Use a rare earth magnet wrapped in a clean cloth and 'sweep up' that metal dust. I enjoy the pace of your videos. You give good info, too.

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Good tip! And thank you! I hope the vids can be helpful to you🙌🏻

Cutting into a van is, in reality, pretty easy. But it never gets less stressful!! Good job on your install and great video! I just filmed a "How to" video also.

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

I'll have to check it out soon! And thank you! This was by far the most stressful project to date!

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

Haha, oh no! That's never good 😂 It definitely was stressful for me being the first hole in a new van. But everyone since wasn't so bad

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

😂 😂 😂 Good deal. I hope I could be helpful in that planning 🙌🏻

What do you for a living? You are very methodical and precise in everything you do. Well done!

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!😊 It can be a blessing and a curse at times (since sometimes I over think things). But I was in school for engineering and think that might be part of it

@JB-fr5zr

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds I too have that curse...im a mechanical engineer and I've change my bed design 5 times now before even starting.

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! I have a lot of friends who went mechanical. I ended up not finishing because I had a "career" in hospital supply chain and I couldn't afford it at the time (both the time and money). When I followed Katie to North Carolina from Minnesota I decided not to finish. Sometimes it makes me sad since I only had 3 semesters left but I also have been living a good life in spite of it

You all deserve a lot more subscribers and views. The quality and editing of your videos is so good -- the BBC cut had me dying.

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That means so much to hear!😊 And I'm glad you enjoyed that. I haven't put as many of the little things I found fun in lately because no one really mentions them. Glad to head it's entertaining😂 I'll keep em coming!

thanks so much for this video!

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it can be helpful! 🙌🏻 Let me know if you have questions

Thank you!!!! This is so so helpful 😊

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Happy to help! 🙌🏻 Reach out if you have any questions. Good luck with your install! 😊

@megahannahrobinson

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds thanks so much! I’ll definitely hit you both up on insta :)

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

@@megahannahrobinson sounds good 👍🏼

Looks great! Feels good to have the fans in!

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Soooooo good 😂😅

Nice job with the flexseal and painters tape!!! Looks super clean!!!! 😁👍🏼

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm definitely happy with how it turned out!

Nice job ! I only had room for a Ventline fan. Maxx looks great !

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Since we have 2 dogs we felt having 2 larger fans installed would be important to try and find some balance when in hotter climes. They definitely take up real estate that can be used for solar and other things. Actually now that I attached our solar panels I wished I would have planned a little better by putting the front fan further back, about 2 inches. It's not much of a problem but makes our 200w of solar stick out a little in front of the roof line. Luckily it doesn't look out of place.

Great job. I have seen some other videos using a waterhose to test for leaks after the install.

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely! I didn't end up doing that but we had a crazy amount of rain in the weeks after install. We never had any signs of water entering and trust me, I checked (during and) after every storm🤣. Happy to say it's 100% sealed! 😊

Wooohoooo awesome 👏🏽

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😊 Trying to add more of the "how we did it" side of vanlife. Researching, it was difficult to narrow down exactly how to do things (partially because there are so many different ways!) and why. Sharing what we landed on could also be enough of a push for someone to say "hey, I could do that!!"

Great job would it matter if I didn’t screw the flange holes i actually seal it all around the flange without putting in any screws till the next day I thought it would be a better ideal using support 1”-2” frame underneath than screw it and seal it before I put exhaust fan in I guess I would take extra conscious if it needs another seal all around flange thanks for your tips makes my work lot easier

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, glad to be helpful! One thing I would have changed in mine would be adding a support inside the van on the ceiling. I definitely think it's worthwhile. If you seal the flange before screws it might be difficult to see the screw holes. Putting in some seal to the screw hole and screwing in could be helpful. Hope that answers your questions. Let me know if not 👍🏼

appreciate the insights from your videos. Have you been able to address the rattling from the MAXXFAN?

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I hope they can be helpful to you! I have not done anything for the rattle. In our next video we start our cross country move and I ask viewers to tell me how they fixed it. I didn't really notice it prior to the thousands of miles we put on during the move. It was sooooo annoying on the trip cross country. My first thought is an insulated cover to hopefully dampen the sound but if there is another fix and someone comments about it I'll let you know 🙌🏻

Good video, I'm thinking to install 2 like you did, but hesitant if it's really not overkill considering we will have 2 small window with screen at bed height. What are your thoughts ?

