COME SEE THE VANS
BUILDS COMING TO VAN FEST 2021
Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio

Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio
Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio
#skoolieconversion
Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio is rooted in the love of creating, bringing families together, and growing from your trauma. “I wanted to do something wild. I wanted to prove to myself that when I set my mind to something I complete it. I felt like I didn’t complete my mission in the Marine Corps, I was struggling to get through art school, and I wanted to show myself and my children that just because you fail at something that is important to you, you can dust yourself off and try again.”
The Fites

The Fites
The Fites
#sprintervan
We are the Fites. Lamar (Mars), Ashley, Everly, Atlas and pup Beirut, a family of minimalist nomads living on the road full time in our self-converted Ford Transit, Edison. Our journey began when we took 11 weeks to travel the 48 contiguous United States in the summer of 2016. After that, it became a lifestyle. Consuming only what we need, we spend each day with purpose creating our version of the American Dream.
The Skooly

theskooly
The Skooly
#skoolieconversion
I am custom building THE SKOOLY into a full-time mobile home, with a bath, shower, solar, and water. I will be traveling with my dogs throughout North & Central America to continue my journey down the natural path of healing and stopping at wellness centers along the way. My goal is to bring awareness to the things that I feel strongly about which to name a few are having a voice for your choice of treatment and knowing that there are other options available for those of us who have received a cancer diagnosis.
Sunny Luna Living

Sunny Luna Living
Sunny Luna Living
#sprintervan
Hi, we’re Sunny & Luna! When the COVID-19 shutdowns began we decided to get rid of our LA apartment, most of our belongings and bought a van to live “van life”. We designed and built it into a cozy, tiny home on wheels and have been living on the road full time ever since. While living nomadically, we paid off all of our debt and share tiny living & lifestyle tips we’ve learned and practiced along the way. We are here to inspire and help you get started with your tiny living endeavor.
Safe & Sonder Vans

Safe & Sonder Vans
Safe & Sonder Vans
You may be wondering what safe and sonder travel even means and how I came about the name. Sonder is the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Meaning, we all have trials, triumphs, and failures. We all have relationships, emotions, and fears. We all have our own journeys and our own stuff; our own complexities.
Van There

Van There
Van There
#sprintervan
We are a newly married couple who made it a goal to simplify our life and fill it with adventure, embarking on a nomadic lifestyle in a self-converted sprinter camper van before our first wedding anniversary. In April 2017, we hit the road and haven’t looked back. As of July 2018, we have built two vans, experienced 45 states (and parts of Canada), reaching all four corners of the U.S.
Ladies Van

Ladies Van
The Ladies Van
#sprintervan
Although it’s a little cheesy, we had to buy that pillow that says “live your dream.” I am so lucky to have found a person who shares the same crazy dreams as I do. We make outrageous goals together and somehow we make them manifest.
Chase Hansen

Chase Hansen
Chase Hansen
#sprintervan
Chase is a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints and he lives in a van outside of the Superdome in a special area the owners of the team set aside for players to use. Chase wanted something designed specifically for him. Living the van life has allowed him to be in close proximity to the stadium and focus on football with minimal distractions.
Driven to Adventure

Driven to Adventure
Driven to Adventure
#boxtruckconversion
We bought a 1990 Ford Econoline Box Truck and have spent the past 4 months building her out! We’re hitting the road to go find land! Come join us for the adventure
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?
The Vantroverts

The Vantroverts
The Vantroverts
#vanconversion
Living in a van with two giant dogs can be interesting. Mostly it’s way easier than everyone thinks because we spend so much time outside. In fact, van life with dogs is quite fun, and they make up some of our favorite parts of the day! (Morning cuddles are 👌🏼) Sure, they add another layer of planning, but these two boys keep us laughing every day and made our adventures twice as fun. If you’re thinking you can’t van life with a dog or maybe you’re considering it but aren’t sure, it’s a definite 𝗬𝗘𝗦 from us!
Green Van Go

Green Van Go
Green Van Go
#vanconversion
Owner of this website and pursuer of van life dreams since November 2019. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “how do I even begin van life?” “is van life actually cheap?”, “how do I overcome fears of safety and loneliness on the road?” – know that I was asking myself the same questions, along with thousands of other van life enthusiasts. All of those factors overwhelmed me to the point of inaction for a couple of years. But once I took the first step, each step became easier and my confidence in trying van life began to grow.
Born And Bound

