This is an evolving wish list, but as a first pluck these are some of the ideas for the FlyCamper stealth van life build.
Van life: Bed
I want a Double bed (semi permanent, elevated above the ‘garage’ for storage of electric bikes) which may have the footer fold down to form the backing of a couch with a swivel bench (similar to Eamon and Becs latest ‘Casa B’ build).
Van life: Kitchen
I also want a small fixed kitchen, including a twin burner LPG (propane) cook-top and oven, a 30cm by 30cm stainless steel sink with only a ‘cold’ water filtered tap (hot water for washing dishes can come out of the shower if needed) a conventional opening 12V ‘bar’ fridge and a 12V camping freezer in the ‘garage’. I also want to make provision with the electrical system for a 3000W inverter which can be used to power either a microwave, blender or a coffee machine as I use these a lot for my food. I don’t think it is likely that the oven, fridge, sink and water filter would be able to all fit together in one unit within the space limitations, so it is likely that these will be on opposite sides of the van (sink and stove / oven opposite slider opening door area, then the fridge, draws and ‘butcherblock’ countertop on the other side, starting half way down the slider door area to give a nice desk with exterior view (this is also where the coffee machine will sit!). The Microwave will ideally be above the kitchen stove, tucked away under a cabinet so it isn’t seen when not in use.
Van life: Storage
There will need to be some storage space, so ideally I will run rooftop cabinetry along the ‘back’ side of the van (opposite side to sliding door) which will be above the kitchen sink area (housing the microwave) and run the entire way down over the bed. There will be a set of kitchen draws (3) next to the fridge to store food prep related things such as cutlery, crockery and pot / pan. Above the bed is where I will keep a small amount of clothing, and I will hang work uniforms be
Van life: Bathroom
Ideally a Fixed bathroom with a extendable shower head (i.e. could be used for outdoor showers if needed) including a portable toilet and heated shower. This will likely fit immediately behind the drivers seat in the cabin. I am exploring options for a reticulated hot water shower system which reduces water wastage; water is collected from the shower pan/floor into a ‘shower tank’ where it is then filtered and again fed through the water heater and back into the shower. These systems look promising and I have seen them in builds before, and of course once you are finished showering you can simply dump the ‘shower tank’ into your grey water tank to prevent it getting manky.
Van life: Water
160L of potable water storage, 50L grey water tank and a 10L reticulated shower system connected to a 10L gas/electric hot water heater. At the moment I don’t see a need for a hot water tap into the sink, as I can simply use hot water either heated on the stove, or from the shower if I needed hot water to wash dishes. The potable water would also have a purification system (UV and filtration) before it came out of the kitchen tap
Van life: Electrical
Now this is a very contentious topic. Based off some very generous (wasteful) electricity usage and with a factor of safety of 100% (i.e. double what I need) and industry standard approximations for charging times and efficiencies, my first estimate came out to 625 Ah of batteries and a 900W solar panel system. I realise just how ridiculous that might sound to some people
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