After 2 1/2 years of living and travelling full-time in our custom campervan we returned to Vanlife Conversions to make some notable upgrades and breathe some fresh life into our tiny home on wheels. We first worked with Oli and Emily at Vanlife Conversions in 2020 when they built our dream home inside a Peugeot Boxer L4 H3. We spent many months researching and planning before handing over the keys and waiting for collection day.
Fast forward to the start of 2025 and after 3 years of full-time living, including 6 months with the latest changes we wanted to share our experiences, upgrades and some context on why we returned to the the source with Vanlife Conversions to get the work done.
What was changed:
- Added a Thule Omnistor 5200 awning
- Improved our battery capacity with a Roamer Smart4 battery (12v LiFePO4)
- Upgraded to the newer Victron Orion XS alternator chargers (2 installed)
- Added a Victron Cerbo and GX Touch
- Replaced our previous 3000w inverter with the Victron Multiplus II 3000
- Integrated our LPG and water sensors into the Victron Cerbo
- Added a Scanstrut ATMOS 12v compressor for our SUPs/Wing/Kitesurfing gear
- Swapped all our 12v sockets to Scanstrut and added one into the cab
- Added an aluminium plate to the water tank to stop the insulation getting destroyed off road
- Added a custom roof rack to house everything on the roof
- Upgraded our internet setup to a Starlink Gen3 and 5G combined solution
- Added a Starvmount DishyNOAC to run our Starlink on 12v
- Upgraded our roof cable seals to 2 of the Scanstrut horizontal multi seals (DS-H-MULTI-BLK)
- Upgraded our iPad mount to the Scanstrut ROKK Mini
- Had the whole interior repainted and went from all white, to a green accent
- Replaced cupboard fronts with a flat/smooth front (previously shaker style)
- Utilised Everlock catches/locks on all of our opening cupboards and drawers
- Moved to a custom stainless steel shower tray for enhanced floor space and durability
- Replacement flooring due to previous leak/water damage
- Added external venting to the fridge
The list looks fairly extensive when you write it out, and there were some serious hours that went into these changes and additions. Working on an already completed, and lived-in van is far more difficult and time consuming than building from scratch into an empty shell. On this point we really appreciate the extra work that went into the rebuild. Swapping out a battery and upgrading a few electrical components quickly became the equivalent of a brand new electrical install, using all of the modern standards and techniques from installs that have changed since our initial build back in 2020. When we first had the van converted Vanlife Conversions were on their 7th build, they will soon be completing build number 42. During this time the methods, experience, tooling and staff have also improved as they moved into their second workshop. One of the big benefits for us returning to Vanlife Conversions was all of the prior knowledge of the van install and layout, they already knew the plumbing, the cable runs, the carpentry etc. to be as least destructive as possible during the modifications.
For some additional context, we’re a fullime vanlife couple (also travelling with 2 dogs) that are living and working off grid all over Europe. From volcanos on the Canary Islands, Ancient cities in Türkiye, Snowy mountain peaks in Italy and currently, secluded paradise bays in Greece, both us, and our van has seen a lot of varying climates and terrain. Unlike living in a house with more space and with everything fixed in place, living in a van creates an incredibly high level of wear (and potential damage) over a relatively short period of time. For example, our cutlery draw is also the bathroom draw, has lights for the dogs and other items we use throughout the day so it’s being opened and shut so many times that the wear on hinges/latches/locks/fronts etc. is more excessive than you might expect.
We’ll break the changes down into a few sections which make it easier to follow; Electrics, Internet. Quality of life and External changes.
Electrics:
As we spend all of our time off grid, and often not moving for several days at a time, the electrical setup is a crucial part of the van for us. Mitigating power fatigue and not worrying about power usage is the ideal scenario for us. Despite building a sizeable electrical system into the van from day 1, both the technology on the market and also our power demands have increased over time. For our recent upgrades we decided to increase our battery capacity. We previously had 2 x 180ah LiFePO4 batteries installed and now have a single 460ah LiFePO4 from Roamer batteries, a 28% capacity increase. We did this because since building the van out, we’ve introduced Starlink to our setup which was a large additional power draw on working days. Jess is also now working more hours than initially as she continues to build her own client base, which creates additional charging during the week for laptops/phone/headphones etc. We also found that when it get’s really hot we want to be able to park the van in more shady areas, which prevents any meaningful battery top up from the solar. The new setup has been working perfectly for us, using data from the Victron VRM website we can see our lowest battery % has been 53% since September (We’re now in Jan and past the shortest day of the year). Not only have we increased our charging capability and storage capacity of the battery, we’ve also created some power efficiencies with the internet setup.