Born and Bound
Born and Bound
#vanconversion
Ken and I will be converting this beast ourselves over the coming months and want to take you along for the ride! This is a 2015 350 Ford Transit Dually 9960 3.2L Diesel engine in the highest roof and longest wheel base. This van will take us all over America and beyond! Our hearts are SO FULL!!!!
Barb Rocks

Barb Rocks
Barb Rocks
#vanconversion
My brand new Sprinter was delivered to JCVS by Isaid from Walter’s in early July 2019, where it was waiting for its build slot. I found out during the summer that I got bumped up to January 2020 start due to another client canceling, which was great for me! I finally flew down to San Diego to meet EJ and see my van in person in late October, which was an amazing experience. EJ has an awesome garage and workspace with samples of all the materials he likes to use and we picked out a great color scheme for my build. I’m so glad I choose the right builder to make my dream van a reality!
Arbour Season

Arbour Season Express
Arbour Season Express
#skoolieconversion
This project has been more fun/hard/amazing then I ever thought it could be. Though I totally see how people give up in the middle of their build, we are SO EXCITED to see the end result! With all of our June shows being cancelled, we find that we have a little more time to finish our dream home.
Jake Brogan

Emily & Jake
HeyJakeBrogan
#sprintervan
Emily & I had to move out of our pad in New Hope. An apartment we called home for almost half a decade. While it’s bittersweet to remember all the times we shared in that old house, we are beyond excited to start the next chapter and introduce you to our new home. Home is where we park it, and there is not another human I could imagine contemplating such a wild change of lifestyle, let alone pulling the trigger, and just doing it! Here’s to all memories we have of New Hope and cheers to all the adventures that await us on the road.
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?
Jessie Deal

Jessee Deal
Jessee Deal
#campervan
Meet Arya. The rolling home love of my life. Rolling home lucky #3.
Getting her here was a labor of superficial love as experienced through photos, one FaceTime conversation with the seller, and my entire life savings sent off to Canada via PayPal (in theory and actuality, never a good idea). But alas, after a seemingly sketchy internet financial transaction, 4 months of waiting, a drive halfway across the country through a pandemic, a huge favor called in on Canadian friends of mine (cheers @mon_o_gram_19 & @fck_beans ), TWO trips to the Canadian border, one trip for Arya to the Canadian impound lot, and a crapload of unexpected costs to get her here from Canada (thanks Covid & over-eager Canadian police 🙄), here she is in all her glory. Even more perfect than I had hoped.
She came to me with more anticipation and more drama than any single purchase I’ve made in this lifetime, but I’m confident in saying that every bit of angst was worth it. Driving her, sleeping with her, the sound of her voice, the smell of her diesel, her kindred miniature stature… all of it feels just as right as the steering wheel’s location.
Do Life

Do Life
Do Life
#sprintervan
She’s always ready to go “inging”….and when she is all opened up it’s like a lotus flower hahaha! You never know which activity you will need when you have a #4x4sprinter #sportsmobile. You could wind up near water, on sand, on dirt, on steeps. She is usually loaded with 80% if our activities of choice. We swap out the bikes and boards when there is a chance for those! Amazing that all of the stuff fits in these things. We were supposed to be downsizing lol!
She came to me with more anticipation and more drama than any single purchase I’ve made in this lifetime, but I’m confident in saying that every bit of angst was worth it. Driving her, sleeping with her, the sound of her voice, the smell of her diesel, her kindred miniature stature… all of it feels just as right as the steering wheel’s location.
Teachers Turned Skoolies

Teachers Turned Skoolies
Teacher Turned Skoolies
#skoolier
After reflecting, 2019 was an amazing year, but 2020 looks like it’s going to be the best year yet. We’ve done:
✔️ From leasing an apartment to owning a Skoolie. ✔️ From stationary to always moving. ✔️ From having multiple jobs to unemployed. ✔️ From chinchilla moms to dog moms. ✔️ From expecting aunties to aunties.
advanturous henny

the.advanturous.henny
the.advanturous.henny
#sprintervan
Unexpected, unplanned adventures can have their rewards.
I originally had planned to spend this morning fishing. My search for the fishing hole ended up being an hour-long trek each way. But no worries, I had everything I needed.
The experiences and friendships because of this #vanlife adventure have been priceless.
One of the things I love the most about these van adventures is finding places to stop, make camp, and enjoy a meal.
Runaway Mus Bus

Runaway Mus Bus
Runaway Mus Bus
#skoolieconversion
We’re traveling, in our 18-foot converted school bus, around the country and we have our pre-teen daughter, Buckets, and our son, Monkey, on board. Every day is an adventure together. We love exploring, climbing, and working as a team.
Three Van Cats

