Empowering Freedom: A Tailored Van Setup for a Senior Woman

Van Verde | Self Built

I did my first DIY build in 2020 using things I already had.  

This is my 7th rendition – always perfecting and tweaking ‘her’

• I removed the 2nd row and rear-row seats from the vehicle. I donated the 2nd row seats to a local Mennonite family and they installed it in the rear of their horse-drawn buggy. 
• I have not altered the inside van shell of Van Verde, as it came from factory insulated and upholstered with insulated cloth headliner.
• 36”l x 18”d x38”h plastic shelving unit – from Canadian Tire
•  8”w x17” d x27”h narrow plastic four-drawer dresser – from Canadian Tire
• My bed base is an IKEA melamine cupboard door 24”x72”, trimmed to 64” size, and in 2 pieces so I can move it quickly by myself. The legs are 13”, allowing storage underneath and sitting comfortably. I am 5’2”, so I have enough headroom when seated.
• I am using 2 tri-fold mattresses but intend to switch to a full upholstery foam mattress – from JYSK
• I carry 3 boards of different sizes under my mattress. They are used as table tops on the bed or on a folding stool as an outside table beside my chair. The largest doubles as a surface for BBQ on the outside. They can also be stacked under my head if the van isn’t level enough to sleep.
• Running water is a 3-gallon jug with a pump that sits on the step of the slider passenger door. No water spillage inside; it runs out the door. – from Food Value 
• I have a small folding basin that I use for my personal washing – from Dollar Tree
• I use alcohol or vinegar and water in spray bottles for dishes and clean up as I use the items.
• THE LUGGABLE LOO – from Canadian Tire,  I always line it with two layers of plastic bags.
  • My DIY URINE-DIVERTING SYSTEM: a 1 kg jug that has an automotive funnel leading the liquids into it. I place the jug with lid on, in a waterproof bag and empty the contents in the toilet at restrooms.
  • FOR THE SOLIDS: a small plastic garbage can sits behind the liquid jug, covered with 2 layers of large dog poop bags, ½  a commode pad, do your business, add a sprinkle of poo powder, then tie it up and dispose of it in the garbage. I also carry a foldable travel diaper pail with smell-proof bags for boondocking and pack-in pack-out spots.
  • THE LUGGABLE LOO not only doubles as an extra seat, but I can also place a large tray on top, which becomes an extra cooking surface in Van Verde. I can cook beside my pop-out passenger slider door window, which provides ventilation for cooking smells.

Storage Inside Van Verde

• I have 6 flexible 14″ x14″ x14″ bins, -from Amazon, 4 on the shelving unit and 2 under my bed, giving access from the side. 
• My clothes are in secured folding bins on top of the shelving unit.  One for tops, another for bottoms, and a packing cube holds socks, bras & undies.
• My jackets, coats and sweaters hang on hooks on the side entry end of the shelving unit, while boots fit underneath on a locker boot tray on the floor. My flip-flops and runners hang in shoe pockets on the end of the shelf underneath the hanging clothes.
• The rear end of the shelf has my chair, a big table in a bag, awning poles, an outdoor carpet and a step ladder all secured with bungees.
• Under the bottom of the bed is room for a folding leatherette storage stool that holds butane and propane slipped into socks for condensation and banging while traveling. 
• My front window umbrella, decoy/shower tent, extension cords, awning tarp, and extra water jugs sit in the passenger footwell. All covered with a black blanket, keeping it out of sight.
• I use 3 decorative pillow shams of different sizes for linens and off-season extra clothing. These also assist me in propping myself up in bed to read or on Zoom calls.  Both comfort and storage!
• At night, when parked, I put my knapsack and storage pillows on the driver’s seat.
• I carry an extra soft-sided cooler for veggies: squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage and avocados that only require refrigeration once cooked. I keep fruit: apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit lemons, and bananas in a mesh bag under the bed at the top of my dry goods food bin.
• Other items under the bed are the mini shop vacuum and the Jackery bag with seldom-used items and tools. Also, I have a cardboard 6-pack with automotive liquids such as oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, belt dressing, lubrication fluid and gas line antifreeze. Behind the driver seat is a jug of antifreeze, window washer fluid, work gloves, a retractable snow brush, and my hatchet.
• At the driver’s rear side window, I have hung a curtain Rod over the 2 rear hangers, and attached with binder rings are cloth shoe pockets that hold grocery bags, JOB clothes, all sizes of ziploc bags, dish soap, CO & Smoke detector, and other miscellaneous items that are needed daily. Happily, there is room to hang both front and back space, giving many extra pocket spaces to be filled.

Power Inside Van Verde

• My Jackery 1000 power station sits between the seats accessible from the bed for use with my heating blanket on cold nights. It is plugged in and recharges while driving.
• My passenger seat holds my 2/100-watt Jackery solar panels buckled in, they are fondly named ‘Pancho & Lefty’.
• My Mobicool 37/liter 12-volt fridge/cooler is in the van’s rear and plugs into the rear plug while we travel. I use my Jackery power station to cool it off for 2-hour stints when I supplement with ice when boondocking. Still have cubes on the 5th day. Or use shore power when it is available.

Current Cooking Gadgets on the Road

• I have a Cadac Safari Chef propane BBQ and a single-burner butane stove, 
• A Coleman folding oven that fits both the BBQ and the single burner for outside cooking. 
• I also cook inside with an ‘IH’ mini induction burner plugged into my Jackery 1000, 200-600 watt levels to cook at, using 4″ -7″ induction pots & pans.
• I have a Black & Decker single coffee maker powered by my Jackery 1000.
• I carry 2 large wide-mouth mason jars and sprout my mung beans as I travel.