We Changed Our Van After One Year. Yes, We Know. Please Stop Laughing.

There are moments in life when you make a big decision, stand proudly by it, and feel the warm glow of long‑term commitment.

And then there’s us — the couple who built a van from scratch, used it for twelve months, and then immediately said, “Right, that was fun, let’s do it properly now.”

Honestly, changing vans after only a year feels a bit like breaking up with someone because they chew too loudly. It’s not wrong, but you do feel the need to explain yourself to friends, family... and the dog. “It’s not you, Transit… it’s us. We’ve grown. We’ve evolved. We’ve realised we like lying down horizontally without our feet hanging in the sink.”

Meet Lenny. He’s big, he’s cosy, he has a bathroom, and he’s officially part of the family now

The Great Layout Awakening

We always knew what we wanted:

A rear lounge, perhaps a u‑shaped sofa or two-bench seats? A place to flop dramatically after a long walk.

But when we built our SWB Ford Transit Custom, we convinced ourselves we didn’t need it.

“We’ll adapt,” we said.
“We’ll sit upright,” we said.
“We’re flexible,” we said, while folding ourselves into shapes that would make a chiropractor weep.

The truth?
We are not “upright sitters.”
We are horizontal enthusiasts.

We don’t want to perch. We don’t want to sit upright like Victorian schoolchildren. We want to sprawl. We want to stretch out like cats in a sunbeam. We want a rear lounge so big it could host a small yoga retreat. The Autocruise Rhythm, with its glorious rear lounge, finally lets us lounge like the oversized house cats we truly are — happiest when horizontal and mildly offended by effort.

Transit Custom vs Fiat Ducato: The Showdown Nobody Asked For

Let’s talk about the vans.

The SWB Ford Transit Custom

Our first love. Compact. Cute. DIY charm.
But also:

• Shorter than our patience
• A bed that required nightly negotiations
• Zero bathroom (unless you count “holding it until the next Tesco”)

It was like dating someone fun and spontaneous… but who also insists your legs should be optional.

The Fiat Ducato Autocruise Rhythm

This thing is a unit.

• Six metres of pure lounging potential
• A rear lounge big enough to host a small village meeting
• A bathroom — an actual bathroom — meaning we no longer have to plan our lives around public toilets
• Space to upgrade the electrics so we can stay off‑grid long enough to forget what a plug socket looks like

It’s basically the difference between sleeping in a cosy shed and moving into a small, mobile bungalow.

The Bathroom: A Love Letter

Let’s not pretend this wasn’t a major factor.

After a year of living the “pee‑bottle and pray” lifestyle, the idea of having our own bathroom felt like discovering fire.
No more midnight dashes.
No more “just hold it until the next lay‑by.”
No more pretending we’re rugged wilderness explorers when actually we just want a toilet that isn’t a bush.

The Autocruise Rhythm delivered.
We have a bathroom.
We are civilised now.

Electrics: The Off‑Grid Glow‑Up

We’re also planning to upgrade the internal electrics because we want to stay off‑grid longer — not just overnight, but long enough to develop a mild distrust of society.

More battery.
More solar.
More capacity to run the kettle without the lights flickering like a horror movie.

We’re basically building a tiny, rolling power station with cushions.

So Why Did We Change Vans After One Year?

Because we finally admitted what we are:

Two people who like to lounge, stretch, sprawl, nap, snack, nap again, and occasionally move.

Because we wanted a bathroom.
Because we wanted space.
Because the Transit was adorable but also a bit like living inside a well‑decorated shoebox.

And because life is too short to pretend we’re not lounge people.

Here’s to the next chapter — bigger van, better comfort, stronger electrics, and absolutely no promises that we won’t do this again in another twelve months.