Three Van Cats
Three Van Cats
#sprintervan
Took us 6 months of work after our day jobs during weekdays and every weekend. We took a break for maybe one week total throughout the build. We are incredibly happy with how it turned out. Some features that aren’t included in the photos are radiant heated floors, a recirculating shower (including 5-gallon water tank), 12-gallon propane tank (mounted underneath), a 34-gallon freshwater tank, WiFi, and phone booster, 1000W of solar, and 720Ah Lithium.
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?
Natural Wanderlust

Natural Wanderlust
Natural Wanderlust
Hello, we are a family of four- Greg, Tiffany, Tegan, and Talyn (with our dog Trixie) living full time in our custom built 4×4 Sprinter. After figuring out our dreams and goals in life, we are now on our path to adventuring and discovering our Earth. Never lose your sense of wander!
Jarrod Tocci

Jared Tocci
Jarrod Tocci
#sprintervan
I have an architectural engineering degree and will be doing the build with my father that has 40 years of experience in the construction industry, so I’m very confident with my build and can’t wait! Happy holidays to all and have a great new year. There are many ways to vanlife. Full Time, temporarily, travel/weekend warrior, go out weeks/months at a time, whatever your jam is! Enjoy life.
Never Say Someday

Never Say Someday
Never Say Someday
#sprintervan
Welcome to Never Say Someday! We’re Alexis, Steven, Levi, Harvey & Ruby, a family of full-time travelers and adventure lovers. In 2019, we sold our home — and everything in it — to travel in our converted Sprinter van. Our goal is to say yes to more adventures, and to inspire others to follow their dreams!
Ally in the bus

Ally In The Bus
Ally In The Bus
#skoolie
We are Ally and Lance, and this is our 1996, 7.3 Powerstroke International Skoolie. We purchased it pre-converted back in May 2020 with 65,000 miles on it. Which is an absolute steal for the mileage. Although we completely ripped apart the previous conversion to pave way for our dream skoolie. This bus gives us hope and happiness as we look towards our future and we hope it inspires you to do the same!
We are currently mid-way through the build. Working on the interior and then moving onto our roof rack. The bus will run off of solar power and propane as backup. We also have a 40-gallon freshwater tank and plan to be adding more. Follow along on Instagram, Youtube or Facebook by clicking the links above.
travis daisy

Travis + Daisy
Travis + Daisy
#sprintervan
We’re Travis and Daisy (woof) and this is our new home! Having spent my whole life in Colorado, I was ready for something new. A quick fall down the internet rabbit hole I found #vanlife and knew this was exactly what I needed. Thankful for this opportunity and excited to see what the future brings!
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?
Tale of Two Smittys

Tale of Two Smittys
Tale of Two Smittys
#skoolie
Free Jack Edison

FreeJackEdison
FreeJackEdison
#skoolie
After two years and thousands of hours, I am relieved to announce the bus is finally [mostly] complete. In the course of this effort, I endured an agonizing breakup, the sudden death of a dear friend, and a global pandemic. I’ve come face to face with my ferocious and paralyzing perfectionism. Never in my wildest calculations did I foresee this undertaking consuming so much of my time and sanity.
In hindsight, I am humbled—and admittedly a little embarrassed—by my severe underestimation of this project. Somehow, through the immense toil, week after week of nearly imperceptible progress, I maintained the sincere and spectacularly naive belief that I was “just a couple months away” from “finishing.” Yet I am deeply indebted to that naivety; for without it I could never have slayed a dragon of this magnitude.
Given the unexpected scale of this endeavor, I haven’t been able to bring myself to post the process online. Creating art and sharing it are two very distinct skills, and the latter does not come naturally. I was engaged in such a mental, physical, and emotional war of attrition with this 24-foot-long steel tube that I could think of little else. My hiatus from social media, the silence and the secrecy, has caused me plenty of guilt. I have to remind myself that I don’t owe anyone anything.
Candidly, I am unbelievably … proud of what I’ve built. What I envisioned as a “fun little project” has become, as my mother calls it, an opus. Before the bus, I had never so much as held a drill, but YouTube and trial-and-error are magical stimulants. I set out to mobilize my musical aspirations, but somewhere along the way I unwittingly fell in love with architecture, woodworking, and small space design. I am beyond excited to share my work in more detail over the coming weeks and months. Nearly every inch of this bus was created from scratch, and each piece of furniture is singular and transformable.
Everyone has been asking what’s next. Where will I go? When will I leave? What will I do? The truth is I haven’t decided yet. For now, I’m just pouring myself cups of coffee and sitting on a couch that I built with my bare hands. Damnit, I’ve earned it.
4 Here To Go

