This van build was epic! I have been watching the video series of this van build from start to finish and learned so much. You definitely have a talent for teaching in a way that is concise and keeps the listener interested. Some people maybe knowledgeable on a subject but lack the ability to convey that knowledge to an audience. I know you already have your commitments to your van build business and volunteering as a Firefighter, but maybe in the next phase of your life, I believe you would make an awesome high school vocational teacher.

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Hey, Tiny Off-Grid House Research LLC! I appreciate that. Thanks so much! Cheers! 🙂😀

I enjoy watching your videos because you do a great job of explaining what you did and how you did it... which is the point of my watching! Thank you for doing new things with your builds and showing how to do things with different materials and things that are fairly readily accessible to DIYers. Rock on!

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Hey Wendy Byrne, Thanks so much! Cheers!

Howdy Nate - Just a quick off-topic comment. In 2018, I set up my solar and electrical system in my 2017 Sprinter based on your original design in your old Sprinter. Now, 5 1/2 years later it is still working like new. It has been running my ARB fridge 24/7 the entire time without a hiccup. Until today... I was powering a metal chop saw with the system. We were cutting some square tubing that was about 20 feet long. The first cut went well. The second cut we wedged the blade and the power went out. System was completely dead. No AC or DC. I was fearful my AIMS inverter had given up the ghost. Come to find out, the 200 amp fuse between my battery bank and the inverter had blown. The system did exactly what you designed it to do. I replaced the fuse and all is perfect these 5 1/2 years later.. Good Job, my friend! Onward for another 5 years!

Was waiting to see what you were going to do with the bed. Was hoping you were going to do a bed lift, would have been interesting to see how you did it.

Nice.. finally someone else using the flexibility of Unistrut! I have used this product also in my build. It is super strong and lightweight. I used Stainless Steel with all SS spring nuts and bolts washers etc. the nice brackets you made are also available to buy in many different angles and shapes! There are also plastic inserts for the valleys to keep out dust and makes a clean look. I used this as a base 1 5/8 then built my 80 20 on top of it.. worked amazing!! cheers Nate

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Nice! I saw the pre-fab brackets but I was sorta making this project up as I went along and wasn't sure which brackets I would need. Chalk that one up to not planning ahead. 😂🤣

My son and I built our bed platform from Unistrut two months ago!!! It works great for bed platforms! Thanks for the Video!

When cutting strut, use a circular saw with a ferrous metals blade. Its the fastest, and most accurate solution. As a bonus use a speed square to ensure your cut is straight. Trust me I'm an electrician and I work with the stuff all of the time.

@tomas-qr2el

11 ай бұрын

very helpful comment. It cuts thru it like buttah :D

You should have made the bed that raises up and down with motor and winch

Again, another awesome video and useful content. Congrats on 200+K subscribers, you guys have developed a great platform and deserve all the credit. Unistrut is great material for van building, enjoyed this application. I used your plans to build my electrical system and it's working flawlessly!! So thanks again.

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!

Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise.

Thanks for the video! I have a steel cutting blade for my chop saw it’s a little pricey but worth it. It makes cutting metal much easier and cleaner not to mention the finished product is far superior than when cut with a grinder, plus it takes the silica issue out of the equation

very good your videos. I'm building a camper and the information is very important.

What spray paint did you use? I sprayed my Unistrut matte black and it looks terrible

so much for looking out the back window!

@EXPLORISTlife

Ай бұрын

Not a priority.

@tonybucca5667

Ай бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife Then, why did you get a van with windows?

@EXPLORISTlife

Ай бұрын

Wanted the option for a rear dinette if we hadn’t built a platform bed.

@tonybucca5667

Ай бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife How about moularity, so you could do both?

@EXPLORISTlife

Ай бұрын

@tonybucca5667 Yep! that was the plan.

Nice work

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! 🙂🙌

Wow! Almost finished ....

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Almost!! 🙌🙌

A very great looking job. Very informative!!! John from Cape Cod

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Cheers!

I was planning to use 8020 but I’m sure Unistrut is a lot cheaper. We are sleeping side to side (we’re short) so it’s great to see that there are options out there for a custom length mattress.

always so much fun to watch and learn! why use spring nuts on the unistrut bolting?

Fantastic! I have learned so much from you guys! It seems that every time you release a new video, you show something that will be useful in my truck conversion. Thank you!

