The Van - Part 1

I have been asked (told) to write something about the van as I am the one that built the thing and therefore understand it. 
So here goes.
The original idea for this trip was to stay traveling as long as humanly possible.  My basic thinking was that if we use campsites then this is £20-£50 per night, more, with electricity. Then I found out that most local councils in the EU put aside places where you can camp for free in the hope you will use and pay for the local amenities. So I hatched an idea to build a van that is as self-sufficient as possible.
Choosing the van.
Basically i wanted big and simple.  We settled on an LDV convoy, long wheel base and high roof with loads of room, so we would not go crazy.  The addition of a roof rack from ebay doubled the space.

Throw a few ideas around concerning the inside and what it was going to look like, whip up something on Google’s basic 3D designer program to get an idea, and suddenly we had a plan. 

I wanted to be able to use the van in all weathers as at this point we didn’t know how long we were staying out for. To this end I thought insulation and because it was cheap in B&Q I bought a roll of Rock wool.  If it’s good enough for a house, its good enough for the van. I pulled off all the panelling and inserted as much Wool as I could, wrapped it in insulation foil for even more heat retention, then rammed them back on. 

More panneling then some Sealant and sealing tape, and we were ready to make a motorhome.

The next instalment sees us starting to build up the insides and start buying all the awesome parts.
Tune in tomorrow folks.