Vanlife
Vehicles, batteries, solar, fridges — brands and indicative budgets
Live 24-hour cutaway (24 h = 48 s) — sky, roof and floor in one slice: follow every watt-hour from sun and alternator to the fridge, the fan and the kettle.
Land is the destination. The van is how you get there — and how you live cheaply enough to still be saving while you look. Six cubic metres is the smallest honest laboratory for the four systems the sanctuary will need anyway: power, water, food, shelter. Everything you learn in a van you will re-use on the land, at a different scale, with a new design assessment.
It is also the fastest exit from a landlord. A build that costs less than four months of city rent removes the rent line from your life entirely — and that difference is what buys the parcel.
This catalogue provides equipment examples and starting budgets. Tables distinguish checked data sheets from references still to confirm, with a date when a price was observed. No affiliate links.
— The mobile layer of the LAND Fund
Getting started. Start with your journeys, daily needs and length of stays.
Van or Land?
Neither is better than the other — they are two different roads to the same goal: a life you own. Here is what each road is made of.
The Van
Mobility · low cost of entryMore mobility and a far lower cost of entry. You can move with the seasons, follow work, go inspect parcels — and you start at the price of a used vehicle and a build-out, not a mortgage.
The Land
Stability · permanent autonomyMore stability, more space, and the potential for permanent autonomy — gardens that stay planted, water in the ground, infrastructure that compounds year after year. But it demands far more capital, and it stays where it is.
And to be plain about it — here is what the van allows, and what it does not.
- Being mobile — changing region, climate or opportunity without moving a house
- Sleeping almost anywhere it is legal and appropriate to do so
- Carrying your energy system and your equipment with you
- Sometimes a seasonal edge — following your climate: south in January, north in July
- You stay limited by space — six cubic metres never becomes ten
- You stay tied to fuel and mechanics — when the engine is down, the house is down
- Regulation and parking by-laws decide where you can actually stay
- The vehicle's physical capacity caps everything — payload, water, tools, people
Same destination, two vehicles to reach it: the van buys you motion and time; the land buys you roots. Most journeys here will use both — in that order.
How Much Van Do You Need?
Tick and adjust to match how you actually live — the last two lines give you the price of rolling independence.
Assumptions: an average day, not a worst day. The bank is sized for two days of autonomy at 80 % depth of discharge, then rounded up to the next standard size — LiFePO₄ only; halve the usable figure for lead-acid. Solar assumes 4.2 peak-sun hours and a 0.72 real-world derate (dust, heat, wire loss, a roof that is never perfectly aimed); the winter switch drops that to 1.9 — which is why nobody survives a northern January on panels alone and everyone charges off the alternator. Budget is interpolated from the three builds at the bottom of this page and includes the vehicle. “Estimated annual expenses” is fuel, insurance, tyres and maintenance for a full-time year — not campgrounds, not the breakdown fund. A starting estimate, not a quote.
