If you have a van, you may want to make it so that you can access it through the side door when you get in and out. That will allow you more space and to also work well within that area. However, if you need a bed or other item against that location you can weld it shut and always enter through the driver or passenger door on the van.
If plan on having household products in the vehicle such as a TV, heating and cooling units, there are options. Small generators are offered that allow you to operate all of your electrical items including household appliances if you care to have them in your vehicle. They will take up about ¼ of the amount of space you have within a cargo carrier.
Many people don’t want to have a generator due to the sound of it. What they don’t know though is that newer models are very quiet. You won’t hear them running outside when you are in the vehicle. You won’t be disrupting other people around the camp site either. For about 1 gallon of fuel, the generator can operate for a period of 10 hours so it is quite economical.
Look for a product on the market that is a dual purpose for both heating and cooling so that you don’t have to get both. It only takes basic skills and tools to mount one in the back of a vehicle so that the area will stay warm or cool enough for your comfort.
Never, under any circumstances at all, should you be relying on running the vehicle and using the heating or cooling that it offers. This is too risky due to the issue of carbon dioxide poisoning. Even if you have ventilation in place and even if you have a carbon dioxide detector, don’t do it.
