Van Renovation: Chapter 3...

“We are converting the back of the van into a bedroom, how hard can it be?” - Me.

We recently got the idea to reupholster and redesign the back of our van to turn it into a cozy little bedroom. The back bench already folds down flat into what could be a full bed. If we could figure out a way to make the rest of the area comfy we can have a mobile bedroom on wheels. 

The anatomy and design of the Volkswagen Vanagon are pretty interesting. The engine is in the back, the battery is under the passenger side captain chair, the spare tire is under the back seat and you check the oil dipstick behind the license plate. It’s been fun to figure out how to configure a routine maintenance plan. It is very different from popping the hood on most American cars and having everything in one spot.

After some quick internet searching, planning, and shopping around for the right comfy cushion for us, we found a peice of memory foam that fit our budget. Most upholstery manufactures and local shops charge triple the amount of what a piece of memory foam cost, it is a weird niche market. After we did some research we felt pretty sure we could do this ourselves. We landed on making our own mattress for our van. Armed with our simple memory foam mat, we made some measurement plans, and were on our way. 

Crude, but it worked...

To reinforce our DIY van bedding, we purchased a piece of plywood from our local hardware store. I traced the floor plan on some taped together paper shopping bags (unusual, but worked. Use what you got!). This floor plan template was easy and helped me align both the foam and plywood so they would match perfectly. Work smarter, not harder.

Once we had everything cut to size it was just a matter of making it all look pretty. 

Pretty easy project to make any Vanagon or adventure mobile even more comfortable!

Finished Product...time for the beach...

-YourFriendMatt

Van Renovation: Chapter 1

"I mean, how hard could it be to rip a few van seats out?" - Me.

Right after we moved back to Santa Monica we knew we had to get our VW Vanagon back. We had one before the last time we lived here and missed the days of cruising in the van on the PCH, stopping to pull over if we found a cool beach area, and just hanging out in the van. We scoured Craiglist, local ad’s, and Facebook marketplace for a few weeks until we finally found one worth checking out. According to our mechanic, the engine seemed good, the body was in great shape, and besides a few minor upgrades, we found our van. Now, it is up to us to make it ours.

One of the first this we wanted to do is rip out the center, bench seats to create more space for activities. I will have more updates as the van renovation process goes, but here is a quick video of me, with no knowledge of how to do this, doing my best to remove the seats.

Enjoy and comment below! I'd love to hear from you!

-YourFriendMatt

Big Red 2...

“It’s like driving a fishbowl.” - Us.

We did it. We got our van back. Who knew we were van people?

We use to live in Southern California and left for a few years to move to Nashville. During our time on the Gold Coast we bought an old Volkswagen Vanagon and loved taking it on adventures. Due to the logistics of moving, we sold the van (Big Red) before moving to Nashville. During our time in Music City, we wished we hadn’t sold Big Red and yearned for the days of drifting through beach lined roads in the sun. We loved taking cruises us the Pacific Coast Highway or taking Big Red to a hike. It was something we had wished we could get back to. 

As luck would have it, Jamie got a job offer back in Los Angeles, so we moved back. Since our returned to Santa Monica, we have been scouring Craiglist, GoWesty, and FaceBook Marketplace for a new (old) van. And by god, we found it. After months of hunting, haggling, being lead on, or meeting internet creeps; we finally found someone who cared as much as we did about Vanagons and wanted to sell us one that was worthwhile. Welcome, Big Red 2!

Finding Big Red 2 means we will get to fulfill our honeymoon dream of driving around the country again, seeing crazy new city’s, trying new food, meeting interesting new people, and seeing wherever the road takes us. If or when we ever decide to move again we will be taking her with us on our mobile home. We plan on teaching our kids how to drive in this thing. Which, is a wild idea.

See you on the road!

-YourFriendMatt

2016...

“What should we do today?” - Me

We started the year off waking up in Anaheim at Disneyland, me with a slight headache, Jamie with a slight caffeine deficiency. We had spent the night before at Disneyland frolicing like 4 year olds one last time in 2015…but not before splitting a bottle of champagne in our hotel room first…and by splitting I mean she has a glass and I drank the rest…towards the end…straight from the bottle.

We got up - sort of - I found us coffees and a plate of cheap hotel pancakes and we were off to re-enter Disneyland for the first time in 2016, technically the second time in 2016, but who’s counting. We bounced back and forth between the 2 parks and that’s when I received a call. Over the last few months Jamie and I have been looking for an adventure mobile. Something we can cruise in, party in and make memories. The problem was, we are broke, so trying to find something within the $0 to $10 category that wasn’t a used Power-Wheel was becoming an issue. 

See my Instagram for a short video about this ride...@MattBates

Luckily for us, I am a Craigslist guru and have been told I should write a book or open an consulting agency about how to used Craigslist effectively. After searching through, negotiating and losing all hope we found a real diamond in the rough. One of those posts that is almost too good to be true, but we put in an offer 2 days earlier and they accepted. Boom. Win. I got off the phone and we left Disney as fast as we could to go meet up with them before they changed their minds.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present, Big Red...

Americans...#BigRed...

This has been one of the biggest impulse buys and most unplanned thing I have even done, which is not my style, but this thing is too good, we had to jump on it. This year is even more about just jumping, taking risks and continuing to focus on what makes us happy. This van might look like a silly old van no one wants but to us, this is our coast cruiser, the party machine and something that will be worth the story. (Plus, for what we bought it for, we can sell it and make a profit *Thumbs Up*).

Not a bad start to the new year, a day at Disney, cocktails with some great folks and a new addition to the fleet. 

2016, you are shaping up...

-YourFriendMatt