Serious equipment

Most of us van dwellers need to watch our money. So when we equip our vans we often repurpose things rather than buying purpose-built items. A classic example: ladder racks for solar panels. We broke folk drool with envy, then, when we see really cool stuff, like the bumper/guards/spare tire carrier/storage box/mini rack on this Ford.

It, and similar parts, are made for pickups, SUVs and vans by Aluminess. The right half swings to the right and the left half swings to the left. There's a place for a lock in the center. I think this 50/50 approach is much better than swinging it all from one side, like most spare/gas can carriers.

Some people would say something like this should be made of mighty steel rather than wimpy aluminum. Others would vote for the weight savings.

Interestingly, there's just a standard bumper on the front of this van. Maybe the owner doesn't see the need. Or maybe he/she is saving up for it.