WATCH: How To Convert A Beat-Up Box Van While On The Road In Mexico, With Pro Snowboarder Austin Smith

Surfboard baggage fees can be extortionate can’t they?

When Pro Snowboarder Austin Smith flew down to Mexico for a mates Birthday the airline slapped him with a _ fee and he was so disinclined to pay it again on the way back, he decided to buy and convert a box van instead. We’ll let him pick up the story from here…

“I loved my week here. So I started thinking: What if I came more often? I didn’t want to spend $450 on surfboards each trip. What if I had a storage unit where we could all leave stuff? What if it was mobile? My buddy Carson’s dad keeps his Subaru at the airport packed full like a clown car… One quick search on Craigslist and I saw it. It was one of the only “trucks” listed and it was listed a dozen times — desperate seller. What would the DMV be like in Mexico? Do I need a special license? Insurance? Mmmeehhhh I’ll figure that out later, so I bought it for $4,000 and we were camping in it that night. It was a little hot in there, everything was melting. We were going to need insulation, a fancy cooler, a rooftop deck, lights, floors, beds, and a dirt bike. Definitely a dirt bike. I thought the build would take 3 days, but it took 2 weeks once Tyler put down the camera and picked up a hammer.

Just eight more trips the truck will pay for itself in baggage fees. #vanlife has obviously trended but you only see or hear about people in their $100k sprinters. This truck isn’t anything special and I’m not a great surfer and maybe that will resonate and inspire others.”