welcome to brooke and doug's van conversion build journal!

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Hey! We’re Brooke and Doug. We’re one of those millennial van life couples you’ve heard so much about.

omg look how cute we are!

lol jk we’re just regular goobs like everybody else!

How long have you been dating?

9 months.

And you’re moving into a van together?

Yep! I think our experiences so far have given us the tools to handle it.

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At the end of the day, being with Doug feels right, so I’m going with it. Worst-case scenario is we break up, and isn’t that always the worst-case scenario?

Why are you the one writing the build journal when Doug’s the one building the van?

Because Doug’s busy building the van. Enter Brooke! I can work a sander and fetch tools like a champ, but my real talent is finishing art projects. Also, this gives me a chance to appreciate all the hard work Doug put into building our home.

Aren’t there like a million other build journals already?

Yep! They’ve been a huge inspiration for this whole project, from the first van life YouTube video Doug clicked on in 2016 right up to today.

This review from Far Out Ride got me on board with composting toilets.

This Parked in Paradise calculator made a daunting electrical task easier.

And this one from Outbound Living oh my god.

This build journal probably won’t be that detailed. I envision this as a way to give readers a realistic idea of what goes into building a van, and maybe a little inspiration too.

Do you have construction experience?

Me? God no. I’ve wanted to try van life for years, but I wouldn’t have known where to begin building it out. This clothing rack is the most complicated thing I’ve ever built:

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But I’ve been on lots of adventures, including a thru-hike, a long bike tour, and working as a trucker. I like living simply, and I’m great at planning and sticking to a budget — you know, all the hard/tedious/scary work that lies between reality and the dream.

Doug’s a talented mechanic: He can fix a bicycle, a bowling pin-setting machine, and an F/A-18E fighter jet. Plus he builds birdhouses and weird guitars.

Lots of impressive skills, but none of them specific to homebuilding or vehicle repair. So I guess the answer is no, we don’t really know what we’re doing. We’re still gonna do it anyway.