What Everything Draws
Compare models · What Everything Draws
| Load | Draw | Over 24 h | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 V compressor fridge, 45 L | 45–55 W when running | 400–600 Wh | Runs ~35 % of the time — more at 35 °C, less at night |
| Same fridge, freezer setting | 45–55 W | 800–1,100 Wh | Freezing doubles the duty cycle. Decide before you buy the bank |
| Roof fan (MaxxFan class) | 6–40 W by speed | 150–300 Wh | The single best watt you will ever spend — it is also the dehumidifier |
| LED ceiling strip | 10–20 W | 50–90 Wh | Dimmable strips cost nothing to run |
| Water pump 12 V | 50–70 W in bursts | 20–40 Wh | Seconds at a time — irrelevant to the budget |
| Laptop | 45–90 W | 150–400 Wh | USB-C direct off 12 V beats the inverter by ~15 % |
| Phone & tablet | 10–20 W | 20–60 Wh | Noise in the budget, not a line item |
| Starlink Mini | 25–50 W | 300–600 Wh | Doubles a modest build overnight — size for it or schedule it |
| Diesel air heater, blower | 10–30 W running · 90–110 W on start | 150–300 Wh | Electrically cheap; the heat comes from ~0.15–0.30 L of fuel an hour |
| Inverter idling | 8–25 W doing nothing | 200–500 Wh | The silent thief. Switch it off — that is why builds have a physical inverter switch |
| Induction hob | 1,200–1,800 W | 300–600 Wh | Brutal draw, short minutes. Needs 200 Ah+ and 2,000 W of inverter |
| Electric kettle | 1,000–1,500 W | 45–90 Wh per boil | Fine on lithium. On lead-acid it is a sag test |
| Microwave, 700 W out | 1,200–1,400 W in | 100–250 Wh | Luxury tier. Skip it before you skip solar |
| Air conditioner, 12 V rooftop | 400–900 W | 3,000–6,000 Wh | Changes the whole build: 600 Ah and 1,000 W of panels, minimum |
| CPAP, humidifier off | 30–60 W | 250–400 Wh | Use only a power supply approved for the exact CPAP model |
| Alternator via 50 A DC-DC | +620–690 W | +700 Wh per hour driven | The winter answer. One hour of driving beats a cloudy day of panels |
A fridge, a fan, lights, a laptop and a pump: ≈ 900 Wh on an average day. That is a 200 Ah LiFePO₄ bank, 300–400 W of roof and two days of cloud before you have to move the van. Add air conditioning or a freezer and every one of those numbers doubles — which is exactly why you size the bank after you decide how you cook and how you sleep, never before.
The Rig Architecture
Three things charge that battery and you want all three: the roof for the eight good months, the alternator through a DC-DC charger for winter and rain (never a bare relay — lithium will cook a stock alternator), and a shore-power charger for the one night a month at a friend's house. Run 12 V loads directly and keep the inverter for what genuinely needs mains — every watt through an inverter costs you 10–15 %, and its idle draw runs whether you use it or not.
Plan electrical protection and cables sized for the installation, an accessible disconnect, a suitable extinguisher and appropriate alarms. Follow appliance instructions and local requirements for alarm placement, ventilation and exhaust. Have the installation checked; equipment and fitting have no universal price. CPSC.
The Four Chassis
- Standing heightNone — you sit, you sleep, you cook outside
- StealthTotal. It reads as a family car everywhere
- Fuel8–11 L/100 km — half of anything else here
- Best forOne person, warm climates, saving hard for land
- Standing height1.83–1.98 m inside — you live upright
- FootprintStill parks in a normal space, still fits a drive-through
- Roof400–800 W of panels fits without drama
- Best forOne or two people, four seasons, working on the road
- Volume15–40 m³ — a real apartment, real furniture
- Roof1,500–3,000 W of solar, no compromise
- Cost per m³The lowest in existence, by a wide margin
- Watch outLicence class, campground bans, 3.4 m of height, no stealth at all
- AccessThe logging road to the cheap parcel — in April
- ClearancePortal axles or lift, all-terrain tyres, real recovery gear
- CostDouble everything, including the tyres and the repairs
- Best forAnyone actually inspecting remote land, or living in snow
The Vehicles
Compare models · The Vehicles
