Meet Petal / Tools & equipment
The things
that make
her work.
A small home.
Quite a lot of components.
The kit inside Petal, the materials underneath it, and the tools behind the build. Plus a practical checklist for keeping a van going.
From my own build and life on the road.
Small space. Normal meals.
I didn’t buy everything at once. Petal started with a bed, a fridge, a small cooker and a battery. The rest arrived as living in her made the missing bits rather obvious.
01 / In the van
What’s actually
in Petal.
Cooking, charging, sleeping and somewhere for the wet stuff. This is the equipment from my build.
Where the power started
BLUETTI
AC180P.
One battery.
No solar panels.
Off to Denmark.
The Apex 300, solar panel and driving charger came later.
01Power & chargingA first battery. Then a few more ways to recharge.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| BLUETTI AC180P | My first power station. It came along before the solar panels did. |
| BLUETTI Apex 300 | Added before the longer trip, when I wanted more power on board. |
| Smaller BLUETTI power station | For things such as charging the computer and running the MaxxFan. |
| Solar panel | Mounted in its own frame on the aluminium roof rack. |
| Driving charger | Another way to recharge. My brother helped me install it. |
02Cooking & waterA small kitchen that gets used.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Induction hob | A small, electric hob. I chose to cook without gas. |
| Fridge-freezer | Replaced the first fridge. It lives on sliding rails under the bed. |
| Air fryer | Bought for longer trips. Frozen vegetables became considerably easier. |
| Black IKEA sink & tap | A proper sink and a tap I liked. |
| Fresh- & grey-water containers | Two small containers under the sink. The water setup is simple. |
03Air, light & privacySome things are fitted. The lights move around.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| MaxxFan | Roof ventilation, installed professionally. |
| Heki roof vent | Installed by the company that ran the build course. |
| Rechargeable lights | About seven or eight. Different combinations, different moods. |
| Window blinds & curtains | Blinds, a front curtain and curtains at the back. |
04Sleeping, sitting & storageSeveral rooms. Very little distance between them.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sliding bed | Built from IKEA components and slats. From 90 cm wide to 140 cm. |
| Opening bench tops | Oak tops with access to the storage underneath. |
| Swivel table | Made from leftover oak, with a green finish. |
| Upper cabinets | Self-built storage above the kitchen and bed. |
| Vandermoon cabinet | One additional cabinet opposite the storage I built. |
| Composting toilet | Kept for the ultimate emergency. Still unused when I wrote the build story. |
05Roof & outside storageA place for the things I don’t want in the bed.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Aluminium-profile roof rack | Built around Petal’s existing roof mounting points. |
| Solar-panel frame | Bolted to the rack, with room alongside for a surfboard. |
| Removable ladder | Access to the roof without adding a permanently fitted ladder. |
| Rear-door storage box | For wet or dirty things that can stay outside. |
| Surfboard straps | Securing the board to the roof rack. |
Petal, on the inventory
“He calls it a simple setup.
I carry the evidence.”
Frequently helpful. Occasionally right.
02 / The materials
What she’s
made of.
Light panels, some proper oak and an IKEA detour. The layers and fittings behind the finished interior.
