Thinking of a Christmas gift for a full or part-time van lifer can be tricky, because living in a campervan means you need to be minimalist and only have items that you really need. When you're living in such a tiny space, you can only own so many things, so it's really important to make sure that everything you have is useful and has a purpose. We've curated a list of 12 ideas perfect for anyone living van life, so read on and let us know your thoughts! 1. Aeropress coffee maker Since we got our Aeropress from Origin Coffee we have absolutely fallen in love with it. This is the perfect gift f ..read more

In the UK, vehicle-related-theft (which is "theft of a vehicle" or "theft from vehicles") currently accounts for 1 in 7 of all reported crimes, and in the 2018/19 financial year 152,541 vehicles were stolen according to the Association of British Insurers, which is one vehicle every 3 and a half minutes! Whilst only 43.3% of vehicles without a tracker are ever recovered by the police, vehicles that have a tracker installed have recovery rates as high as 98%! After you’ve poured so much time and money into your build, it's a really good idea to consider a few security measures, both visual and ..read more

The PowerOak Bluetti AC50 portable generator is a leisure battery, solar charge controller and inverter rolled into one. It can be charged up by plugging it into a mains socket or by connecting external solar panels, and it features both 12V DC charging points and 230V AC plug sockets. Functionality The PowerOak AC50 is comprised of an internal lithium battery, a solar charge controller, a pure sine wave inverter and a battery management system. It has a screen to inform you of the current state of charge and a face covered in various charge points. It has carry handles for easy maneuverabilit ..read more

When looking at insurance for your newly converted campervan in the UK, you might not know where to start, not least because it's now so difficult to reclassify your van conversion to a campervan on its V5C with the DVLA (for more info, read our blog post: should you try and reclassify your campervan?). As well as vehicle insurance, you will also need to make sure all of your valuables also have sufficient insurance, and you have any travel and health insurance required when you're travelling overseas. Campervan vehicle insurance When you first buy your van, it's really important to insure it ..read more

If you live in the UK, once you have converted your campervan you may be thinking about getting it officially registered as a ‘motor caravan’ or ‘motorhome’ on your V5C. The benefits of doing this typically used to be lower insurance premiums and potentially cheaper ferry and toll prices. As of 2019, the DVLA has changed their requirements to officially class your van as a campervan to make the process incredibly difficult. In this post we'll go into detail on: Requirements to reclassify your campervan How to submit your application to the DVLA What are the benefits of registering a van as a ..read more

Installing the plumbing in your van can be a daunting task - get it wrong and you'll be left with leaks and a damp van! The first thing you will need to decide when planning your DIY camper van water system is what aspects you want to include in your system. Our own van conversion water system is comprised of: • A 70L fresh water tank • A Shurflo water pump and Fiamma accumulator • A tap and sink with running water (cold only) • An instant hot water outdoor shower (blog post on our shower setup coming soon!) We decided to keep our water system relatively simple to minimise complexity. If you w ..read more

recently got back from a magical week in the Lake District in the north of England, and it's a truly beautiful spot of the country. We wanted to share 5 of our favourite camper van park ups, so you can enjoy the beautiful views too. 1. Edge of south Lakes, near Kendal Location of park up: large lay-by south of Kendal (LA8 8AS), South Lake District On the very edge of the Lake District, this is a good choice for a first night if you've had a long drive from further south. This park up comprises of a lay-by with space for 6-8 vehicles opposite a little church. We were the only ones here other th ..read more

Wiring and installing the electrics is arguably one of the most complicated and daunting jobs in your van conversion. We spent a long time reading blog posts and forum comments and watching YouTube videos to try and figure out exactly what we needed to know. Here we talk through everything we did in our own Sprinter camper van electrical system, the products we bought, and everything we learnt along the way, in the hopes it might be able to help others out at the same point in their van build! Hopefully this post will help you answer questions like... What components do you need for your van ..read more

Everyone's worst nightmare when it comes to converting a camper van is finishing your build and finding out you're weigh (excuse the pun) over the 3.5 tonne weight limit. Going over this limit means a) you'll need to upgrade your driving licence to a category C/C1, to enable you to drive vehicles bigger than 3.5T, and b) you will also need a GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrade, which involves upgrading the suspension of your van. Both of these are quite expensive. To take your category C1 test, you need to have had at least a few hours of lessons as you will be doing your test in a 7.5 tonne lorr ..read more

When building your own camper van, one of the big decisions you will need to make that will affect your van layout is whether or not you want to include a toilet and shower in your build. We often get asked by shocked people on Instagram, "Where is the bathroom in your camper van?!" We made the decision early on when planning our build to not include a toilet - as we are climbers who have spent most of our lives camping, we are very used to finding a quiet spot outside when we need to go! However, we're very aware that there are some people out there who feel shock and horror at the idea of pe ..read more