survive in such a small space?” The truth is, we spend way more time outside than we do in the van. Depending on the weather, it would be more accurate to say that we live outdoors and sleep in a van. In any case, we don’t really need to tell you how spending time in nature is a positive thing, but we will say that when friends come to visit, it’s a lot more memorable to drive to a mountaintop and camp than it is to sit on a couch and watch Netflix.

Cons

• The bathroom/shower situation – This is an obvious one. I don’t care how down to earth you are, most people would rather pee in a toilet than into a plastic jug. When you’re in the woods and can relieve yourself outside, it’s no big deal but when you’re trying to be stealthy in a parking lot and all the nearby shops are closed, say hello to the piss jug. We bought a portapotty when we first hit the road (and love it) but we reserve it only for #1 emergencies – #2’s can stay in a 6” deep hole outside or in public washrooms. The lack of a shower speaks for itself. Yes, we have a portable solar shower and no, it’s not the same.
• Keeping up on fuel and power levels – Running out of propane in the middle of the night and having your furnace click off is never fun. Having to run the van because your batteries are low and the sun hasn’t poked its head out in days is also not fun. We’re well aware that that’s the trade-off with off-grid living but it’s still nice to not have to think about those things when you’re on city power and water.
• Tight quarters – Your quality of life in a van is largely dependent on the weather. Life is always what you make of it but after a few consecutive days of rain when you’re stuck inside a 70 sq foot space, things can get a little tight. It’s human to need a bit of space or private time regardless of how close you are with your partner or travel buddy. We treat the driving area and the bed as two separate “rooms” and that usually works for us but keep in mind if someone farts in the next “room,” it doesn’t have very far to travel before it hits your nose.
• Inevitable mechanical issues – Shit happens. Stuff goes wrong in houses and vehicles but you’re a little more on edge when your vehicle is your home. We’ve been stuck in places we had no choice but to stay the night at because the van wouldn’t start. You don’t have a workshop or a garage to go to when you want to make upgrades or repairs so you’re sometimes living in an active worksite.
• Security – Although having everything you own with you is great when you’re in the van, when you leave the van for the day/night, it can be a little nerve-wracking. We’ve heard so many break-in stories where people snatch up expensive camera gear or laptops with a quick smash of the window.  It’s wise to have a bolted-down safe or some sort of security method along with keeping really important things like your passport and cash with you at all times.

APARTMENT

Pros

• Plumbing – Toilets, showers, hot water – you’ve got it all and you don’t even have to think about it! We’re never advocates of being wasteful with water but when it’s freezing out and you can fill up the bathtub or stand in a hot shower for a while, it’s pretty darn nice.
• Space – Even in a studio apartment, you have space to spread out and can achieve some division in your area. Everything in the van is multi-purpose, which is great for achieving a smaller footprint, but not having to constantly shuffle things around to make space for other things is definitely a perk. Admittedly, it’s been really nice having counter space and not having to play fridge Tetris every time we get groceries. Also, if I want to go to bed early and Justin’s still up, we can be in separate rooms and not disturb each other whereas, in the van, this would involve some climbing around and a definite need for headphones.
• Predictability – The “where are we sleeping tonight” thought can be exciting sometimes but a bit of a dread at other times. Knowing where you’re going to be sleeping every night is pretty nice and you never have to think twice about ordering pizza or Amazon packages. To this same point, you never have to worry about being stuck somewhere because your house won’t start.
• Ability to entertain – We’ve had plenty of friends over in the van but it’s obviously a lot easier to have people over for dinner or to host a party when you have the space for it. You can also cook stinky foods freely and not have to worry about being suffocated by the smell as you sleep. And you more than likely have an oven! Ovens rule – you can bake stuff or heat up a quick frozen pizza. If you’ve got a couch, you can even have people crash at your place, unlike the van where friends are more than welcome to stay in the guest house but that guest house is a tent.

Cons

• Rent – Duh. Paying rent sucks.
• Being stuck in one spot – Sure you can take weekend trips but for the most part, the place you live is the place you live. If that place is surrounded by cool stuff (like Campbell River), then it’s all gravy but in a place like Calgary, when it’s -30° out, you’re pretty stuck.
• Neighbours – We majorly miss the peace and quiet of being alone in the woods and not having to hear the people across the hall blast music at 3 AM. The noise doesn’t even bother us all that much compared to people’s disrespect for shared spaces; leaving stinky trash bags of kitty litter out in the hallway and vandalizing the elevator is just not cool.
• Having to rely on others – The more time we spend on the road, the more self-sufficient we get with repairs, maintenance, etc. Being in an apartment building means that we have to call a guy when our heat stops working or when the batteries die in the keyless door lock while we were out (yes, this happened and yes, we were locked out for a couple hours the day after Christmas). You also have no control over when they decide to test the fire alarms or shut the water off.

Conclusion

All in all, both dwellings have their pros and cons. The biggest takeaway I got from writing this is that many of the things we considered cons of the van can be fixable. We could install a hot water boiler and a pressurized shower. We could build in an oven. We could get a bigger van or upgrade to an RV or a schoolie to relieve the space issue. Ultimately, there is still plenty of room for improvement in our mobile-tiny-living-dream that involves striking a better balance of living modestly while still having modern conveniences. We love the freedom and flexibility we have in the van but at the end of the day, we still love pooping in a toilet. There are so many basic things that you take for granted while living in a house or apartment that we have a completely renewed appreciation for.

Staying in one spot for this long has definitely been tough in some (read: most) respects but it has also been helpful in others. Namely, we’ve been able to do some much-needed repairs and upgrades to the van that should allow us to hit the ground running once our lease is up (two more weeks – yay!!). Our plan is to head back to Vancouver Island from here to wait out the rest of the cooler months and then embark on a very special adventure after that. Let’s just say we’re heading to a very cool spot (pun intended) that’s been a long time coming…

Unlike many vanlifers these days with decked out Sprinters and high-end school buses, we bought an older van that was already converted. Wanting to spend more of our budget on travel than renovations, we kept the existing layout of the interior of the van and focused mainly on aesthetic upgrades like painting the cabinets and ripping out all of the god-awful green carpet trim.

You really can’t anticipate what you might need or want to do differently until you move in and start living. We’ve been quite lucky with how our van is set up because the flow really does work well for us. That being said, if we were to gut the inside and start fresh or begin with a blank canvas like an empty Sprinter, here’s a few things we’d change.

1. Have a designated sitting area that’s not the bed

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A post shared by Justin + Olivia (@genericvanlife) on Feb 14, 2018 at 8:57am PST

Our bed is super comfy and surrounded by windows that allow us to feel like we’re in a glass bubble even when we’re inside. It also doubles as a dinette in a classic RV style where the centre of the bed attaches to two metal poles to form a table and the header and footer of the bed become bench seats. In theory, this is an ideal set-up for making the most out of a multi-purpose space. In reality, we rarely ever make the bed into a table and just end up sitting on the bed to eat dinner, work on our laptops and just hangout. Especially being wintertime, we have so many layers of blankets on the bed that it can be a bit of a hassle to put them all away when we want to use the table. You can call us lazy but at the end of the day, we would really value having a bench seat of some sort to give us a place to sit and to not have to cram everyone onto our bed when we have friends over.

2. Insulate the floors properly

Although we didn’t build out our van from scratch, we did remove a lot of the existing finishes and kind of regret not completely tearing up the old floor to add a layer of insulation. In the interest of time and head space, we installed our faux wood floor directly on top of whatever thin wood was below the old carpet. Justin already can’t stand up in the van so losing another ½” in height in exchange for a warmer floor might be a worthy trade-off.

3. Have an overhead storage compartment over the driving area at the right height

Our overhead storage in the front is fantastic for storing our shoes, snacks and other quick-access items but has one major flaw: Justin can’t sit up completely straight while driving without bumping his head. Before you think we’re dummies for not measuring that properly, the shelf was already installed when we bought the van and is something we’re seriously considering raising up a couple of inches. Most people slouch a bit while driving anyway, but at 6’4”, sometimes you just need to stretch out your back.

