top of page

VANLIFE LIVING

#Vanlife - Life living in a home on wheels. Bliss. Nick, Nikki and Poppy moved into their converted Mercedes Sprinter on November 23rd 2019. Read about the lessons they've learnt, the realities of Vanlife, and the gear and gadgets that makes the Vanlife so enriching. A huge thank you to Tentbox, Burton McCall, Propex and Whale for supporting with the build materials. Chris, Nick's brother designed and built the van from scratch - a special thanks to him. A minimal life somehow gives you more than a life full of bills and belongings. Nick and Nikki have no plans to return to normal walled living anytime soon.
The van, which they call Christopher, has running hot water, full heating, a shower, a toilet, a 70 litre fridge, a freezer, an oven, a grill, 3 hobs, a full size fixed double bed, USB ports, 240v plugs sockets, black out blinds, decking for sunbathing, 300w of solar energy, 2 leisure batteries, a charge controlled, an inverter, 11 storage spaces, a huge garage space, a slide out table, dimming strip lights, surround sound, puppy bed, memory foam mattress, touch screen controls, a massive skylight for star gazing while in bed, and climate control throughout. Little extra touches such as heating vents positioned under the kitchen units so their toes warm up while making the morning tea, or the off centre skylight which means they can star gaze in bed, and even better a full size double bed TentBox on the roof which acts as an extra bedroom for guests. Chris made a van a home… and a beautiful one at that.
Nick was away on expedition when he called Chris to ask for his help. With a UK and European speaking tour looming, and needing a place to sleep while on the road, a van seemed the best option. Nick had long dreamt of living the Vanlife, having followed Alex Honnold’s exploits over the previous decade and so this was the best time to trail an alternative life in a van. The help that Nick had asked of his brother quickly escalated into a full blown 6 months off work for Chris, turning into long days working on the van.  With hours of phone calls, moving money around, planning the layout, researching the tools need, electrics, heating, water supply, fridge set up,… the list goes on… eventually a plan was formed and Chris could start the conversion. The van, by the way is called Christopher, not just after Nick's brother, but also after McCandles, and of course the patron saint of travellers.

THE BUILD

The build turned a normal van into a home. Windows, insulation  water, electricity, solar, heating, tables, bed, and everything in between. Nick's brother Chris did most of the work.
7be22463-1511-4d13-b97a-cf867134f64a_edi
Untitled2.jpeg
Untitled3.jpeg
IMG_5712.JPG
1e9c343e-9a9e-4687-8e6b-2ea64aee46ed.JPG
0267F738-465A-4133-AED7-3FBA4EBD1B6D.JPG
IMG_5175.JPG
4ea66a08-4123-4a73-9e50-f20ae31e4d15.JPG
Untitled.jpeg
IMG_5748.JPG
IMG_5786.JPG
IMG_5432.JPG
Join-The-Adventure-2-2.png
Join-The-Adventure-2-2.png
If you are looking to turn pretty much any car or van into a place to sleep and explore comfortably. TentBox is the way forward. March of 2021, Nick and Nikki added a second bedroom to their van. This was the TentBox. A pop up double bed on the roof meant their home can now sleep 5 people comfortably. Thank you TentBox.
Screenshot 2021-03-18 at 09.06.11.png
Screenshot 2021-03-18 at 09.06.42.png
Screenshot 2021-03-18 at 09.08.28.png
Screenshot 2021-03-18 at 09.08.16.png
Screenshot 2021-03-18 at 09.08.37.png
the build
tentbox

GEAR & GADGETS

Adventure, environment, and community. All of Nick's running challenges, expeditions, and world firsts are designed to connect local communities, support good causes and ensuring that the environmental impact issues are elevated within the running community.
gear and gadgets
bottom of page