Sam's Winter misadventures - Playing in the Fryingpan

I understand that many of these entries are written in coloradbro dialect, expect lots of dudes, gnar, pow, schralp, sick, nasty and many other alien terms. I'll try and link definitions when possible via urban dictionary, be warned that some content on that site may not be appropriate for all ages but may provide some laughs. 

Part of the B/C experience

After massive amounts of food on Christmas with only a quick resort skin to burn some off I was desperate for some pow to slay and shred, so I did the only thing I knew and called up the homies. My buddy Luke was down for some schralpage and after finding out that plan A, Marble, was super unstable and less accessible with a closed gate and potential crowds we turned our attention elsewhere. Plan B the moderate and always safe Williams Peak lacked sufficient coverage to effectively schralp. We quickly moved on to Plan C, a new zone up they Frying Pan, outside of the nearby town of Basalt, after reading on the interwebz that there was some skiing to be had, potentially without the crowds we committed to a tentative scouting mission.

New skis and bindings, psyched!

A couple miles into the low angle skin I came to the conclusion that back country skiing is just a bunch of dudes walking around, peeing and talking about skiing in the middle of nowhere. After much of this, a more than reasonable amount of bush wacking and all of the above, I got to click in and scored a 2000'+ descent of stable 2'-3' deep powder in glades and aspens. A quick...well not so quick 2ish mile skate and pole, more poling and griping than skating, back to the car concluded our 4 hour car-to-car adventure. 

Gear used included:

Ortovox 3+

Ortovox 240 aluminium probe

Black Diamond Evac 7 Shovel

Wailer 112 skis

G3 Ions

Scarpa Maestrales

Icebreaker base layers

CWX compression tights

Fits socks

Buff

Osprey Kode 42 Pack

Neat snow formation, kinda faceted, very lacey and I think
there's a specific name for this formation. Help anyone? 

Oh cool, snow!

Old slide, neature!

Some portion of Luke's butt and the 2000'+ of elevation gain we experienced.

Sam's Winter misadventures - Highlands and Owl Creek

Through work I have the unique opportunity to go out on adventures using gear sold at the Ute and abuse it/get a feel for how it works. With a short write up and a few pictures we get a pat on the back and after enough a bit of cash in hand. I figured they'd make decent little write ups on here to keep it fresh and mix it up from the monotonous van life drivel that I've been spouting recently. So here is the first of hopefully a whole passel. 

Just the other day I went skinning up Highlands with Maximilian, we ventured forth seeking the sickest, gnarliest pow to schralp but all we found was cat crud and the ski patrol hut.

The outing took about 3 hours including pee and whisky breaks, we met many nice ski-mo folks; which completely changed our perceptions of their elitist ways. We now understand that they also just like to go fast but their internal compass is off by 180 degrees. The sky was clear the snow was old and all in all it was a delightful outing.

After skinning up Highlands and skiing back down on the jittery Fishers, Maximilian and I decided to take the adventure up a notch and drove up Owl Creek road to scout out some bowls that were just little hills. However while out and about I scored at least 20 siiiiick ankle deep pow turns before poling across an open meadow back to the car. This outing included a 5" deep pit to discover that there truly was very little snow except on the road (the only place we skied), a slight fiasco reassembling the split board, the realization that we were not where we thought we were and a bunch of quality chuckles. Our mis-adventure lasted a couple hours and was not too exhausting.

Gear taken out included:

OR centrifuge jacket

Dynafit Radical ST bindings

Folsom Completo skis

BD ascension skins

Scarpa Maestrale

Julbo Sunglasses

BCA snow study kit

G3 Ion Bindings

Fischer Hannibal 94s

BD ski traverse poles

Was a pit necessary...absolutely not, but it was fun.

Splitboard strugglefest.

Moisture Management in the Van

Here's a quick post regarding some of the ways to mitigate moisture build up in a vehicle.

The problem is we all breath and we breather harder while we're awake and there is a ton of water vapor in each exhale. According to this NPR article we lose about 15-16 Fl Oz of water each night, and when you're in a car or van that winds up coating everything. This makes seeing through a frozen windshield in the morning tricky, metals will rust when repeatedly exposed to this, it makes morning just a bit more unpleasant. When combined with cooking in the van it's not that hard to wind up with 1/8 of an inch of frost on the windows in the morning.

However, while I have not come up with a complete solution I have been able to lessen then problem.