| Brand & Origin | Model · Years | Engine / Drive | Why it works · what to watch | Approx. used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Ram Saltillo, Mexico · Fiat Ducato body Reference to confirm | ProMaster 1500/2500/3500 2014–2026 | 3.6 L V6 petrol · FWD | The widest, squarest walls in the class — a bed fits sideways under 1.83 m of standing room. Front-wheel drive digs in snow instead of spinning. Watch: front-end wear, early-year rust, 15–16 L/100 km. | $16,000–30,000 2016–2020 |
| 🇩🇪Mercedes-Benz Düsseldorf · Charleston, SC Reference to confirm | Sprinter 2500/3500 NCV3 2007–2018 · VS30 2019– | 3.0 L V6 diesel (OM642) · 2.0 L 4-cyl · RWD / 4×4 | The long-haul standard: 170″ extended is 4.4 m of living space, and factory AWD/4×4 availability depends on model year and market. Watch: dealer-only diagnostics, DEF and emissions repairs that cost more than a whole Chevy. | $28,000–55,000 |
| 🇺🇸Ford Kansas City, Missouri Reference to confirm | Transit 2015–2026 | 3.5 L EcoBoost / 3.5 L PFDi V6 · RWD, AWD from 2020 | The best balance on the market: Sprinter-class height (1.98 m in the high roof), Ford parts and Ford prices, and real AWD without the German bill. Watch: 2015–2019 3.5 EcoBoost timing-chain history. | $22,000–42,000 |
| 🇺🇸Ford Avon Lake, Ohio Reference to confirm | E-350 / E-250 1992–2014 | 5.4 L Triton V8 · 7.3 L Power Stroke diesel | The cheapest reliable full-size van on earth, and the 7.3 L is the most over-built diesel Ford ever sold. Watch: low roof — budget $3,500 for a fibreglass high-top; spark-plug ejection on early 5.4 L. | $6,000–16,000 |
| 🇺🇸Chevrolet / GMC Wentzville, Missouri Reference to confirm | Express / Savana 1996–2026 | 4.3 L V6 · 6.0 L V8 · RWD, AWD via Quigley | Barely changed in thirty years: every mechanic in every small town knows it, every part is on the shelf, and you can fix most of it yourself. Watch: low roof only, and it drinks. | $7,000–25,000 |
| 🇯🇵Nissan Canton, Mississippi Reference to confirm | NV2500 / NV3500 HD 2012–2021 | 4.0 L V6 · 5.6 L V8 · RWD | Discontinued, therefore cheap, and the high roof stands 1.95 m with a proper truck frame underneath. Watch: narrow body, thirsty V8, shrinking dealer support. | $14,000–28,000 |
| 🇮🇹Fiat Val di Sangro · = Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Jumper Reference to confirm | Ducato 2006–2026 | 2.2 / 2.3 L MultiJet diesel · FWD | The European default — L1H1 to L4H3, an entire aftermarket built around it, and 7–9 L/100 km on the diesel. Watch: early MultiJet injector and EGR bills. | €10,000–30,000 |
| 🇩🇪Volkswagen Hanover Reference to confirm | Transporter T5 / T6 / T6.1 2003–2025 | 2.0 TDI · FWD / 4Motion | Drives like a car, parks like a car, with resale dependent on condition and market. The California is the factory camper if you would rather not build. Watch: small inside — a pop-top is almost mandatory; DSG and DPF costs. | €15,000–45,000 |
| 🇫🇷Renault Batilly · = Opel Movano, Nissan Interstar Reference to confirm | Master 2010–2026 | 2.3 dCi diesel · FWD | The cheapest large European panel van, and the L3H2 is a genuinely good shape to build in. Watch: gearbox and turbo on high-mileage fleet examples — and they are all fleet examples. | €8,000–22,000 |
| 🇯🇵Toyota Not sold in North America Reference to confirm | HiAce 1989–2026 | 2.8 L D-4D diesel · 3.5 L V6 · RWD / 4×4 | The reliability benchmark of the planet — 500,000 km is a mid-life service in Australia, Japan and Africa. Watch: import rules decide whether you can have one at all; earlier vans put the engine under the seat. | $12,000–40,000 |
| 🇯🇵Toyota Princeton, Indiana Reference to confirm | Sienna 2011–2026 · hybrid AWD 2021+ | 3.5 L V6 · 2.5 L hybrid AWD | The stealth micro-camper: seats out, a flat 2 m bed appears, and the hybrid does 6 L/100 km with AWD. Parking and overnight rules still apply. Watch: no standing room, ever. | $9,000–35,000 |
| 🇯🇵Mitsubishi JDM import · 25-year rule Reference to confirm | Delica L300 / L400 1986–2007 | 2.5 / 2.8 L diesel · selectable 4×4 | A 4×4 that is shorter than a pickup, sleeps two, and climbs anything. A cult parts network keeps them alive. Watch: rust, slow, right-hand drive, and parts arrive from Japan by boat. | $12,000–25,000 |
