This post was originally on Wix dated 12th March 2018 In part 2, I will be looking at things that have worked really well. Ideas that I’ll take into the future, whether that’s building another van, a tiny house on wheels or a full-on house on top of a foundation. Minimalism The process of moving…
After a Year of Living in a Van Part 1
This post was originally posted on Wix dated 8th March 2018 I can confidently say that I’m still loving it but I took a moment to reflect on the experience and thought I’d share a few things over several posts. There are many bits that I’m glad I included in the build and some that…
Hunting in Japan
Another key event from my trip to Japan was a brief introductory course on hunting from my uncle. I’ve always been fascinated by hunting and eagerly tagged along to watch as he set up traps amongst the dry winter mountains of Izu. As with many temperate countries around the world, Japan used to have its…
How to Grow Organic Rice in Japan
Around this time of the year last year, I spent 3 weeks in Japan and one of the key experiences from the trip was going to visit my uncle’s place at the Southern tip of Izu peninsula. It’s a lovely place where rolling mountains and oceans meet with plenty of onsen (hot spring bath) dotted…
2nd Notice from Scientists
A friend posted a link to a Washington Post article a while ago that described how more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries have signed a second notice to Humanity. The article can be read here. The original paper, which is mere 2 pages of writing, can be accessed here. This blog post will be…
Iceland Road Trip
A while back, my friend Sam gave me a call and asked if I wanted to join for a short trip to Iceland – a small volcanic island on the edge of the Arctic circle. I’ve been fascinated by Iceland for a while. It produces 100% of its electricity from renewable resources – geothermal (heating…
Gas and Water System
These two systems took a lot of calculation but ended up not as complex as I thought. With the gas system, I went for the smallest 3L Gaslow bottle. The company sells refillable LPG bottles that can be filled at any petrol station that provides LPG. At around 60p per litre, LPG can save you…
Frames and Structures
Layout As you can see from the above photo, I opted for a raised platform and a front kitchen/sink. Many van builds that are similar in size to my van tends to have the kitchen where the book shelf is and have a retractable bed that can be stowed away during the day to become…
Solar and Electrics
From the initial stage, I was keen to get a solar panel on my van. I could charge a leisure battery directly from an engine if I was travelling constantly but I was probably going to be stationary most of the time. And I wanted to learn how to set a solar system up so…
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