Van Cabinets and Interior: How We Built the Inside

The cabinets are plywood, built to follow the curved van walls and joined with pocket-hole screws. Doors close on soft-close hinges, drawers ride on soft-close and locking heavy-duty slides, and magnetic catches keep things from flying out while we drive.

The living area sits on a platform raised 6 to 7 inches, which is all storage underneath. A folding sofa converts into a full-size bed that all four of us actually fit in. Up front, a $169 aluminum headliner shelf holds jackets with "no drilling holes required," and blackout curtains on no-drill rods give us privacy when we stealth camp and work as a thermal barrier.