Ambulance – Interior Plans

Hello! Welcome to another blog post. This one will be about some of the things I have researched so far and what I would like inside of the ambulance. I have been doing hours of research recently to figure out exactly what I want in the ambulance, and I’d love to share it with you. Just a warning, this is going to be a very long post.

One of the most necessary things for me to have in my van is a fridge. I figured out a great place for it, near the attendant’s chair in the front, and have also figured out which one I think I want. It was hard to find a good brand, and also one that fit well in the spot. It was also difficult to find one that had the most storage volume within the space I have to use.

I think I am going to go with a 2.5 cu. ft. fridge that includes a little freezer that we can hopefully make ice in. I am super excited to be able to have fresh foods with us at all times, and also make ice on the go. I think that will be very convenient when we are hiking and all that.

Another very important thing for me to think about was the water storage. I found out that we should probably have 20 gallons on us for a week of time. I think it would be best to maybe have a 10 gallon tank and then some other smaller storage areas around the van. This way, not all of the weight would be in one place and we could fit our water storage in a tighter space.

Previously, I was comfortable with only having a shower head that could be set up between the back doors, but thinking about it some more recently has made me rethink that decision. A shower inside of the van would be amazing. It will snow, rain, get windy, and also get cold in areas that we want to be, so an inside shower starts to sound very nice when I think about those things.

The space that the shower would fit best in isn’t the biggest, so I wanted to try to find a shower shell online that I could buy that would work in the space. However, I could not find one that was the size that I wanted. I now think our best option would be to make our own shower walls, then we could build it to fit our needs and wants better, rather than trying to modify and existing shell to suit our needs.

I also wanted a sink in the van, but that is pretty hard when we have very limited counter space and half of that would be a fridge, so I was thinking that it could go in the shower when we are not using it. We would be able to pop a wire dish rack or basin in the middle of the shower, and with a faucet above it, be able to wash our hands and dishes and all that.

The fact that we are now going to build our own shower and everything in it makes the addition of a custom sink location much easier. I don’t really want to cut through a prebuilt fiberglass shower shell and maybe do it wrong and then have to buy another one. I think this is a much better decision, both so we can have a sink, and the shower that we want.

Another very important thing that I am going to have in my van is a toilet. I have already purchased a composting toilet that I am going to install and use in the van, which means it does not need to be hooked up to plumbing. It also uses a very small amount of electricity, which is ideal.

I want to put the toilet where the bench seat is currently, closer to the side door. I want to have a cabinet that goes around it, and a seat on top that can flip up so we can use the toilet. I think this is a great location for it, and it is also doubles as a seat when we are not using it.

The front of the cabinet door will also swing open for easy removal and servicing of our toilet, which also sounds great. I really do not want to lift it out of the cabinet every time we have to do something to it.

Our bed is going to be raised about a foot off of the floor to allow for storage underneath it while still allowing ample room up top to sit up and do work, or even watch a movie. There is also going to be storage along the ceiling on the sides above the bed. I am really pleased that we will be able to have so much storage space.

I’m not sure which mattress I am going to get yet, since there are a lot of variables involved such as price, weight, and comfort, thankfully this doesn’t need to be decided on immediately. I do know that I would love a queen size bed, as a full hasn’t been working well for us, and I would prefer we be more comfortable, rather than have a little bit more space.

There is a cabinet by the side door that opens both to the inside and the outside, which I think will be great for outside stuff such as shoes, jackets, and whatever else that may be dirty, and that we don’t want to bring into the main living area. I am really excited for this cabinet and I think it is a great addition to the van, and I’m glad this was preinstalled.

Hanging storage will be an important part of our storage system. I want to have some nets and baskets for produce, and maybe some other things. It would also be very nice to have a retractable clothesline that runs from the front of the van to the back so we can dry clothes when we have to wash them.

I consider natural light a must, so another window on the driver side of the van would be amazing, as well as a skylight that doubles as a vent when we need air flow. I know that these will be big undertakings, but I also know that I would definitely get my time and money’s worth out of both of them.

Another topic I’ve been considering for the van is colored lights. I love good lighting, and especially fun, colorful lights. I want to have programmable light strips in the van and also maybe some novelty lights. Of course, these might not be practical at all, but I think having some colored lights would be a nice addition and make the van feel more like home.

There’s a ton more stuff that I have to think about before the van is even close to being finished, but I think this is a great start.

That is all I have for you guys today. Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you guys in the next one!