4. Install an extraction fan

For anyone who’s gone down this road, you know the name Maxxair and you know their price tag. No, they’re not thousands of dollars but they’re not cheap (especially in Canada) and we’ve been putting off investing in one in a while. We might need to pick one up sooner rather than later because proper ventilation while cooking is pretty important and with the freedom to even use it in the rain, it would help a lot in getting the air in the van circulating and reducing condensation build up.

5. Have a slatted bed

Moisture is a huge issue we’re battling with now that the air is cooling and our breath isn’t. Every morning I tent up the bed cushions to allow some airflow under them since they quickly get damp from our body heat. It’s an inevitable problem that even million dollar RVs deal with that doesn’t seem to have a clear solution unless you have access to shore power to run a dehumidifier. If we had a slatted bed then at least the bottom of the mattress would get a chance to air out and (hopefully) not get as damp. Because our bed is also our table, we can’t really swap it out for slats unless we want to ditch the dinette system altogether.

Now for some of our favourite things…

Every home is a work in progress and the more new things you do, the more your needs may change – especially when you’re travelling from the dry deserts of Arizona to the damp rainforests of BC. Even though our van is constantly adapting with us, we have made a few small changes that have been huge upgrades:

Even after switching all of our light bulbs to LEDs, they were still consuming more power than we were comfortable with. Although fairy/string lights are usually just decorative, we decided to hard wire them directly into our battery and install a switch. They use little to no power and light up the entire van at once, all while looking magical!

Along the seam of where the metal body of our van meets the fiberglass high-top, we added some wood all the way around with white MDF trim to create a shallow shelf that’s perfect for storing things like cords and spice jars.

We opted for a peel-n-stick backsplash in “the kitchen” to make it easy to wipe clean while still giving 3D texture like real tiles. We didn’t want to fuss with grouting or the weight of real tiles so this made for a cheap and easy solution.

Securing things like our utensil jar and garbage can has helped to keep things tidy and not have to worry about things moving while we’re driving. We used to have magnets glued onto our counter top to secure the utensil jar but some of the dirt roads we travel on gave them a run for their money. Now we have a hose clamp screwed onto the side of our cabinet so everything we need is fastened and accessible while the counter top stays clean.

We think it would be really fun to start on a blank canvas after learning from the mistakes and design flaws we’ve already made. If you’re just getting started, the best advice we can give is to make small trips before your van is complete and test your plans before you set them in stone. Things can work great theoretically but you’ll never know how they’ll fare for you until you put them into practice…ahem, our dinette bed.

Have you made any small changes that made a world of a difference? Designed something that didn’t really work out? Let us know in the comments below and we can swap stories.

Today marks 1 year that we’ve been travelling full time! Technically, Clemie’s birthday has already passed but it was on December 7 2017 that we left Alberta and have been on the road ever since. We’ve driven through 3 countries and have put on 65 000 km (40, 400 miles)!

Check out this awesome little video that Justin put together to highlight some of our favourite memories from the past year. We’ve met so many amazing people, been to so many new places and tried so many cool things. Here’s to everyone who has shared in our journey with us and to another adventurous year!

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?WE’RE 1!!? Although we had been doing small trips in the van before, today marks one year since we’ve been travelling full time! We left Alberta on Dec 7/17 and have been to so many cool places since. Check out this little video of our year full of rad memories ?? 1 year/3 countries/65 000 km ?? Can’t wait to see where next year will take us! . . #vanlife #yearinreview #modernoutdoors #exploremore #natureisbeautiful #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifediaries #visualsofearth #visualsoflife #createexploretakeover #getoutstayout #artofvisuals #campingcollective #welivetoexplore #optoutside #campeveryday #lifeofadventure #stayandwander #folkgood #stayandwander #keepitwild #pnwonderland #greatnorthcollective #ourplanetdaily #forgeyourownpath #roamtheplanet #wildernessculture #homeiswhereyouparkit

A post shared by Justin + Olivia (@genericvanlife) on Dec 7, 2018 at 11:28am PST

Be sure to follow along on Instagram if you haven’t already!

