Before we bought our van (Part II)

“The only thing that I know is that I know nothing.”

— Socrates

Our van Attie (spot our foster doggo too!)

For hours, PB and I would detail our “Plan of Attack” for the van.

We dubbed sessions like these our “Van of Attack” (punny). So we called our van the Van of Attack, later shortened to “Attie”.

We would dream about where we would go with Attie, what we would do, and got distracted by reminiscing on that one time when we went camping in Wilsons Prom and the crows got into our peanuts and we spent 20 minutes just washing them all in an attempt to salvage our protein.

We have wanted a van for the longest time

(Read more here: It’s all in a Dream).

And we quickly realised living in a van is probably a try-before-you-buy situation.

But, it was no chore though to test the waters; we revelled in the opportunity!

Here are a few of our test runs.

Fergus

Fergus was a big van.

There was a wedding in the family that was going to be in Finland. It was very exciting, and we wanted to make the most of the trip (on a small budget). So we tried to think of the most cost effective way to see as much of the country as we could (and maybe a moose or two).

Hotels? No way. Instead, we hired a van—Fergus.

We caught a train, bus, and had a long hike to get to the van hire location. When we were booking, we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into. Becuase when we got there, we were shocked; the van was massive. WAY too big. We didn’t understand how we could possibly drive it through a country that was foreign to us. We actually tried to give the van back and swap it for a smaller one. But it wasn’t possible.

So we named our monster van Fergus, and we drove halfway up middle of Finland to get to the wedding, passing so many beautiful lakes and picking wild raspberries. It was so fun we almost forgot his size. Fergus was equipped with everything: a master bedroom, a second double bed (which we didn’t need), a toilet, a shower, heating, cooling, a fridge and freezer, a full kitchen, lounge, garage, and storage. We weren’t left wanting for anything.

Once we settled into the novelty and size of it all, it was amazing. We were so glad we had the freedom to roam around wherever we wanted in a van!

Finland also has this amazing freedom; the Everyman’s Right. Of course there are some restrictions, but it essentially means one has the right to roam; to camp, forage, fish, and just generally use all natural areas.

You were allowed to free park pretty much anywhere.

We made an additional rule that we would be as unobtrusive as possible.

This Everyman’s Right made for a breezy sleeping, not fearing the dreaded knock on the door.

It was a trip of a lifetime, and we learnt a lot about life in a van.

Fergus, with PB (who is 6ft5) for size reference.

Pros

Every amenity you could possibly dream of—it almost felt like we were in a portable hotel.
Space, so much space.
Very comfortable—great for a long trip

As an aside, I just want to 100% recommend Finland. 10/10. So so beautiful.

Cons

Too big—difficult to drive, park, reverse, especially in the cities
Way too much stuff—we didn’t even use everything
Black water toilet—there had to be a better way. So gross.

Ace

A couple years ago, we hired a high-top Toyota Hiace (ergo, Ace) to drive around Brisbane and Toowoomba for a (different) family wedding. PB is 6ft5 (they call him two-metre Peter), and could stand in the van!

We travelled out the back of Brisbane, chasing waterfalls, getting treats from country cafes, and dodging leeches.

We even borrowed the family dog for the night. We would have breakfast or dinner with a view, then drive to the free campsite.

It was such a fun trip, and had so much freedom having the accom on wheels.

Pros

Standing room
Bed converted to seating during the day—felt spacious
First experience with a dog in the van—it was the best

Cons

Had to convert the seating to bed mode every night—it was like 15 steps
Not stealth—pretty obvious it was a campervan with the windows and the high-top, so felt conspicuous and not as safe
Public restrooms—Definitely value our own toilet.

**Just to note—you are not allowed to free camp in Queensland (check the local rules!).

Hippie van

This was a solo trip (unfortunately, I had to leave PB behind as he was writing his PhD).

I travelled for two work conferences that were in QLD and NSW. So I thought why not connect them with a roadtrip.

I booked a tiny Hippie Van, and hit the road. Solo female traveller style.

The drive was from Brisbane to Sydney. I got to experience so many beautiful towns on the East Coast of Australia (like Yamba, Newcastle, Bellingen and Burleigh Heads, and so many more). It was a good experience learning to work in the van (although it was somewhat unsuccessful because the roof was so low you couldn’t even sit when on the bench).

But I loved driving down the highways with the windows open, listening to the crackling radio and feeling the breeze. To me, that’s vanlife. It was so easy to get to places, explore, and adventure.

I felt the freedom, and I was addicted.

Pros

Small, easy to drive
Very mobile, easy to park
Simple amenities—getting back to basics felt good

Cons

I missed my bestfriend PB—van life wasn’t right without him.
I didn’t feel as safe by myself—I was very nervous and it was not easy.
Too conspicuous—had Hippie Van written all over
Couldn’t sit in the van without touching the roof—not ideal at all.

Rental Vans

On occasions over the past when we have moved house, we have hired a van. Trying to make the most of the expensive 24-hour minimum rental period, we would drive somewhere and camp overnight in the van once we had finished the move.

We just had to throw a mattress in the back, stock up on water and Weetbix, and find somewhere out of the city for the night.

Just a bit of fun.

We kept doing it, so I guess we liked it!

Annoyingly, one time we got a flat just as we were driving back to return the van, costing $400+. Not all glamour and style—Rental company prices are brutal.

But, one time we did this, one of the rental vans we were given happened to be a Renault Master.

I started to obsess about the Renaults; they were powerhouses and seemed like the right size for our needs. It felt like a match!

Pros

Easy adventures—simple to set-up
A blank canvas
More bang for your buck when moving
Discovered we loved Renaults

Cons

Rental companies can be speno, especially when you get a flat
Not inconspicuous (when you have [COMPANY NAME] written all over the van)
Probably not sustainable living out of the esky—makes you very grateful for electricity, running water, and an accessible toilet

These small experiences taught us a lot.

We learned that:

We like a van on the smaller side so we could be stealth and park in a normal carspot
We value space in a van, where everything feels open and spacious
Standing room would be ideal, but it was always unlikely for us as we have a super tall, two-metre human to accommodate
Some amenities were essential for us (toilet, fridge)
We like the cleaner look
Stealth mode is really important for comfort and peace of mind
We like some of the bells and whistles, but are happy with the basics

We ended up choosing a van that hit most of the criteria (Read more here: The Van).

We had a lot of fun testing the waters.

And we thought these tests had prepared us for when we finally bought our van Attie.

But we didn’t even know a quarter of the things we needed to know about how to self convert a van.

Really, we knew nothing.