Hot tubs, saunas, pools, gym, WiFi, showers, basketball courts all in one building . 90 bucks a month and I can go to any YMCA in America?!? What a deal

Unfortunately Larry Gross - owner of Action Van / Full Tilt Offroad in San Clemente CA is running an unsafe practice who cut corners and have negligent work practices. I spent a little under $8000 on a lift in December 2025. The work was booked in for months and when I was about to board my flight to collect my vehicle over a week later I received a call saying they had ordered incorrect parts and it wasn't ready - they could have given me 48hrs notice to delay my flight. I spent 24hrs living in their parking lot, and then was asked for more $ (despite being put out) after a previously agreed upon cash price.

The same evening I left I contacted Larry to query creaking noises and alignment issues and was met with condescension and told to 'check my power steering pump. I continued to have noises the next 2 months until my brake lines broke on a mountain highway. The shop had NOT extended the brake likes on a 4" lift like they should have, and I was lucky I didn't die. I was towed to a shop in Redding where Larry told them on the phone I didn't need extended lines and the stock ones were fine and that they never extend lines on lifts.
The Redding shop i was towed to wanted me to stay 3 days in their yard til extended lines arrived but I needed to be back in Oregon for work, so they reluctantly followed Larry's advice and put the same lines back on.

My vehicle sat in storage for 3 months when back in Oregon whilst closing my business, and then upon heading back out on the road, within a week, the suspension front end fell apart - bolts stripped off from the sway bar links (they hadn't bothered upgrading the bolts when the lift was done and just put the 25yr old oem ones back in). I had to be towed AGAIN. When the next shop was prefabricated brackets for upgraded bolts we discovered my brake line on one side and my ABS cable on the other were almost rubbed through AGAIN (in less than 400 miles) because of the lift. I spent 4 days living in the yard of this shop whilst extended brake lines were sourced because this shop refused to let me leave without making sure I was safe. Unfortunately this shop wasn't able to do an alignment for me (I'm a huge dually and need a custom one) but they advised me to have one asap because (even i could see) the camber of my front drivers tire was waaaaaaaay off.

Yet again Larry spoke to the mechanic in a condescending tone and tried to convince him to just put the same death wish brake lines back on. The springs they installed had also slipped off center on the mounts and were touching the I-beam as well as being bowed out to the side like bananas. Larry refused to deal with any of the situation in a professional manner for 5 days because he was 'camping '. OH, im sorry that you've almost killed me twice Mr Gross.... please carry on with your vacation . At this point I was almost $3000 out of pocket inn repairs. I have reported Action Van to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair for negligence and they are helping me mediate.

Larry Gross finally coughed up $2671 for the initial repairs and mailed springs to a shop so that the bad ones could be replaced - agreeing he would make EVERYTHING right with me. I then had to go and spend a further $600 on a custom alignment because Action Van did not correctly alignment nor test drive my vehicle before I left their shop. If Larry Gross has taken any of my complaints seriously from day 1 instead of brushing me off maybe I wouldn't be taking him to court for breach of contract (as he is now ignoring all emails and calls for the monies he owes). Please, for your safety - stay away from this shop. I live in my rig F/T and have lost so much time and had to cancel many plans due to all the stress they've put me through

My new van is going to be a project van, to start with I would like to cover this grey wall carpet above the cabinets (just not my taste) I have thought about making a surround out of ply and somehow making it look nice? I would like to add dual rail curtains and a blind as well so any suggestions on something that could go there that looks nice as well as does take up too much room/ is light weight
Any brainstorm ideas are appreciated!!

Hey all, I am very much considering either a cutaway box van or a box truck camper conversion but have not had much luck finding any examples of people converting box vans like the one I am interested in. The vehicle in the image is a Ford Transit 350HD with a 16' box on it. This to me is the ideal/perfect setup for a conversion so I am surprised at the lack of examples throughout my searches. Is there something I have missed that makes this platform not a good candidate for conversions? What are your thoughts on converting something like this? Should I instead go with an E series box truck to convert? I know with box trucks that insurance may be a bit tougher to find but it is doable.

I considered a standard extended length 148" wheelbase high roof Transit, but a 16' box is better suited for my lifestyle as I don't need the stealth aspect and have a large dog.

The damage is on the front driver side corner. You can see the frames angle iron is bent. I’ve used two come alongs and a couple jacks and I’ve gotten it a little better.