01Shell & insulation
| Material / fitting | Where it went |
|---|---|
| Sound-deadening material | Applied to the floor, walls and ceiling. |
| Armaflex | Insulation on the floor, side panels and ceiling. |
| Sheep’s wool | Gaps and cavities where I hadn’t fitted Armaflex. |
| Timber battens & framing | The floor framework and mounting structure. |
| Rivet nuts & bolts | Fixing points using existing holes in the van. |
| Adhesive | Bonding the floor battens and selected permanent fixtures. |
02Floor, walls & furniture
| Material / fitting | Where it went |
|---|---|
| Protective van floor panel | The base above the insulated floor framework. |
| Rigid wood-effect vinyl | The finished floor. |
| Okoumé panels | Kitchen block, bench bodies and wall panels. |
| Oak | Countertop, opening bench tops and tabletop. |
| Interlocking wooden boards | The varnished ceiling. |
| IKEA rails, bed components & slats | The sliding bed structure. |
03Finishes & fittings
| Material / fitting | Where it went |
|---|---|
| Colourful Brico tiles | The kitchen backsplash. |
| Varnish & wood finishes | Ceiling and wooden surfaces; green finish on the table. |
| Paint | Painted walls and furniture, with a later Farrow & Ball repaint. |
| Fridge sliding rails | Access to the fridge beneath the bed. |
| Swivel table mount | A small table that can move out of the way. |
| Aluminium profiles & rack fixings | Roof rack and solar-panel frame. |
One deliberate trade-off
Oak added weight. I wanted something pretty in there.
The countertop and bench tops were small surfaces. That was a choice I was happy to make.
03 / Build tools
Measure. Fit.
Adjust. Repeat.
I had the kitchen panels cut by a woodworking company. I cut the oak myself and assembled the furniture. These three tools were there from the start.
01
Heat gun
For applying the sound-deadening material.
02
Tape measure
For layout decisions and furniture dimensions.
03
Floor-marking tape
For seeing how the layout felt at full size.
Planning your own build?
A useful
workshop checklist.
Tools to consider for your own jobs. This broader list is a starting point, rather than a record of everything I personally used.
Choose around the work you’re doing and what you can borrow, hire or have cut for you.
Marking & measuring
| Tool | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Carpenter’s square & straightedge | For marking and checking cuts. |
| Clamps | For holding pieces while working. |
Cutting & finishing
| Tool | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Jigsaw | For curves and cut-outs. |
| Circular saw or track saw | For straight cuts. |
| Oscillating multitool | For awkward cuts and small adjustments. |
| Sander & sandpaper | For smoothing wood and preparing finishes. |
| Utility knife & spare blades | For insulation and trimming. |
| Brushes, rollers & cloths | For paint and wood finishes. |
Assembling & fixing
| Tool | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Cordless drill/driver & bits | For drilling and assembly. |
| Rivet-nut setting tool | For fitting rivet nuts. |
| Sockets, spanners & Allen keys | For bolts and fittings. |
| Adhesive/sealant gun | For applying the products chosen for the job. |
| Screwdrivers, pliers, hammer & mallet | For general assembly. |
Protection & cleanup
| Tool | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Eye, hearing & dust protection | Matched to the work being done. |
| Work gloves | For handling materials. |
| Dust extraction or workshop vacuum | For collecting dust and cleaning up. |
04 / On the road
For the less
scenic moments.
A practical checklist for your own van: small repairs, parking, charging and cleaning. Pick what fits your setup.
Suggested kit, not a confirmed inventory of Petal.
Small repairs
- Screwdriver & interchangeable bits
- Compact sockets, Allen & Torx keys
- Pliers & utility knife
- Duct tape & cable ties
- Matching spare fixings & fuses
Parking & tyres
- Levelling ramps & wheel chocks
- Small spirit level
- Tyre-pressure gauge
- Inflator suitable for the van’s tyres
- Spare wheel & appropriate jack
Power & practicalities
- Suitable jump starter or jump leads
- Headlamp & work gloves
- Spare charging leads
- Compatible hookup lead, if used
- Water-filling container or hose
Cleaning & emergencies
- Dustpan & brush or compact vacuum
- Condensation cloths
- Laundry line & pegs
- First-aid kit
- Suitable extinguisher & smoke alarm
- Warning equipment for the route
Match tools, tyre equipment, fuses and charging leads to your own van. Choose warning equipment for the route you’re taking.
The story behind the list
Before the kit,
there was an empty van.
How the layout, the materials and quite a few weekends turned Petal into a small home.
Further reading & sources
The Petal inventory comes from my build story. The broader workshop and road checklists also draw on these practical guides.