Conversion Van BOV
By Joseph Parish

I recently have been provided the opportunity to purchase a very comfortable conversion van. I fully realize that using a conversion van as a BOV certainly does not provide me and my family with the luxury life that we would expect from an RV being used as a BOV however it also forsakes the discomfort that would be associated with sleeping in an uncomfortable tent. Granted it can be extremely tough trying to properly heat a van during the evening however when compared to an RV the van is exceptionally inexpensive. The van can also go in places that would be impossible with the RV. With these thoughts foremost in mind I have pondered on how I would handle the conversion van BOV.

The first and major consideration would be to make the van into something that would be completely useable for me and my family particularly if it is being intended to serve as my residence for several days to several weeks. For my family it meant having a bit of space to move around in.

One way that this can be accomplished is by removing the middle set of seats. With the seats removed there would be sufficient space for dressing or even for cooking. The bench seat in the rare of the van usually folds out into a comfortable bed so this would set us up for emergency living in the event that it would be necessary.

When traveling we would need a system of organization to maintain the space within the van as livable room. After careful consideration I have concluded that it is totally possible that we could actually have too much survival gear. We will know after I set up the van and prepare to take one of my practice bug outs. It has occurred to me that many of the things in the van may not actually be needed nor used when bugging out. Only time will tell and I am sure that afterwards we will become a bit more efficient.

It would also be very important that after creating the extra space by removing the set of seats that we keep this space clear and open despite the necessity of carrying many survival accessories. As I have done in the past I have used plastic storage totes and found them to be very useful. The totes stack very well and if more room is required at night I merely would need to place them upon the roof of the van. They are waterproof and the lids snap in place so they would not be damaged.

Using the van as a BOV can of course be cold at times. I could of course start the van every now and then and cranked up the heater to warm the interior up but only for brief periods of time since the danger of carbon monoxide being present would be too great to leave the car running and us sleeping at the same time.

We could also cook in the van to warm it up a bit. A propane camp stove would naturally burn very clean. I feel that this would heat up the van quite well but again I must take into consideration carbon monoxide. Nor would I ever recommend sleeping with the propane burner still going.

Let’s face it there is simply no way that one can safely heat a conversion van while in the wild. Since the van can not be heated properly perhaps the occupants can be. By this I mean wear warm clothing, use extra blankets and prepare a thermos bottle full of hot coffee every evening. This way you can wake up to warm drinks first thing in the morning.

As I mentioned previously traveling and using a conversion van as a BOV could perhaps cost less than using an RV. The initial cost is certainly a lot less and more so if the van is purchased used rather then new. The cost of driving the van will certainly be less also.

Now compared to using a car and sleeping in a tent the van is certainly more comfortable. With the use of the van if it happens to begin raining you can always come inside the van to dry out and warm up. Using an RV your BOV can be more comfortable but not so in many aspects. It may well be necessary to park anywhere that you can in an emergency – you can not do that with a full size RV. You can easily take a nap in various parking lots if you have tinted windows and curtains in your van.

In emergency conditions it is always great to be able to drive and park anywhere that you so choose. In the conversion van this is actually not a problem. As I said only time will tell as I fix up and experiment with the conversion van being used as a BOV.

Copyright @2008 by Joseph Parish