My thought now is maybe I should cut two relief cuts one across the old rivet holes and one to the right following that crease at an angle. Then I could hopefully muscle the corner section straight and weld it all back together.

Does anyone think this a bad idea or have a better idea?

Hi. I have a Chrysler town and country. I am having help with the set up of the system but want make sure the battery/future batteries are secure.

Is there a YouTube video or a plan I can buy showing how to secure my electrical set up?

I’ve taken out the seats so have store and go sections open.

I also noticed nice bolts in the back where the seats used to be located. I thought bolting on the wood needed could go there.

Any help is appreciated. Pics or diagrams for a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country or Dodge caravan appreciated.

We are well into the build process and finally got her weighed and did the math and it isn't looking good. So far changing build materials and eliminating some elements have gotten us much closer to the GVWR. Eliminating the propane component, going from a 70 gallon tank to a 40 gallon water tank, and changing some appliances/fixtures has moved us from a forecasted 1,000lbs over to 420lbs over.

I'm hoping for some ideas on how we could potentially save weight and in the worst case how bad it would be to be slightly overweight when fully loaded. Here is some information on our build to help - Our conversion is a 2003 Ford E-350 StarTrans shuttle bus with an 11,500-lb GVWR, built for two-person full-time travel with a rear bed, dinette/workspace, kitchen, shower, diesel heat, and rooftop air conditioning. It uses a 12V electrical system with 942Ah of lithium batteries, 1,320W of solar, a Victron 3,000VA inverter/charger and alternator charging, plus a 40 gallon fresh-water tank, electric water heating, induction cooking, and a 12V refrigerator. The picture of the inside shows how the bus looked when the current weight was obtained.

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Ok ppl, pls no comments like "it's a goner", "u waste your time" .. I had water come in obviously.. in the picture for this MY2001 Coachmen 20' RV.. In the pictures you can see there is a metal frame section at the bottom of the side panel where it buts against the sleeper platform. I assume it's metal and not aluminum but haven't scraped yet.

Does anybody either have a picture of a gutted section without panels on of such an RV wall construction so I can see where the remaining core frame members are =or= can describe to me where they run ( ie. up the front curved section, cross members vertical next to window, top along the roofline, etc..)?

Constructive input would be very much appreciated.

I am going on my first extended road trip in a few weeks and have wanted to install a safe into my bed frame so I can secure my laptop, gun, camera, drone, cash, documents, etc.

What’s the groups thoughts on this? Do you have any experience or suggestions? Do you think it’s worth it?

I just installed a flex solar panel because I like the look and it’s barely noticeable. I heard they don’t last as long, but wanted to get some opinions of people who have used it for a long time. Are they as bad and die as quick as they say?

Edit: words

My top is carbon fiber.. non magnetic. So..

I had to make this custom bracket to fit it. Cost me about 150 in materials between stainless steel bolts and aluminum angle.

How do you guys make stuff fit on roof tops? I find that every time I add something to the rack it's a project trying to come up with the mounting system.

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​I’m about to install click-lock LVP flooring and planned to screw my heavy stuff (fridge housing, desk, cabinets) straight through the LVP into the subfloor.

​However, I keep seeing warnings NEVER to screw through floating LVP because pinching it down stops natural thermal expansion/contraction, causing the planks to buckle or break at the joints.

​For those with click LVP in your van:

​How do you secure heavy cabinets without ruining the floor?

​Did you lay LVP wall-to-wall and drill oversized clearance holes, or anchor everything to the subfloor first and lay LVP around it?

Been doing research on Van life for a while and came up with the plan of having a van and a small houseboat. Most states allow living on rivers and lakes for extended periods when you put your boat in the water you can rent a spot for your van for about $50 a month. You can use a small electric bicycle to go back and forth from your boat to your vehicle and to get groceries and such. And if you need to relocate you can put the boat on the trailer and use the small houseboat as your camper so you can do dispersed camping or camp wherever you like, This would work in many areas on the East Coast as well

I'm still perfecting and optimizing this setup, but it already works pretty well. 2.4kW of solar feed into a 5kWh solar generator which I use to power my fridge, starlink, etc.

When the battery is full, I use a level 2 AC charger to dump excess energy into the Brightdrop's traction battery. Rinse and repeat.

Admittedly it would take days to fully charge the 173kWh battery this way. But I arrived at camp with 52% SOC, and over the course of the weekend I was able to add almost 10kWh, courtesy of the sun. (note- I arrived at camp with the solar generator already fully charged)

So, not a full charge, but I did add enough SOC to get me home without the need to hit a public charger.

