10 Campervan Build Mistakes I Made Building My Full-Time Van

Building a campervan is one of those projects where you can research for months, watch every YouTube video, save hundreds of Pinterest ideas, measure every cabinet ten times and still get things wrong.

Not because you are careless.

Because living in a van full-time is different to designing one in a shed.

Some things look perfect on paper but become annoying once you are tired, hungry, wet, working, cleaning, cooking or stuck inside during bad weather. Other van build mistakes only show up after thousands of kilometres, weeks of poor weather, or when you realise a piece of gear you thought would be useful is actually making life harder.

I am extremely happy with my Fiat Ducato campervan build. It has allowed me to live, travel and work full-time around Australia. But that does not mean I got everything right.

Some DIY campervan mistakes cost me money. Some cost me time. Some forced me to rebuild parts of the van entirely. Others were smaller lessons that only became obvious after actually using the campervan in real life.

These are the biggest campervan build mistakes I made, what I learnt from them, and what I would do differently if I built another full-time van.

1. Designing My First Layout for Holidays, Not Full-Time Living

My original campervan layout had a permanent queen bed.

At the time, it made complete sense to me. Most of my previous campervan trips around the world had been two to four weeks long. On those trips, I was outside as much as possible. I was travelling, hiking, photographing, exploring and using the van mostly as transport and a place to sleep.

So when I started designing my own campervan, I carried that same mindset into the build.

The permanent queen bed gave me comfort, simplicity and a huge rear garage. On paper, it looked like a great full-time layout.

Then I took the van to the Grampians.

I got stuck inside for four days of torrential rain, and almost immediately realised the layout did not work for my lifestyle.

There was nowhere comfortable to sit. Nowhere practical to eat. Nowhere enjoyable to read, relax, watch TV or work. The bed dominated the rear of the van, and the partition between the kitchen and bed made the layout feel like two separate spaces with a hard stop in the middle.

It did not feel open, inviting or homey.

During those four rainy days, I spent most of my time thinking through different layouts so I could get home, rip out the queen bed and start again.

That was the most expensive van build mistake in the entire build because of the time, timber and work wasted. But it was also the biggest improvement I made.

The current setup has a fixed single bed that converts into a queen, proper seating, a table, more open space and a much better connection between the kitchen and rear living area.

The lesson is simple:

Do not design your van only around perfect-weather travel.

If you live in it full-time, you need to design for bad weather, work days, rest days, sick days, editing days and the times when you simply want to sit somewhere comfortable with a coffee.

A campervan is not just a holiday vehicle when you live in it.

It is your home.

2. Not Maximising Solar From Day One

This is probably the biggest practical van build mistake I made.

My original solar setup was 360W, made up of two 180W Enerdrive panels. At the time, I thought that would be enough.

But during the original build, I had not planned for everything I now use. I did not plan for a 12V TV. I did not plan for the Bushman drawer freezer. I did not fully understand how much laptop work, Starlink use, fridge load and winter conditions would affect daily power management.

The freezer is extremely efficient for what it does, especially considering it freezes down to -18°C, but it still cycles regularly. Add that to Starlink, a laptop, fans, fridge, lights, charging camera gear and poor winter solar input, and 360W quickly became limiting. Read my full campervan gear here.

The smaller solar setup meant I had to think about power far more than I wanted.

There were times I would download Netflix movies to my phone, turn off the internet, avoid using the TV or constantly manage power because I had work to finish on the laptop.

That is not how I wanted to live.

I eventually upgraded to 600W of solar with a 50A MPPT, and the difference has been massive. Even on overcast winter days, I can often break even, and when the sun comes out, the system can be putting 25+ amps back into the battery in winter, and 40+ during the summer.

The only reason the upgrade was straightforward is because I had already run large enough cable during the first build.

That was the one thing I did right.

If I could give one electrical tip to anyone building a campervan, it would be this:

Install as much solar as your roof can reasonably take, and oversize your cables from the start.

Do not design your solar setup around a perfect summer day.

Design it for winter, clouds, shade, bad weather, Starlink, laptop work, fridge/freezer load and the days you actually need the system to perform.

3. Buying Cheaper Lithium Batteries First

The battery system is not where you want to gamble.

I originally used Renogy lithium batteries, and they failed extremely early. I would estimate they had done fewer than 50 cycles, probably less.

When the battery failed, I had to drive over eight hours home because the van was running only from solar. Once the sun went down, I had almost no usable power.

That is a horrible feeling when your entire home depends on the electrical system.

No fridge confidence. No reliable lighting. No charging. No proper ability to work. No real trust in the system.

Between my dad and me, we had five Renogy batteries, and four failed. That completely destroyed my confidence in them.

After that, I researched Australian-made lithium batteries and eventually chose the PowerPaul 345Ah lithium battery. Another Australian battery brand had a similar product, but it was closer to $4,000. PowerPaul had excellent reviews, great customer service and a much better price including 6 years warranty.

I have now been using the PowerPaul battery every day for around six months, and like any good product, I barely notice it.

That is exactly what I want from the main power supply in the van.

It just works.

The lesson here is not that everyone needs the most expensive battery on the market. But if you are living in your campervan full-time, your battery is not just another accessory.

It runs your fridge, freezer, lights, fans, laptop, internet, water pump and basically your whole home.

Cheap batteries are not cheap if they fail and force you to buy twice.

4. Installing Sensors I Could Not Trust

Another van build mistake was installing Safiery tank and gas sensors.

The grey water sensor failed on the second attempt. When I contacted Safiery, they said it was a common issue because parts could get clogged in the sensor. In my experience, they did not show much interest in properly helping me solve it.

That was frustrating because the entire point of a tank monitor is confidence.

If you cannot trust the reading, what is the point?

I now use Mopeka sensors on the LPG and grey water, and they are significantly better for how I travel. They are quick, simple and give me a reading within seconds through the app or Cerbo system.

The fresh water tank still has a Safiery sensor, and it works reasonably well, but to get a proper reading, the van generally needs to be parked overnight.

That is not ideal when you want quick, useful information.

A tank monitor is only useful if it gives you an accurate reading. Otherwise, it has just burnt a hole in your wallet for no real return.

If I built again, I would skip the Safiery sensors and use Mopeka from the beginning.

5. Not Testing the Kitchen Workflow Enough Before Finalising It

Kitchen layouts can look perfect in drawings and still feel awkward when you actually cook.

Originally, I had the oven where the fridge now sits, and the fridge where the oven is now. The logic was that if I was standing outside the van, I could lean inside and easily grab a drink.

That made sense in theory.

But before everything was permanently installed, I strapped the appliances in place and started pretending to cook.

That changed everything.

The way the oven door opened made the space awkward. If the oven was open and I tried to access drawers on the other side, my body had to twist into strange positions. The cooktop was also too close to the sink, and the whole flow felt wrong.

So I changed it.

The current layout works much better. I can prep vegetables in the middle, keep dirty dishes near the sink, move food across to the cooktop and use the opposite bench when I need extra space for camera gear, the Jetboil or air fryer.

The 400mm cabinets on the opposite side are not part of the main cooking flow, and that is actually a good thing. It means there is always free bench space when I need to put something down.

My advice is to mock-test everything.

And I do not mean standing in the van for thirty seconds saying, “Yeah, that should work.”

Actually pretend to cook.

Open the drawers fully. Open the oven. Use the sink. Wash dishes. Make coffee. Move your body exactly where it will be. Pretend it is raining outside. Pretend you are tired. Pretend someone else is standing in the van with you.

Then write down everything that feels awkward.

Building your van in a shed makes everything seem easy. Real life exposes the problems.

6. Not Designing Fishing and Dirty Gear Storage Properly

Fishing is one of the main reasons I love travelling in a van.

Sitting near a beautiful beach with a rod in hand is a huge part of the lifestyle for me.

But I did not fully design the van around how much fishing gear I would carry or how messy fishing can be.

The biggest issue is not just storing rods and reels. It is the smell, wet clothes, tackle, cutting board, knives, fish cleaning and the fact that sometimes I avoid fishing because I do not want to deal with the mess afterwards.

That is the real problem.

If I only have a spare hour or two and walk along a beach, I sometimes do not take the rod because I think, “What if I catch something?” Then I have smelly gear, wet clothes and fish cleaning to deal with.

That is ridiculous, because fishing is one of the reasons I built this lifestyle.

At the moment, if my gear smells, I may need to leave rods or clothes outside overnight to air out. But that is not ideal or secure.

The proper solution is an external aluminium box on the rear of the van.

In my ideal setup, that box would hold fishing rods, dirty clothes, tackle, cutting board, knife, wet gear and possibly include a fold-down filleting table. I would move to proper four or five-piece travel rods, wash everything down, shower from the van, throw the dirty clothes into the outside box and keep the smell out of the living space.

The only reason I have not done it yet is money.

If a hobby is one of the main reasons you are building a van, make sure the storage for that hobby is streamlined and easy to use.

The day it becomes difficult, uncomfortable or annoying, you will do it less.

Humans are wired that way.

If it is a hassle, you will avoid it.

7. Not Including a Permanent Outdoor Table or Work Surface

This is the van build mistake that probably affects my daily life the most.

It sounds small, but I constantly wish I had an outdoor table.

Making coffee. Organising fishing gear. Putting down my phone and speaker during workouts. Having snacks around the campfire. Preparing food. Working outside. Filleting fish. Putting down a water bottle.

There are so many small moments where an outside surface would make life easier.

Without one, I often need to open the van door just to use the internal bench space. That lets flies in, creates more mess and makes outside living more annoying than it should be.

I originally wanted a permanent fold-down table built into the van, but the EuroVision window on the sliding door makes that awkward. The table would sit too low and feel uncomfortable. Other locations either do not work with the layout or would be on the wrong side of the van, which feels like a step backwards.

My short-term solution is to test a magnetic table setup that I can move around the van and possibly leave on the rear door while driving, similar in concept to how my Starlink is mounted.

If I can solve it for under $100, that will be a good temporary fix.

Long term, I still think the best solution is a custom rear aluminium box that includes an outdoor table or filleting surface.

I do not need a huge outdoor kitchen.

I just need a practical place to put things.

8. Buying Household Items Before the Final Storage Spaces Were Finished

This was not a massive van build mistake, but it did cost money and created frustration.

During the build, I bought small items like plates, bowls, organisers, decorations and kitchen bits because I was testing the van and doing mock trips.

At the time, it made sense.

But once the cabinetry and storage spaces were actually finished, some of those items did not fit properly or no longer suited the final layout. Then I had to buy more specific products that worked better.

Luckily, these were mostly small items rather than major purchases like fridges or appliances. But the small stuff still adds up in the overall budget.

The lesson is to buy the major built-in gear early when you need dimensions, but leave the small household items until the final storage spaces exist.

Build the drawer, measure it, then buy the organiser.

Build the cabinet, then buy the containers.

Finish the bed, then choose bedding that actually works.

You will probably still make small campervan conversion mistakes, even if it is your tenth van build. But buying everything too early almost guarantees wasted money.

9. Carrying Too Much “Just in Case” Gear Early On

When you first start travelling, it is natural to pack too much.

You imagine every possible situation and carry gear “just in case.”

Then you get on the road and realise that having the item is only useful if accessing it is not a nightmare.

If you have to pull half the rear garage apart to reach something you use for one hour, the whole system becomes frustrating.

I have slowly learnt what earns space in my van.

Fishing and hiking gear stay because those are two of the main reasons I travel. Gym equipment stays even though it is awkward, ugly and sits in the passenger footwell, because I use it five times a week and it supports my health, ACL rehab and mental wellbeing.

That gear earns its space.

Snorkelling gear is harder. I used it only a few times over several months on the coast, so it came out of the van for now. But when I eventually head to places like Ningaloo Reef, I know I will miss it.

That is the challenge.

Not every rarely used item is useless. But not every “maybe one day” item deserves a permanent spot either.

The danger of filling every spare gap is that the van starts to feel overwhelming. There is no room for groceries after a big shop. Items start floating around. You stop using things because they are buried.

Empty space is valuable.

A campervan does not need to be packed to the roof just because space exists.

10. Not Leaving Enough Flexibility for Future Upgrades

A campervan is never really finished.

At least mine is not.

Since the build was “completed,” I have upgraded the solar, changed the battery, added Starlink, added an outside TV mount, installed Hardkorr lights, changed sensors, refined storage and continued adjusting the van around how I actually live.

Some of these upgrades were easier because I accidentally or intentionally left flexibility.

Running oversized solar cable saved me later when I upgraded from 360W to 600W. Leaving spare positions on the fuse blocks made it easier to add the portable pump and exterior lights. Keeping access to key areas has helped with repairs and changes.

But there are also things I told myself I would “finish later,” such as tidying up the floor, rear doors and sliding door areas.

The problem is that once you are living in the van and travelling, it is hard to stop for a week just to finish little jobs.

During the build, those details feel small. Later, they become annoying because you are already using the van and do not want to pull everything apart again.

My advice is to leave room for future upgrades, but do not use “I’ll finish that later” too casually.

Leave spare cable capacity. Leave fuse space. Leave access panels. Avoid sealing everything permanently. Think about future plumbing or electrical additions. Do not build every system right to the limit.

Your lifestyle will change once you start travelling.

The van needs to be able to change with it.

Things I Would Reconsider, But Do Not Fully Regret

Not every decision I would reconsider is a van build mistake.

Some are just trade-offs.

I would reconsider the oven versus a modern air fryer/oven combo. I love my gas oven and use it for long cooking sessions, roasting vegetables and baking. But knowing how much I now use the air fryer, I would seriously compare other options if building again.

I am happy with my Victron electrical setup, but I would still look at other systems. Mine is powerful, high-quality and something I wanted to build, but it is also expensive and more complex than many people need.

I would reconsider the L3H3 Fiat Ducato versus a Maxi or longer van, but overall, I am still happy with my choice. A larger van would create more space, but it would also bring its own compromises.

The hot water system is a luxury, but I am happy I installed it. After a long day outside, a warm shower feels incredible.

The drawer freezer is also something I am happy with. It takes up garage space, but for full-time travel, cooking larger meals and staying remote longer, it suits my lifestyle perfectly.

That is the point.

Not every decision is right or wrong.

Some only make sense when you understand how you personally travel.

Final Thoughts on Campervan Build Mistakes

The biggest lesson from all of these campervan build mistakes is that you cannot learn everything in the planning stage.

You can research, sketch, measure and watch every video online, but the real test happens when you use the van.

Use it in bad weather.

Use it when you are tired.

Use it when you need to work.

Use it when you are cooking properly, cleaning properly, shopping properly and living properly.

The van build mistake I am most grateful for was the Grampians trip, because it showed me how wrong my original layout was before I continued building around it.

That trip changed the entire van.

The one thing I did right was using the van heavily during the build stage. I found problems before everything was permanently finished, and that saved me from even bigger DIY campervan mistakes later.

If I built another campervan, the first thing I would do differently is prioritise outdoor living more.

I do not need a massive outdoor kitchen or a complicated camp setup. I just want a practical, comfortable space outside where I can sit, work, cook, fish, drink coffee and enjoy the places I travel to.

For now, I have a chair, awning and outside TV mount, and that is good enough.

The van is not perfect.

But it works.

And the van build mistakes were not wasted.

They are the reason the van now suits the way I actually live, rather than the way I imagined I would travel.