The Best Van Build Layouts for Full-time Vanlife

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In this post, we are going to outline the best van build layouts for full-time vanlife and why they are the top contenders, in our opinion, for ease and functionality while living on the road. Before you begin your van build it can be really tough to decide on a layout because there are so many options out there. The layout you choose heavily depends on your lifestyle because the layouts you see on instagram may not make sense for everyone (or you).

A note before we jump in, the layouts mentioned in this post could also work for part-time van dwelling but they are focused more on a van that is going to be lived in full-time. For full time living you will likely want to have more comfort features because it is your main home, whereas part-time you may not want to have as much (or spend as much) because you may not be using it as much and have a comfy home to go back to. This is a preference of course so this information is based on our opinions and experience after nearly two years of living in our van.

One major thing to consider when building and planning the layout you want to have in your van is will be working remotely in your van. Whether this be for yourself or for someone else this is important to keep in mind because you are going to want to have a good, comfortable place to sit and work from. This is something we thought we were doing right in our van but in the end we actually haven’t enjoyed the set up. We knew we would be working quite a bit from the van so we wanted to make sure that we had a good amount of space to do so, thus our convertible bed/couch/workspace. While we do have a great space to work in, there is a good deal of converting in order to be able to use that space and we typically dread this part of the day. Here is a picture to better understand what we are talking about:

As you can tell this layout actually is really great as far as maximizing the space goes. We have a lot of room to seat ourselves and probably 2-3 others comfortably which is perfect if you plan to be hosting friends or family in the van or if you have a small family. For us, we find the task of converting the couch to a bed and bed to a couch every day to be way too much work on top of all the other tasks that come with living in a van. We often find ourselves not converting it out of “bed mode” which leaves us working from bed on those days and becomes uncomfortable fast. This layout makes sense for maximizing space, but you have to be willing to make the bed twice a day. One other downside to this layout is that for some reason we feel that the bed isn’t as comfortable when it is cut up into the cushions that make up this U-shaped area. A comfortable bed is really important to us, and likely is for you as well, so this is something to take into consideration.

It really is difficult to know how things are going to work or feel if you haven’t lived in the space and had a chance to learn what you do and don’t like, this was the case for us. We had seen this layout many times and thought it made the most sense and while it might work for some, it doesn’t work for us. So if these issues or struggles sound like something you would feel similar to then no worries we are happy to share the layouts we feel are the most functional after over a year of living on the road.

Pro tip: Consider renting a van with a similar layout to the one you want off of Outdoorsy or RVShare before deciding on your layout!

As we stated before it is really important to have a comfortable place to sit for working, eating, and just lounging. Not having to completely turn your van upside down to achieve this is really nice because you can probably relate – making the bed with your sheets is hard enough let alone moving cushions around and having to do this twice a day. We would highly recommend having a separate sleeping area and sitting area as this makes so much less work before and after a long day of exploring. This also allows you to have a more comfortable bed as well because you don’t have to worry about the height of your cushions as much. This is something we are very excited about in our next van. We feel that there are many other pros to having this style layout with a fixed bed so here is a pros and cons list to this style of van. Also some pictures with different styles of having a fixed bed so you can imagine all the possibilities of what you can do in your van.

Pros of having a fixed bed in your van vs a convertible one

More comfortable bed
Easier to use (don’t have to make it into a couch each day)
Separate sitting and sleeping area
More storage under the bed, in vanlife this is called the garage and it allows you to have more room for electrical components, a water tank, and storage (some design it to fit all this plus two bikes back here!)
You can leave your sheets on the bed each day
With separate sitting and sleeping areas, depending on your layout, you may be able to have a second small sleeping area for a guest
The overall functionality of the van makes it much easier to live day-to-day

Cons of having a fixed bed

It takes up more space
Depending on the rest of the layout your seating area could be smaller
Most likely the bed will be taller/closer to the ceiling which if you are tall might be more of an issue

One other major layout consideration is: what kind of shower do you want to have? A lot of the time most people are showering at the gym, campgrounds, truck stops, etc. but when you are far from a gym or even a nearby town it is really nice to have the option to shower in your van. However, this is something that can take up valuable real estate so it’s important to plan how often you will use to know what kind of shower will be best for you. If you want more information on how to decide this, check out our post on choosing the right shower for your van here. Here are some images as well of options you could include in your build to maximize the space for your layout.

It’s hard to say what the best layout is for full-time vanlife because how you live in your van looks different for everyone. BUT, below we’ll lay out what we feel should be included for the best vanlife experience when it comes to the layout (this doesn’t include power needs or the types of products to use, just the layout itself.) If you are curious about determining power or product of needs and want more information click here.

Important Layout Considerations

Seating area with table for work and eating
Comfortable bed
Maximize all space for storage
Some kind of shower (for more info on different types of showers check out this post)
Enough kitchen space for a good size sink and counter space to prep food

Again here are some sample pictures of layouts that would work well for full-time on the road. Ironically enough we did include our van layout because it is a good use of space, only do this if you are willing to convert the bed every day! We aren’t the most fond of having to do this which is why we are going to be changing our layout in our next van. All of these are also based on the longer wheelbase of every van. For example a 170 Sprinter, extended Transit, and extended Promaster.