By Ethan Maurice | January 22, 2017

It took almost a month, but I have finished converting my Honda Element into a tiny home on wheels!

As someone who works seasonally and uses the majority of their year to travel, read, and write, the nomadic "van life" has always appealed to me. With no rent to pay, the ability to move home anywhere at any time, and the resulting focus of such minimalism, I intend my near future to be a rare combination of adventure and productivity.

Why an Element?

Because, it's the ultimate adventure-mobile:

The tall, boxy shape means more livable space and headroom.

It's urethane coated walls and floors are super easy to clean.

The rear hatch/tailgate combo creates an ideal mobile kitchen space.

The rear moonroof lends an unprecedented feeling of openness and light.

It goes twice as far on a gallon of gas as a van in my price range would.

Nobody expects you to be sleeping in an Element (great for stealth camping).

I'm weird and think it looks super friggin' cool.

Honda discontinued production of the Element in 2011. But for the reasons listed above they've gained an almost cult following, now highly sought after cars of outdoor lovers.

After a couple weeks of unsuccessfully searching for the right one, I flew out to Burbank, CA to buy a well cared for 2003 Honda Element with 98,000 miles and drove back to Phoenix to begin my conversion.

The entire build process took a bit less than a month, here's the result: