We did a lot of research in choosing a vehicle for this trip. I think technically the van is also an RV because it has a shower and a toilet onboard. In terms of technical specifications she is a “2023 Thor Motor Coach ‘Twist’ 2ab Campervan”.
We found Jamie and his business VanLifeLLC online, a small outfit that he runs from the DC suburbs. Jamie has a pair of vans that he rents out for anything from a weekend trip to a cross country tour like ours.
Jamie has two vans – StormBreaker and Mojliner. We decided to rent StormBreaker because it is bigger and we thought given the amount of time that we are going to be spending in this vehicle we might as well get as much room as we can.
The van is equipped with an “RV King” sized bed in the back (I believe that an “RV King” is really more like a queen, which should be more than sufficient), as well as a “guest bed” which lives in a pop up top on the roof and can only be reached by a removable ladder. It has a kitchenette with (I believe) two burners, a sink with a 30ish gallon tank, a bathroom/shower (I use the slash literally, it is one very small compartment such that the toilet would get soaked in the event of a shower), a “breakfast nook”, and two captain’s chairs up front.
In terms of technology I have a lot to learn. There are solar panels and a generator, as well as a fairly complex electrical system (I don’t know much about power – AC, DC, Watts, Amps – all kind of greek to me) and an iPad of sorts that lives on the wall and monitors the health and wellness of the various tanks and pumps a rig such as this requires.
Below are some photos of the van that are on Jamie’s website:
The van has a small hotel-sized refrigerator with a freezer compartment. We are also bringing with us a StarLink terminal, so that we will be able to connect to the internet where ever the trip may take us. I will be working as needed during the tour, so the internet is going to be important for more than this blog. Apparently, the newest version of StarLink works in moving vehicles that are traveling less than 100mph, so we should be in good shape signal-wise as long as the immediate landscape’s trees and tunnels cooperate.
Hitched and Rolling 