A quick video of my 2013 Honda Odyssey minivan camper, packed up for the trip to Bob Wells' Rubber Tramp Rendevous (RTR). This Odyssey is to be the subject of my "Phase 2" build up, which is to be a more permanent minivan camper conversion. However, I did not have enough time between buying the van and the RTR, to start the conversion. So before heading out on my 8800 mile drive around the US, I threw my Phase 1 set up into the van. I guess you could call this "Phase 1.5". A nice thing about the Gen 3 and above Honda Odyssey (2005- to present) is the 60/40 split rear seat. This allows you to fit a 30" wide bed or sleeping platform, but still have a place to sit in the back. Unless you are really small, you'll want someplace other than the bed to sit down, read, pull your hiking boots on, etc. This was filmed when I arrived in Austin, TX (from MI) in Dec 2017, so it's a little messy. Sorry bout' the low resolution, was still learning my camera settings. ▶ Check out my gear on Kit: https://kit.com/odysseycamper I've tried to list all of the items I mention in the video, in the list below. The Amazon links are "affiliate" links, meaning that you won't pay any more for the items, but we will get a small commission. Foam mats for kneeling (there are a variety, just make sure you get the ones that are 24x24 inches) http://amzn.to/2HsZjKm The Most Awesome Camping Cot Ever! http://amzn.to/2xf3hoz Home Depot "Homer" Buckets for Water Storage http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-D... Spigots for the Homer Buckets http://amzn.to/2fPqgiE "Gamma" lids for the Homer Buckets http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5... Pyrex Cup for Heating Water (Don't buy at Amazon, if you can find it at Walmart--it's cheaper) http://amzn.to/2xfOyts 300W Immersion Heater http://amzn.to/2g9LTHg Hiking Poles (I'm pretty happy with these for the money, but it might be better to buy the really good ones at REI) http://amzn.to/2yHbU7N Honeywell Heat Bud Ceramic Heater http://amzn.to/2xfgx7L Be sure to subscribe and click on the bell, so you know when I post a new video. Also, check out Bob Wells' channel, Cheap RV Living! #minvancamper #RVingonabudget #OdysseyCamper http://odysseycamper.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cV2fzDSskw

This vanlife solution involves a cooler with a built-in compressor refrigerator from Alpicool, who makes 12V units for in-vehicle use.  I chose the C15 (https://amzn.to/2S0hIWg) as a good compromise between size, efficiency, and cost.  It's an awesome solution for cooling your insulin, or just having a cold beer when you are boondocking. Special thanks to a viewer who suggested that you velcro a filter over the external vents to help keep the dust out if the inside of the compressor compartment. NOTE: this unit has an automatic shutoff to protect your battery from running down.  I did not use it in my test because I wanted to see the runtime without the limit imposed.  I will state up front that I do not like to use "dorm" style refrigerators in a minivan.  The footprint is usually large enough that you can't find a level spot to place one, without some additional mods.  They are also high in profile, which means you can't tuck one under a bed.  You can make them work and that's fine if you want to, but I think the cooler style refrigerators are a better idea.  These dorm fridges do not seem to be very well insulated, the ones under $300 will not run off of 12V, and all the cold air spills out when you open the door.  Of course, you COULD by an RV style "Dometic" or another brand of 12v fridge, but they tend to be more expensive and you still lose the cold air when you open the door. On the cooler-style refrigerators, the cold stays inside when you open the top and settles to the bottom where the food actually is. They are also portable.  Unplug it and bring it over to the picnic table.  It's still a cooler, even when it's not plugged in!  You can even put ice in them, in a pinch. The Alpicool C15 refrigerator cooler uses up to 60 Watts when running.  On a 12 Volt system, that means it can draw 5 Amps (60W/12V=5A).  In one hour, it would use 5 Amp Hours (Ah) of your battery reserve.  However, the compressor only runs about 50% of the time.  So that means you are using about 2.5A per hour.  My starter battery in the Odyssey is 44Ah (I THINK).  I never want to draw it down more than 50%, so theoretically, that would give me 8.8 hours of runtime without starting the van to charge the battery.  I wanted to err on the side of caution and used 6 hours as a reasonable amount of time that you would run off of the starter battery without starting the car.  That's probably close to how long you would be away from the vehicle or asleep.  However, as you will see in the video, I was able to run the cooler/refrigerator off of the vehicle battery for only 3 hours in a real-world test.  The Alpicool worked flawlessly and drew the exact amount of current that I was expecting, so something else must be to blame.  I've narrowed in down ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4pUIxuFHuY