-I use a couple of mesh bags full of silica packets that I collected from a local retail shop. I have probably 3-4lbs of silica which helps lessen the amount of condensation, especially in dry climates.

1/8" of frost will make some pretty
cool patterns on the windshield!

-In the morning when the frost thaws and starts to drip I have a micro towel that is super absorbant and is nice and small so I can take it in to work or a real house and dry it out without being too obnoxious.

-Crack a window whenever possible as this allows the moisture to escape before it becomes a problem.

-Whenever possible park in sunny spots, again with a window cracked so that the vehicle and dry out while you play or earn some pennies!

Sometimes it's impossible to completely manage the moisture and you just have to accept the fact that you'll have a car foggier than Leo and Kate's on the Titanic and that's ok.

Drying laundry in the van.
Not prime for keeping moisture levels low but
that's the way it goes sometimes.

Getting the Previa Winter-proofed

Snowed in...almost.

This winter I am back in the mountains of Colorado and according to the farmer's almanac it is supposed to be chilly...chillier than last which had a couple of weeks that it was dropping down to -25F. So far, unfortunately it seems to be holding true with nights dropping down to -7F in the second week of November, last winter I had not yet moved from blankets to my sleeping bag and now I have spent the last week and a half sleeping in my bag, with several of those nights being uncomfortably cold (my fault since I sold my winter bag and have been sleeping in a lighter bag rated to +45F) for more than a few nights.

To ready the van for the winter I have used a few tricks from the previous winters, modified some others and introduced a couple of new ones.

Returning due to popular demand:
-As in has been the case in prior winters when it's chilly and you're warm the motivation to put cold shoes on and step outside to visit nature loses some of its appeal, so the pee bottle has remained a constant.
-Another constant is the memory foam mattress that gets rock hard when cold but almost melts underneath you when it warms up, it's the closest a mattress can get to a hug and it feels great!
-The Coleman two burner continues to make cooking and water boiling a cinch while also cranking out those BTUs and making the van interior feel like a tropical paradise despite the snowy landscape.
-Books and podcasts as I talked about in my entertainment post have occupied much of my evening free time.

Version 2.0 
- This summer when I sold the purple dragon (the van I spent the previous two winters in) the home made tea candle space heater went with it. So far I have dabbled with a modification of placing a small bowl in a low walled pail (for draft protection). It fits three tea candles and I think is just fine for taking the edge of the air while I sleep. I moved away from the prior construction because last winter I knocked it over many times which was something of a fire danger as well as a great way to spill hot wax everywhere. The down side to the new design is that the candles to light up the van which isn't very stealthy and can sometimes inhibit sleep, also the exposed flames continue to present a fire hazard, we'll see if any more modifications occur as the winter progresses as it's still an imperfect system.

The Coleman with the coffee percolator, perfection!

-My hot beverage system, however, has been perfected with the introduction of a new mug in addition to my Hydroflask mug. In the morning I make my first cup of coffee and put it in the new mug that is less insulative and therefore makes for a great hand warmer and makes the coffee a more drinkable temperature faster. My second cup of coffee goes into the Hydroflask for work or more long term sipping as it will keep stuff hot for hours and if you're not careful like me is a recipe for a burnt tongue!

New this Season:
-All Wheel Drive, as you may know I upgraded to a Toyota Previa this year and it has AWD, it is awesome. With new snow tires and ingenious design I have had to work to make it slip. Time and time again I have assumed that I won't get out a snowy parking lot or will slip going around a corner, all of which would have been true in my previous vans. Time and time again I've been disappointed with a mundane and safe drive to my sleeping place or work. I now understand how my friend Nathan was able to pull my old Dodge out of ditches and through town with his Previa last winter, they're amazing vehicles!

The ensolite foam insulation on the sliding door.

-However, the Previa is a mini van and so has boat loads of windows A.K.A. heat sinks. To combat this I've installed the reflective bubble wrap cut to fit, backed with canvas that Velcros to the interior. On the sliding door the canvas wasn't very practical so the bubble wrap is glued to some ensolite foam, the bubble wrap was from Nathan's Previa, saving me a bunch of work which was awesome. For the front I've attached Velcro to the reflectors you can put in your windshield in the summer so that the reflective surface faces into the sleeping area. This set up has proved to be surprisingly warm, keeping the van (I'm guessing) 20-30F warmer than the exterior temperatures when combined with my tea candle heater.
-Down socks, they're awesome also! I wear mine inside the van when lounging, inside my sleeping bag on cold nights, in my snow boots when I'm lazy and it's cold outside. They pack down to nothing so are easy to accommodate in the van and are extremely warm (You might recognize the guy in the  picture in ^ link).

