Both of these are important. Sometimes it’s easy to cast the academic approach as a waste of time. Wasting time looking at something that is already a fact. But in analyzing the decision process of an existing fact, we get better at future decisions when we don’t yet have all the answers.
This first option, naturally was to consider getting another Sprinter. Having built two of them, it was the obvious choice to get back on the rod quickly. But there were two mental serious blockers I came up against: First was price. Both of my Sprinters had been second hand, high mileage units. But even then, my 2015 was $35K CAD, the most I had spent on a vehicle, ever. Looking into new models (2020), a high-roof, 4×4 version was approaching 100K by the time it drives off the lost which is just an insane amount of money. Keep in mind, this is for the empty steel box, you still have to upfit it on top of that. It’s probably an realistic option for someone who sells their house to become a #vanlife nomad, but as a part-time adventure vehicle for me, spending that kind of money made no sense. I want to spend y time out enjoying it, not working more hours to pay off nearly 100k.
The other challenge for me was reliability. The diesel aspect of the MB Sprinter is both its best and worst quality. On the one hand, the 3.0L engine is quite powerful and efficient considering its pushing a huge cube down the road. But in order to meet North American standards, MB had to implement a complex emissions system that includes a DEF tank (that essentially squirts Urea into the exhaust), plus a complex assortment of sensors. On my 2013, I had the DEF heater fail in the middle of the winter and managed to limp it along until the spring when I could replace it. But the deal-breaker for me was right before I sold it, I got the infamous “10 starts remaining” message on the dash. You can look it up, but essentially the Mercedes engineers decided the best approach if a critical emissions component failed was to give you “X more starts” to get the vehicle to a dealership.
This message reared its ugly head a friend and I were beginning a weekend camping trip. I had always dreaded this moment and here it was at one of the worst possible times. We took it in good stride and joked about it, but did have to plan our weekend as to “not use too many unnecessary starts.” We worked it out and figured out if we left the engine running for short stops, we could return home with one or two starts that I could use to get to the dealership. Parking at a trailhead for a few hours: Okay, that will expend a start. Stopping for gas? Leave it running. Going into a restaurant? Mmmmm, better leave it running. These were ironic decisions considering this system was trying to “prevent” unnecessary emissions.
Once I did get the vehicle to the dealership, I discovered this situation was even worse than I imagined. Both of my NOx sensors had failed, and to replace them it would cost $2500! But it get even worse! When I asked if I could just buy the sensors and have an independent shop change them, they told me that the new sensors had to be “programmed” into the emissions system and only dealers or authorized mechanics had the system to both do that, and reset my “starts warning.” I didn’t believe this at first, but did confirm it with other sources. So, basically if you re driving your diesel Sprinter anywhere further than “10 starts away” from a dealer, you might end up with a disabled vehicle.
In the end, I paid the dealer, as it was really my only option. I did discover that these sensors had actually been replaced once on the vehicle previously, and pleaded with them to warranty them, but they declined, but did graciously offer me $300 off the bill.So if you decide to use a Sprinter as a overland vehicle, or leave the bounds of North America with it be warned that if this comes up your options for avoiding a disabled vehicle are:
travelling … to remote places in North America and beyond, would not be a good choice for me
In my mind, the Sprinter may be a good choice for delivery companies and van-lifers who stay close to major centres. But as an overland vehicle, travelling with it to remote places in North America and beyond would not be a good choice for me.
There are some of us that are conformists, trying as best as we can to fit in and jumping on every trend. Then there are who are the rebels, who want nothing to do with whats considered “mainstream”
I’m one of the non-conformists. To an extreme.
