2017
It all began in 2017, when a seed planted many years ago grew from a newly sewn bed of necessity and opportunity — I was building and moving into a van! It was far from ideal but it was an excellent start to a new chapter of passion and way of life that would open so many doors and curiosities for me.
The “Jank Tank” was born. Van life!
2018-2022
After finishing the van, I moved in and travelled while I worked and slept at friends places, parking lots, side streets, in the woods, and set off on incredible trips across the country. We climbed and biked and skied and even managed to keep our jobs.
COVID was a difficult hurdle in the whole van-life saga, especially with a very bare bones and minimalistic (read: cheap) van build… but we made it. We learned a lot.
Then after enough close calls, winter storms getting stuck and snowed in (the engine refusing to run), and incredible neck pain from not being able to stand up straight, the van and I had had our final days.
It was time to sell it, wash my hands, and move into a real house again. There’s a limit to how long you can live and operate primarily in a vehicle — I had found it.
We had a good run (Jank Tank found a happy new [young] owner ready and eager to be initiated)
2023
Well, it didn’t take long for the wanderlust and what-if’s to consume me... Living in a house just wasn’t for me, at least right now.
I had tasted the forbidden fruit of a boundless backyard and ultimate freedom. I wasn’t done yet, there was so much more life to be had on the road.
So I impulsively bought a new Sprinter and set out to build my dream rig. It turned out to be difficult.
2024 and beyond
Walnut is finally done. Well, mostly. It’s a forever project but I’m pretty proud with where it’s at. In the end, it was a lot more genuine blood, sweat and tears to get this done than I’d ever imagined. But it’s worth it!
It’s fully equipped with internet (cellular and satellite), heating, cooling, water, plumbing, a toilet, an outdoor shower, a queen bed and office and work/cook space for 2-4 guests. It can easily party bus 10 people. It carries just about everything I own, which is mostly gear, luckily.
And now I live full time in a van again with Boulder as my home base (:
