Hey there, I'm Justin and I live in my 2023 Toyota Sienna minivan (I call her Vana Del Rey)
I'm traveling around the country living as a ~digital nomad~
All my dreams are coming true, and my life is a good old fashioned adventure
My background:
- born and raised in Michigan
- graduated from University of Michigan in 2021 with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics
- got a remote job in 2021 working in data science
- started attending University of Virginia online for a Masters of Science in Data Science and will graduate in 2025
- built my van out of my grandpa's garage having 0 experience in woodworking, engineering, design, etc. (I knew nothing)
- started "full-time" Van-Life in January of 2024
- lived "part-time" Van-Life from 2022 to 2024 in a 2005 Lexus GX 470
YOU CAN LIVE THIS LIFESTYLE IF YOU WANT TO
Facebook, Tik-Tok, Instagram, Twitter, and even KZread, to an extent, are destroying us
Social Media is the worst addiction in human-history, but it’s not too late
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hi justin how much is your height you look so tall to sleep comfortably in that bed!
Hi amigo. Would this work with a/c too? Thanks
Yes it does
What years of the sienna have this option?
2021+
Excellent video , I have been sleeping ( when I am not at work ofcourse ) in Toyota Prius V for the past 10 years and my next switch will be Sienna Hybrid after my Prius V. You mentioned about propane stove (at 10:40 minutes ) that I used to use in my car , but ,now I switched to Airfryer that I plug into Eco Flow Delta 2. It has been more of convenience now. Thanks of the video , now I know we can actually remove rear seats in Sienna Hybrid without triggering air bags system. I subscribed.
it's stupid. It's a public street. I mean do home owners own the street too?
Tks for sharing , great detail, good headwork!!!!
Excellent video...
Did I miss the part of what you did with the seats?? I thought they weren’t removable!
Justin is grinning showing us his masterpiece! It’s like he is a proud dad! Haha
I’m doing this for full time living in my sienna, could you make a video on how this bed was build and dimensions on mattress. Thanks bro. Subscribed 🔥🥂
I'm a Pirates fan but had no idea Paul Skenes lived in a van!
Very nice!
I wish you could just run the supplements off the ev side of the car. Because thats where ev's shine for camping. No idling
I need a tutorial for those window inserts to keep bugs out!!
People are so strange. It's just a good jam, you don't have to be a woman to appreciate it.
I suspect that the actual cost is higher. I trust the fuel gauge more than the car’s calculation/guesstimate of mpg. I also don’t think you can extrapolate that it equals gas used to power the heater whilst the car is stationary. The fuel gauge says that used a quarter tank of fuel, which in a Sienna is ore than 1.55 gallons.Google says a 2021 Sienna has a gas tank of 18 gallons, so a quarter tank is 4.5 gallons, making the actual cost closer to $13.50; which is still a deal 😊
wow- almost exactly what i envisioned for myself. very well explained! thank you! (do you carry a spare tire?)
I can't think of many places where such a test proves the point. Livingston is known for high winds associated with the Bozeman Pass, and I doubt that would have made much of a difference as well.
I’ve Been living in a Toyota hybrid for over 2 years now. I traded in my 2021 XLE for a 2023 Platinum and use a no build to be full time. OK if u read this…once u park, open door to get in back LOOK AT YOUR Center DISPLAY…message turn off after an hour or leave on/running not sure scroll down and hit ok to select keep running. BOOM NO ALARMS after that. Second…i use a back scratcher i keep in pocket behind driver seat…i use that to reach and lock / unlock doors…very easy. LASTLY for all with comments about “look up” it’s bad to leave your car idling all night. THIS is a HYBRID- So does NOT run all night….Electric motor keeps everything that u leave on including the Temp….once battery drops to a low lever, its all auto, 4 cylinder Gas engines starts and runs for about 10 minutes and in that time u get a few more hours on Electric…So will do this a few times a night depending on your use. Hybrid Engins…LOOK IT UP! People have been doping van life in the Toyota Prius for YEARS….they leave them running nightly…what idle issues??? HAPPY VANLIFE’ing
I've been sweating in my Kia Carnival way too much in summer to where its hard to sleep. You're saying with any hybrid minivan, I'm able to sleep well with AC or Heat running all night because its only electric motor thats on? I'm switching asap!
@@DeyCallMeDrama THATS exactly what the Hybred will do…keep its temp all night. So long it’s got fuel u got power, ALL Day and Night. Enjoy
@@RR-ej6cd does it make any damage to your car engine in the long run?
Yep, my Prius just lost 15 mpg this first winter in cold climate. :(
Did the hotel kt you stay there or were you stealth camping! Mostly there is no where to go!
Are you hirable?! Im about to buy a Sienna just cause of your videos!
You should always use max heat, the engine is always simply on, your only changing how much heat you use, more or less the car uses the same gas. When you don't use max heat the left over is waisted or even sent to the radiator to cool your engine
What you said does reminds of of the year I spend teaching in a remote island where I was isolated from the world. It still consider the best year I’ve spend. The memories and experiences I’ve had it’s something special.
this is genius!!!
How did you remain ventilated? Were all the windows completely closed? I know it’s not an issue for fumes but for the sake of good air quality, what did you do? Ty
All the windows were shut. The car’s heat/air conditioning system has an air filter underneath the seat that you’re supposed to replace every once in a while. But just like when you’re driving you have clean air to breath with it in idle
@@Justin.a.Van. cool. Ty
And clearly it works well if there was no condensation on the inside after a whole night of breathing into it.