When it comes to charging we found that the hot European summers were putting a lot of strain on our 2 Victron Orions, they were running very hot and therefore losing some efficiency. When we saw Victron had upgraded the design on the newer Orion XS whilst also boosting the power from 30a to 50a we were very interested. We’re now running 2 of the Orion XS but limiting them to 40a each. These have been working really well so far but we’re yet to test them in the hottest season.
Next up was replacing our 3000w inverter. Over time we had noticed some performance hiccups and as it is something we use daily we wanted to ensure we had the best fit for our setup. We upgraded to the Victron Multiplus II 3000 which now gives us lots of additional integrations and functionality via the Cerbo/VRM portal. As the Multiplus is an inverter and charger in one, we could also remove our previously installed Victron charger. Other than the inverter, which we scrapped, all of the Victron gear that came out of the van was resold when we got back to the UK.
A great addition to the van has been the Victron Cerbo and GX Touch. This allows us to monitor and configure all of our Victron electrics and usage directly from the touch screen, the apps on our phones or via a laptop in the web browser. We’ve got widgets set up on our iPad which display the inside and outside temperatures, power remaining in the batteries and any power coming in and out. It’s a nice addition to the van. Theoretically, the Victron setup allows you to see predicted solar yields and weather based on your location but the location feature appears to be static and therefore pretty redundant for vanlife. You can manually enter a location or address, great for an off-grid house or tiny home but it’s not something we’ve been able to utilise. Another benefit to the Cerbo is that it allows multiple user accounts so both of us can access the setup, and Vanlife Conversions also can access the setup remotely if something needs to be changed or reconfigured on the move.
For daily charging of phones/ AirPods/ iPad and various other 12v accessories, we are using integrated USB C and USB A charging sockets. Over time a couple of the ports had become loose or failed so we wanted to upgrade these. After seeing the quality of the Scanstrut gear we swapped every socket in the van to various USB and 12v models from them. This company is big in the marine scene so there is a big emphasis on dust/water resistance and the general quality is very good. We also had an additional 12v USB socket added into the cab that runs off our Roamer battery. Having a live USB charger in the front has been super handy and something we found we wanted fairly quickly after moving into the van many years ago.
Scanstrut also provided us with an ATMOS air compressor which Vanlife Conversions installed into the side of our kitchen on the sliding door. This integrated air station provides between 1-20PSI and allows us to pump up our SUPs, Wingfoil boards and kites without having to lift a finger! We’ve been using this a lot for our SUPs across Greece over the last few months to inflate and deflate.
There is more information and a video on the Scanstrut ATMOS.
Internet:
For the first 2 years in the van, we relied on using various 4/5G mobile routers, these were working well until we found ourselves limited in choosing the best park-ups when we spent several months on the Canary Islands. We purchased a Starlink Gen2 and for 7 months we ran this as a stock setup on the inverter. When returning to the UK for some upgrades and MOT, we got in touch with Starvmount who provided us with their latest roof mount and also a DC power supply for the Starlink Gen3.
The Starvmount DishyNOAC allows us to run the Starlink directly on 12v, without using the original router and removing the requirement to use the inverter. This has saved us A LOT of power, and also made a more functional setup for us. The new internet setup also contains a Teltonika RUTX50 which allows us to run a SIM and Starlink through a single Wi-Fi access point. One Wi-Fi network is always connected by either the SIM connection or Starlink. The RUTX50 is connected to a Poynting 5G antenna on the roof and to the DishyNOAC via Ethernet. With the flick of a switch the Starlink boots and takes the primary connection, and when turned off the router will instantly fall back to the SIM. It’s super simple, highly effective and gives us additional redundancy for our internet. If you’re thinking about an expandable/futureproofed internet solution for your own build we’d highly rate this Wi-Fi setup.
Quality of life:
Initially, when the van was built we had shaker-style cupboard fronts with Ikea handles and magnets to keep the doors secured when driving. After living with these for several years we ended up regretting these design choices. The shaker-style fronts collect additional dirt and dust whilst travelling, also the same with the handles. Worst of all for us however was the magnet locks. To keep the heavier pan drawers secured whilst driving and cornering, multiple magnets were installed. Due to the increased strength in the magnets, the drawer was always a bit of a battle to open and over time the additional stress and yanking created damage to the hinges/runners and cabinetry. After much additional research and with never seeing them in person we took a risk and ordered a complete set of Everlock catches from Germany for the rebuild. These are an integrated lock/opening latch which means the new build is magnet-free! Opening drawers and cupboards, knowing they are always locked before driving, has been super refreshing over the last 6 months. These Everlock latches are available in a couple of different sizes and can also be purchased in a lot of different colours to match your chosen aesthetic. We appreciate the look might not be for everyone but for us, these are a huge improvement to the van. Everything now opens and closes with no additional stress or friction which should increase the longevity of the rest of the build. With the new integrated latches, we’ve also gone for flat cupboard fronts which has given the van a cleaner look and made the fronts easier to maintain.