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

I think it's definitely a personal choice- We like having one to pull out kitchen fumes above the cooking area and one for the cross breeze in the bed. One fan in and one out will make a breeze without cracking windows (in case it's raining and you can't open the bunk windows). But one fan with windows is ample for dryer climates for sure. We've slept at 90F+ with humidity and the breeze both fans made was the only thing that allowed us to sleep. I hate to leave you without a better answer but I think you'll have to weigh the pros and cons for your situation to decide. If you have other questions about our choice, definitely let me know

Hi! Thank you for such great, informative videos. I frequently refer to them (and started watching months before I even got my own van). I am getting ready to install the fan but have been wavering between the sealant that you used versus the sealant that seems to be more commonly used for the installation. You did a wonderful job and it looks so much tidier than other installs I have watched so I would love to go the same route. I just haven't seen many others use the same product. Could you possibly report, post a couple of pictures, or even do a follow-up video, on how your sealant has held up for the last year?

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Hey Wendi! Thank you! 😊 I'm glad they can be helpful! I went with the recommendation of DIY Van for the Flex Seal. I am very happy with how it's held up. I'd be happy to send some photos by email or Instagram if you want to reach out to us on either platform. In my initial research I did read lap sealant may hold up better but there didn't seem to be a lot of evidence based info about it. Since DIY Van recommended Flex Seal, I felt pretty good about it. They seem to know their stuff. Maybe I will do an update video in the future but it's not on my short list since I have quite a few projects do still tackle

@wendistraight6425

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Thank you for such a prompt response! I am glad it is working well for you and will take your word for it :) I can't imagine how much longer it took the van build to take while simultaneously creating how-to videos. I am not at all surprised you have other projects to tackle!

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

@@wendistraight6425 it definitely adds some time, and having never done video editing before there has been a bit of a learning curve. I'm glad the videos have been helpful though and having comments from people like you make it completely worth it! 😊 All the best in your build and feel free to reach out if you have other questions! 🙌🏻

Flex seal stopped working for me after several months from the sun damage, have you had any issues with leaks? Self level lap sealant is what I'm using now and it works great

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! That is not good! I have never noticed a leak and it still looks pretty good up on my roof. I'll have to keep an eye on it I'm guessing-I was between lap sealant and the flex seal. DIY Van recommended either but said flex seal was good so I went with it

@EasyLube

Жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Hey Matt, great video & great job! If that flex seal does happen to fail, look at a product called 'Eternabond'. It's a very high quality, easy to use tape used in the RV and commercial roofing industries. Using Eternabond will most likely be the last time you'll ever have to worry about those seams ever again. Best part is, you can apply the Eternabond right over the flex seal. Keep up the great work and happy travels!

@Trailvagabonds

Жыл бұрын

Great recommendation, thank you! I still haven’t noticed leaks but it’s probably worth monitoring with being in Utah and having such high uv rays

Hey Matt, it's your loyal subscriber again :) I was just wondering what was the reason behind choosing the ProMaster for your build ? we went with 144 sprinter after long thinking, but would like to hear from you.

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there! For us it was initial price new and maintenance costs along the road. If money wasn't a consideration we would have loved a 4x4 Sprinter 😎. The ability to sleep across the van was also part of our thought process. Saving space for the dogs in the living area.

@Dr2009king

2 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Make sense, we bought a 2021 1500 Gas sprinter, we decided to go with the 2wd as we don't have any off road plans, I also found that 4x4 sprinters don't perform as well as other 4x4 vehicles do, so in my humble opinion it's not worth it, as for sleeping across the van I measured the back pf our cargo area and unless you are 6+ you can sleep comfortably across it without flares.. I'm just under 6 feet so it's a perfect fit for me .. I hear good and bad things about the ProMasters but never had one before, would b e great if you make a review about the van, there are some videos about it but I'm sure yours will be different.

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

@@Dr2009king whoa, I didn't realize sprinter came out with a gas version! That's cool! But for sure, these houses on wheels aren't meant for crazy 4x4 trails so abilities are still limited. Maybe more of a status symbol 😂 Great idea on the review video. I've had a lot of ideas for videos to do in the future, we've just been so busy with a move that I haven't been able to do any editing, really filming either. We have some stuff to still edit that is just sitting on a hard drive. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the idea!

Love the little hand vacuum on the roof with you for easy clean up, great thinking. Did you see my video of the deck where I brought our large ass house vacuum up with me for cleaning LOL. Such a hassle but now I need a shop vac. Also great idea taping the hanging edge up before continuing to cut the holes. Wish I was as brilliant as you guys. Keep it up!

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Haha yea I remember that, that's so awesome. Gotta do what works best. The hand vac definitely wasn't powerful enough. Luckily my buddy brought his shop vac over. I can't believe how many little shards were everywhere! After buying the shop vac, I use it for absolutely everything. So sooo useful!

Did you not screw the flange into a 14x14" wood frame underneath?

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't. It's not needed but if I were to do it again I would have probably made one. Easier for attaching your ceiling boards then

@11:55 how do you like your telescoping ladder? Did you get it from Harbor Freight by chance?