| 🇩🇪Mercedes-Benz Vitoria, Spain Reference to confirm | Metris / Vito 2016–2026 | 2.0 L turbo petrol · 2.0 L diesel · RWD | Mid-size done properly: fits in a home garage and a city parking level, still sleeps two flat with a galley. Watch: no standing room, Mercedes service pricing on a small van. | $18,000–35,000 |
| 🇺🇸Ford Valencia, Spain Reference to confirm | Transit Connect 2014–2023 | 2.0 / 2.5 L petrol · FWD | The one-person micro-camper: parks anywhere, 8 L/100 km, invisible in a city. Watch: 1.8 m of interior length — measure yourself before you commit. | $8,000–18,000 |
| 🇯🇵Isuzu Fujisawa · built worldwide Reference to confirm | NPR / NQR box truck 2005–2026 | 5.2 L 4HK1 diesel · cab-over | A 4.9 m box is a studio apartment with a garage under the bed, and commercial fleets dump them cheap at auction. Watch: licence class in some regions, height limits, and it will never be stealthy. | $12,000–30,000 |
| 🇺🇸Blue Bird / Thomas / IC Fort Valley, Georgia · High Point, NC Reference to confirm | School bus “skoolie” 1995–2018 | 5.9 / 6.7 L Cummins · DT466 · diesel | The cheapest cubic metre in existence: a retired 12 m bus with a legendary engine, sold by the district for the price of a used car. Watch: 12 m of vehicle, conversion titling, and you will never park downtown again. | $4,000–12,000 |
Buy the drivetrain, not the paint. A tidy interior is two weekends of work; a tired transmission is $4,000. In order of what actually matters: rust on the frame and the wheel arches (walk away from anything structural — you cannot out-build rot), service history, then mileage — a well-serviced diesel at 350,000 km will outlive a neglected petrol at 150,000. Pay the $150–250 for an independent pre-purchase inspection every single time; it is the highest-return money in this entire page. And prefer the simplest emissions system you can legally register: post-2015 DEF and DPF systems are the number-one unplanned expense in modern vanlife.
Batteries
Compare models · Batteries
| Brand & Origin | Model | Capacity | Chemistry · notes | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Battle Born Reno, Nevada Reference to confirm | BB10012 | 100 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · 3,000–5,000 cycles, 10-year warranty, a phone number that answers | $800 USD |
| 🇳🇱Victron Energy Almere Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · indicative price not rechecked | Smart LiFePO₄ 12,8/200 | 200 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · needs an external BMS; the payoff is one Bluetooth app for the whole system | $2,100 USD (~€1,950) |
| 🇺🇸Epoch Batteries Reno, Nevada Reference to confirm | 300 Ah Essentials, heated | 300 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · self-heats below 0 °C so winter charging just works; Bluetooth | $1,400 USD |
| 🇺🇸Dakota Lithium Grand Forks, North Dakota Reference to confirm | 12 V 135 Ah | 135 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · 11-year warranty, the longest in the class | $900 USD |
| 🇺🇸Renogy Ontario, California Reference to confirm | Smart 200 Ah, heated | 200 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · self-heating at half the boutique price; the value pick of the middle build | $700 USD |
| 🇨🇳LiTime Shenzhen · ex-Ampere Time Reference to confirm | 12 V 100 Ah | 100 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · the honest price floor of usable lithium; 5-year warranty, thinner support | $200 USD |
| 🇨🇳Redodo Shenzhen Reference to confirm | 12 V 200 Ah low-temp | 200 Ah · 12 V | LiFePO₄ · low-temp cut-off protects the cells when it cannot heat them | $400 USD |
| 🇺🇸Fullriver Camarillo, California Reference to confirm | DC224-6 (pair) | 224 Ah · 6 V × 2 | AGM lead-acid · half the usable capacity per kilo, but capacity and replacement cost depend on conditions | $620 USD the pair |
100 Ah of lithium is not 100 Ah of lead. LiFePO₄ gives you 80–90 % of its rating, thousands of times, at a third of the weight; AGM gives you 50 % before you start killing it. That is why a 200 Ah lithium bank replaces a 400 Ah lead bank — and why lithium wins on price per usable kilowatt-hour over five years, even at four times the sticker. The one thing lead does better is cold: no LiFePO₄ cell may be charged below 0 °C without damage. In a four-season build that means a self-heating battery or a heated compartment — not a hopeful blanket.
