So how exactly does one consider the considerations? What does that even mean?
Simply put, it's how much can you strip back on modern accommodations and conveniences before extended living becomes unlivable. How many things are you able to go without for weeks at a time? What basic needs can you easily cover, and which ones will take some special adjustment or addition? How primitive and how advanced are you willing to balance yourself?
Personally, I can do without a lot of things. I grew up in poverty. No central air conditioning. No central heating. Processed and canned foods. Simple mattress and bed. I am already locked in for a no-frills life, and I have not actually changed much since. At the absolute basic level, the only real needs are shelter, storage and mobility. The van must be able to travel under its own power, it must contain all the items I will need to survive, and it must be insulated and waterproofed against the elements.
As far as bathing goes, I could get by with military showers in a shower enclosure outside a van, and even go so far as to get a Planet Fitness Black Card to get in gym time with showers on the sly. Toilet use? Find a shopping mall, fast food place, public building, aforementioned Planet Fitness for instances outside, and a simple compost commode for the van itself (and even then only for solids with a liner). Maybe a collapsible rubber basin as a wash and shave station if a full shower isn't necessary. Small shaving mirror and kit. Done.
Which brings us to the next consideration, water storage and disposal. After seeing how much others have put into plumbing, both cost and effort, I came to the conclusion that I do not require as much running water as they do. Every system I have seen revolved around electric water pumps, propane water heaters, and drainage through the bottom of the van. The inclusion of a shower stall alone is like building out an entire room that needs waterproofing and extra finishing, and takes up valuable real estate for storage and living. As far as a sink goes, we have the wash basin on standby, plus I can always get another basin for washing dishes to save on storage and costs.
With no plumbing needed, that's more space for water storage, which would be located under the utility counter. In theory, with a 22" x 22" x 22" space, I could store eight six-gallon jugs of water, which would be enough for one month of basic survival (drinking one gallon per day, leaving 18 gallons for cooking, cleaning and hygiene). Maximum capacity, that much water weighs 144 pounds, which could be stored in separate areas to balance things out (but likely not much of an issue in a work van). Gray water wouldn't be much of an issue either - many campsites and RV accessible areas have gray and waste water disposal tanks and pipes.
Then, there is the concern about heating and cooking. Easy and done, propane tank. A 30-pound tank can be stored easily inside the van, in a secure and padded cabinet. A short hookup from the tank to the utility counter through a cabinet wall, add an emergency shutoff valve on the hose. When not in use, both the emergency cutoff and tank valve stay off, and a simple propane stove can be stored in another cabinet. Since you can't have open cooking flame running all the time, I would get another length of propane hose and a second emergency cutoff valve, and connect that to a mountable propane heater (likely mounting it securely to a cabinet edge myself). If the van is properly insulated against the cold, the heater would quickly fill up the space with heat and dissipate slowly over time, so I wouldn't need to keep it burning long.
For staying in a state park or a campsite, however, cooking could be done outside if open flame conditions allow. A collapsible firepit with grill top, some scrap wood scavenged from fallen trees, or even a bundle of firewood stored inside, and that saves on propane use for cooking and potential heating if it's not too cold out. While propane makes a great primary source of heat and fire, having the option to cook with wood flame (or charcoal, again, options) changes the setup and storage in the long run.
After that, we come to electrical, and this is the part of the construction that will probably cost the most and be the most difficult. We are going with a solar charging system, and have decided on a minimum 400 watt panel setup on top, likely two 200 watt panels hooked up in series (maximize voltage). The real question from here is whether to buy an all-in-one system, where the components are included, but there is no modular customization, or buy and install each component independently, which is easier to finance and upgrade over time? Either way, I will also need batteries for increased storage, so that is another factor needing factoring in.
The next thing about the solar power system is it would need to be backwards compatible with the van alternator as a separate connection, so the van can charge the batteries while driving around. This means the solar panels will be charging the batteries while staying still, and the vehicle itself can charge the batteries while traveling, but also vice versa - the solar panels can charge the van battery while stationary as well. This system lends itself to a custom setup with upgrades rather than an all-in-one, but some power stations might have that feature installed standard, so more research would need to be done.
