Week 4 - Prep for conversion

The rain is ongoing. It is putting my tear down on hold until there is some clear days to have everything pulled out of the van and reassembled. So far the the plan is to add some of the basic mods on the list then over the next month install the rest of the tech and comforts like solar panels and decor.

The first items that are up include new bed / bench combo and power bank for lights and charging up portables. This is the easiest part I think, cutting a foam mattress in half and affixing it to some wood panels so that it can be put in either configuration, bed or bench, with storage underneath via classic rectangular bins. The power bank is fairly straight forward, 3-4 deep cycle batteries wired in series with a digital voltage meter and multiple outputs for usb and AC power through an inverter. The setup will run $150 for the bed and bench combo and around $500 for the power bank providing enough power for 18-36 hours of uninterrupted juice. The power bank will also be able to charge from the alternator until the solar panels are installed to take the brunt of the charging over, but with the rain it seems that this mod will have to wait. I can't wait to not have to hit the coffee shop every morning to charge up! 

Details for the mods will be listed under the guides section for part numbers and actual cost and instal times.