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!

great series! Kinda sad the van is done now!

Looking good! So glad you didn’t add the bogus raising bed crap. 😄🤙🏼

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

🤣😂 Yeah, I think a lifting bed would have introduced too many complexities not to mention rattles and squeaks. Wanted to keep it simple and low profile this time around.

This was the one I was looking forward to - great solution! Out of curiosity do you have a view on "inserts" to have the bed around the other way, freeing up more space ?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! The inserts are good, but I just don't like the look of them from the outside, personally. I'm also not a fan of the idea of sleeping with my head in a 'hole in the wall'.

Can I ask where you got your window covers? They look cool. Great job on the unistrut bed!

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

For sure! Those come with the Arctic Tern windows we installed back in this video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/X6lq0Lt9fLK3adY.html

You are good

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!!

This video has been inspiring! May I ask, do you think it would be possible to use Unistrut to secure a small sheet of drywall? I'm trying to figure out how to make a drywall access panel in a (house) wall where I have little more than 1-1/2" of space, and unistrut seems like it would be great for achieving the rigid construction I want! My situation is that I have a 1/2" plywood behind the 1/2" drywall, both about 15" tall x 40" wide... This is to be installed on the wall at the edge of my bathroom (wall to wall in this case) to cover my pex manifold. I just... did not think in advance how I would install a panel over the front of it... Maybe I could install T-nuts into the back of the 1/2" ply wood, almost like you did with the slats on your bed frame? Sorry if this is confusing

Loving the videso - can I ask what the usable weight of the van is, after build ?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

We haven't weighed it yet.

Nice bed! Im also busy with my bed. It will be wood and much lower 😄 total height with matras 40cm

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I hadn't worked with Unistrut much before this project outside of hanging air conditioners. 🤣 Works pretty well!

@unimog404

Жыл бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife haha yes, I come out of a family of wood workers. So I can show what I can do with it. I have some ideas with rounded wooden corners to finish it all. But first the structure with all the functions. My main wood material is 12 and 8mm plywood and 44x18mm wooden slats. I build lightweight and strong but not how most people do it. Just my own design. That is the awesome thing of building, you can do it how ever you want 😄

Do you have a parts list?

So nice to see your work! Have you considered to put the bed across? (east-west), that would save some precious space. in fact, the way you did it, the whole van is just a bed, isn't it? Is there any space left for a shower or kitchen?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

I definitely considered that and wanted to make it work; but being 6' 2", it just wasn't feasible. We do indeed have space for a kitchen (Last weeks video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/rIKkz8xsc8vTeps.html). We 'could' add a shower in place of one of our storage/bathroom modules, but I have no desire for an indoor shower in a van. At 6'2", showering in a 6'5" tall van just really isn't feasible. We didn't have a shower in our old sprinter we lived in for 4 years and never regretted it. It's super easy to find showers at campgrounds or nationwide gyms and going swimming to rinse off is also highly underrated.

That DeWalt band saw table is awesome. Did you make that? Or have a link to the one you are using?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I love that thing. Got it from here: amzn.to/3LKbu94

I've been waiting for a follow up video for the alternator charging, is that coming? You mentioned in the electrical build video that the buck boosts wouldn't be available until December. Did that end up coming to pass, or are they still on backorder? The build is coming along nicely, great job!

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

That video is indeed still pending. We are STILL waiting on the buck boost to become readily available OR (more likely) for the newest version of the Orion to be released.

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Hey! Just wanted to follow up on this. We just released the alternator charging video that accompanies this tutorial. Here is the direct link to that: kzread.info/dash/bejne/eKl2o62Nc6bUpJc.html

@xares420

Жыл бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife Wow, I'm surprised you remembered this from two months ago! You must have a memory like a steel trap. It came up on my feed, and I checked it out this morning. I appreciate you following up to let me know!

Just curious, what size unistrut did you use

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

The 1 5/8" stuff.

Any reason you guys didn't look at a bed lift system to allow extra clearance for loading and unloading your bikes?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Cost, complexity, and noise (rattling from moving parts), mainly. It's SUPER easy to load/unload the bikes without the need for getting under the bed with the clamp style fork mounts we will be using. That vid will be out in two weeks.

Was that bed strong enough for 2 people on it and moving around? The unistrut frame looks great but from what I seen the entire system is held by those 4 brackets on the l-track. After using it did you find it was enough to hold it up?