Solar & Charging
Compare models · Solar & Charging
| Brand & Origin | Model | Rating | Role | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇱Victron Energy Almere Reference to confirm | SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 | 30 A · 440 W @ 12 V | Solar charge controller · the default of the whole industry, Bluetooth, ten-year lifespan | $180 USD (~€165) |
| 🇳🇱Victron Energy Almere Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · indicative price not rechecked | Orion XS 12/12-50 | 50 A · 700 W at 14 V, up to 40°C | DC-DC charger off the alternator — the winter lifeline, and the only safe way to feed lithium from a modern smart alternator | $290 USD (~€265) |
| 🇺🇸Renogy Ontario, California Reference to confirm | 200 W rigid panel · Rover 40 A | 200 W · 40 A MPPT | Panel + controller · the value backbone of most self-builds | $180 / $150 USD |
| 🇺🇸Rich Solar Ontario, California Reference to confirm | MEGA 200 | 200 W | Rigid panel · thicker frame and better low-light behaviour than the price suggests | $200 USD |
| 🇸🇬Maxeon (SunPower) Singapore · cells from Malaysia Reference to confirm | Flexible 170 W | 170 W · ~24 % cells | Glue-down flexible panel · the only honest answer on a curved or low-clearance roof; shorter life than glass | $350 USD |
| 🇦🇺REDARC Lonsdale, South Australia Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · listed US price, shipping and tax extra | BCDC1225D | 25 A dual input | DC-DC + solar in one box · the overland standard, built for corrugations and 45 °C | $535 USD |
| 🇨🇳EPEVER Beijing Reference to confirm | Tracer 4210AN | 40 A MPPT | Charge controller · the budget floor that still tracks properly; no Bluetooth without the add-on | $90 USD |
| 🇨🇳EcoFlow Shenzhen Reference to confirm | Delta 2 + 220 W bifacial | 1,024 Wh · 220 W | All-in-one power station · zero wiring, zero holes in the roof — the rental-friendly and reversible path | $1,100 USD the pair |
| 🇨🇦Go Power! Victoria, British Columbia Reference to confirm | Overlander 200 W kit | 200 W + 30 A | Complete kit · panel, controller, brackets, cable gland — nothing left to figure out | $700 USD (~C$950) |
MPPT, never PWM. A maximum-power-point controller harvests 15–25 % more from the same panel and the price difference is under $100 — it pays for itself in the first season. Wire panels in series for a higher voltage and thinner cable, but understand the trade: on most controllers a single shadow across one panel drags the whole string down, so a roof with vents, a fan and an aerial often does better in parallel. And the roof is only ever half the story: the alternator is what actually gets you through November. One hour of driving through a 50 A DC-DC charger delivers what a 400 W array delivers on a good, clear, cold winter day.
