Let’s be honest, van life has been a thing since before the Beatles released their first album. Only now, it’s…like…A THING. There are hundreds of folks offering a ton of advice. Rarely, however, do I see posts about what went wrong. Here is a roundup of real folks talking about real crap and the things they’d change about their vans.
- Dirtbag Beta is one of the most straight-talking dudes on the web. Here, he lists 5 ways he went wrong with his van build: https://dirtbagbeta.com/2018/10/09/5-ways-i-went-wrong-in-my-van-build-and-what-i-recommend/
- Christine at Defying Normal lists 9 things she’d change about her Chevy Express Van Conversion, including the type of insulation she chose: http://defyingnormal.com/2016/05/09/9-things/
- David Sandel covers the issue of furring strips in his, “If Could Do It Over Again” Post for Teton Sports: https://www.tetonsports.com/adventureblog/vanlife-rebuild-van/
- Floundervan brings up a good point about barn doors vs sliding doors here: https://floundervan.com/changes-id-make/
- The duo over at LiveFreeVanlife list four small (and yet super major) changes they’d make: https://livefreevanlife.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/if-we-could-do-it-again-vanlife/
- Obviously, I have one. Here were my thoughts on what needs a do-over after having the van for a year: https://itshervan.com/2018/11/13/things-id-change-about-my-van/
Bonus: In terms of quick, honest and unfiltered REAL FREAKING TALK, check out the FAQ page of the husband and wife duo over at Unshackled Life. This was one of the first alternative living blogs I found over a year ago and I still love everything they post.
If you’ve posted something similar, please list it in the comment section below. Our community needs talk that is more real and less Instagram perfect.
It's Her Van 
10 responses to “What Went Wrong: Vanlife Problems and a Mega-List of Changes. Learn From Our Campervan Mistakes”
😍😍😍 your shoutout made me feel all the feels! I love this collection and think this is such a good thing to pull together – the mistakes are the most helpful things to know about! You = genius (as usual)
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Just keeping it real. You guys rock. 🚐
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Thank you for compiling this list. I am going to carefully read each one and provide a detailed report to my boyfriend. We are in the beginning stages of planning a van build. He is the builder and I am the reader/researcher. Hopefully we can learn from others’ mistakes and avoid them ourselves.
Thanks again!
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Congrats on the van purchase! If you’re documenting your journey, please post a link to your blog below. I love watching vans become VANS!
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We are actually still planning, including selecting a van model. I always research forever before I make a big decision. Before I bought my current car, I must have read about the two or three cars I had it narrowed down to for about a year. 😂 We are still debating layouts for the interior too. I was thinking convertible bed originally to maintain an aisle all the way through the van, but have since changed my mind to fixed bed with garage. I’ll keep reading your posts to continue my research. 😊
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LOL, I’m the much the same!
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Very useful list. Thanks for posting.
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Happy to help!
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Thanks for sharing my post. Its great knowing that people are reading what I am putting out there. Respect!.
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Thanks for your awesome posts!
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