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

We like it alot. We've actually talked about making space for it in the van and not buying a permanent ladder. We found this one on Amazon. I'm sure Harbor Freight has a quality product though!

@bthemedia

4 жыл бұрын

Matt & Katie Thinking the same thing here and also saw on Amazon, noticed some have single button release and others on every step. Considering 12-15 ft lengths, like the towel protections!

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Hehe thanks! I recently saw a video where someone was using a pool noodle on the rung that hits the van for protection, might need to get one!

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

This is the one we got. A slide button release for each side on the bottom rung www.amazon.com/dp/B07LF9LPT1/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_ZVW1EbT2X42VQ

Did you put anything over the screws on the side of the fan to seal those off?

@Trailvagabonds

Жыл бұрын

I used flex seal to cover the screw heads and the flange. Some people swear by dicor but I find it much more messy. Using silicone in the screw holes when you predrill for them is worthwhile too.

@heathers_home_videos

Жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Sorry, I worded that weird. I meant the side screws that secure the fan on the flange. The tricky ones that are hard to screw in. I didn’t see you do it in the video, so I just wanted to check if you had to go back and put any sealant on those.

@Trailvagabonds

Жыл бұрын

Oh no we didn’t. Because of the way the fan seats over the flange I don’t think water getting into them would cause issue. You always could add a dab of silicone if you are worried but we haven’t had any issues and most everyone doesn’t

I am finding it very hard to screw the fan into the metal slidings on the side. Did you have a to force the fan down really hard to line them up?

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

When I first had the problem I was trying to force it. When I moved the metal clips up they pretty much lined up

@tvddv4879

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds I got it in!!

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Perfect! 🙌🏻

@Trailvagabonds

2 жыл бұрын

Good advice! Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙌🏻

Love the videos! They are super helpful! Question: Did you consider framing strips from Diy van? I got them and the adapter that goes under the van (bc I didn’t know which one I needed) but now I see you have neither! I am putting my fan in the back panel - do you think I need either ? Also I am absolutely running into the same issue w the side fan holes not matching up, will def try readjusting those metal tabs

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

Hey! I did use the adapter and absolutely recommended using it! It makes life so much easier as a template, for leveling things out, it's so worth it. I didn't frame but framing the inside is definitely one of the things I would do if I were to do it over again. It gives a little extra rigidity and bight for the screws and gives something to anchor too for your ceiling boards. I had to glue some pieces on (in our ceiling video) since we didn't have the frame. It's not necessary to have, I had heard from Maxxair. So if you'd rather not, it would be up to you. But since you have them I think it would be worth it!

@annamcmahon764

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds ok sweet! I will use them. I just watched the ceiling video, and I can see how they would be helpful 👌

@annamcmahon764

3 жыл бұрын

Also, I am still playing around with the fan to get the holes to match up. Do you know how far “up” the little metal tabs are supposed to be? Moving them up helped a little, but still only about half the hole is visible.

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

It was surprisingly high, it felt like it was way too high. Those things are hard to get back on when they fall off but don't be afraid to really move it up there

@annamcmahon764

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Ok cool, thank you so much for the help!!! fan flange is in w backing strips! :)

So how have the dual fans worked out? Any regrets not doing an AC unit for hot weather?

@JB-fr5zr

3 жыл бұрын

NVM. Saw a comment below.

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

No worries! I'm not sure what comment/s you saw but figured I'd still answer. We hope to chase decent weather in the future. I think an air conditioner has it's place. With our hopes to be off grid rather than at campsites with electrical hook ups most often, it just didn't seem to make sense. Two fans has been nice for cross breeze. If being at campsites with electrical is more your style, I think an AC would be great

@JB-fr5zr

3 жыл бұрын

@@Trailvagabonds Thanks. Order two maxxair fans just a bit ago. Thanks for the video!

@Trailvagabonds

3 жыл бұрын

I hope it'll be helpful to you! Reach out if you have questions when your are getting ready to install. I'm sure you'll do great! 🙌🏻

Did you use 1 or 2 adapters?

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

We used two adaptors, one for each fan install. It was nice having the level surface and not needing to build a base up with butyl tape like many people do. It also gets the main fan flange higher up so there's less worry about water entering.

@brauliojerez3113

4 жыл бұрын

Cool I guess I’ll get it from diy because I to will be installing 2 of the maxxair fans. Is there enough butyl tape in one pack if I order two adapters and one roll of tape? Your videos have been great, many of your ideas I’m incorporating into my build. Wish you had a listing of all the materials you used for your projects pausing and writing this stuff down was a chore. The guys at Lowe’s didn’t know what I was talking about on some of these products.

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Do you have Instagram or Facebook?

@brauliojerez3113

4 жыл бұрын

Matt & Katie both.

@Trailvagabonds

4 жыл бұрын

Reach out to us on Instagram @trailvagabonds and let's chat