You can live the van life and go anywhere – even without electricity – and still be cool and comfortable with air conditioning! You’ve heard people talk about boondocking or going “off-the-grid” in their camper vans…. Ever wonder how some of them do it? Ever wonder how they stay cool or charge their phones or cook their food? Some van dwellers utilize solar – and we do too – but an A/C unit takes up so much electricity that it would quickly drain your battery bank. A generator is the best way to power an energy-hogging device like an A/C unit when you’re away from electrical service. But how does a van dweller lug around a generator, keep it from being stolen and protect it from the weather? Well, check out this awesome Chevy Goodtime Van that features a Coleman 14K BTU Air Conditioner running on dual generators securely stored in a box that is attached to the tow hitch!
We went to a car & van show in North Texas this past weekend hosted by “Z” with “Back-in-Time Vanners” and stumbled upon this really cool custom camper van. What really made this van stand out is the addition of a “generator box” attached to the tow hitch. The “generator box” houses dual Honda generators that run the A/C unit and other electrical devices when the van is boondocking, meaning when the van is away from shore power (“shore” power is when you’re plugged in to a regular electrical plug). The generator box, modified from a Northern Tool tool box, was customized to include vents and fans to keep the generators cool and the front panel opens up for easy access. Sliding tracks allow the whole box to slide out away from the van so that you can still open the back doors! That’s pretty darn cool.
Mike, the owner of this van, lived in this custom camper van while traveling for work. Working and traveling in hot climates like Texas makes it mandatory to have an A/C unit that you can still operate when you’re camped away from electricity. Mike’s dual generators and custom generator box does the trick!
Among this custom Chevy camper van’s features are:
- Utilizes battery, shore and generator power
- Inverter and converter with charger
- Dual Honda generators
- Generator box on sliding tracks
- Coleman 14K BTU Air Conditioner (built-in on the roof)
- Ice box, propane stove, sink
- Internal and external propane capabilities for stove and heater
- Water storage tank
- Removable second row of seats!
- Double-stitched, custom front cab seats with swivel passenger seat
- Custom upholstered ceiling, walls and seats
- Mounted TV with DVD player and HDMI cable connections
- Side band radio
We were surprised to learn that this custom 1979 Chevy camper van is for sale. We don’t want to post the owner’s personal information on the site but if you are interested, please contact us and we will put you in touch!
You can also watch this video on our youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1F10MvmuZg
#boondocking #vanlife #off-the-grid #offgrid #mobileoffice #campervan #campervanconversion #stealth