There has been some significant changes in blu’s interior and exterior since the last post on our van conversion. I should probably be more specific and say our “mini van conversion”. In the first post about our journey I discussed why we needed a vehicle that could also be used for daily travel, at least for another year or so.
I finally finished all the window coverings! The back windows have inserts. The side windows have curtains. This is because our side windows roll down and on hot evenings we may want the additional little bit of air flow that will offer. We have a screen for the front window and a curtain panel is hung across behind the front seats. When driving the curtains are gathered up and tucked to the side.
I did not want to have to unstring them every time we moved. I originally thought the large panel behind the cab would just be rolled up and left hanging across but alas that did not work. The panel, even when rolled up, still hung too low and blocked the rear view. So we used a D ring on the drivers side and after rolling it up we unhook the panel and tuck it behind the passenger seat. Look at the photos below. (we did walk around and peep in those places light shows through and nothing can be seen) The reason I wanted the panel behind the front cab is because we have these wonderful stretchy screens that go over the front doors. These allow us to roll down the front windows and have some air flow, so I didn’t want inserts those. We also have a magnetic screen which goes over the sunroof. Plus, Michael found a rechargeable clip on fan which will attach to the sunroof and send air toward the back. Remember we live in the south and it gets hot and muggy here. Air flow is a must!
We have a comfy memory foam mattress 
The bottom of the passenger side curtains are velcroed to the inside of the van so they will stay in place. 
The back panel is attached with Velcro. When we are cooking I like to have this down. 
The addition of denim to the back insert and to of the large cab panel was not planned. I messed up too many times and ran short of material. An old pair of jeans were sacrificed to finish this project.
The super-strut system is working out perfectly. It allows us to carry our inflatable paddle boards, the frame for the rear awing of the “kitchen”, and extra supplies. Plus Michael hooked up an additional awning just for extra shade and seating. The rug in this photo was snagged from our friends campsite. The inspiration for the roof system came from softroadingthewest on youtube and this video Easy DIY Roof Rack Using Superstrut.
You can see the frame of the rear awning used over the back hatch for our “kitchen” 
Michael fixed a quick setup side awning using the superstut system 
We carry our inflatable paddle boards in the Thule. The black box has tools and the awning covers. 
I really like our kitchen set up!
We also now have our Rock Pals Portable Power Station. We do not have the foldable solar panels yet but we also have not needed them either. The weather is cold and grey now but I’m already planning some trips to take Blu out and explore. We have been to some camp sites but we would like to start boondocking more. If there are any places to suggest or tips you’d like to share please post in the comments!
All Together Travels 