I am approaching most every element of my van build with the idea that all the materials should be as close to waterproof as possible. When I use lumber, there will be multiple coats of primer. When I choose fabrics they will likely be coverings designed for automobiles or marine crafts.

Condensation and moisture trapping can potentially lead to mildew or mold, so it is better to put up a good defense than to have to tear out or fix something later on. Interestingly, I’ve never heard of or been concerned with the same problems occurring in a regular passenger vehicle. My guess is that a big part of the problem may be the living-in and sleeping-in time. Adding an exhaust van prior to using the van for camping is part of my timeline. Additionally, my van won’t have a shower, bathroom and water systems beyond a portable/removable sink supply and gray water tank setup. It will be pretty simple to keep this leak-proof.

For the bed rails I’m working on now, after the initial bare wood fitting in the van, I have removed them for priming and painting. Hopefully this will also prevent twisting or warping, although I think the 7 mounting points will also hold these rails in place well.