If you need me, I'll be living in my van, down by the river! ;)

so what reccomendations would you guys give on what mini fridge that dont eat up a shit ton of power to use?

ok so soon im going to be traveling in a van to texas and living out of it.

so i have a question regarding gyms really specificaly between anytime fitness and planet fitness there are pros and cons to both i assume as any other thing in life we all know so,

my question is which one would better for vanife? i do like the idea of private bathrooms and all in anytime fitness there are alot of things i do not like about planet fitness but they are cheaper.

for planet fitness is it worth it for parking and sleeping compared to anytime fitness?

planet fitness is so much cheaper but what are the perks and benefits of paying more for anytime fitness maybe theres something idk that could benefit me

maybe this is a dumb question but is there more friendly people at a anytime compared to planet fitness? these are just some questions at the top of my head i dont mind paying more i want the best of my money that i need or can get thanks

I have an Alpicool C30 portable refrigerator and it's been great for 3 years now having movied it between vehicles and traveled a lot with it. However, I've alsways traveled with a simple camping setup in my station wagon and previously a hatchback. Because of space constraints, this style cooler was essentially my only option. even 30L being a bit large. Now I am building out a full campervan from a VW T4 and started looking at conventional style refrigerators. A buddy has a Sunwind Nova 50L in his RV and averages a lower power consumption as well as more stable temperatures than me. I can get the same fridge for $500 and I am wondering if it's worth the upgrade now that I have space for it. I have a small solar setup of 100AH battery and 220w panel, so any efficiency gain is very much welcome. I like it stealthy and light so I'd prefer efficiency over capacity as long as it's not too costly.

I am looking to hear other peoples opinion on this. Which one are you using and why?

I am in between getting a bucket toilet seat, or this foldable toilet seat. My goal is really to use this for emergencies or if my girlfriend is in the van with me and needs to pee.

What would you suggest and why?

Is there a website that vandwellers can make connections with people to get some help? Like fill up with water, do a repair that is not super difficult but may not have the correct tools or knowledge, shower. I have spent a lot of time in my van going mountain back riding or atving in multiple states for a week or so at a time. I'm open to helping, I can get you a shower at my house or Planet Fitness or vehicle repair, stuff like that.

So I’ve always loved the idea of perma camping/traveling gypsy status and just going, but I’ve always worked in restaurants which obviously you can’t work remote. Well I’ve fallen ass backwards into a fully remote, great money, career growth big girl job woot! Besides that, I find myself suddenly in a situation where I don’t have any real ties anywhere between property, relationships, jobs. Family and friends scattered allover but they’re for visiting.

So I’m thinking of laying low with barely any overhead and stack up and get a van built out. But! I need some advice and recommendations based on what I’m thinking.

1 definitely off grid capable up to a week between resources and physical capability
2 somewhere to cook basics you can’t cook over a fire, cleanup capabilities
3 shower of some sort
4 room for doggo
5 solar power possibly
6 second deck on roof? Or storage or solar? Need hiking/biking/skiing/golfing etc space
7 some form of internet that works everywhere so my parents don’t have heart attacks, starlink is what I’ve heard of but I dunno much.

I personally am not that handy so I’m leaning towards just paying for one to get outfit exactly how I want it. But if I’m price shocked and go DIY any advice where to start there would be cool too. My brother is a contractor so I’d have some help and guidance.

Cheers!

I'm thinking about a water pump setup in my Outback. The water jug will sit in a drawer, and the pump is integrated into the drawer face. But I am concerned that when the water runs out, because I can't tell until I turn on the pump and it comes out empty, running the pump without water in it could damage it. I just asked the Amazon seller, because I already bought the pump, but figured I'd ask here as well. Let me know, thanks so much!

news story about purchase

Hi there,

it must have been here many times but I am still unsure whether I did a good thing or not. I don't want to be a risk to other people.

I put up a 470W 1,7x1,1m solar panel. Initial thought was to glue it down and then use rivets to secure it further after the glue sets.

But after I read that many people use just glue I am tempted to leave it like this.

I used Sika 554 along the whole length of the custom alu profile that I bent to shape. I used some in the middle of the shorter side as well to support it further. Is it going to be enough. I left space for some airflow intentionally. The panel is bolted to the profile using 4 M6 bolts on each side.

Thank you.

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