4 Here Or 2 Go
4 Here Or 2 Go
#sprintervan
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as that just made it sound. Buying and building our van was the biggest test of our relationship thus far. We missed deadlines, plans fell through, we forgot to order things, we made WAY too many trips to Lowes, and struggled with the question of, “Is this really worth it?”. But looking back, it was SO worth it. We would both go through this process again if given the chance. We have grown so much as a couple and learned so much about each other and how to get sh!t done.
So follow along with us as we continue to learn and grow – together.
Amie Laumer

Amie Laumer
Van Venture Wanderer

Van.Venture.Wanderer
Venture.Van.Wanderer
#sprintervan
We are adventure-seeking, van traveling, life living, comfort creating! We have learned from others and will pass our knowledge on to others as well. Evolution of a van name:
- First real stealth trip
- Feeling in awe of the freedom felt
- Reminds me of a scene in Braveheart
- Ask husband what main characters name is
- 10 hours later husband blurts out William Wallace
- I exclaim, “That’s it!” Our van’s name is William Wallace the I.
- First name Wallace (said with a Scottish accent of course!)
- WALLY for short!
Our Midlife Van

Our Midlife Van
Our Midlife Van
#sprintervan
Our story began 38 years ago when we met during a summer job. We spent time together that summer until we went our separate ways once school started back up. Four years later we once again met and have been together ever since.
This year we are celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. The youngest of our 3 kids graduated high school this year and we hope to have many adventures together now and into retirement.
In February we bought a van. It has been a slow and steady build as Rich worked on the van along with caring for me, Robin, as I battled breast cancer for the 2nd time in 15 years. The van build was on pause as we spend some time in the hospital and recovered at home from complications after surgery in April.
The build started back up in June and then just last week Robin was diagnosed with yet another cancer this time thyroid. She just recently had her 5th surgery I’m just over 3 months.
We are hoping this new cancer journey will be a short one so that life can get back to normal we can start taking some trips soon.
Follow us as we continue to build our van and live our lives to the fullest.
Sense of Wander

Sense of Wander
Sense of Wander
#skoolieconversion
✔️ 𝐎𝐜𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: After 1 conversation about it, decided we would convert a school bus into a traveling home
✔️ 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: Bought a used school bus on an online auction
✔️ 𝐃𝐞𝐜 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: Bren and his dad flew out to Denver, then drove the bus back to North Carolina from Healy, Kansas
✔️ 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗: Started the conversion process
✔️ 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎: Packed up our things and hit the road!
Fort Vine

Fort Vine
Fort Vine
#sprintervan
Fort Vine is an Indie Folk/Pop duo that consists of Trevor Tunison and Nyna Nelson. Together, they create beautiful, joyful, and carefully crafted Folk music, which is filled with whimsical hooks and delicate melodies. Think the late 60s meets today. The band itself is nothing if not quirky but in all the best ways. Named after a secret tree fort that Trevor and Nyna built in a park in Manhattan, their music inspires feelings of joy and happiness. In short, it’s like coming home to a warm hug after being out in a cold snowstorm. Trevor and Nyna have a new album out, which is called Primordial Mirror of Cosmic Reflection. In the meantime, enjoy getting to know two of the more genuine people in music today.
Then in 2013, Kenny Johnson joined as our bass guitarist. Trevor and I miss playing with them now that we don’t live in the city anymore. We’ve been touring in our sprinter van, Gypsee Bungalow, as a duo since 2018, bringing Kenny along for a couple months in 2019.
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?
Happy Traveling Ever After

Happily Traveling Ever After
Happily Traveling Ever After
#sprintervan
Another day in the life of Ivan! Wow, what a transformation… every day is one step closer to his completion. I love seeing how this 15 passenger van is becoming a tiny house on wheels.
The best part is working side by side with the woman of my dreams. At times this van building process has been challenging but it is magical seeing our ideas 💡 come to life.
With everything that is going on in the world right now, mobile real-estate is exploding. So many people are realizing and taking advantage of the 2020 crisis, downsizing, and hitting the road.
Bacons Rebellion

