READY FOR A TRIAL RUN

By Nicole

​Toni has been working tirelessly on modifying the van so that we could have it ready for the trip to participate in the Women's March on Washington D.C. Next week will be our trial run with the van to see if we like the current set up. It will also give us the opportunity to tweak a few things and find out what other items might come in handy along the way. Certainly a 14 hour trip won't compare to an 18 month journey across two countries, but it should point out some of the more obvious issue we may run into. 

As we mentioned in our first blog, we will be living out of the van and not in it so we just wanted to have a platform that we could use as a bed if we just need a quick nap, and then some storage for all of our clothes and gear underneath. Toni decided to build a series of crates that would allow us to move them if we need to and that would provide a long gap in the middle in case we needed to store something longer. The tops are removable to access everything in storage underneath. Toni also laid down some reflective insulation and a foam pad on the bottom to help regulate temperature, protect the floor, and reduce vibration. The tops have a camping foam pad attached to them followed by a think vinyl cover.  This should provide a nice base. We then purchased a 3" thick memory foam pad to sleep on. Here is a slideshow of what Toni built...

This week we will get the wiring done on the hitch receiver we had installed last week, just in case we decide we need it sometime down the road. We also ordered a roof rack, which is getting installed this week. Besides that, we just need to start shopping for bins, shelves, and other storage items. After our trip next week I am sure we will come up with several things that we will want to add to the van. We did manage to find some nice and warm oversized sleeping bags this week that will be nice on those cool days that we nap in the van or that we are camping outside.

So, that is some of the progress that we made with the van this week. We will let you know what we find out after our road trip next week. It has been a busy couple of weeks and I am also making some progress with my planning as well! Will post those details soon!