Build your own Camper Van!
This will be the first in a series of blogs that will describe the installation of the solar system and all of the components that will run on or monitor solar power in Mona’s Van.
We met Mona in March of this year, when she contacted Leisure Solar to see what we could do to help her customize her Ford delivery van into the camper van of her dreams. She had decided the appliances and air conditioner in the van needed to run on solar power and Leisure Solar had been recommended to do this
Mona is deaf, which made this endeavor even more challenging than just being a lady who had limited experience in construction. It was a big decision that took much thought and was not taken lightly. Mona and I spent some time talking so that I could understand how this journey had begun and Meet Mona how she came to this decision. Her story is really fascinating.
In February of 2020, Mona bought a small travel trailer that her vehicle could tow, thinking this would be a good way to do some camping. As fortune would have it, a month later, she broke both of her wrists, making it impossible for her to physically do what was needed to hook up, and unhook the camper from her vehicle, as well as other chores. She went camping with friends a couple of times. They helped her do all the things that were difficult to do with two broken wrists, but by August she realized she wasn’t having any fun camping this way and sold her little travel trailer. She hadn’t given up on camping, she just knew it had to be done using a different kind of camper. That’s when the serious research started.
Right away, Mona knew the van life was how she wanted to experience camping and traveling around the country. In her search for a nice camper van, she soon realized that the price of a finished camper van like she wanted would be out of her reach. Undaunted by that realization, she switched gears to finding a non-customized van and building her own camper. She got the chance to visit with a couple of guys who are enjoying the van life in the vans that they had built themselves. They suggested she check Instagram and YouTube for postings of people who had customized their own vans. She did this and found all the information she needed to make the final decision. She could do it!
The hunt for just the right van was on. Mona checked out 3 used Ford Transit vans that were for sale at the local Ford dealer. The main difference between the vans was engine size, two were the big F350s and the other was an F250, which she chose for the better fuel economy.