We're Jack & Megan, and in late 2020 we sold our belongings and packed our lives into our 2005 Toyota Troop Carrier to travel Australia. Our original plan was to complete a full lap of Australia and return home to Perth to resume our normal lives. We decided we wanted to document our lap for the future and began sharing weekly travel vlogs of our life on the road and fell in love with the travel lifestyle, vlogging, and sharing our lives on YouTube. We have since changed up our home a couple of times, but are still living with no fixed address and sharing it all on YouTube.
After living in the Troopy for close to three years, we decided we wanted a bit more living space to be able to comfortably work from any location. We also wanted to establish a home base (on wheels) to be able to return to if we decide to travel overseas. With a limited budget and a desire to roll our sleeves up and tackle a big project, a vintage caravan made the most sense to us. We have always loved the way they look and wanted something we could design inside that was unique to us.
Be prepared for your timeframe and budget to be blown out… well that was our experience anyway as a more practical tip, one of the main things you need to watch out for in van builds similar to ours is leaks and/or damp spots. Also you can learn how to do pretty much everything using YouTube! Every single aspect of our build has been learned as we go by searching for videos on carpentry, plumbing, electrical, you name it, you can find it somewhere on YouTube!
Renogy "Jack & Megan" Caravan Bundle:
This Renogy power bundle provides everything you need to power up your caravan or RV for self-sufficient, off-grid travel. We’ve taken the guesswork out by including all the essential components for a reliable and powerful electrical system. With 1200W of Solar on the roof this system allows you to run larger appliances for a longer period of time off-grid + with the affordable price tag it is perfect for those doing a van build from scratch. Explore the bundle here.
The Bundle Includes:
- 2 x 200Ah Core Lithium Batteries
- 1 x 50A DC to DC Battery Charger with MPPT
- 1 x 3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger with LCD
- 6 x 200W 12V Monocrystalline Fixed Solar Panel
- 2 x 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller
- 1 x ONE Core Monitor
- 1 x Battery Shunt 300
- 3 x BT-2 Bluetooth Module for Renogy Products
Thetford Domino Induction Hob:
Elevate your caravan kitchen with the Domino Induction Hob. Experience effortless control with intuitive slide controls and an interface lock that prevents accidental adjustments. This hob boasts a lighter design and shallower build depth for easier installation in compact spaces. Plus, you can fine-tune energy consumption with an adjustable current setting. Explore the Domino Hub here.
Thetford 174L 12V Compressor Fridge:
This spacious fridge lets you enjoy the comfort of home with a large cooling and freezing department. It features automatic temperature control, quiet operation and a user-friendly touch screen for ultimate convenience. This fridge is modern and sleek with flush door handles and reversible hinges. Explore the Thetford 174L Fridge here.
The main thing that was always on our mind travelling in the Troopy was “are we going to have enough power to edit tonight”. The laptop Megan uses to edit our videos would drain our power quite fast and it was pretty much a daily struggle to maintain. With all the solar input from our Renogy bundle we feel like our power worries will be a thing of the past! Also being able to easily check our energy and level the caravan with the One Core unit will be great!
Oooo hard to say but we are both very excited about the fact that we have the space and power to run a proper coffee machine now! Also our Thetford Fridge has a freezer which again, we’ve never had on the road so very excited for that in the top end heat!
So hard to narrow it down to just one! It might be part nostalgia but our favourite destination is the first place we visited when setting off in the Troopy, Karijini National Park in WA. The landscape is like nowhere else and we love the heat, hiking and water holes.