The last thing I wanted to be was one of the “cool”
kids
In junior high and high school, I was a bit of an outlier. I wore sweat pants every day while all the other kids wore jeans. It’s not that I didn’t like jeans, but I simply didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing. The other day I was describing my high school experience to a friend and I said “Its not like I was an outcast for lack of trying, it was that the last thing I wanted to be was one of the cool kids”
This has carried into my personality years later where when I’m doing activities, or choosing places to go, I pick the ones that are the least “popular”. And in many cases I take this to an extreme. For example I came up with a plan this summer to do a 350km bike trip that involved paddling in the middle of it by putting my bike on top of a packraft. Of course this was pretty complex and daunting for many reasons and it never really got done. I think maybe if I had aimed a bit lower, I would have done it in separate parts which is better than zero parts
This carries over to who I choose to associate with too. I find myself being much more particular with who spend time with. And while at a basic level, tis ins’t a bad thing, I might take it too far. For example if I have a running friend but they don’t share the same values as me on recycling or the environment, I might feel myself not wanting to hang out with them as much. Or if they aren’t as adventurous and want to turn around just as we reach the summit because they have to head to Home Depot later, I might find myself getting annoyed with them and less likely to want to hang out with them in the future.
So I’ve kind of found myself in this spot where I don’t have a huge group of people that I do adventures with. I think I’ve only recently discovered that it’s because I’m maybe overly critical of inconsequential things. And looking for this perfect adventure buddy with the same “weird and different” matching worldviews and value and traits as me.
People meeting these “exact specifications” are either rare or don’t exists and I think its affects me more than I previously admitted to. While I like my solo adventures, I enjoy sharing time outdoors with others that enjoy it just as much as I do, so I think there is a bit of a gap here. So maybe that isn’t an issue with me finding the “exact” right people, but perhaps being a little more open to people being different and unique in other ways.
An update on what the van interior currently looks like. Cabinets were done by OverlandInteriors. More details to come..
Branvan was designed to be a stealthy camper. And one of the main giveaways of a campervan conversion is a giant solar array up top. So, much like what I did for my Sprinter, I used Renogy 160W flexible panels attached directly to the roof. Flexible panels are much lighter than rigid ones, and only a few mm thick. This makes them perfect for stealthy setups. To attach them I used 3M VHB tape. This is a two-sided tape that’s used for industrial applaications sush as attaching windows and panels to the sides of skyscrapers. If it can hold heavy windows to the sides of buildings, it should be fine for attaching a 2kg panel to a van roof. (Update Oct 26, 2020, I’ve had these panels on for eight months and 8000km now, and they are still as attached as ever)
A month after the install I decided that I wanted to run the wires through the back of the van instead of the front. So I peeled the panels off and flipped them the other way. I was pretty happy with how well they were attached and with some care, the removal went well. Note, VHB tape is kind of a pain to remove, you will need Goo-Gone or something like it to dissolve the adhesive. But its MUCH better than glue or screws.
When Installing them I cleaned off the “ribs” really well with isopropyl alcohol and uses extra tape up front and on the sides. It also helps if you weight them down at the critical points overnight, so I just put some weights around the perimeter and up-front
The setup works well and I’ve seen up to 270W (of 320W theoretical max) being generated by the system. I doubt I’ll ever see full capacity for a few reasons. One is that being attached the roof, they run a bit hotter since there’s not much for airflow under them. Solar panels are less efficient in the heat so this was no surprise. Flexible panels also are slightly less efficient than rigid ones, partly due to they plastic flexible coating rather than glass on rigid panels which lets more light through.
I thought about doing some sort of tilting mechanism to maximize solar gain but instead decided to “oversize” my system. I needed about 200-250W for my single 100AH battery so I went with 320W of Solar. Note, Renogy now sells a 175W version of this panel in the same size, so this setup could be 350W now in the same footprint. The passive approach works great for me as it keeps things stealthy, minimalist and requires no action on my part. I wanted a system that would work well if I wasn’t around the van and this passive setup is “good enough” If I was spending more time in the van or living full-time I might want to maximize things a bit more. But for now this system tops up my battery from 40-50% in about 3 hours of sunlight.
Good luck and if you have any questions or comments, drop them below!