Winter can be dreadful enough living in a regular sticks and bricks home, but when you live in a metal box outside, it poses a whole new set of challenges. In an attempt to make our van more comfortable for the season, we’ve done a few things to bring Clementine into winter mode. Have a look at our winter van life tips below and start getting cozy!

1. INSULATE. EVERYTHING.

Whether you built out your van yourself or bought an already converted van or RV, hopefully all of the walls, ceiling, floors, and doors have a layer of insulation behind them. Our van was already converted in the 80s so it has classic fiberglass insulation in the walls and doors but unfortunately lacks anything beneath the floor. If we were to have added this during our renovation process, we would have had to gut the whole thing. In the interest of time, we opted not to BUT wish we had done it in retrospect.

In any case, the biggest heat loss point is usually the windows. We made custom-fitted panels with Reflectix and scrap fabric to help offset this. Something super key about Reflectix that a lot of people overlook is that it needs a bit of airflow in order to function properly. That means that it’s beneficial to have small gaps around where the Reflectix meets your windows instead of trying to make them airtight — that’s how Reflectix works.

Another thing to consider is that the shiny silver bubble wrap showing in your windows from inside and out looks pretty ugly. It’s a win-win to cover these in fabric because it adds an additional layer of thickness, creates another layer of air space, and looks much neater. Don’t be scared off if you don’t know how to sew, you can make covers pretty easily with a good glue or double-sided tape.

Last thing to note is that it’s important to take these window inserts out for at least an hour or two every day. It’s inevitable to build condensation behind them that can eventually lead to mold and other issues you don’t want to deal with. Remember, insulation doesn’t just help with the cold – good insulation helps to keep your van cooler in the summer, and window inserts can be a huge relief on hot days where the sun is baking your windows full force. They also make pretty fantastic blackout curtains for when you want to sleep in or just be stealthy.

2. GET A PORTABLE DIESEL HEATER

Space heaters are great but draw A TON of power. Unless you’re at an RV Park with a 50A hookup, chances are that your batteries will only sustain you for a little while or you’ll be constantly tripping breakers. Even with a massive battery bank, power from solar – especially in the winter with fewer hours of daylight – just doesn’t cut it to run a space heater.

Wood stoves are awesome but can require a lot of planning to find the best location and sacrifice that space in your van even when it’s warm outside. If we were in a skoolie then I think a wood stove could be pretty sweet for heat and cooking but it’s just not feasible for our current van. A propane heater is a good solution for the sake of portability and longevity. Propane creates a ton of moisture. A dry fuel source, like diesel, is a much better option (see update below). Like most cold weather rated RVs, our van has a propane furnace built in. We also use propane for the stove and fridge and have to fill up about once a month (35L tank). We are lucky in respect to not having to install an additional heating system but our furnace draws a fair amount of battery power and isn’t in the greatest location.

Portable propane heaters, like the Buddy Heaters, are a decent solution for people who don’t have a furnace and only experience cold temperatures for a couple months of the year. Just like outdoor stoves, they hook up to the small green propane canisters that you can get pretty much anywhere. You can also buy an attachment to hook it up to a regular 30L BBQ tank if you’ve got the space. Although they are rated as safe for indoor use, always have a carbon monoxide detector when running propane appliances.

It’s also important to note that propane creates moisture as it combusts, which isn’t great in a small space. While other options that run off of gasoline or diesel exist, propane is generally the most economical. *2019 UPDATE: Goodbye propane and hello diesel! With the rise of more affordable options for diesel heaters coming from China (that perform just as well as expensive European ones), a diesel heater is the way to go. Dry heat, efficient fuel consumption, and reasonable power draw make Chinese diesel heaters the best option for vans and RVs. 

3. DIVIDE THE CAB FROM THE LIVING AREA

Some may have already done this for privacy, but adding a thick blackout curtain between your front driving area and your living area helps big time with keeping heat in and being stealthy. Even in newer vehicles, you’ve got some major heat loss points with the windshield and front doors. Creating a layer to separate this area helps to keep the heat from your heater where you need it. The blackout curtain also blocks light (hence the name) from the outside coming in and from the inside going out. When city camping on a residential street or even a Walmart parking lot, closing off your entire living area from your driving zone makes your van look like less of a home and more of a cargo van. Blackout curtains for van life are essential.