Books on the left, chitenge from Zambia on the right
and a man cave in the middle.

A view of the yard out of my bedroom window.
River front property is as great as they say it is.

Climbers unite!

Check and check, American Death Triangle, retired leeper hangers,
 hardware store wedge bolt, star dryvin, a modern 3/8" 5 piece
 that's hanging ~1/2" out of the wall, lots and lots of faded tat and
4 extremely heavily worn leaver carabiners
 and all of it is...kind of equalized.

This past climbing season one of my big missions out in the desert has been working with a few other folks to replace and update as many anchors as possible. Bolting has been something that I've done on and off for the past couple years, though rather intermittently particularly when not doing first ascents. I prioritized rebolting and equiping old routes with new hardware which was kind of awesome, I got on routes that I had never done before, routes that I'd done years ago and not touched since, I worked on routes that I regularly lap and felt good about doing all of them. It was sweet to be able to structure my climbing day around routes that needed a little love, there were entire climbing days of doing only routes on the list which completely eliminated the "well we could do that one, but this one looks good, but that one is kinda long/short/wide/thin etc" hmmming and hawwing conversation. Instead it was easy to point my rope gun at the route and then ride a top rope up to the anchors.

I learned over the course of the season that fixed gear is far too often blindly trusted, and I'm certainly guilty of this as well, however there were so many anchors composed or sun rotted webbing, outdated bolts, poorly placed bolts, single bolts, fixed nuts...well the list goes on, that have been used for years and it is a minor miracle that more people have not died by ripping anchors in the desert. The alarming ease of removing some of the hardware that I did has certainly been an eye opener and solidified the need for a growth in the community of anchor updaters!

Close up of a poorly placed modern bolt.

If you're getting in to doing or have been establishing new routes please for the love of god spend the little bit of extra money and get hardware that is going to last! Buy the steel (not aluminium) rap rings and the 3/8 chain and quicklinks rather than 3/16" crap that I've seen hanging of new routes in the desert. If you've been using good stuff then many thanks for the hard work and investment in the future safety of others!

Check out some of these...sub par anchors for a good laugh and what not to do as well as these:

http://dumbanchors.blogspot.com/

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/569713/Good-Anchors-Bad-Anchors

Two bolts, two hangers and an faded tat. None to be trusted.

If you're feeling pscyhed on doing some of the same check out some of these groups and resources:

Here's a whole library on basically everything you could ever want to know on tech specs, how to rebolt, bolt identification etc.
http://www.safeclimbing.org/education.htm

Here are some of the places that have been at least partially updated.
http://www.safeclimbing.org/replacement.htm

http://www.climbing.com/ari/

Also feel free to use me as a resource if you're psyched, if I can't help directly I know some people that know some stuff that I can put you in contact with!

Edit: Here is a write up on some of these pictures.

Modern anchors and drilled angles with some
 heavily worn carabiners and cross threaded quicklink

Lots of keychain carabiners!

More crappy hardware.

One pile of bleached tat and cordalette.

Another pile o' tattered webbing and cordage!

So Much Driving!

In the last week I have crossed through 5 states, gone surfing outside of L.A., had the opportunity to explore new mountain biking with a good friend (the morning after celebrating his birthday) as well as over 3000' of climbing in Nevada and Utah... and earning paychecks from two different companies! This is just a sample of he past month, all of the travel, work and play has been made possible with the support of friends, relatives and strangers alike, countless hours of podcasts, soooo much stoke, a reliable vehicle, almost enough coffee. I am psyched to have had the opportunity to be surrounded by such awesome folks that make a life of adventure and prolonged travel not just possible but a pleasure. The fact that I have learned so much, seen so much and done so little (relatively speaking) just feeds the fire even more as it's just the tip of the iceberg!

Is this sustainable? No.

Rolling in to the Creek just in time for a massive rain storm to join me.

