Converting the bus — mechanical, power, water, gear, tours
Flooring is one of those decisions that seems simple until you realize your house is going to be rolling down the highway at 60 mph. I spent way too long going back and forth on this one, and after digging through forum posts, talking to builders, and looking at what actually holds up after a … Read more
Choosing a battery for your skoolie is one of those decisions that’ll affect literally everything else in your electrical system. Get it wrong and you’re either broke from overspending, stranded with dead batteries in the desert, or dealing with fumes in a space you’re supposed to sleep in. I spent a ridiculous amount of time … Read more
You’ve got a freshwater tank, a pump, PEX lines to your fixtures — the plumbing is sorted. But what about what’s actually IN the water? Depending on where you’re filling up, you could be running campground water with heavy chlorine taste, well water with sediment, or worse through your system. Filtration is one of those … Read more
If you’re working with a short bus or a mid-size and wondering how people actually fit a full life into something the size of a large closet, you’re not alone. This was the question that kept coming up when I was digging into small bus builds — how do you not feel so cramped in … Read more
This is one of those questions that comes up every single time someone posts a tile shower in their bus build. People see subway tile or porcelain on walls inside a vehicle and immediately think, “There’s no way that survives the first pothole.” I saw it enough times in comment sections that I had to … Read more
You’re deep into planning your bus build and the water tank question is sitting there staring at you. Too small and you’re filling up every other day. Too big and you just ate half your storage space and added 600 pounds to your bus. (See our guide on How Do You Get Water in a … Read more
This question comes up in every single bus build conversation, usually right after someone realizes they need to figure out plumbing. And honestly, the toilet choice ends up shaping more of your build than you’d expect. (See our guide on Skoolie Plumbing and Water Systems: The Complete Guide for more on this.) Most skoolie builders … Read more
So you’re staring at that big yellow bus and thinking about what it could look like in matte black, forest green, or maybe a nice clean white. The paint job is one of those things that makes a skoolie finally feel like yours and not like you stole it from a school district. (See our … Read more
If you’re deep into planning your bus kitchen, the stove question is one of those decisions that touches everything else in your build — your power system, your ventilation, your counter space, even your budget. It’s not as simple as picking a burner. For most skoolie builds, a propane stove is the better choice. Propane … Read more
This is probably the most common question I see in comments on skoolie tour videos. Someone shows off their beautiful shelves or their mounted TV and within five comments somebody asks, “Yeah but what happens when you actually drive that thing?” (See our guide on What Happens If Your Skoolie Breaks Down? for more on … Read more