We used a thick black knit fabric for the side facing the driving area and doubled it up with a patterned fabric for our view from inside. We added screw-in snaps to the ceiling so we can easily attach and detach the curtain and store it folded. You could also put in a curtain rod or use hooks and sash wire if you’ve got the space to tuck the curtain away when you’re not using it.

4. COMBAT MOISTURE

If you, like most people, spend your whole day breathing, then you’re bound to build up a lot of condensation during times of cooler weather. Whenever you breathe and see your breath, that’s all the moisture you’re visibly releasing into the air. After a cold night’s sleep, chances are you’ll find your windows fogged up the next morning. Seeing as there’s nothing you can really do to stop this unless you find some magical way to never exhale, all you can do is find ways to help absorb the existing moisture in the air. This is especially problematic when using propane heat.

Your classic solution is a dehumidifier. Similar to a space heater, these are great in regular homes but aren’t as viable in vans because a good one will take up a lot of space and draw a lot of power. They do sell battery operated ones and 12V options but they don’t seem to perform as well as traditional units.

Unfortunately, the only route we’ve been able to take are dehumidifying beads that work like the silica gel packets you find in the box when you buy new shoes. The beads expand as they absorb moisture and need to be replaced once they’ve expanded fully and discharged all their juice. You’ll notice that liquid will start to collect in the bottom of the container just like a dehumidifier fills up with water. It’s not an instant fix but the beads are inexpensive and it doesn’t take any power or batteries to work.

Air flow is also another important factor in reducing condensation. Don’t think that you need to have your windows open when it’s -20, but a slight crack in the window really helps. This allows the moist air to escape and not build up on your windows or surfaces.   

Side note: We’ve also heard great things about the Eva-Dry dehumidifiers but haven’t gotten a chance to try one for ourselves. Apparently activated charcoal or road salt are also moisture absorbing options that we also haven’t tried.

5. GET A HEATED BLANKET

Heated blankets just feel downright cozy. If you’re not in the coldest of places then along with proper insulation, a heated blanket could be your ticket. Obviously the hotter the blanket, the more power it will draw but there are plenty of options on Amazon for low voltage blankets or battery-operated heating pads that’ll help to give you that extra bit of warmth while you sleep or just hangout.

If you don’t want to go the heated blanket route, then be sure to buy the right fabrics for maximum toastiness. Wool is definitely the best bet because it has lots of air space between the fibres that circulate warm air close to your body. Plus, Pendleton blankets definitely don’t look too shabby either. Naturally, wool can be expensive so anything fuzzy or fluffy will also do a good job at trapping warm air – hence why down blankets work so well.

Stay away from synthetic materials like acrylic and polyester because they’re less durable and don’t insulate as well. Here’s a very simple comparison of natural vs synthetic fibres. If you’re into it, a really good sleeping bag could be your best friend but we’re more comfortable with blankets that aren’t so noisy. Additionally, packing some hot water bottles around your bed could make for an inexpensive “rechargeable” heated blanket.

6. WRAP YOUR PIPES

If all of your plumbing and water tanks are inside of your van, then it’s technically winterized. Assuming you’ll keep your living areas warm for sleeping and hanging out, your tanks and pipes should all be fine and not freeze. If like many RVs, your pipes are outside, you may need to wrap them to insulate and prevent freezing. If you have a steady supply of power, you can also string in a trace heating cable to really keep ’em toasty.

Full winterization would include draining all of your tanks and hot water heater and putting antifreeze in your lines and using fresh water from a jug…but that kind of sucks. If you’re stationary and have electricity in an RV park or campground, you might even opt for putting a small space heater next to your tanks to prevent them from freezing. Justin’s mom lives in a fifth wheel in Calgary, Alberta, where winters are usually below -30°C (-22°F) so they have a space heater under their kitchen sink and above their tanks. Not ideal but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

7. SKIRTING

Skirting isn’t something that we personally do but if you’re stationary then this can help a ton. Whether you get custom skirting, use tarp-like material, or use insulation board, this helps to prevent cold air from travelling under your van or RV. This can help keep your floor a bit warmer and protect the underbelly of your rig – especially if your pipes and tanks are outdoors. Also, if you’re in an area that gets snow, this helps to keep snow away from under your vehicle.

