Joeldc
New member
This forum has been helpful for me. There are so many great ideas out there! Anyway, I thought it was time to share my project. I picked the Previa for my build because I wanted a small maneuverable vehicle that would work well for daily driving and activities as well as camping expeditions. AWD was a requirement since I live in the snow. I considered Astros and Safaris, but preferred the huge windows in the Previa and surprisingly a bit more leg room for the driver...
![IMG_2229.jpg IMG_2229.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387507-12068686cbb5de11bc8e7312884ccadf.jpg)
My first project was the bed. However, I also wanted to carry at least four passengers so I decided on a bench seat that slides out into a bed. I used steel angle for the tracks and some McMaster-Carr track rollers. It's great to have a living space too with lots of room to change in and out of gear.
![IMG_20181118_122457.jpg IMG_20181118_122457.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387509-d150d8c0234966c292dfb390f8360239.jpg)
With a small space and complex curves, I decided to test my hand at sewing. Below are some side bags for clothes and gear. You can also see the window cover with carbon spars for support.
![IMG_20181118_122218.jpg IMG_20181118_122218.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387510-52140582d72b73f88b39cd6c8bcda4cf.jpg)
Since I have a hard time hitting the road without doing some work, I put in a counter/desk for my laptop. It's made out of 80/20 extruded aluminum and the end piece can be moved for laptop use.
![IMG_20181118_122851.jpg IMG_20181118_122851.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387513-f00404f13e96e6b458e4353bb469dbe9.jpg)
Of course running a laptop required an extra battery. It's a bit cramped, but I found a smaller starter battery and put that on top of a larger accessory battery. The battery isolator is buried in the back, but everything is close so I didn't have to use much wire...
![IMG_20181118_123224.jpg IMG_20181118_123224.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387515-4ec8d6f677573dc5f72146ff7253d9c4.jpg)
Next was a water tank. This van is pretty small so water jugs were getting in the way. Also, since I wanted head room the bench seat doesn't have much room under it. Fortunately, it was enough for a 14 gallon tank and some plumbing. The little pump puts out 3gpm so we can even shower off after a ride. Only cold water though...
![IMG_20181118_121848.jpg IMG_20181118_121848.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387520-6381403b13d507d61b687defede1dc17.jpg)
![Van 1.jpg Van 1.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387506-86cda26defe854b9d140a3e9c15e6c29.jpg)
![IMG_2229.jpg IMG_2229.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387507-12068686cbb5de11bc8e7312884ccadf.jpg)
My first project was the bed. However, I also wanted to carry at least four passengers so I decided on a bench seat that slides out into a bed. I used steel angle for the tracks and some McMaster-Carr track rollers. It's great to have a living space too with lots of room to change in and out of gear.
![IMG_20181118_122652.jpg IMG_20181118_122652.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387508-e19660acabda18020136ec8d02d2e6bb.jpg)
![IMG_20181118_122457.jpg IMG_20181118_122457.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387509-d150d8c0234966c292dfb390f8360239.jpg)
With a small space and complex curves, I decided to test my hand at sewing. Below are some side bags for clothes and gear. You can also see the window cover with carbon spars for support.
![IMG_20181118_122218.jpg IMG_20181118_122218.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387510-52140582d72b73f88b39cd6c8bcda4cf.jpg)
Since I have a hard time hitting the road without doing some work, I put in a counter/desk for my laptop. It's made out of 80/20 extruded aluminum and the end piece can be moved for laptop use.
![IMG_20181118_122652.jpg IMG_20181118_122652.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387512-e19660acabda18020136ec8d02d2e6bb.jpg)
![IMG_20181118_122851.jpg IMG_20181118_122851.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387513-f00404f13e96e6b458e4353bb469dbe9.jpg)
Of course running a laptop required an extra battery. It's a bit cramped, but I found a smaller starter battery and put that on top of a larger accessory battery. The battery isolator is buried in the back, but everything is close so I didn't have to use much wire...
![IMG_20181118_123156.jpg IMG_20181118_123156.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387514-c03d3f5b5e575d877fa2fb7079e6ac92.jpg)
![IMG_20181118_123224.jpg IMG_20181118_123224.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387515-4ec8d6f677573dc5f72146ff7253d9c4.jpg)
Next was a water tank. This van is pretty small so water jugs were getting in the way. Also, since I wanted head room the bench seat doesn't have much room under it. Fortunately, it was enough for a 14 gallon tank and some plumbing. The little pump puts out 3gpm so we can even shower off after a ride. Only cold water though...
![IMG_20181118_121848.jpg IMG_20181118_121848.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/387/387520-6381403b13d507d61b687defede1dc17.jpg)