Living the Van Life, Sienna Style
By: John Kumiski
When my high school friends and I were high from beer, pot, or both, one of the topics of conversation was, "If you only had a year left to live, what would you do?" When you're 17 or 18, that topic seems very remote.
In May 2019 (long past 18 years old) I was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis. Didn't like hearing this, but didn't expect to live forever, either. Susan (best friend and spouse) and I bought tickets to fly to Europe. BAM! Pandemic hits! No Europe until who knows when.
Poking around on the internet I learned about van life. See the USA from a van! Sleep in the van wherever you want (within reason), cut your travel expenses! Susan and I started talking about it. Our first-born lives in California. Because of the pandemic, we watched him get married on our telephones. We could do a road trip to San Francisco to visit him and his new bride, see the country, and drive home again!
Sienna, ready for the voyage. Photo John Kumiski
In 1999 we had bought a brand-new Sienna van to shuttle our then little boys around. We had that car 18 years and put 280,000 miles on it. When I sold it, it was still running strong. The vehicles are awesome, well-engineered and built, and very reliable. I brought my current RAV4 in for service. While at the dealer I looked at Sienna vans. They had a 2014 van with 68,000 miles on it. I drove it home, much to my surprise.
The first thing I did was take the back seats out. I threw the way-back seats into the landfill. Susan wouldn't let me throw the other seats away, so they currently clog my garage. I'll make a sweet deal to anyone who wants them!
Susan and I watched a lot of YouTube videos about van conversions. The three we found the most helpful were Bruce Parks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO2-2EKtJLc), Nate Yarborough's ExploristLife.com, and Chuck and Terry's To Be Created (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79G2RZ9iMos). Mind you, with the exception of ExploristLife the others are strictly personal taste. You do what you think you can do. I don't have a wood-working or machine shop, and never thought myself particularly handy
Looking back from the sliding door. Photo: John Kumiski
ExploristLife has the electrical know-how and wiring diagrams that let even a novice like myself install a solar panel and power all the 12 volt systems in my van with it. It was by far the best information I found on 12 volt wiring, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
In my yard, with a rickety folding table, a couple c-clamps, and a few hand tools, I started working on a bed, window screens, and cabinets. Mission accomplished, the electrical system came next.
I write this from a Florida state park campground. We are on our way to California. There's no rush- I want to stay off the interstate highway system, and savor the joy of back roads. We're looking to take five or six weeks to cover 3000 or so miles. If it takes seven or eight, so what?
I don't know how much time I have left. I do know it's finite. So I need to enjoy every day, and keep stress to a minimum.
I want to see the USA like I never have before. I intend to make the most of it. Please, join us for the journey.
Have you done something interesting outdoors? Join Global Outdoors and write a review to tell everyone about it! We’re building the home for trusted reviews of outdoor experiences, outfitters, and guides. Help us out and you’ll be entered to win free trips!