As for what we would be powering with the system, the main concern is food storage, which can be done with a 12 volt DC fridge. Inexpensive and small enough to be stored away under the bed, most can be used as a refrigerator or freezer, and can hold enough food to be kept cold and fresh. The power drain of running it 24 hours continuously, however, would be 1440 watt-hours, or 60 amp-hours (which is where we get into the math and science of power systems). A 2000 watt-hour all-in one would cost me $2000 easily, but the majority of the power consumption goes into the fridge, and there are still other things needed to power.
There would need to be at least one exhaust fan mounted in the ceiling, which would average 528 watt-hours, and that caps the 2000 watt-hour all-in-one system for just two devices. Granted, actual drain would vary, but you need to know what kind of drain you are looking at under full strain, and 1968 out of 2000 wouldn't allow anything else to run for the day. That means an additional battery is needed, for a combined storage capacity of 300 amp-hours minimum (the fridge would use 20% of that, previously listed at 60 Ah above). Exhaust fan would be 1.85 amp-hours, 44.4 for a full day, which is roughly one-third of the total battery capacity.
Which is how we understand why electrical systems are so complex. So many numbers and units.
We also need interior lighting, minimum three, maximum four, 1 amp-hour per light - these would not be on 24/7, but the rating is still necessary to know. We also need two outlets, one for USB devices, one for AC power - these would be for short term operation of electrical equipment, recharging devices and batteries mostly. Low drain, but still necessary to factor in. Then we have our tertiary cooking option, because propane and open flame might not be possible, which means the dual induction range (high wattage, but 120 volt AC, so moderate amp usage). We also have another power concern being external cameras and the visual display panel - runs on 12 volt DC, and should be low current, but another potential 24/7 operation, which is why 320 Ah battery is a bare minimum for storage. Finally, I am thinking two forward mounted LED lights for high visibility while driving in fog or total darkness, with an independent toggle switch on the dashboard - again, low drain because of situational usage.
Then we have completely optional, independent electrical devices. I could wire external flood lights to the power supply, or I could get solar powered motion sensor lights for the outside. These would save on power drain from the battery for sure, first because they recharge daily from the daylight, and second because they are only on when they are triggered, so their daily consumption is extra low. Another consideration I am leaning heavily towards is a rechargeable solar exhaust fan to mount near the bed on the wall - low voltage and amp, solar panel for recharging, and would only be used at night or if the inside of the van is too hot (on a sunny day, this would just be running in the sun). It might also be smart to wire these into the overall system with a kill switch - top off the batteries during daytime charging.
Saving on the water pump, a water heater, not having a flat screen TV included as a "need" - these are all the little decisions that get made in order to maximize efficiency. The final consideration to consider would be storage.
Need at least one spare tire, and the tools to replace said tire in the field. Need at least 10 gallons of gasoline stored in jerry cans for emergency fuel. Need a couple small propane tanks for emergency heating, like camping cylinder size. Need a place to store the commode when not in use. Need a place to store all my actual tools for repairs and upkeep, maybe even upgrades. That's all before clothes and cleaning supplies and dishware and food storage - storage is a main concern. What about storing a full size bicycle if possible? Yeah, storage will be a constant planning factor and necessity.
This is making me look into a Murphy bed setup for storage purposes. All the walls and ceiling will have cabinets. The power system will be installed in cabinets in the back of the van, with cabinets for fuel and tool storage on either side for weight balance. The bed can be mounted to one wall, with floor storage cabinets used as the support structure for the Murphy bed to sleep on. The commode can slide into a side cabinet. The propane would be secured next to the utility counter, the water underneath the counter, and the pantry, cookware and dishware wrapping up and around the counter. Survival gear would be stashed in multiple cabinets all around. If the bike can be secured opposite the bed we could do that. Everything is done without cabinet doors, using fastening hooks and stretch cargo netting, as nothing would be too heavy to need more securing.
All of this thinking and pre-planning is without even having a physical van to measure and sketch out.
This project will be almost as insane and detailed as building an actual house from scratch.
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