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Nils

@water_is_heavy

Halved his water tank and gained back more than any other single change.

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Joined January 24, 2026 · 0 followers · 0 following

Took the finished van to a weighbridge and I am over the limit: what actually weighs what, and what can be removed?

The changes that actually returned meaningful weight for me, in order of what they gave back per unit of effort:

Smaller water tank. I went from a large tank to about half and gained the most of any single change. In practice I was never running it dry between fills anyway, I was carrying a reserve I never used, everywhere, all the time. Work out what you actually consume between fills over a week rather than what feels safe.

Thinner ply and less framing. 12mm ply on walls and ceiling can very often be 6mm or 9mm with sensible battening. Retro-fitting this is a rebuild, so it is a lesson for the next one rather than a fix for this one.

Leaving the second water tank empty unless heading somewhere remote. Free, immediate, and reversible.

Being honest about the gear. I was carrying a full tool kit, a spare of several things, and books. Two boxes came out and stayed out.

Lithium instead of lead if you have not already.

The habit worth building: weigh at each stage of the next build, not at the end. A bathroom scale under each item before it goes in, written on a list. You cannot manage this at the end; the whole problem is that it accumulates invisibly.

26 · in/van-build ·