The 12 V Fridge
Compare models · The 12 V Fridge
| Brand & Origin | Model | Volume | Draw over 24 h | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇪Dometic Solna, Sweden Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · indicative price not rechecked | CFX3 45 | 46 L portable | ~35–50 Ah · 450–650 Wh — app control, tough case, resells well | $900 USD |
| 🇸🇪Dometic Solna, Sweden Reference to confirm | CRX 50 | 45 L built-in | ~30–45 Ah · 400–580 Wh — slides into cabinetry, removable freezer shelf | $1,000 USD |
| 🇩🇪Truma Putzbrunn Reference to confirm | Cooler C44 | 44 L portable | ~33–46 Ah · 420–590 Wh — the quietest compressor in the class, which matters at 2 a.m. | $1,000 USD (~€930) |
| 🇦🇺ARB Kilsyth, Victoria Reference to confirm | ZERO 47 L single zone | 47 L portable | ~35–50 Ah · 450–640 Wh — steel body built for corrugated roads and 45 °C shade | $1,200 USD (~A$1,850) |
| 🇯🇵Engel Sawafuji · Fukushima Reference to confirm | MT45 | 40 L portable | ~25–35 Ah · 320–450 Wh — the swing-motor compressor: fewest moving parts, lowest draw, 30-year service lives are normal | $1,000 USD |
| 🇮🇹Indel Webasto / Isotherm Ancona Reference to confirm | Cruise 65 Elegance | 65 L built-in | ~40–55 Ah · 520–700 Wh — marine-grade Secop compressor, real door, real shelves | $1,100 USD (~€1,020) |
| 🇨🇦Nova Kool Sidney, British Columbia Reference to confirm | R3800 | 100 L built-in | ~55–75 Ah · 700–960 Wh — a genuine household-shaped fridge for the big builds | $1,300 USD (~C$1,780) |
| 🇺🇸Iceco Cincinnati, Ohio · made in China Reference to confirm | VL45 ProS | 45 L portable | ~38–55 Ah · 490–700 Wh — the same Secop compressor as the premium names, at half the price | $450 USD |
| 🇺🇸Whynter Cypress, California Reference to confirm | FM-45G | 45 L portable | ~40–58 Ah · 510–740 Wh — long-running mid-tier workhorse | $450 USD |
| 🇨🇳Alpicool Ningbo Reference to confirm | C40 | 40 L portable | ~45–65 Ah · 580–830 Wh — the price floor that actually works; thinner insulation costs you the difference in watt-hours | $250 USD |
Compressor, always. There are three kinds of “12 V cooler” and only one of them belongs in a van. Thermoelectric (Peltier) boxes draw 40–60 W continuously and only manage about 20 °C below ambient — useless in summer, ruinous on a battery. Absorption three-way fridges need propane, level ground and ventilation, and were designed for parked caravans. Compressor fridges — a Secop/Danfoss BD35 or an Engel swing motor — cycle on and off, hold 5 °C in a 40 °C van and are the only sane choice. Then halve the draw for free: shade the fridge, never mount it against the sunny wall, leave 5 cm of airflow behind the vent, and remember the freezer setting roughly doubles everything in the table above.
Heat & Air
Compare models · Heat & Air
| Brand & Origin | Model | Output / spec | Notes | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪Webasto Stockdorf Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · indicative price not rechecked | Air Top 2000 STC | 2 kW diesel air | ~0.10–0.24 L/h off the vehicle tank. Dry heat, no condensation, altitude compensation. The reference | $1,400 USD (~€1,300) |
| 🇩🇪Eberspächer (Espar) Esslingen Reference to confirm | Airtronic B4L / D2L | 2–4 kW petrol or diesel | The other half of the professional duopoly; the petrol version is the answer in a petrol van | $1,500 USD (~€1,390) |
| 🇨🇳Vevor / Hcalory & co. Ningbo Reference to confirm | 5 kW “Chinese diesel heater” | 2–5 kW diesel | Ten times cheaper and it genuinely works. ⚠ Install the exhaust as if your life depends on it, seal every floor penetration, and fit a CO alarm — because it does | $150 USD |
| 🇬🇧Propex Eastleigh, Hampshire Reference to confirm | HS2000 | 2 kW propane | Sealed combustion, nothing to gum up, ideal if you already carry propane for cooking | $900 USD (~£700) |
