Van Build Essentials
We took a lot of care and time researching the products that would make up the bones of our home on wheels. Here are our recommended products if you’re looking to build a van or have someone convert one for you – from our solar panels to our fridge.
Victron Cerbo GX
The brains of our electrical system! The Cerbo GX connects all our Victron devices together, it connects via our WiFi router so we can monitor our devices from anywhere!
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Victron MultiPlus Inverter/Charger
This is our inverter and battery charger. We use this to charge our van’s battery when on campsites with EHU, but also to power devices that need mains power (e.g laptops, projector).
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Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 100/30
This manages the power coming in from our solar panels and makes sure that our battery is charged at the proper rate to help keep our van’s battery healthy.
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130W narrow solar panels
Our van roof isn’t large, but we managed to add two of these 130W flexible solar panels to our roof. So far they’ve managed to keep our batteries topped up, even in Winter!
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Victron Orion DC-DC charger
This device charges our batteries as we drive! It connects to our van’s alternator and converts some of the power that the alternator produces and uses it to charge our leisure batteries – so when we arrive at our destination our batteries are charged up and ready to use!
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Roamer 230ah Lithium Battery
We knew we wanted the best battery out there – so of course we bought one from Roamer! Check out their website to see why they are the best!
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Maxx Air Fan Deluxe
Having this fan installed in our van roof has been a worthy investment! You can choose whether to bring fresh air in or take stale air out. We use it to extract cooking smells when making food in the van, and in the summer it creates a flow of cool air inside.
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Simploo composting toilet
If you have space for a full size toilet in your van, we recommend Simploo. It’s straightforward to use, separates waste, and easy to empty and clean too.
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Vitrifrigo fridge
We LOVE cooking from scratch and didn’t want to compromise on this when we moved into our van. This 85 litre fridge holds just over a week’s worth of food for us – that’s a lot of yummy things!
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Auto-Vox V5 mirror dash cam
When driving a bigger vehicle it can be hard to see behind you. The wing mirrors on the van are great, but this rear view mirror and camera really helps to see what’s behind us, which is especially useful when reversing! This kit also comes with built-in dash cam functionality.
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12V Dimmer switches
We love being able to dim the lights in our van and create a cosy evening environment. These switches were the only modern-looking, sleek design we could find, and we love them!
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Water filter
So that we never have to worry about the water we’re putting into the freshwater tank of our van, we installed this to filter all our water, whether it’s for drinking or washing up.
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Water tank level sensor
It’s always good to know when you’re running low on water. This water level sensor connects to the Cerbo GX so we can monitor how much water we have onboard and make sure we never run out!
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Heavy duty Velcro
We love decorating our van and making it homely, and we like the option to switch out picture frames and decorations. We use heavy duty Velcro to keep everything in place when we’re driving the van – it even holds up our mirror!
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The Van Conversion Bible
The Van Conversion Bible is the ultimate guide to planning, designing and converting a campervan. We found this book extremely useful when planning the conversion of our own home on wheels, with its detailed explanations and step-by-step guides.
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