1. You need a vehicle: Vans are ideal. They provide plenty of usable space, cheaper than other vehicles, and blend into most environments. In fact, #vanlife is one of the fastest growing lifestyles with millions of adventurers roaming the planet in their pimped out vans. Some of the more popular platforms are from big manufactures to include; Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit. If you’re on a budget, used school buses make for great BOV’s!

2. You need a blueprint: Once you decide on a platform, the real fun begins. There are literally hundreds of creative conversion plans and designs. Ensure your design includes independent energy options like a battery bank, solar, and propane to power your living space. Most layouts include capabilities for cooking, sleeping, storage, climate control and other creature comfort amenities like bathroom and shower options.

3. Build it or buy it: You can spend the weekends building out your BOV or you can buy a Class B Recreational Vehicle. Class B’s consist of a variety of make and model vans converted into recreational vehicles (prebuilt virus and zombie escape whips). It’s not a bad way to go if you can afford it. They range from $60k to almost $200k – that’s just for converted vans. You can expect a million dollar plus price tag for coaches built for rock star’s. The best bang for your buck is the Pleasure Way Tofino, check it out.

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What is it about this brewed hot beverage that makes it so consumable by so many? For some it’s an art, and others an addiction. It starts most of our days—and for graveyard shifters, it ends theirs. It serves as a fuel, and for some, it’s a meal. In Ethiopia, rituals are dedicated to it; in America, the drive-thru line won’t move fast enough. Soldiers pour packets of MRE instant coffee directly into their mouths and wash it down with water—just to stay awake. Meanwhile, in California, on a Hollywood set, an actor playing a soldier orders a double ristretto venti half-soy nonfat decaf organic chocolate brownie iced vanilla double-shot gingerbread Frappuccino extra hot with foam whipped cream upside-down double-blended, one Sweet’n low and one Nutrasweet, with ice—just to pretend that he’s someone else. WTF?

Anyway, coffee is a culture, an economy, and a passion—all in one. No matter how you take it, it’s a common daily requirement for most of us. Some brew and drink coffee in personalized private ways that sets them apart from everyone else, and they do it with pride. How do you make your coffee? Here are a variety of ways to enjoy your next cup of Joe, that’s a little more exploratory.

DRIP IT

A minimalistic way to brew one perfect cup of coffee. All you need is 3 tablespoons of ground coffee, roughly 20oz of hot water, a filter, and preferably a glass container—the rest is pretty straight forward. Or, you can order this Drip Kit. It’s that easy.

Shop Chemex Pour-Over Glass Coffeemaker, $59.

PRESS IT

Depending on the size of your French Press, you can brew several cups at a time. Dump your favorite ground coffee into the press, add just off boiled water and let sit for 4 minutes, then gently press the plunger until you meet resistance. Here is a great French Press to get you started.

Shop Veken French Press, $26.

ESPRESSO IT

The stove top method of making a great espresso is globally known. It takes some disassembly and reassembly but once you do it couple of times, you’ll be good to go. The outcome is a great cup of espresso sipped from a preheated cup, don’t forget that part. Here is a simple stove top espresso maker to get you started.

Shop Grosche stovetop espresso maker, $28.

COLD BREW IT

Cold brew is certainly trending and takes a bit longer to make… like 12–24 hours longer and you need access to cooler full of ice or refrigerator. Grind your coffee nice and course, this will prevent bitterness. One ounce of coffee grounds per cup of water is a good rule of thumb. Mix coffee and water together in a jar and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Slowly separate your grounds from the brew using cheesecloth and strainer. Boom, cold brew is served. Here’s a cold brew kit to get you started.

Shop CoffeeGator Cold Brew Kit, $27.

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As we approach flu season during a pandemic, preparation and readiness might be a good idea, just in case the world falls apart. We now know we can survive as a country in times of crisis—we are doing it every day. As flu season approaches, let’s concentrate on basic life support items and always assume it’s only going to get worse. Basic life support includes but is not limited to: food, water, medical gear, sanitation, and awareness. Here are some doomsday goodies to hoard in your shed.

FOOD

I have operated, maintained fitness, and basically survived on MREs for months at a time. Not exactly delicious, but they provide the calories to sustain life. They’re perfect for long-term storage, easy to heat and eat, and designed specifically for combat and/or chaos. There are lots of commercial options, some better, some worse.

TASTES BETTER: Mountain House Classic Bucket, 24 servings, $190.

RELIABLE: MRE 2020 Inspection Date Case, 24 meals, $260.

WORTH A TRY: XMRE BLUE LINE Food Packs, 12 meals, $120.

WATER

The odds of complete water loss are extremely low. Like food, however, it never hurts to plan for the worst-case scenario. Cases of bottled water are unrealistic for the long haul. But today’s water filters can clean hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

MUST-HAVE: Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System, $20.

GOOD TO HAVE: MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter Water Filter, $90.

MEDICAL GEAR

Ideally, you should have two weeks of your prescriptions and basic OTC medications like Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Benadryl, plus masks and gloves. Trauma gear is never a bad idea. Use the acronym MARCH—Massive Hemorrhage, Airway, Respiratory, Circulation, and Hypothermia—to build your kit.

SIMPLE & AFFORDABLE: Shop March EDC Survival Kit, $40.

READY FOR ADVENTURE: Adventure Medical Kits Trauma Pak with QuikClot, $24.75.

SANITATION

We are all experts at this point. Just remember, rubbing alcohol is the main ingredient in hand sanitizer. You can make your own or just use alcohol by itself. But it will go a lot further when mixed with aloe and essential oils.

KILL EVERYTHING: SuperHandy Fogger Machine Disinfectant, $350.

CLEAN HANDS: Prime Guard Alcohol Anti-Septic Liquid Instant Hand Sanitizer (2-pack), $72.

MASK UP: Disposable Face Mask, 50-Pack, $24.

AWARENESS

Staying in the know is important and allows you to make educated decisions in times of crisis. Whether it’s the location of the next set of protests or bad weather on its way, knowing is better than not.

ALL-IN-ONE, ALL YOU NEED: BaoFeng BF-F8HP 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio, $70.

Sightline Media Group, LLC writes about products and services to help our readers navigate when shopping online. Sightline Media Group, LLC may receive a share of revenue from our affiliate partners if you purchase products or contract services through our links.