| 🇩🇪Truma Putzbrunn Reference to confirm | Combi 4E | 4 kW + 10 L hot water | Heat and hot water in one unit — the comfortable-tier answer, and the reason showers exist in vans | $2,600 USD (~€2,400) |
| 🇺🇸Airxcel / Maxxair Elkhart, Indiana Reference to confirm | MaxxFan Deluxe 7500K | 10 speeds · reversible · 6–40 W | Rain shield means it runs open in a storm; reversible flow makes it a cooker-hood or a dehumidifier. The best single purchase in a van | $400 USD |
| 🇸🇪Dometic (Fan-Tastic) Solna, Sweden Reference to confirm | Vent 1250 | 3 speeds · reversible | The budget roof fan; add an external cover if you want it open in rain | $250 USD |
| 🇨🇦Caframo Wiarton, Ontario Reference to confirm | Sirocco II | 0.3–0.5 A · 12 V | Directional cabin fan — moves the air you already cooled, for almost nothing | $120 USD |
| 🇨🇳EcoFlow / Zero Breeze Shenzhen Reference to confirm | Wave 3 / Mark 3 | 1.8–2.2 kW cooling · 400–900 W draw | Portable 12 V air conditioning. Real relief, but it rewrites the whole electrical budget — 600 Ah and 1 kW of roof, minimum | $1,300 USD |
❄️ Condensation, not cold, is what destroys vans. Two sleeping people exhale close to a litre of water a night, and every gram of it looks for the coldest metal it can find — behind your beautiful cedar panelling. Which is why a dry heater (diesel or sealed propane) beats any open flame, why the roof fan runs even in January, and why the insulation you choose has to tolerate getting damp: closed-cell foam board and sheep wool forgive it, fibreglass batts rot. Leave a ventilation path, cover the thermal bridges, and check behind a panel once a year.
Insulation, Water & the Throne
Compare models · Insulation, Water & the Throne
| Brand & Origin | Product | Spec | Notes | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸Havelock Wool Reno, Nevada · NZ fleece Reference to confirm | Batt & loose-fill | R-3.6 per inch | Sheep wool: absorbs moisture and releases it, buffers smells, no gloves needed. The build-it-once answer | $1.60 USD per sq ft |
| 🇺🇸3M Maplewood, Minnesota Reference to confirm | Thinsulate SM600L | R-5.2 per inch | Hydrophobic, drapes into curved ribs where board can't go; the pro-converter standard | $500 USD per roll |
| 🇩🇪Armacell Münster Reference to confirm | ArmaFlex AF / Kaiflex | R-3.6 · closed cell | Self-adhesive rubber: it is its own vapour barrier, so it is the right skin against bare metal and around wheel arches | $4.00 USD per sq ft |
| 🇺🇸Noico / Kilmat imported, sold from Illinois Reference to confirm | 80 mil butyl mat | ~25 % coverage is enough | Sound deadening on the big flat panels. Turns a drum into a room; costs almost nothing | $90 USD for 36 sq ft |
| 🇺🇸SHURflo Costa Mesa, California Reference to confirm | 4008 Revolution | 11 L/min · 3.1 bar · 12 V | The pump in most vans. Add an accumulator tank and it stops pulsing at the tap | $110 USD |
| 🇨🇳Camplux Ningbo Reference to confirm | 5 L propane tankless | 10 kW · outdoor use | Instant hot water for an outdoor shower at a tenth of a Truma. Never run it inside | $180 USD |
| 🇺🇸Nature's Head Ohio Reference to confirm | Composting toilet | 60–80 uses per emptying | Urine-diverting, no black tank, no smell if the fan runs. The full-timer's choice | $1,100 USD |
| 🇩🇪Trelino Berlin Reference to confirm | Evo S | Separating · 4.8 L solids | Half the size and a third the price of the big names; empty it more often, carry it anywhere | $400 USD (~€370) |
| 🇺🇸Thetford Ann Arbor, Michigan Data sheet / manual · 2026-09-12 · indicative price not rechecked | Porta Potti 565 | 15 L flush · 21 L waste | The cheap, universal, no-installation answer. Chemical dumping is the trade-off | $150 USD |
Three Budgets
- Vehicle2006 Chevy Express or a Toyota Sienna — $5,000
- Bed & galleyPlywood platform on 2×3s, foam mattress, one drawer — $400
- Power100 Ah LiTime + 200 W panel + EPEVER 40 A — $490
- ColdAlpicool C40 — $250
