Search
Close this search box.

Virtual Tour: Vanlife Rally with UpaDowna 2018

Another gathering of the tribe, another exchange of information on all things #vanlife.

We built out our current van swiftly (less than 4 weeks) in April 2018, with the help of Timbr Basecamps in Golden, Colorado. Working with Devon from Timbr was wonderful and if you have any dreams of #vanlife, we highly suggest reaching out to him. Timbr installed our flooring, insulation and wall panels, electrical system, cut the hole and installed the fan, the track system, and bed platform. You can check the video tour of our van to see it all in person.

After five months of living in our new build out, we have come to terms with the fact that our van is NEVER finished. This leads me to believe no van is ever finished. The Instagram #vanlife is all a facade, we promise. There is always something broken that needs fixing, something old that need replacing, and something new that still doesn’t work. We are currently dealing with:

  • Sink issues- the sink never worked in the first place
  • Battery issues- because we’ve let ours drain too low too many times and now they don’t function as well as they should, making it dangerous to run our fridge off them
  • Solar issues- the issue is we don’t have solar
  • The impending cold of winter and trying to find solutions for heating (super expensive) and showering (can’t be outside) when it’s below freezing.

All that being said, it is SO WONDERFUL to gather the tribe and ask 1000 questions to those that have already faced these issues or are also working on their build-outs. Check out the vans below that joined us at the UpaDowna Vanlife Rally in Colorado Springs on Tuesday, August 7th. If a van has an instagram, the picture will link you to it. Happy exploring!

We paired with UpaDowna for the event, here Steve is giving some info on their Turbo Diesel 2006 e350 6.0l 4×4 with all the added features!
Thanks for a great event UpaDowna
Inside the UpaDowna van
Scott Woerner shared his van AND motorcycle. Great seeing you again Scott!
Twyla Surritte and Dan Rodriguez (not pictured) brought their 2002 Ford f450 with a big red box on back.
Clifford the big red van.
Kyler Hasson is still working on his Blue Ram 350, trying to keep the build under $3,000
Kristen Ezalovich brought her 1982 Chevy conversion van G20 named Luna.
Inside Luna
Steve and Debbie Tragesser are selling their 1988 Toyota Van for $5,000

Up next we have Mountain Town Music Festival at Keystone. It will be a day of all things Colorado. Warm summer days, free live music from national acts and the harvest season for our colorful state. See you there!


There is one way for this tour to be a reality, our sponsors! Sending a thank you shout out to our title sponsor Nite Ize, and all of our other awesome sponsors that make this happen: Crazy CreekNational GeographicSea to SummitMountain HouseLowe AlpineOld TownLekiHydraPakUCO Gear and WenzelIf you like the gear that keeps us groovin’ click here to enter for a chance to win

Share this post:

Discover more in the Blue Ridge:

Join our newsletter!

Subscribe to receive the latest from Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine sent directly to your inbox.

EXPLORE MORE: