I have not updated is quite awhile, So for my latest addition to my van camper is a Christmas present from my son. He knows how I hate flies, so he gave me a Bug-a-salt gun to keep them away from my picnic table. I must admit it works great.

 

As I approach 80 years old, I am finding it harder to get up on the van's roof rack to get my recliner camp chairs, table, and tire step down. My wife is afraid I might slip and fall off or she might slip with the chairs as I pass them down and scratch the paint of the van. So I decided it was time for another modification. I built a wood tray to fit over the lid of the rear box that would hold my recliner chairs, collapsible red table, and tire step. They stack and strap in for travel. The tray fits over the top of the blue box lid. I am not worried about the extra weight on the back as this van is a 2500 model which can carry more weight than my old 2001 that was a 1500 model. I also built into it a wood pocket to hold the front tire of our electric scooter that is strapped to the rear ladder.


I built the tray so that when we get to the campsite, we can loosen the connectors and, with the two black handles on each side, lift the whole tray off with everything still strapped on making it easy to get in the back of the van during initial camp setup. With me on one side and my wife on the other, we can easily lift the whole bundle off and set it on the side out of the way for access to the chairs later.


I use turnbuckles to attach it solidly to the metal hitch tray. They are easy to disconnect when we want to take it off at the campsite. Little cup hooks hold the turnbuckles up out of the way when they are not in use. Large eye screws act as anchors for my straps to hold everything in place during travel


I have two turnbuckles on the front and two on the back. A magnet holds the turnbuckle wrench on the inside of the tray for easy access.

 

I attached a double magnet to the tray to hold my wrench for the turnbuckles.


A cupholder hook holds the turnbuckles up out of the way when removing and and reloading the blue tray on the box.

 

We needed a small fan for our van. I had an old fan used to defrost truck windshields laying around. I mounted it on a block of wood, added the switch to the back of the fan, and a 12 volt cig. lighter cord end on it. With the switch mounted on the back the electronics is always kept cool. I have several cig. lighter plug outlets around the van to draw power while we are at the campsite. They are connected to a 12 volt inverter for power when we are plugged in to shore power and connected to my camper battery when not. It is a good heavy duty fan that has several speeds as well as an oscillating feature. It works very well in our small conversion van and can run all night if we need it.

 

Our latest van camping trip was to Lewis and Clark Recreation Area near Yankton, SD for a couple of days. It was rainy most of the time so we appreciated being able to get in out of the rain and having the awning to deploy. My latest modification was the addition of a HUD (head up display) unit. I got used to having in on my C6 Corvette and thought it would be a nice addition to my van as they make all kinds of units that plug right into the UBD plug on most vehicles. It works great with a reflective patch on the windshield and my wife even likes seeing the speed without looking down all the time. It is not nearly as "cool" as the unit in my Corvette, but it gets the job done.

 

For the last few years I have been using a flat panel amplified window type antenna mounted on a DIY magnetic mount that I cobbled together. It has worked pretty good, but I would have to rotate it in quarter turns to find the orientation for the best signal reception. I recently discovered a newer type rod-shaped antenna that is a big improvement. Due to its rod shape, once I put it up I don't have to do any rotation for better reception and it, generally, gives me better reception than the flat panel type. I am quite pleased with the improrvement.


My old flat panel antenna.



My newer upgraded rod antenna which came with a magnetic mount built in so I didn't have to go the DIY route. As you can also see from the two pictures of my roof rack, I have added some diamond tred Al flooring to make an observation deck on top of my van and a storage box for my fishing rods, metal detector, golf clubs, etc.

On my last camping trip to the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area near Yankton, SD I was able to pick up about 15 channels giving me a good variety of choices.

 

Now that it is fall and bug season, I decided it was time for another improvement to the van camper. I have had a magnetic opening screen on my side doors for a couple of years now. I decided
to add one to the back door too. I used a single door magnetic screen but had my wife sew it together after removing the magnets so it was all one piece. Then I installed it sideways with Velcro
on the top and the sides. I just tucked the extra in under the van bed mattress to keep my "basement" area accessible. To make the bed or for other access to the top area, it can simply be lifted
up from the bottom or removed completely due to the Velcro attachment method. Now, no more bugs in the main part of the van when I open the back doors to access my tools and other things
stored in my "basement" area. The nice thing about my DIY van camper is that it is never done. There is always room for improvement and I will continue as long as I am able.

 

As I get older, I need more reminders. To help me remember everything as I break camp, I use an old travel luggage tag to stick on my gearshift lever. It reminds me of everything i need to do before I break camp, except make sure my wife is with me!

 

It is November here in South Dakota and I am still getting out with our camper van. No snow and nice weather, although it has been getting below freezing at night. I have noticed a weird phenomenon this fall. The lilacs are blooming in November! See in the picture below in the upper center and upper right corner.


The latest modification to my camper van is the addition of a tissue dispenser box on the screen door wood from near the side door. I mounted it on the outside of the screen so I don't have to go in to access it. It has proven quite handy. No big modification to my van any more, just minor convenience upgrades.

 

Hello ~ newbie to the forum and I really enjoyed reading your story and all of the van changes/modifications that you've made!