The 5 Basic Install Necessities
Building a van is no small task—it takes advanced planning, prioritizing, time, and hard work. Once it’s all said and done, you’ll want to be sure you made all the right decisions.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top 5 most essential van build installation necessities for you.
- Air Vent Fan
With any enclosed space, humidity builds up. That’s why you need an air vent fan.
Condensation can ruin all the hard work you put into a van build, and it creates a stuffy, unpleasant environment.
Our bodies put humidity into the air when we breathe. And if you’ve got a shower or water source in your van, the buildup of moist, stagnant air will be even worse and drive you mad.
An air vent fan is our first most essential van build necessity.
Air vent fans like this Maxxair MaxFan Deluxe will maintain proper airflow through your van, ensuring comfort and health for you and your van. With all hardware included, and multiple settings you won’t want to miss out on this fan.
- Roof Rails
Next on your van necessity checklist are roof rails. These allow you to mount other essential van build features such as roof racks, ladders, and solar panels.
Check out our Sprinter Roof Rail System to see how these rails mount to the top of a van.
The roof of your van is a valuable space that you should take advantage of.
Whether you want to store items up there or mount energy-saving equipment, you’ll need roof rails.
- Insulation and Sound Dampening
It’s no secret that vans are noisy, but you may not know that they also get hot.
The heat from the engine, the exhaust, the catalytic converter—it rises up through the floor of your van into your living area.
Luckily, you can solve both these problems with one product: insulation. This HushMat Sound Dampening and Insulation Kit reduces the hum of the highway and the heat of your van for a more comfortable driving experience.
- Aux Battery Kit
Any van build that incorporates electric into the body will need an auxiliary battery—the energy from the van’s battery is simply not enough to power your vent fan, outlets, lights, fridge, and any other appliances you’ve installed.
We recommend the Sprinter Aux Battery Kit which mounts directly to your van’s passenger seat.
With an aux battery, you’ll have all the power you need to live in your van full time.
- Weekender Kitchen
Let’s be honest—you’re about to spend a lot of time in your van. You’ll need a kitchen.
Weekender kitchens are the last most essential item on this van build necessities list. They’re compact, functional, and aesthetic.
However, the downsides to a kitchen build include excessive time, planning, and frustration. That’s why we love this VS 7-Drawer Weekender Kitchen System which only takes 10 minutes to install.
It comes with a yeti cooler, scratch resistance surfaces, locking drawers, and high quality bamboo and Baltic birch wood.
For more tips on van life, check out our other blogs.
2 comments
Totally wrong comment by jim. Dampen also means to makes less strong, reduce amplitude and not only making something wet. There are number of technical terms from that use of the verb
Re your blog entry “Installation Necessities”: my comment is that in #3 the verb you should be using is “to damp,” not “dampen” which only means to ‘get wet.’ so, one needs ‘sound damping’ for all kinds of things including fan mounts. one of the few to use the word correctly was alan greenspan, former fed chair.
otherwise, great comments, luv ‘em. our roadtrek sprinter has pretty much everything except roof rails. but that’s another story.
Jim
Victoria BC
Canuckistan