VAN LIFE WINTERIZATION SHOPPING LIST

You can get pretty much everything you need to warm up your van on Amazon or at Home Depot:

Reflectix – 24″ x 50′ roll
Diesel Heater – 12V 5 kW
Blackout Curtain – You can buy pre-made thermal-lined curtains if you don’t want to make one yourself
DampRid Dehumidifier or Eva-Dry Dehumidifier
Low Voltage Heated Blanket – 50″ x 60″
Pendleton Wool Blanket – 64″ x 80″ (lots of different patterns but I particularly love this one)
Hot Water Bottles – 2L bottle with knit cover
Pipe Insulation – this one is 5/8″ thick but base the thickness on how cold it is where you live
Antifreeze – if you’re fully winterizing your pipes

Wishing everyone the coziest of winters and hoping these tips will help a few folks realize that winter van life is possible! Got your own insider tricks? Leave a comment below!

Check out Part II for our post-winter update. We reflect on which winter van life tips worked best and have added some new ones along the way.

If you’re working while living on the road, you know that electricity is essential to keep your devices charged. Even if you’re just enjoying a quiet weekend in the woods, it’s nice to be able to have access to power without having to run a noisy generator. The answer? Solar power. Putting a campervan solar system into play can seem intimidating and costly but at the end of the day, it’s a worthy one-time investment.

Take, for example, our routine when we first started out. Working long days Tuesday-Thursday meant that we had to pay for a campsite or RV Park in order to plug-in. Sure, you can camp out at coffee shops and other places with wifi, but that only really works when you’re around a city.

This meant that we were essentially paying over $100/week as our “power bill.” This got old real quick and defeated the purpose of us moving out of our apartment to get away from the bills in the first place. So we spent a while researching which components would work best for us and got the wheels turning on our van life solar system.

FULL DISCLOSURE: We are not electricians by any stretch. We had enough research and experience in our holsters to put an electrical system into place that works great and cuts our costs down immensely.    

Solar Panels

For our system, we are using a 150 watt monocrystalline solar panel from Renogy (**we added a second one later on so the wiring diagram shows the two solar panels. See updates below). In a nutshell, polycrystalline is cheaper but monocrystalline is more efficient.

We opted for this one mainly because it’s square so it fits nicely within our roof rack. The best solar panels are those that satisfy your power and space requirements. Also, rigid solar panels are generally more durable than flexible solar panels. We’d advise to only use a flexible solar panel if you absolutely need to. Learn more about the differences here.

We’re fairly light power users so 150 watts is sufficient for us, but take some time to pay attention to how much power you actually consume in a day. Take note of the wattage rating on your appliances too—you’d be surprised how much power some small appliances take. Use resources like Renogy’s calculator to help figure out how many solar panels you need. Getting the right solar panel array is a key component of your campervan solar system.

Wiring Solar Panels

Installing solar panels is a lot easier than you may think! The solar panel is hooked up using two MC4 connectors (wtf are those?! read this). These join the positive and the negative 10 AWG wires that come already attached to the solar panel to the positive and negative 10 AWG wires that feed inside.

Home Depot has a handy guide for understanding wire thickness, or read more in-depth about it here.

As mentioned, we already had a roof rack so we just ran two sturdy metal beams across and used z-brackets to secure it on. Depending on what your roof’s shaped like, you can easily mount the z-brackets directly onto the roof as well. We drilled two holes in the corner of the roof and sealed on a little cable hub, called an entry gland, to feed the wires through while keeping it water-tight.

On the positive wire, we’ve used a 15 amp breaker but you can also use a standard fuse. The breakers are a little more expensive upfront but never need to be replaced. 

Charge Controller

The positive wire then attaches to our solar charge controller, which is a CTEK D250S Dual. This box is an MPPT charge controller that allows the battery to be charged by the solar panels and by the alternator while we’re driving—great on overcast days. CTEK is a Swedish company that makes some badass battery chargers for all kinds of different uses.

