It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, VanLife was still just an idea — a dream I wasn’t quite sure I’d be able to pull off. At the start of 2025, I knew the journey ahead would be intense: a mix of financial strategy, personal changes, and a lot of unknowns. But looking back, the progress made this year feels surreal.
January kicked things off with a big milestone — I paid off my daily driver, the Malibu. That decision wasn’t just about getting rid of a car note; it was about clearing the path for what would come next. With that out of the way, I immediately started saving for a van. At the time, I had my sights set on a used ProMaster — something with 20–25k miles, hopefully in the $29–32k range.
But the more I searched, the more I realized that a used van wasn’t necessarily the better deal. In April, I started seriously shopping, and by May I found one that checked nearly every box.
On May 23rd, I bought a brand new 2024 Ram ProMaster 159” High Roof, right off the lot with just 150 miles on it. It was a massive step forward.
The build began slowly. I started at the end of June, knocking out the roof fan install. From there, July brought bigger pieces: the roof rack, solar, AC, and a portion of the subfloor. At this point, things were still very rough. I had some of the core components, but nothing inside the van felt livable yet.
The real momentum came in October and November. That’s when most of the foundational work started taking shape: the subfloor and LVP flooring went in, the Bluetti power station was mounted and tested, wire runs were finalized, and most of the initial framing got underway.
Each weekend became another step toward turning an empty van into something that resembled a tiny home.
In early December, I took the van on its first real trip. It wasn’t finished — not even close — but that was the point. I hit the road for five days across Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina with a friend who’s building out a similar setup. The goal was to test what worked, find what didn’t, and figure out what I really needed to live comfortably.
I’ll have a full post about that trip in early January, but in short: it was cold, imperfect, and exactly what I needed. Sleeping on an air mattress, cooking on a portable stove, and relying on the barebones build gave me clarity that no blueprint or YouTube video could.
The journey is far from over. In fact, the real adventure hasn’t even started yet. Here’s what’s coming:
January/February: I’ll be finishing up the core interior — a proper bed platform, storage, and at least the basics of a desk setup.
February into March: I’ll be heading back out on the road for another test trip, this time to Florida, and possibly beyond. It’ll be longer, warmer, and hopefully much more refined.
Power Upgrades: At some point in 2026, I’ll be swapping out the Bluetti system for a full Victron-based custom power setup. It won’t be immediate, but it’s a key piece of the long-term puzzle.
Hardware Upgrades: Early 2026 I'll be swapping for new all-terrain tires, adding a rear tire carrier, and side steps — along with a few other functional upgrades that will make life on the road smoother.
As I close out this year, I can confidently say that 2025 was the start of something much bigger. The first page has been written. And while the van isn’t finished yet, the foundation is there.
Here’s to the next chapter.