Outfitting my Sienna

I found the perfect (for me) vehicle for my travels: a 2002 Toyota Sienna with only 109,000 miles on it. I took the rear seats out, and there’s plenty of room for my needs, which are pretty simple. A comfortable bed. A small cooler and a way to cook some modest meals. A portable toilet. A way to charge my devices. 

A lot of people do complicated, fancy builds in their vans. Not only do I not want to go to all that trouble, I don’t want to spend the money. The whole point of this is to keep it as cheap as possible. Here are the simple supplies I have for the road.

My mattress:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JFPNH5V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I slept on this in the car, and it was really comfortable. I have degenerative lumbar scoliosis, and I need a good mattress. This one fits the bill, at least so far. I don’t know yet how long it will hold up, but so far so good.

The mattress sits on this cot:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009L1MYR6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The cot is high enough that I can slide my plastic bins under it. It’s strong, and I’ve tied it down to the seat anchors on the van floor so it won’t slide around while I’m driving.

This is my stove:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQRD8EO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like it because it uses both propane and butane. I prefer the butane, which is easy to install in the stove and is fast and efficient. I’ve found, though, that the butane, although it’s much easier to use, doesn’t last very long. Plus, it’s hard to find on the road. So I’ll probably use a combination of butane and propane.

I got this little table to cook on:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XB99TYG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It folds away into a nice little package when it’s not being used.

This is my toilet, believe it or not:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000B13MT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This seat pops onto a five-gallon bucket, and it works great. I use biodegradable bags in it and cat litter. It slides under the cot, out of sight, until I need it. I probably won’t use it all that much, but when camping—especially at night—it’ll be worth its weight in gold. I LOVE my Luggable Loo!

To charge my devices, I bought this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D29QNMJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These solar lights work great:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DMJDTGX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And these elastic screens pull over the front doors and let me leave the windows open a bit for ventilation without letting bugs in. I have a simple little two-speed USB fan to push the air to the back.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y9SM9M6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=