Where I got everything for my conversion from...with links!
Bear with me, this is going to be a long winded post, full of descriptions and links. If you like anything you have seen in any of my pictures or videos, hopefully I won't miss any, but I will pop all Ebay and Amazon links on this post so you guys can find it easily.
HAYNES MANUAL - So I started off the year with the purchase of the van, and consequently the Haynes Manual, almost immediately -
CABLE - electrical cable to wire the van up, this included extending my reversing camera cables, wiring led's, etc, you name it. I ordered multiple times from this seller! Always buy more than you think otherwise you'll spend your life waiting for more or buying more expensive stuff closer to home.
CARPET LINING - This was one of the first things needed, as removing the ply lining to insulate behind means you might as well carpet it whilst its all out. This was extremely good value, and I managed to carpet everything I needed, including my mini bulkhead, 3 door trims, both sides of the van, and the plastic handles at the back. Only had to buy one more tin of spray adhesive from Screwfix later on in the build.
PLASTI DIP SPRAY PAINT - This stuff is awesome, its a spray rubber like substance that can be applied to anything. It forms a coat that can be peeled off whenever you want. I used it for the door trims initially as a quick cosmetic fix, and the step into the side of the van.
SOFA BED - This was the next thing we bought, as a cheat to throw in the back. I built it around the arches, and had to reinforce it, and change the legs by adding 6 taller ones bought from B&Q, but its still doing me well a year later. The actual one I bought isn't on Ebay any more, but it cost us £120 in total.
FURNITURE LEGS - These were used to make the sofa bed tall enough to fit over the arches. They are also adjustable at the bottom for levelling, which is useful in the back of a badly carpeted van!!
TINY STORAGE POCKET NETS - These are all over the van! They are so useful and I bought these many times. The link above is for a set of 4 for £4, and then just screwed into the ply all over the van. Great for holding phone cables, chargers, battery isolator keys, nik naks etc, these are great, and I want the larger ones that hold magazines too.
USB SOCKETS - I have bought so many of these in different variaties, these are awesome! Providing me with power for iPads and iPhones, anything USB chargeable, which these days is most things. I can power up my shower through these too! These are all over the van, I also bought a triple set of USB, volt meter and cigarette lighter 12v.
USB SOCKET, VOLT METER AND 12V PORT - This is for the one I bought but from eBay (I work with boats and bought from a local supplier) but this is identical in every way including price. Such a cheap way to monitor the voltage status of your leisure battery and get your set up with some USBs.
SUAOKI PORTABLE SHOWER - I bought this on a black friday sale, I havent even used it yet, but there will be a video of operation and use, as well as a review as to how good it actually is. If its as good as the rest of the Suaoki products I have bought, then it should be good!
UHT MILKS - I think this is important as tea is life....keeps you ticking through hours of sticking, gluing, cutting, sawing, screwing etc etc, and these last ages.
12V HEATER DEFROSTER - I decided to buy this to be a cheap way of converting battery energy into heat if needed, in case I dont have access to normal electrics and the big heater. It works great for taking the edge off too and defrosting the windows if I take it home after work and its frosty in the morning....
CARGO NETTING - Used this for the rear doors for storage, yet another cheap storage solution.
TASSIMO MACHINE - Really not an essential and purchased towards the end of the conversion as a black friday deal. I just want a touch of luxury ok?? It was only £30, now £34, and when hooked to power I get frothy coffee, woohoo! I will be working on buying an inverter and larger leisure battery to run this off grid too.
SWITCHES - I got given and bought some of my own LED lights. I bought these for the LED strip lights. Didn't end up using them (yet), but did use a switch for some other LED's I bought. These were easy to install and fit into wood, and again, CHEAP!
GAS STOVE TOASTER - This thing is brilliant! Allows you to use a gas stove top as a toaster. Simple and works great. Whats life without toast?
SUOAKI FLAMELESS LIGHTER - I bought this mainly because I like Suaoki stuff, but also because its flameless, and this can be recharged anywhere in the van via USB. SOO useful.
CHEAP TOOLKIT - I bought one of these for my workplace as a cheap carry around, and discovered that its actually a little bit awesome, has the bare necessities, hammer, knife, a few screwdrivers, and most importantly TORX bits. These are plastered all over Renault Trafic vans. So this really helped once the main conversion was done and I removed all proper tools, for those small jobs and improvements that I'm still making.
LED LIGHTS SET 1 - These are some after thought lights I bought as I wanted a yellower selection. The first set I bought were really bright and white. Awesome but not relaxing when chilling on the MacBook with a film.
LED LIGHTS SET 2 - These are the first ones I bought just to get light in on a budget.
DEHUMIDIFIERS - Having been around, using and living on various boats in my life, as well as in mouldy flats, these are essential in winter. They are so cheap and require no power, you can visually check their fullness, so you know they are working, and then just lob them in the bin afterwards.
WOOD - A cheap way of obtaining wood is to find and deconstruct pallets. Easy for me when I work at a place with a plentiful supply. Often people are trying to give these away, or selling them for a much cheaper price than going to B&Q would be. Saying that, I only used pallet wood for the frame to screw nice wood to. So I then went to B&Q for my wood. But didn't need much, as my van came ply lined.
CURTAIN CLIPS - These were literally to hang the dividing curtain from the cab to the back.
CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM - This is soo important. My way of heating my van when off grid, at least currently, is a gas canister heater. For even the slightest misalignment of the canister, this could give off carbon monoxide, which as totally odourless, can kill you with only a few breaths. This will notify you in good time. And it wasn't even expensive.
