Sunny Stroeer

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Eddie the Van

Eddie parked under the stars in Big Bend National Park during our first week on the road.

Eddie is a little 2002 AWD Chevy Astro Van that was acquired the proper dirtbag way - straight off Craigslist, for a whopping $2800 before taxes and DMV fees.  While the odometer officially clocks in somewhere around 220000 miles, the engine was replaced and at purchase in late 2015 had ‘only’ 93000 miles on it.  Built out for a single occupant over the course of a few days (Sunny’s first carpentry project which she’s mighty proud of!), Eddie carries all the dirtbag essentials and then some: climbing gear for rock, ice and big walls; plenty of ultra trail equpiment; a slackline; two crashpads; the gamut of high-altitude expedition supplies; an AT ski setup; and a SUP and paddle. All without a roofbox… It’s tight quarters, but thanks to a bit of storage ingenuity there’s enough space to hang out and cook meals or do work inside the van during periods of bad weather.  

The buildout.