Bacons Rebellion
Bacons Rebellion
#sprintervan
We are The Bacons (Joe, Erin & Finn) and we’re “rebelling” against our previous typical white picket fence life in Southern California. It’s a “been there, done that” sorta situation, but also we have a lot of the US to see and maybe even the world. We realized we’d never get to see it all living in our house with our 9-5 jobs…and so, on our way home from an epic 6 week roadtrip in 2015, we hatched a plan to free ourselves from our jobs and get the house rented so we could live on the road…Two & a half years ago we picked up the van. The next morning we tossed our camping gear in it and left for a Camping Music Fest in NorCal.
As we were loading up we noticed a very large Grasshopper hanging on to our antenna the whole morning! So we named her the #grasshoppervan and we’ve been building her in fits and spurts, as time and $$ allowed, ever since.Been FT for almost a year now and loving this lifestyle and the community more than we ever expected!
Enso the Bus

Enso The Bus
Enso The Bus
#skoolieconversion
2 years in the making and our dream is starting to take form. We bought our bus 11/22/19 and over the next few months we will be converting it into our tiny home on wheels!
One of my(Jonnie) top priorities when building the bus was to be able to open the back door from bed. Now, Odie and I love to open the door on nice days and watch the clouds roll by.

Adventures of Blue
Adventures of Blue
#vintagevan
She’s a 1963 Ford Econoline. So excited for the adventures we’ll have in this baby. A lot of work ahead, but that’s half the fun.

Digital Nomad Guy
The Digital Nomad
#skoolieconversion
I’m a digital nomad living life on the road in my converted school bus (skoolie) sharing my journey and creating content along the way.

Frankie and Alex Van Life
Sense of Wander
#skoolieconversion
✔️ 𝐎𝐜𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: After 1 conversation about it, decided we would convert a school bus into a traveling home
✔️ 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: Bought a used school bus on an online auction
✔️ 𝐃𝐞𝐜 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖: Bren and his dad flew out to Denver, then drove the bus back to North Carolina from Healy, Kansas
✔️ 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗: Started the conversion process
✔️ 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎: Packed up our things and hit the road!
Interested in showing off your ride at Van Fest 2021?

The Van Dykes
The Van Dykes
#vanconversion
Hey friends! The purpose of this page is to document our build experience, connect with other vanthusiasts and inspire others to take the leap and buy a van no matter how little they know about tools and carpentry 😂 Follow our adventures, comment on our mistakes, leave your advice and enjoy the ride! ✌🏼😜

Stay Wild Silver
Stay Wild Silver
#sprintervan
Creating on the road is such an amazing way to continue my love for this craft while still being able to bring the studio with me on the road. Sitting in the middle of the forest or with an epic view of beautiful landscapes while creating new pieces of art is an absolute blessing.

Bus Goblin
Bus Goblin
#skoolieconversion
What’s up goblins 👹, just wanted to take a second to do a brief re-introduction! My name is Holly & this is my faithful bus Wander. He is a 2001 Gmc Blue Bird Bus & I am a 25-year-old artist we are based out of the North Fork of Long Island. After months of searching, I finally found and purchased the perfect bus to flip into my future tiny home & art studio. I can’t believe this is finally happening.

Sprinting There
Sprinting There
#sprintervan
This is our first build. We can’t wait to start from scratch and make this into everything we’ve ever wanted. Our van is a 2020 Mercedes sprinter 3500xd 170” extended wb! We are so excited to get started and travel the country when we are done. Follow us to see behind the scenes of our build.

Van Life Wynning
Van Life Wynning
#sprintervan
2018 High Roof Ford Transit Extended is all mine! Now the build process begins…

SavDimuro
SavDimuro
#sprintervan
WE’RE GOING TO BE (TINY) HOME OWNERS! For over a year, Ian and I have been toying with the idea of vanlife and just before all this covid19 chaos started we took the leap and bought a van. Our tiny home is currently being built out and we’ll be moving in full time this summer. It’s a great feeling when you realize it’s YOUR life and you can make it whatever you want it to be, I’m so excited to make this huge (and much needed) change and see where it takes me🙌🏻

Harry & Lyss
Harry & Lyss
#boxvanconversion
We’re Harry and Lyss!
We spent the past couple of years backpacking around the world including living in a campervan in New Zealand for 6 months. Some of our passions include photography, videography, yoga, holistic wellness, permaculture, off-grid living, and enjoying life in the flow state. After traveling and working on a few farms abroad, we fell in love with being in close communion to nature. When the pandemic hit, we came back home to San Diego and grounded down for a bit. We became clear on our intentions and realized that our highest vision in life is to create a sustainable homestead to grow our own food, have animals, and live in a self-reliant way.
We bought a 1990 Ford Econoline Box Truck and have spent the past 4 months building her out! We’re hitting the road to go find land! Come join us for the adventure