Wherever We Land

When Snatcher and I first started our van conversion journey with our Dodge Ram ProMaster, we thought we had most things figured out. We planned for storage, sleeping arrangements, a small kitchen setup, and of course—ventilation. We added a simple fan, thinking it would be enough to keep us cool on the road. After all, people have been camping with just a breeze for ages, right?

Well, let me tell you: van life in the heat is a different kind of beast.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that a small fan, no matter how powerful it claims to be, just wasn’t cutting it—especially when parked in direct sunlight or even under trees in the middle of a humid summer. The fan was doing its best, bless it, but we were still sweating through our clothes and struggling to enjoy our time inside GLO (that’s what we named our van—short for *Glorious*).

Now, Snatcher is usually the tougher one when it comes to heat. He’ll wipe his brow and say, “It’s not too bad.” But even he finally said, “Yeah, babe… we need an air conditioner.” And that was music to my ears! We both agreed: to truly enjoy van life and camping, we have to level up.

We did receive some relief during the night as the temperatures cooled down and so did the van. But those daytime hours were brutal, and it became clear that for real comfort—and sanity—an air conditioner is essential.

While we haven’t added one yet, we know that installing an air conditioner will be a game changer for us during those summer months when camping. It will help us stay cool, rest better, and truly enjoy our travels without the added stress of battling the heat.

We’ve learned that comfort doesn’t make you less adventurous—it just helps you stay adventurous longer. Because when you sleep well and feel refreshed, you wake up ready to explore, hike, fish, film, and give thanks for another beautiful day on the road.

So if you’re thinking about converting a van, let me be real with you: don’t skip out on an air conditioner. You can tough it out with just a fan, but if you really want to enjoy your time traveling, relaxing, and camping in your van—invest in staying cool.

Wherever we land, we want it to feel like home. And home, for us, needs to be cool, comfortable, and full of peace.