The above are all things bought online this year. This in no way accounts for everything else that I obtained for free, or elsewhere, or in physical shops, bought on a whim, etc etc.
HAYNES MANUAL - So I started off the year with the purchase of the van, and consequently the Haynes Manual, almost immediately -
CABLE - electrical cable to wire the van up, this included extending my reversing camera cables, wiring led's, etc, you name it. I ordered multiple times from this seller! Always buy more than you think otherwise you'll spend your life waiting for more or buying more expensive stuff closer to home.
CARPET LINING - This was one of the first things needed, as removing the ply lining to insulate behind means you might as well carpet it whilst its all out. This was extremely good value, and I managed to carpet everything I needed, including my mini bulkhead, 3 door trims, both sides of the van, and the plastic handles at the back. Only had to buy one more tin of spray adhesive from Screwfix later on in the build.
PLASTI DIP SPRAY PAINT - This stuff is awesome, its a spray rubber like substance that can be applied to anything. It forms a coat that can be peeled off whenever you want. I used it for the door trims initially as a quick cosmetic fix, and the step into the side of the van.
SOFA BED - This was the next thing we bought, as a cheat to throw in the back. I built it around the arches, and had to reinforce it, and change the legs by adding 6 taller ones bought from B&Q, but its still doing me well a year later. The actual one I bought isn't on Ebay any more, but it cost us £120 in total.
FURNITURE LEGS - These were used to make the sofa bed tall enough to fit over the arches. They are also adjustable at the bottom for levelling, which is useful in the back of a badly carpeted van!!
TINY STORAGE POCKET NETS - These are all over the van! They are so useful and I bought these many times. The link above is for a set of 4 for £4, and then just screwed into the ply all over the van. Great for holding phone cables, chargers, battery isolator keys, nik naks etc, these are great, and I want the larger ones that hold magazines too.
USB SOCKETS - I have bought so many of these in different variaties, these are awesome! Providing me with power for iPads and iPhones, anything USB chargeable, which these days is most things. I can power up my shower through these too! These are all over the van, I also bought a triple set of USB, volt meter and cigarette lighter 12v.
USB SOCKET, VOLT METER AND 12V PORT - This is for the one I bought but from eBay (I work with boats and bought from a local supplier) but this is identical in every way including price. Such a cheap way to monitor the voltage status of your leisure battery and get your set up with some USBs.
SUAOKI PORTABLE SHOWER - I bought this on a black friday sale, I havent even used it yet, but there will be a video of operation and use, as well as a review as to how good it actually is. If its as good as the rest of the Suaoki products I have bought, then it should be good!
UHT MILKS - I think this is important as tea is life....keeps you ticking through hours of sticking, gluing, cutting, sawing, screwing etc etc, and these last ages.
12V HEATER DEFROSTER - I decided to buy this to be a cheap way of converting battery energy into heat if needed, in case I dont have access to normal electrics and the big heater. It works great for taking the edge off too and defrosting the windows if I take it home after work and its frosty in the morning....
CARGO NETTING - Used this for the rear doors for storage, yet another cheap storage solution.
TASSIMO MACHINE - Really not an essential and purchased towards the end of the conversion as a black friday deal. I just want a touch of luxury ok?? It was only £30, now £34, and when hooked to power I get frothy coffee, woohoo! I will be working on buying an inverter and larger leisure battery to run this off grid too.
SWITCHES - I got given and bought some of my own LED lights. I bought these for the LED strip lights. Didn't end up using them (yet), but did use a switch for some other LED's I bought. These were easy to install and fit into wood, and again, CHEAP!
GAS STOVE TOASTER - This thing is brilliant! Allows you to use a gas stove top as a toaster. Simple and works great. Whats life without toast?
SUOAKI FLAMELESS LIGHTER - I bought this mainly because I like Suaoki stuff, but also because its flameless, and this can be recharged anywhere in the van via USB. SOO useful.
CHEAP TOOLKIT - I bought one of these for my workplace as a cheap carry around, and discovered that its actually a little bit awesome, has the bare necessities, hammer, knife, a few screwdrivers, and most importantly TORX bits. These are plastered all over Renault Trafic vans. So this really helped once the main conversion was done and I removed all proper tools, for those small jobs and improvements that I'm still making.
LED LIGHTS SET 1 - These are some after thought lights I bought as I wanted a yellower selection. The first set I bought were really bright and white. Awesome but not relaxing when chilling on the MacBook with a film.
LED LIGHTS SET 2 - These are the first ones I bought just to get light in on a budget.
DEHUMIDIFIERS - Having been around, using and living on various boats in my life, as well as in mouldy flats, these are essential in winter. They are so cheap and require no power, you can visually check their fullness, so you know they are working, and then just lob them in the bin afterwards.
WOOD - A cheap way of obtaining wood is to find and deconstruct pallets. Easy for me when I work at a place with a plentiful supply. Often people are trying to give these away, or selling them for a much cheaper price than going to B&Q would be. Saying that, I only used pallet wood for the frame to screw nice wood to. So I then went to B&Q for my wood. But didn't need much, as my van came ply lined.
CURTAIN CLIPS - These were literally to hang the dividing curtain from the cab to the back.
CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM - This is soo important. My way of heating my van when off grid, at least currently, is a gas canister heater. For even the slightest misalignment of the canister, this could give off carbon monoxide, which as totally odourless, can kill you with only a few breaths. This will notify you in good time. And it wasn't even expensive.
The above are all things bought online this year. This in no way accounts for everything else that I obtained for free, or elsewhere, or in physical shops, bought on a whim, etc etc.
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