- Heat & airChinese diesel heater + CO alarm + a 12 V cabin fan — $310
- Water & throne4 × 20 L jugs, foot pump, Boxio separating toilet — $260
- InsulationButyl mat + polyiso board + wool offcuts, done yourself — $450
- Vehicle2018 Ford Transit 148″ high roof, 160,000 km — $28,000
- Power200 Ah heated LiFePO₄, 400 W roof, Victron MPPT + Orion XS DC-DC, 2,000 W inverter — $2,450
- ColdDometic CRX 50, built into the galley — $1,000
- Heat & airWebasto Air Top 2000 + MaxxFan Deluxe — $1,800
- Water & throne75 L fresh, SHURflo + accumulator, Nature's Head, outdoor shower — $1,600
- Insulation & interiorThinsulate + ArmaFlex, birch ply, real cabinets — $3,200
- BufferTyres, service, registration, the first surprise — $2,000
- Vehicle2023 Sprinter 2500 4×4, 170″ extended — $78,000
- Power600 Ah LiFePO₄, 1,000 W roof, Victron MultiPlus-II 3000 + Cerbo GX — $11,000
- ColdIsotherm Cruise 130 + a real freezer drawer — $2,400
- Heat & airTruma Combi 4E (heat + hot water) + 12 V air conditioning — $4,200
- Water & throne150 L fresh, 100 L grey, indoor wet room, composting toilet — $4,500
- InteriorProfessional cabinetry, lift bed, garage, Starlink — $28,000
- Off-roadSuspension, all-terrain tyres, recovery gear — $7,000
Prices reflect equipment and typical used-vehicle values, June 2026. US-dollar figures are shown first; for non-US manufacturers, the approximate price in the brand's home currency is shown in parentheses. The used-van market is regional and moves fast — the same Transit is $8,000 apart between two provinces. And the broke build is not a lesser build: it is the same four systems at a smaller scale, and it is the one that leaves money in the account for the land.
💰 The three costs nobody budgets. Insurance: the moment it stops being a cargo van, most policies stop being valid — you need an RV title, a self-build declared-value policy, or a specialist insurer, and you need it arranged before you cut the roof. The breakdown fund: $3,000 untouched, in a separate account, forever — a transmission on the side of a highway is not a monthly-payment situation. The reality of parking: sleeping in a vehicle is legal in some municipalities, restricted in others and banned outright in a few; check the by-laws of the places you actually plan to sleep. None of this is legal advice — it is the list of things that end vanlife early.
Vanlife and the sanctuary are the same four systems. The 12 V bank and the MPPT on this page scale straight into Energy; the pump, the filter and the discipline of counting litres come from Water; the van is how you get to the eight due-diligence checks on LAND Buy in the first place — and in April, on a road nobody has graded. Then the Garden and the Animals are what you stop for. Put the whole thing on one timeline on The Price of Freedom.
💡 Built one? Know a chassis, battery or fridge brand we should add? Share it on the Ideas page or mention @LOAM_token on X.
Notes and sources
Notes reviewed September 12, 2026. Links open the reference documents.
- Smoke and CO alarms: test monthly; follow the manual for placement, batteries and replacement. CPSC · alarms.
- Webasto Air Top 2000 STC: the maintenance programme specifies a 20-minute run once a month, including summer. Running time is not human labour time. Webasto · maintenance.
- Before leaving: check load restraint, tyres, leaks and appliance instructions. Clean and defrost the fridge per its manual; plan draining and winterisation before extended storage. Dometic · manual.
A mortgage buys you a box you cannot move and a bill you cannot stop. A van costs less than four months of city rent, and from the day it is finished your housing cost is diesel and tyres. That difference — not a salary, not a windfall — is what buys a parcel of land outright.
The van is the rehearsal. The land is the play.
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The Memory