The negative wire is also attached to the negative terminal on the box. You can definitely opt for a much simpler and cheaper solar charge controller if you don’t plan to incorporate your alternator. That said, solar charge controllers are integral to a well-operating solar power system so be sure to still get something good quality. 

Side note: When we bought the van, we already had a 12V lead acid marine battery in the back that had a wire running directly from the alternator that would charge while we were driving. We didn’t want to cut this power source off so that’s when we discovered the CTEK solar charge controller. You could also install a DC to DC charger. 

Batteries

Next, a thicker 4 AWG positive wire runs from the CTEK charge controller to the positive battery terminal of the house battery. We’ve added a 20A breaker in between. A 4 AWG negative wire runs from the negative terminal of the CTEK charge controller to the negative battery terminal of the house battery.

We’re using the single 12V lead acid marine battery we already had but will eventually upgrade to two 6V batteries. When using multiple batteries, understand series and parallel wiring.

Your battery will probably be the most expensive component of your camper van solar setup so picking the right battery is essential. Determining how much battery capacity you need is based on how much power you’ll go through between full charges. To prolong the life of your batteries, you never want your battery bank to dip below 50%. So, it’s best to overestimate your solar energy needs to have extra power instead of scraping by.

The CTEK box is also equipped with a temperature sensor that sits on top of the battery to maintain an optimal charge.

Inverter

The house battery feeds a couple of different things. First, a separate positive and negative 4 AWG wire runs from the battery to the 1000w pure sine wave inverter, also from Renogy. This is probably the most important area to study before you buy. Understanding the amount of power that your household items use when they first start up versus when they’ve been on for a few minutes is key.

Take some time to understand surge power and sine waves to figure out how hefty of an inverter you’ll need. With a 150A breaker on the positive wire, the inverter converts the DC power coming off the battery into the AC power required for household appliances. You can plug stuff in directly to the inverter or run an extension cord, like we did. When shopping for inverters, read lots of customer reviews because the fan in many cheaper inverters can be incredibly noisy. It’s not an area you want to cheap out on.

Fuses

Next, a 10 AWG positive wire with a 30A breaker runs to our fuse box, where the fuses for all of our DC-powered appliances live. For us, that’s the fridge, lights, and furnace. Again, this was part of our existing rudimentary system when the alternator was hooked up directly to the house battery so that’s why the fuses are the old school glass ones. We recommend a fuse box like this as the hub of your electrical system.

Grounding

Also, there’s a negative 10 AWG wire running from the negative terminal of the house battery to an earthing point to ground the circuit. In our van, this is a big metal bolt that goes into the van’s body. Be sure to choose an unpainted area for grounding.

Alternator Tie-In

On the final mount of the CTEK charge controller, a positive 10 AWG wire runs all the way to the alternator and starting battery in the front. Here, we’ve put a killswitch in between if we ever want to cut the power from the alternator and rely solely on the solar panels. And of course, there is the existing negative 10 AWG wire grounding the starting battery as well.

Battery Monitor

Finally, the battery also has thin 22 AWG positive and negative wires running to a battery capacity monitor that allow us to see the charge percentage and how many volts it’s getting. Like we said above, you want to avoid letting your battery bank dip below 50% at all costs.

SO HOW MUCH DOES A VAN SOLAR SYSTEM COST?

Renogy 150W Monocrystalline Solar Panel* – we paid $200 *Boo, Renogy no longer makes this solar panel but this is basically the same one

Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter – we paid $180 BUT we bought ours refurbished directly from Renogy. A new one will set you back $270

CTEK D250S Dual (MPPT charge controller) – we paid $283

Battery – “free” because we already had one but expect to pay $300-500. This is the one we’re lusting over. **New battery update below

Wiring – we paid $70 (we bought the linked product from Amazon and got the rest bulk at Home Depot)

Breakers – we paid for 4 @ $13 each = $52. Using regular fuses would definitely cost less but always have a few extra on hand.