The name was the brainchild of two others who know my fondness of good raisin bran muffin. They were discussing the new and yet-to-be-named van and said something along the lines of “does he just drive around in it eating bran muffins? Bran muffins in his van, the BranVan?” The van is a 2020 model-year, so it was then christened BranVan2020.
After the sudden demise of the Sprinter in January 2020, I started re-thinking what parts of #vanlife were important to me. After reflecting, I realized that size and extravagance isn’t as important to me as I thought. What is important is having a self-contained “basecamp” that serves as a mobile spot to conduct my may wilderness adventures. I don’t know when exactly I discovered the “microcampers” trend but it felt like the choice that aligned best with what I wanted.
The project is an experiment in campervan-minimalism, aka trying to distill all of the elements of a campervan into a tiny, fuel-efficient footprint. Will it work out? Follow along and see!
That’s because it isn’t. It’s totally just another cargo van, there’s definitely not a bed and a sink and a stove or someone sleeping in there. Nothing to see here, move along. 🙂
Email: info at branvan2020.ca
A lot of people think a brand as your logo, your Instagram handle, or the tone you use posting on social media.
Your brand is not your business cards, your swag, or even the things that you sell.
These tangible pieces are only a small part of it. Flashy public things, the trim and the decoration. The bling.
What your brand really is at the core is your values, your behaviours, and how you treat business partners, colleagues, and customers.
And most importantly: your brand is how you conduct yourself when nobody’s watching.
It’s getting to that time of year where we start thinking about them.
And like everything else in the world, marketers have pretty much ruined them (kidding.. sort of)
To marketers, and companies, this is the perfect time to capitalize on making you feel inadequate and offering the PERFECT thing to get you on the right path.
Don’t listen to them. Ignore it all (well most of it anyway). Most appeal of them appeal to short-term thinking and are setting you up for failure. There’s a reason gym usage peaks in January and then drops back down in February
You need to dig deep. Find out what it is you want to change and more importantly why. You should dedicate a solid block of time to this. I know, it’s not as fun as clicking “buy now” on a thing.
It’s far too easy for us to get our ideas from ads, or Instagram followers or even from our friends and neighbours are doing.
These things can be the start of a reflection and though exercises, but don’t let them be the guiding force.
Want to lose weight? Think about how you can change your lifestyle to be more active in general. Incorporate more walking and movement in your life and add other things in gradually. Try a few things out and see what works for you. Forming life-long habits will pay off in so many more ways than just your body weight and physical appearance.
These life-long habits are never solved by one single product or service, no mater how convincing they may be. In many cases the opposite rings true. Only 8% of people end up keeping their resolution, which means there are 92% of people feeling like they failed (and possibly feeling even worse).
Spend some time really digging into the why. Think about times in your life where you have made change and how it has worked. When you catch yourself thinking about a certain product or service stop yourself and think about why that would help. Try doing the five whys to get back to the root change you want to make. Imagine that there was no easy solution via a product, what would your plan be then?
Get to the why first and then start thinking about potential solutions.
Going offroad in a Sprinter van is possible, but is different than offroading in a truck or Jeep. Many of those vehicles are designed for offroading and the Sprinter is meant for.. well.. delivering things. However, the they are surprisingly capable for a giant, tall awkwardly-shaped delivery van! (The photo in the snow above is a 2WD van with chains on.)
A Caveat/disclaimer: Be sensible and safe. If you have little to no offroad experience, start slow, take a trails course, consult the experts. These tips below are just what has worked for me.
Winches are highly over-rated. These two things below will cost you under $200 but will get you out of almost all questionable scenarios:
Have fun and be safe out there! Have any other tips? Share them below!
Morning People: you know that feeling you get after completing a task before everyone else has woken up? Night people get that too after everyone has gone to bed.
Night people: That aversion you have to setting your alarm to 6am? Morning people get that when invited to a dinner party starting at 8pm
Different flows for different people. It can even change for people as they move through life.
Ignore those “10 things all successful people do” lists. It’s just noise.
