Welcome to Vanswers!
Welcome, fellow wanderers!
If you’re here, you probably have a van or are thinking of getting one. We - David and Kelly - were in the latter category back in 2020 and after a lot of research, a lot of back and forth, and a lot of wondering if we were making a crazy financial decision, we chose to start our adventures with a Storyteller Overland van. We took delivery of our van in April 2021.
About a year in, David was cleaning the van. He plugged in the vacuum cleaner, and on flipping the switch, nothing happened. David’s initial diagnosis was that the inverter wasn’t turning on. After further troubleshooting, he was able to isolate the issue to a faulty inverter and contacted the manufacturer, who confirmed it was indeed a bad inverter and sent a new one to a local service center for replacement. Since we knew what was wrong, we were able to get in quickly for the repair instead of having to schedule a diagnostic appointment, which would have been months away. The service center knew exactly what to do because we had done the legwork to identify the problem.
This experience taught us that adventuring was more than just open road, breathtaking landscapes, and making sure we filled up with the right fuel type. We now had a house on wheels that, like any other house, we needed to know how to use, maintain - and most importantly - fix issues that would prevent us from enjoying life in the van. We noticed that long lead times to get appointments at the RV service centers was pretty common, so as lifelong DIYers, we decided to address the issue ourselves. We also learned that we weren’t alone in wanting to figure out how to get ourselves up and running as quickly as possible. David was intent on learning as much as he could to keep our runtime at a maximum, and helping others became a natural extension of that. We started Outside is In to provide orientations for people who wanted to learn more about how to live - either at their leisure or full-time - in their vans.
While we were at a recent Storyteller event, one owner asked me if David had all of life’s answers or just for the van. None of us have all the answers, so I thought a second, and then replied, “Well, not all of them, but David’s definitely got the Vanswers!” And that settled that: we had a blog name. So here’s where Vanswers comes in: we teach essential skills to be able to perform maintenance, troubleshooting, and on-the-road repairs to keep you adventuring. Our intent with this blog, our courses, and videos is to cover what you need to know about your van so that you can become as self-sufficient as possible without becoming a technician yourself.
We are also part of a thriving community of adventurers who share tips, tricks, and stories that inspire us. Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or just curious about the lifestyle, we’re excited to share this journey with you. Buckle up, grab your favorite travel mug, and let’s hit the road together!
Here’s to adventures that await us,
David and Kelly