Thanks!! You made one of the best videos!!!!!
Thank you! It’s an amazing car
Amazing. What about going to the restroom at night? Do you have an inside solution or outside?
I have an emergency toilet for #2 called luggable loo but for #1 I just use a big plastic bottle from like a coffee jug or milk jug
Curious about your bed set up. I built one but is based on the seats being folded forward and then the bed on top of that, but then we can’t sit up in our beds
Check out my channel for a video on my bed. I have a video about it
Justin, does your Sienna's power inverter plug charge your ecoflow power source?
How tall are you?
Love the setup and design
Thank you, I appreciate it. I’ve got a big renovation coming up
Wonderful find of the cabinets
I found some source said the Gasoline Particulate Filter will damaged quickly when you Idle for extended periods, especially during winter.
Got it, I did no research and just hoped for the best. The thing is this is a hybrid so it only idles for probably 5 minutes max each cycle. Did you lookup standard gasoline engines?
@@Justin.a.Van. gas engine doesn't have particulate filter. There is a catalytic converter, and it's attached to the exhaust manifold so it's not going to be affected by the temperature outside
These vans are made for this…off grid camping a few days at a time. THATS why they have built in converters / inverters to help u keep everything charged up and running. THEY ARE NOT a typical gas engine with same issues. The electric does the heavy lifting and only uses Gas when power is needed or to charge the Electric batteries. I LOVE my VanLife in my Sienna. Perfect for 1 person.
@@Justin.a.Van. I find this because they are hot topic when someone recommend Sienna in social media in Asian market. but you are the guy practice and prove it's not a issue at all. Could you share more data about this, like total night/hours you sleep in your Sienna with AC running. by the way, did you closed all the window when sleeping?
@@RR-ej6cd True, they are made for camping, but they don't recommend to run you AC all night. BTW, I don't have converters because I bought a XLE😂
Thanks for sharing! Which video did you discuss your electrical set up? 🤔
I gotta make a video about that. Thanks for reminding me
Very interesting... How did you get fresh air?
Just the standard engine’s air filtering. Just leave the car running
@@Justin.a.Van. Thanks for this answer. The Sienna is at the top of my list now. Your video pushed it even higher.
could you run things off of the hybrid battery rather than the engine? 70 degrees with a 0 degree bag sounds kind of warm.
Yeah the sleeping bag is overkill but it was my only bedding at the time. You can’t choose whether things run off the battery or the engine. The engine just goes on and off as it needs to
Yea humans sleep best when it's chilly like 60 degrees ... I know sometimes when it's cold out it a little warmer does feel better though
very cool. How did you decide to build the shelves and cabinets on the passenger side rather than drivers' side?
Good question. Easier to get in and out of the driver’s seat/rear and I wanted my table top to be accessible from the sidewalk for being in the city
Does anyone know if it works the same in a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid? I haven’t seen anyone talk about it.
I am not sure. Someone should do a test with it for sure.
Signs up for a gym - immediately heads to McDonald's - checks out. (j/k lol)
Yep lol
How does this affect the longevity of the hybrid battery and other parts of the van? I guess only time will tell.
Yeah I really do not know.
Toyota hybrid batteries are designed for the life of the vehicle, they don't mess around :)
Dude... no offense to you as a individual or as a KZreadr... but dumping your "pee" out into the public (I understand there's snow to melt and help flush away the "yellow stuff") is a really bad thing to do. It's stuff like that which gives stealth camping a bad reputation. I live in a US state where just sleeping in your car is now a legitimate felony. Please do not do stuff like this. Any van life KZread channel will say to properly throw out your "bodily fluids" at a public bathroom or at a fitness gym. Please dude it's for your own good. You seem like a very reasonable guy.
Hmm that’s crazy for it to be illegal to sleep in your car. I’ve never really considered pouring my pee in the snow or into grass as a big deal because…it’s what our dogs do and it’s just going back into nature in a reasonable way. But, I see what you’re saying. I just don’t see what the other option would be besides like a dumpster
Hi "JUSTIN A VAN", is it possible to remove the front passenger seat and possibly the front "center console/right forearm compartment space"? I think that area is a valuable space that can be utilized greatly (for those who are sure that they won't have passengers). Would you mind giving your thoughts on this? It'd be greatly appreciated. BTW, great job mentioning that Asian dude Brad Ling, who figured out that plug-in. I watched his video a long while ago and it is reassuring to see that his stuff is legit and works well.
Thank you. I would love to remove the center console but I think that would be a ton of work. I’ve seen people remove the front seat tho
Ifs not good to idle ur engine all night. Look it up
Yes it isn’t good, but the nice part is how little the engine actually idles. It will only idle like 30% of the time spent with the vehicle on
With this Hybrid you can, look it up. ❤
That adjustable bed design is genius. subscribed. looking forward to watching the build process
Glad to hear that, thank you
Thanks for sharing this! Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm/monitor?
I do not. I should get one
Do one in the summer with the ac on.
Will do
Why isn't the microwave just plugged into the sienna 110 plug? Could it?
Yeah that’s actually how I have it setup. I misspoke
Very informative
Glad to hear
Impressive.