@EXPLORISTlife

28 күн бұрын

No problems.

@Samwahealing

27 күн бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife thank you so much. I will look into something similar

Zinus 6 Inch Green Tea Memory Foam $159 Amz!!

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

Ultimately, you can use whatever mattress you like. There's no need to come to my channel though and talk shit about the sponsors who fund these videos and make them available for free to all of you.

Where can I get detailed plans for building this bed assembly?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

We didn't make a plan on this one. 🤣 Just made it up as we went along.

@wilty5

Жыл бұрын

Ok thanks

Love the headboard but I think its a fire hazard since toy cant get out of the back wsith it so high.

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

There are six means of egress (3 doors (driver, passenger, and sliding side door) and 3 manually opening windows) in our 60 sq ft structure. Blocking off the back door is a non-issue in terms of fire safety. Not too often I get to use my actual degree in Fire Science. Thanks for that.

@irieswag

Жыл бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife Thanks for clearing that up, and I love the video's and love the new online store.

Wonder how heavy that is?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

The whole thing? Or just the frame? We used 6 pieces of ~6' of Unistrut that weighs 1.89lbs/ft; so 68Lbs and then figure Figure ~10Lbs for brackets & hardware. 10lbs or so for the wood slats. Another 15lbs for the headboard. I don't know how much the mattress weighed, but probably ~30lbs? Somewhere in that ballpark.

@897aa33

Жыл бұрын

@EXPLORIST life - DIY Campers would,you consider using 80/20, which comes in silver and black colour half of the weight?

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

15 series 8020 weighs 1.34lbs per ft, so it would weigh ~48lbs in total compared to the 68Lbs of Unistrut. I mean... I'd consider it; but not for weight. I'm not too worried about the difference of 20lbs in a 1-ton vehicle. 10 series 8020 weighs quite a bit less, but I played around with some scrap 10 series 8020 we have here at the shop, and I didn't feel like it was rigid enough to use for the bed platform.

Add a linear actuator to that bed so you have the option to not remove the front tires of your bike when loading or when you need the extra height below.

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

I don't think I'm too keen on disassembling the bed I just made to add that functionality. 😂 It takes about 30 seconds to put the front tire on our bikes. Maybe that's a 'phase 2' functionality of the build or something.

portable band saw is easiest way to cut it

You know what hurts more than hitting your head on a edge or corner? Hitting your head on a nut or bolt... Might have been better to use pan head bolts for that head board.

@EXPLORISTlife

Ай бұрын

Nah. What we did was just fine. Feel free to do that in your own build, though!

Way too heavy

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

🤣😂 Get out of here. It's like 60lbs of unistrut installed in a 1-ton cargo van with the highest payload capacity on the market. I'd love to see you go up to somebody and tell them that their 6-year-old is 'Way too heavy' to ride in the van 'cause they weigh 60 lbs.

@paulc9848

Жыл бұрын

@@EXPLORISTlife dude I use unistrut in my job everyday we are always looking for solutions for same strength less weight and they are available....unistrut is way too heavy in a camper like for like material

@EXPLORISTlife

Жыл бұрын

If the comparable product is 8020, 15 series 8020 weighs 1.34lbs per ft, so it would weigh ~48lbs in total compared to the 68Lbs of Unistrut. I'm not too worried about the difference of 20lbs in a 1-ton vehicle. I'm going to have a 20lb swing depending on if I have groceries vs not. If you've got a different way to do things, then you should do that. I'm just showing you how I did it; not trying to pass laws that force you into doing things the exact same way I do it. Or even better yet, maybe you should make your own video showing how you do it about that instead of coming here to talk shit on my projects? You know... contribute to the community, perhaps? I know you probably aren't willing to put in the effort to plan, film and edit a video when you can simply type 'way too heavy' and be on your way, though.

@paulc9848

Жыл бұрын

Ah he can't take feedback his little ego is hurt hahahahahaah love this what a tool

@brendanryan262

Жыл бұрын

Don't know why people freak out about some weight in a van, it's a cargo van. It's designed to carry stuff! 😊

Dude buy a mask! Breathing those fibers is not good!

@EXPLORISTlife

4 ай бұрын

If you want to give safety advice, here's a better spot to go: www.osha.gov/careers 'breathing fibers' doesn't even crack the top 20 most dangerous things I did that day before lunch.