Architecturally designed to tea! This incredible van fitout provides every comfort needed for relaxing after a hard day of mountain climbing!
Tim is his name and stealthing is his game! He has been living van life in his slick and stylish stealth Crafter van Migaloo since July 2018. Named after the big white whale that migrates up and down the coast of Australia, Tim designed and converted his Volkswagen van. Using lightweight aluminium and cabinetry materials, there is plenty of storage space, and this 2WD beast has no trouble cruising on dirt roads to take him to the best climbing and surfing spots!
Name of the Van:
Migaloo
Size of Van:
3.5 tonnes
Vane Make:
Volkswagen Crafter
TIM & MIGALOO
“I would like to have a van on each
continent in the world and just travel between the vans…
…I’d rather be living my life now.”
– Tim – VanLifer
ONBOARD
Tim chooses vanlife to reduce the footprint on the planet. Although he acknowledges that there is a lot of embodied energy in a vehicle, his stealthy van Migaloo doubles as his vehicle and his home. It’s all in one!
INTERESTING FACTS
Made from lightweight aluminium framing, this rig boasts 300 Watts of solar panels, an 340 Ah AMG battery bank, 40L of fresh water and more storage space than you can poke a stick at!
Powering his lighting, computer and fridge, Tim’s setup let’s him get off the beaten track and escape the rat race without a drama!
A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS
WHAT MADE YOU START VANLIFE?
- For me it was more an ethical standpoint, just trying to have as small a footprint on the planet as I can. You can argue there’s a lot of embodied energy in a vehicle. A lot of energy going into its production, burning fossil fuels to get around, but it’s my home, it’s my transport. It’s all in one!
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA TO USE ALUMINIUM FRAMING?
- Yes, some really good guys at Currumbin that shape aluminium helped me. I bought the square tubing, then cut it to size and then used connectors to push it all together. A bit like a Meccano or Lego set. I was worried about the weight for fuel consumption, and wear and tear in the suspension of the vehicle. All the climbing spots are in unsealed roads and the van is a 2wd, so the weight factor was very important.