I am exhausted and psyched to spend a couple days regrouping and playing in Durango before heading out to the desert to recharge for the next month. Some people might be able to maintain the pace of new places, new people and long days everyday for months on end but I struggle after about 6 weeks of my only rest days being the long days spent driving from one place to another. I think if there are more consistencies life on the road can be easier, for example if you're traveling with the same core group and have them to support you and for you to support, or if you're in the same location where you can put down roots (a campground in the desert :-)) etc. but to have to be constantly meeting new people and packing and unpacking can be tough and loses it's charm after a while. Again, as I've said before the strength of the outdoor community is unbelievable and seems to be omnipresent which makes so much of this worthwhile! 

This season in the desert, as always, I am psyched to develop new routes, hopefully send some projects, update questionable anchors, drink beer, laugh, continue to develop my tan in anticipation of beach season 2015 and generally have a blast. After all of this I'll return to Aspen for the winter and additional character building in the van for the winter. Oh and skiing, lots of skiing...goal for the winter is 50 days in the back country, if you're in the area lets get out after it!

A dolphin off the bow while sailing off of Dana Point

A delightful sunset while driving up to Santa Barbara

A most delicious peach courtesy of Katie & Brendon!

Changing colors on Grand Mesa outside of Grand Junction, CO

Somewhere along I-70

Rolling into Joshua Tree only a bit late due to LA traffic
and my navigational skillz

Looking out from Joshua Tree and into the Mojave

Why Self-Imposed Rest Days are Awesome

In the past I've felt that rest days are something of a battle. A battle to occupy the many minutes of the day in such away that is restful, productive and not totally mind numbing. This is easier said than done, especially when taking solo rest days as there is no one to play Yahtzee or Settlers of Catan, run joke tolls at the campground entrance or go adventuring with. This pickle is made all the worse on days like my last rest day, when the weather was perfect for being in the outdoors, with light clouds and a breeze, with temps perfect for climbing in the shade, going for a high country ride or paddling down a river. I have to battle with myself to avoid all of the activities to allow my body to at least partially recuperate from the past days of hiking, biking and climbing in the desert. This down time is crucial because while my psyche and internal energy levels are super high and drive me to push past the crackling knees and deep muscle soreness in my shoulders, arms and back not to mention the open and oozing wounds on my hands, I know ultimately with out a rest day I'll be in trouble.

While this anguish might not sound awesome (don't worry I'll explain the title), I assure you it is. Self-imposed rest days like the one just described are awesome because of their necessity. The fact that I can force myself to take a beautiful day off in anticipation of spending upcoming days, weeks and months climbing, biking and adventuring with such regularity that one down day is ultimately no sweat. Perfect days filled with rest are in fact an affirmation that I really do have it pretty dang good.

If this sounds less mopey and more gloaty than you originally anticipated...well you're correct because it is times like these that a little reflection in the shade, surrounded by blooming rabbit brush, staring out over grande and inspiring cliffs and towers just paces from home that I most fully appreciate the van life and irregular employment!

Coming soon, hopefully a bunch of photos and other neat things!





"Having disinterred our dream, having used the power of love to nurture it and spent many years living with the scars, we suddenly notice that what we always wanted is there, waiting for us." - Paulo Coelho

Travel Time

Well it's that time of year again, the temps are dropping, leaves are changing and climbing in the west is coming into its prime season. And so, I'll be hitting the road soon to travel to Denver, Glenwood Springs, Zion, Joshua Tree, Moab and hopefully many other spectacular and unique places that the wind blows me! This summer, specifically the past couple weeks, have been filled with new and old friends asking 'where are you going now?' and 'what's next?' and with each conversation the stoke keeps growing, even now I'm struggling to fully describe what I'm feeling, having just had this conversation with a fellow that recognizes me by my bike and now my head's a buzzin' with all of this positive energy. Well needless to say the road is calling and with the end of sedentary work just around the corner I am ready to journey and explore.

One last thing to put on top before hitting the road.

As I write this I'm about to go for a mountain bike ride and then in to my last day of knuckle dragging work for the next couple months. From here in Durango I'll be all over the west, from Indian Creek, Zion and Joshua Tree to maybe Yosemite or Aspen, or where ever the wind blows me.

I'm psyched to see new van setups, meet new friends, reunite with old friends, develop new routes, reclimb the classics, mountain bike unknown trails, hike through new to me but ancient canyons, educate some kiddos on how awesome nature can be and work on my tan for beach season 2015.

Ready for anything including 8000M peaks.

Living in a Van during the Summer

In response to the uber popular winter tips and tricks post here is a summer themed one!

