Chevy Astro on a misty BC Forest Service Road

Fraser Valley · British Columbia

Built for the Backcountry. Born in BC.

Follow our journey converting a 2005 Chevy Astro into an overland camper — one FSR at a time.

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Our lifted 2005 Chevy Astro van parked on gravel in the Fraser ValleyTanya looking out over Harrison Lake at sunsetThe Astro parked lakeside at golden hour with mountains in the distance

Who We Are

Darren & Tanya.
Fraser Valley locals.

We're Darren & Tanya — born and raised in BC, based in the Fraser Valley. We explore Forest Service Roads, mountain lakes, and everything the BC Interior has to offer — in a 2WD Astro van that we built ourselves.

This site is our build journal, adventure log, and proof that you don't need 4×4 to go places.

Build Status

Where We're At

  1. 1Stock Van
  2. 2Mechanical
  3. 3Electrical
  4. 4Insulation & Interior
  5. 5First Shakedown
  6. 6Full Build

Currently in Insulation & Interior — cedar walls going up, Dynamat going down.

From the Journal

Latest Field Reports

All Posts
Harrison Lake FSR: Two Days of Quiet Water and Smoky Sunsets

Jun 6, 2026

Harrison Lake FSR: Two Days of Quiet Water and Smoky Sunsets

We pointed the Astro up the West Harrison Forest Service Road and didn't see pavement for two days. Glacier-fed water, smoke-filtered sun, and one very content 2WD van.

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The Hidden Winch Bumper: Custom Steel, Powerfist 12K, and the Recovery Kit

Jun 6, 2026

The Hidden Winch Bumper: Custom Steel, Powerfist 12K, and the Recovery Kit

We didn't want a winch hanging off the front of the van like a bolt-on afterthought. So we built a hidden winch bumper to tuck it behind the steel — and stocked it with gear we actually trust.

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JOR 7-Inch Lift Kit on a 2005 Astro: A Real-World Shakedown Guide

Jun 6, 2026

JOR 7-Inch Lift Kit on a 2005 Astro: A Real-World Shakedown Guide

Everything we learned installing the JOR 7" lift on our 2WD Astro — geometry, the Eaton Truetrac LSD, a Moog front-end refresh, and what we'd do differently.

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Out There

Life on the FSR

Chehalis FSR, BC
Chehalis FSR, BC
Chilliwack Lake, BC
Chilliwack Lake, BC
Coast Mountains, BC
Coast Mountains, BC
Cedar Cabin Build, Fraser Valley
Cedar Cabin Build, Fraser Valley
Harrison FSR, BC
Harrison FSR, BC
BC Interior
BC Interior

The Territory

Our Backyard — Fraser Valley & Beyond

We explore what's in our backyard first. The Coast Mountains. The Fraser Canyon. The endless FSRs of the BC Interior.

"You don't need to fly somewhere to find wilderness."

Fraser ValleyCoast MtnsBC Interior

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