Camper Van Conversion: Part One

   I like to joke with Dextre, that if he ever wrote a memoire it should be called, The Broken Van. Stories from his youth about living in vans, traveling across the country and performing his balancing act have always been my favorites. He's had LOTS of shitty vans, but he's never had a new one.

Until now! 

Say goodbye to our old faithful Chevy and meet Falkor!

The popular hashtag #VanLife is relatively new, and millennials are doing terrific things with vans these days, but the van life itself has been around since, well...vans! I skipped my living-in-a-van phase and went directly to trailer life when I hit the road in 2003. I'm overdue for some good old fashioned van forting at its finest!

We bought a Nissan NV 3500 hightop cargo van and we're converting it into a rolling dog fortress/home on wheels! This process involves insulation, solar power, a ventilation system, and crash tested kennels for our five rescued dogs. Why are we doing this really? It's not completely because I want to build a fort in a van, let me explain.

Working on sleeping arrangements for 2 people & 5 dogs in 1 van!

Circus Stella needs a safe way to transport our dogs to shows, on tour, and for adventuring to who knows where. Dogs that travel in secured, crash tested crates are much more likely to survive a car wreck unscathed, so for us, this is a must. We chose Ruff Tough Kennels and installed them inside the cab of our Chevy 3500. Here's a video of that process:

Now don't get me wrong, this has been great, but it limits us to only 5 dogs, and we'd like to expand our family. In order to make room for a 6th dog (7th dog? 8th dog!?) a more suitable vehicle was in order. We chose the Nissan NV for it's interior height and tow capacity. It's capable of hauling a trailer up to 9,400 pounds.

This van will serve many purposes for us. It can haul the circus show, safely transport the dogs, and literally be a back stage and a hotel room if needed (and did I mention, it's a groovy fort?). It's great for work, but it's also ideal for vacations! Finding a good dog sitter when you have your own pack of dogs can be tricky, now they can just come along!

Watch the first half of our build and see for yourself!

Below I've provided links to all the products we chose. If you click through our links to get to amazon, even if you don't purchase what we've recommended, Circus Stella will receive a small commission from anything you buy. The price will stay exactly the same for you. It's a completely free way to support our family circus, so thank you for using our links. Dog food isn't getting any cheaper!

Renogy 100 Watt Solar Panel Kit

Vmax AGM Deep Cycle 125ah Battery

Battery Isolator 

750 Watt Power Inverter                 LED Dome Light 

Rattletrap Sound Deadener            Maxxair Deluxe Fan

Stay tuned for Part Two! We're going to add panelling, beds, and most importantly, a coffee maker! Update, Part Two is live here!

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Louise out for a stroll. 

Disclosure; This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an 
affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by 
advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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First Blog Post: An Ode To Poop Bags

   Publishing my first blog post shouldn't be so difficult; nevertheless, I'm consumed with doubt. What should the first topic be? This is too important to mess up.

   Wait a minute, no it isn't. It's not important at all. There are a zillion blogs about everything you can imagine, and mine can be about anything I want! Stop overthinking this, Jana, and just write about what you know.

Let's talk about poop bags!

Yes, I stopped mid-blog to scoop this poop and take this photo.

   Here at Circus Stella, we have five rescued dogs and let me tell you, they poop. A LOT. So much poop. It's great when they poop in the woods. We can just leave it there to become one with the nature, but it's inevitable they'll poop in places where poop shouldn't be. Then one must employ a trusty poop bag! I wrote a poem about the experience.

When you have a lot of dogs

You’ll have to pick up many logs

As their butts begin to hunch

Pluck a poop bag from the bunch

Be it large or be it dinky

Hold your nose, it’s gonna be stinky

Scoop it up and tie it off

Before the scent begins to waft

If you think you’re done, not so fast

This is your life now, that wasn't the last

Make your peace with all scooping

The dogs are worth it, happy pooping!

   Let's get down to it. I'd like to blog about more than poop bags. In fact, I have another poem here if you like that sort of thing, and there are loads of other ideas floating around in my brain: from our camper van conversion, to our circus tour, finances, and our rescue dogs. 

When it's relevant, I'll share the products we use and link them here. Full disclosure, if you click on these links and purchase something, anything, even if it isn't what we recommended, Circus Stella will get a small kick back! Every penny counts, so thank you for shopping via the links below:

Eco Friendly Poop Bags

Poop Bags, less than 2 cents each

Or if you'd like a free trial of AmazonFresh, Kindle Unlimited, or even Amazon Prime, please remember to use our links! Thank you friends.

I'll introduce you to our five beloved poop factories, clockwise from left: 

Mabel, Stella, Clarice, Louise, and Adrian.

Photo Courtesy of Paws, Pose & Play in Fredericksburg, VA. Thanks Emily!

That's all for my first blog post. Be a responsible pet owner and scoop that poop friends! If you'd like more from Circus Stella, connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube! 

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Stella teaching Mabel how to dog.

Disclosure; This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, 

an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees 

by advertising and linking to amazon.com.