A friend of mine used to say with some frequency that sometimes living the dream ain't so dreamy. Which can sometimes certainly be the case for van life in the winter but I think is even more true in the summa' time.

Location, location, location.
It has been my experience that unless you have a friend's house that you're able to park at or are willing to rent a campsite the summer can be troublesome to a dirtbag as the added camping crowds heighten the awareness of campsite poaching (not paying for an established campsite or camping in a turnout) as dirtbags and respectable folk alike are attempting this. And then with all the regular people looking to enjoy the outdoors, there is tremendous competition for free camping close to town.

Getting an early start on a high country mountain bike ride,
enjoying the blankets of wildflowers. Picture by John Fleury

If you choose to stay within city limits, there is certainly a risk of having a chat with police officers at 2AM about where you are living and sleeping that isn't the most fun thing to do at that hour. It also means that unless you have a driveway to sleep in it's best to keep moving locations to keep a low profile, which is a surprisingly exhausting endeavor.

Food and the heat.
You definitely have to be a bit more aware of food going bad in the heat as refrigeration is a luxury of more sedentary folk. That being said it's not hard to toss a wet towel or shirt on the cooler for some evaporation cooling and taking advantage of freezers when possible, either freezing food or water bottles to put in the cooler. Also, I have found that I just shop more frequently for fresh fruits and vegetables during summers in the van just to minimize the frequency of food being wasted.

All of the pros.

-Daylight Hours They're long and glorious, allowing you to get out and play in off(ish) the grid locations, sleep there and cruise back to town with the early rising sun. It can make for long days but I also personally love rising and falling asleep with the sun.

-Not Cold enough said right? You're not cold while you sleep, while you dress in the morning etc. While I prefer to sleep cold, there is something to be said for being comfortable all the time.

Just doing a little sorting in the park.

-Van Organization is Made Easy it's easy to spend 30 minutes at a park on a fine summer day, unload you're worldly possessions and pack them back just they way you would like to with out worrying about them getting wet, snowy blown away etc.

-More Naps what better way to beat the heat than to sleep through it to awake refreshed and ready to enjoy the extended daylight hours of the summer.

-No Moisture Issues No need to worry about rust, mildew or any other excessive moisture issues as the summer heat should evaporate any condensation that does accrue overnight. This evaporation as previously mentioned, when is does occur can be coolly harnessed for your benefit.

-Easier Night Time Activities if you're not exhausted at the end of your day it is so much easier to get out and enjoy the great outdoors or other night time activities when the nighttime temperatures are pleasant and conducive to not hanging out in your vehicle reading or listening to podcasts.

-Bathing in Rivers is best done in less populated areas to minimize the likelihood of offense; but is an easy way to feel like a badass as well as not mooching a shower off of friends and coworkers. It's also great for getting in touch, literally, with nature and checking out the next great fishing hole! Remember to pack a biodegradable soap like campsuds or Dr. Bronners, I've been pretty psyched on Bronner's citrus orange and classic peppermint scents!

What the heck is beer anyways?

Over the past few weeks I have had quite a few very similar discussions with several different people. Sometimes it's occurred over the consumption of a couple of cold ones, and once it happened in the context of creating a couple cold ones.

The discussion has been based around the question: 'What is beer and how's it different from ale?' Now, full disclaimer I am by no means an expert and after these discussions I have done a cursory search of the all-mighty interwebz, which has neither confirmed or denied what I have said in the discussions.

Photo from:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/toast-beer.jpg

Now you might be wondering why is this important and what if I don't drink beer. Well this is important because what other fun facts are you going to throw around while drinking beers with friends? That a fully grown male grizzly can run up to 35 MPH and swim up to 15MPH (I don't know how many knots that is) or that giraffes sometimes eat bones to maintain their freakishly large skeletal structure, no that's just silly. And if you don't drink, well surely you will at some point meet someone that does or even better is drinking a beer and in that situation you can teach them a little something about what they're ingesting and pat yourself on the back for bustin' out some fun facts.

So, based on my limited research and the conversations that I have had...

Beer is a fermented beverage where the sugars are provided by a grain or cereal base; hops, fruits and other nice tasting things are often added to make it more palatable.

Ale is often times a beer brewed with a specific strain of yeast, an ale yeast which does best in warmer temperatures and can have a higher alcohol tolerance than other yeast strains.