Killswitch – we paid $14

Metal beams for mounting + hardware – we paid $32 (you’ll have to go to the hardware store for these)

Mounting Z-Brackets – we paid $10

Rooftop Double Cable Entry Gland with Sealant – we paid $20

Battery Monitor – we paid $15

Cable Organization (wall mounts to keep the wiring tidy) – we paid $7

Grand total: $883
*Note that this pricing is all in US dollars because we purchased everything in the US of A. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

We broke even in 6 weeks not having to pay for RV Parks. We now have so much more freedom to work from wherever we want to and not have to worry about reservations and fees thanks to solar energy!

Taking the time to thoroughly research which components fit your needs and budget is well worth it. Hopefully this helps anyone looking to add a solar system to your camper van or RV…it’s not as scary as it may seem!

Download our visual van solar system guide for a single solar panel here. Download the full-size version with two solar panels here.

Feel free to shoot us a message or leave a comment below if you have any further questions or need clarification on anything. This post is jam-packed with helpful links so click away!!

*DECEMBER 2018 UPDATE: NEW BATTERIES!

We finally bit the bullet and upgraded our battery bank! I wish we could say the whole thing still cost under $1000 but sadly, that is not true. Batteries ain’t cheap but they’re arguably the most important components to your solar setup (other than the solar panels, of course). After careful consideration, we opted for two 6V Trojan T-105 AGM batteries. Trojan batteries are the crème-de-la-crème and are a worthy investment if you depend on your battery bank as much as we do since we boondock 100% of the time. So why these particular ones?

Delaying our battery purchase allowed us plenty of time for research. We found that 6V batteries are said to discharge slightly slower than 12Vs. By having two 6V batteries connected in series, we’d have the correct voltage we need for our system (12V) while still maintaining the same capacity (217 AH).

Alternatively, we could have kept our existing set-up by opting for one single 12V battery or upgrading to two 12V batteries connected in parallel to double our capacity (i.e. 100 AH + 100 AH = 200 AH) while still maintaining the correct voltage.

Trojan’s Reliant line of AGM batteries are sealed and maintenance-free, meaning that we’re safe to keep them on their side without risking spillage as you would in a regular flooded battery. Finally, these AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries perform well in colder temperatures, unlike gel batteries which were our other option.

Here is a diagram of how our new battery bank is hooked up:

So far, we’re noticing a huge difference in battery life. With it being winter, this has been incredibly helpful in allowing us to run the furnace longer and use the lights since it sadly gets dark before 5PM. Even without much direct sunlight, our solar array is generating enough solar energy to stay in one spot for a couple of days.

If all this battery jargon is still a bit confusing, check out Trojan’s guide on where to get started when choosing the best battery for your needs. We bought our batteries at a battery store in Vancouver because we didn’t have an address to ship them to but they are available on Amazon as well.

So what’s our grand total at now?

We paid $884 CAD (including core charge + 12% BC tax) which is about $660 USD. This brings our grand total to $1543 USD. If you’re in America and can buy them on Amazon, it’ll set you back $476 for two, amounting to $1359 USD total.

*JUNE 2019 UPDATE: ADDING A SECOND MONOCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANEL FOR MORE SOLAR POWER!

After a very grey winter on Vancouver Island, we decided to add an additional 150w solar panel to the roof to maximize every bit of sun we get on overcast days. The wiring is super simple: the solar panels are connected in parallel, which gives us more amperage at the same voltage.

Once you have a second panel, all you need is a pair of MC4 branch connectors and some more 10 AWG solar wire with an MC4 connector on each end. You simply connect the positive wires from each solar panel into the female side of the positive branch connector and the negative wires from each solar panel into the male side of the negative branch connector. All of the van solar panels wires are now coming out of two central MC4 connectors.

Run the positive branch connector’s wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the negative branch connector’s wire to the negative terminal of the battery. That’s it!

Check out the wiring diagram below:

Unfortunately, Renogy doesn’t make their 150w panel anymore so we bought this Dokio panel from Amazon that ended up being virtually the same. We paid $144. The MC4 branch connectors were a whopping $7 and 10ft of MC4-clad solar wire set us back 20 bucks. With an additional set of mounting brackets at $9, this second solar panel addition cost us $180 USD.

This brings our grand total to $1,723 USD but it would only be $1,539 if we could have purchased the batteries in the States.

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