To change the feel of the van we also added some colour to the refresh. We previously had all of the walls and cupboard fronts in white. The fronts and doors have now all been repainted in a pale green (which also gave Jess an excuse to buy new cushions and bedding to match). We really like this new style and the van feels a little warmer and more homely overall because of it. To keep the general theme black/white/green we also opted for our Everlock catches in black on the cupboard fronts.
Another great addition to the van was the custom roof rack. After wanting to change the Starlink/various mobile antennas on the roof, we realised the initial solution to mount everything directly to the roof wasn’t the best in terms of futureproofing the van and general maintenance over time. We worked with Vanlife Conversions to come up with a Unistrut system which they then mounted using their own fabricated attachments. This roof rack is secured using the van’s original mounting positions so now, other than our Scanstrut cable seals nothing is mounted or fastened directly onto the van roof. Impressively the Thule Omnistor 5200 awning is even mounted directly onto the side of the roof rack. Without the new rack install our awning options would have been extremely limited, without having to tear a lot of the inside conversion out for accessing secure fixing points. After several very hot seasons, we decided to have the awning mounted to provide us, and the dogs some additional shade. We’ve also got the Thule side mounts attached to the van which keeps the legs off the ground. This is particularly useful for us when the dogs are anchored to the van as there is nothing to get caught up (or broken).
We’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with our shower in the van. It’s crucial to have the space and ability to keep clean on the road but we’ve previously gone through 2 plastic shower trays and a whole floor replacement due to a slow leak. We’d been keeping an eye on the increase in conversion companies using custom stainless steel trays in their builds, which also included Vanlife Conversions. The idea of a one-piece/welded tray seemed like a much more durable (but expensive) upgrade. We decided to have one fabricated and installed. We opted for it to be powder-coated in black to match the rest of the shower room. Having the new tray installed also slightly increased our usable floor space in the shower which was a big advantage to us. Day to day we have a piece of Altro Contrax between the toilet and the new floor which we remove when showering. The new shower tray is holding up well but the friction between the toilet going in and out, and day-to-day wear is already wearing the paint in certain places. It’s worth noting that the metal can be quite cold underfoot so some people might not like this solution day to day without an additional matt installed.
Things don’t always go to plan:
Over the last year our previous water tank sensor had failed so we had no indication of how much fresh water we had left in the tank. From living on the road long enough you have an understanding of when you need to fill up or how frequently but it was still very annoying. One thing we were really looking forward to was having new sensors installed, and integrated into the Victron system so we could see the data on the touch screen or from our phones. Unfortunately, the float sensors that have been installed are inaccurate enough that we aren’t gaining any indication of how much water is in the tanks. We believe this is due to the gaps below and above the sensor but also the inconsistent size/shape of the tank. We’ve also had a similar issue with the LPG sensor which seems to fluctuate its readings all of the time. We’ve had the LPG displaying 0 when in fact on visiting an LPG station the tank was still more than half full in reality. We’d love to hear from your own experiences if you’ve got any reliable solutions for tank monitoring!
The process:
We enjoyed the process of returning to Vanlife Conversions. Since our initial build, they now have an online portal which they update every Friday at the end of the day. This includes a written update on the progress for the week and they also attach photos and videos of the build. We liked the visibility of what work was happening and what the build looks like behind what you can see day to day. This type of visibility is really only possible when a company like Vanlife Conversions is proud of its craftsmanship and is happy to be transparent with the whole process. We also kept in communication via WhatsApp and odd phone calls to quickly resolve queries that came up during the upgrades. On collection, we spent several hours with Oli and the team discussing the changes, setting up some of the new Wi-Fi functions and having a demo of the new electrical functions. Having quality face-to-face time for handovers is a great way to understand the build and changes, and also to ask any additional questions before hitting the road! The van was also spotless inside and out, certainly the cleanest it has ever been since the build back in 2020! We don’t envy whoever had the task of getting 6 months’ worth of volcanic ash and dust out of the cab from the Canaries.
If you’re interested about vanlife but don’t know where to start, you can check our our vanlife consultation service.
You can also follow us along on Instagram – TheRoadTwoSpoons , YouTube or on our Facebook Vanlife Q&A page