The tricky bit that has led to discussions is: 'What about ginger ales like this one?' You may notice that there are no grains present in the recipe but the suggested yeast is indeed an ale yeast. So, I argue that the aforementioned ginger ale is not a beer but it is indeed an ale because of the yeast strain.

A root beer, in the traditional sense, is NOT a beer though because it is neither fermented, nor does it have a grain base. Similarly, ginger ale that you get at the supermarket, I argue is not really ginger ale but a ginger soda or ginger drink, anything but an ale/beer.

What do you guys think? Any other caveats that you can think of or anything you disagree with?

Additional resources (sources from my quick googling):

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-beer-and-ale.htm#didyouknowout

http://bendbrewfest.com/beers.htm
l - This one kind of confirms my argument

The latest post is not here...

It's here:

http://www.juliethemoneycoach.com/one-frugal-way-of-life/\

Here's a quick run down on some of the finances of van living. If you guys have any further questions or want specifics I'm happy to do so!

Next post should be all about beer and brewing so get ready!

Building up a Van

As I have mentioned in previous post I have spent, collectively, hours upon hours day dreaming about different ways to build up different vans in different ways with the end goal for them to be suitable to live in. I have looked at and taken notes on Astro vans, dodges, previas, sprinters, westfalias and sychros, sports mobiles, school busses and many more. From all of these I've drawn different ideas, incorporated my own and used them to customize, in different ways my own vehicles. I've also had the great luck to be able to bounce ideas off of other friends that have spent many days in their own vans, and pick their brains about the pro's and con's of their setups.

The build I did on my new van (a 1993 Toyota Previa), I should admit was largely inspired by my friends Nathan, Kevin and Steve who all have a similar build in their Previa or Astro. The build was intended to create maximum storage space as well as a comfortable sleeping space while essentially completely disregarding any living/lounging area which my previous vehicles had plenty of. I went this way as I'm hoping to be in places or with folks that I can kick it with in spells of bad weather, I want to be able to sleep in cities in a set up/vehicle that doesn't scream "I LIVE IN MY VEHICLE PLEASE STARE AND/OR HASSLE ME!", I was also somewhat limited by the vehicle's interior which leads me to my first point.

You first have to choose what you want to live in, if you are working around a vehicle you already own then there's no sweat. Otherwise you have to choose two of the three main factors (it's rather unlikely you'll get all three), fuel efficiency, space and low cost. For instance with my recent Previa acquisition I was looking for fuel efficiency and low cost as bigger priorities (I also really wanted AWD or 4WD) which really limited what I had to choose from, which in some ways is a blessing as it's more manageable to choose between a dozen cars rather and hundreds.

Once you get a vehicle figure out roughly the square footage you're working with and what kind of features you really want in your new home. Do you want a full size bed to stretch out on, do you want an area to hang out in on rainy days, do you want a separate and designated cooking area, do you want shelving or bins for storage etc. This will all vary on whether you're spending 365 in the van, just road trips or somewhere in between, as well as on if you're going to be alone or with someone and about a billion different variables.

Once you have your design it's building material time. Are you going to go with some basic 2x4 and plywood, easy up steel framing with a bit of plywood for easy rearranging and customizing, orwill you try to go for reclaimed wood and dumpster diving at construction sites or maybe hire a professional do it up really nicely. I've found that reclaimed wood can be fickle and strenuous but really cheap, 2x4s and mid weight plywood to be the easiest to work with and a compromise in price and I have seen some really really nice builds done by professionals but for a lot more $$$. With the last few vans I have mixed the reclaimed and Home Depot approach with pretty good results. In the previous van the easy up steel framing was really convenient for quick modifications. Again this step is all about pros and cons and what will work best for you.

After all of this has been considered it's time to get after it and pound some nails (figuratively speaking that is, I usually stick with screws as they're easier to remove in case of changes or dismantling).

The build up begins with a simple frame.

Ready for the move in.

Not quite as roomy as the last couple vans but dang....it's a toyota.

The bed platform ready to get moved in, has a couple of support struts.
The dimensions are 78" X 48" X 18" to accommodate ~10 storage bins underneath
and a designated cook space in the back of the van. 

All of the rear seats have been removed and is ready for the bed platform.

Not related but they can be found inside the new van.

Ready for move in.

Final pictures of the fully moved in van are on the way in addition to pictures of the shelves, storage bins and the cook setup. Get psyched!