Combining the mobility and flexibility of vans with the amenities and space of a tiny house, the Stealth Studio is described as a hip and modern studio apartment on wheels, great for study, work, and chilling.
Jason Michael’s so-called Stealth Studio is based on a 2004 Ford E-350 box van bought on Craigslist, and doesn’t look like much from the outside. In fact, the look he was going for was that of an old work truck that doesn’t attract attention and can be parked anywhere. But once you set foot inside it, a miniature urban studio apartment unfolds, equipped with all the essentials of a respectable home on wheels.
The Stealth Studio was born out of Jason’s desire to save money he would otherwise have had to spend on rent in the city while attending grad school. He built it himself with some help from his friends and unlike in most cases, this isn’t necessarily meant as a camper for outdoor adventures. On the contrary, it is meant to serve as a studio apartment in the city, but one with wheels attached underneath.
It all started with a cold, empty box with a lot of potential to it, which was eventually turned into a cozy, little apartment. Offering 125 sq ft (11 sq m) of space, the Stealth Studio is 8 ft (2.4 m) wide and comes with plenty of storage space and a loft in the area that extends over the cab. It comes with 500W of solar power from the panels mounted on the roof and 420 amp-hours lithium batteries. Its back door turns into a “patio” revealing the “garage” inside, where Jason keeps things like his bicycle and other belongings.
The box truck also comes with a disguised side window that looks like a vent from outside, but once you lift the cover, you can enjoy great views, especially when you’re parked somewhere in nature. And when the van is in its urban stealth mode, you can still get fresh air without anyone looking into your “house”. You can open the window from the inside and still remain undercover thanks to the vented cover.
Inside the studio on wheels, you find a fully equipped kitchen that has a sink, an induction cooktop, a microwave, a pressure cooker, plenty of counter space, an Engel Coolers fridge, and plenty of drawers.
The bathroom has a regular shower that you can stand in and a composting toilet.
As for the living room area, it comes with a natural-looking flooring, a WiFi extender, a cell signal booster, a cool-sounding stereo system, a couch, and a lot of upper cabinets. A 55-gallon drum of freshwater is hidden in a closet and there’s also a big desk where he keeps his laptop and does all the studying. A portable air conditioner is installed under the desk.
Moving on to the sleeping loft, it is spacious enough for the owner to fit in a full-size mattress and also comes with plenty of built-in cubbies for clothes storage. Access to the bed is made via an improvised climbing wall that serves as a ladder. There’s also a cool pull-out closet with a shoe rack and very soothing ambient LED lighting both in the sleeping loft as well as in the main living area. Dimmable LEDs have also been installed in the underside of the upper cabinets.
While the Stealth Studio owner doesn’t necessarily have in mind to make this a permanent arrangement, it does offer him everything he needs at the moment. The studio apartment on wheels allows him to focus on school for now, while enjoying a free, flexible, and money-saving lifestyle. And if he ever decides to sell it, he'd probably have no problem in getting rid of it, as he's already received offers on his YouTube channel.
The Stealth Studio was born out of Jason’s desire to save money he would otherwise have had to spend on rent in the city while attending grad school. He built it himself with some help from his friends and unlike in most cases, this isn’t necessarily meant as a camper for outdoor adventures. On the contrary, it is meant to serve as a studio apartment in the city, but one with wheels attached underneath.
It all started with a cold, empty box with a lot of potential to it, which was eventually turned into a cozy, little apartment. Offering 125 sq ft (11 sq m) of space, the Stealth Studio is 8 ft (2.4 m) wide and comes with plenty of storage space and a loft in the area that extends over the cab. It comes with 500W of solar power from the panels mounted on the roof and 420 amp-hours lithium batteries. Its back door turns into a “patio” revealing the “garage” inside, where Jason keeps things like his bicycle and other belongings.
The box truck also comes with a disguised side window that looks like a vent from outside, but once you lift the cover, you can enjoy great views, especially when you’re parked somewhere in nature. And when the van is in its urban stealth mode, you can still get fresh air without anyone looking into your “house”. You can open the window from the inside and still remain undercover thanks to the vented cover.
The bathroom has a regular shower that you can stand in and a composting toilet.
As for the living room area, it comes with a natural-looking flooring, a WiFi extender, a cell signal booster, a cool-sounding stereo system, a couch, and a lot of upper cabinets. A 55-gallon drum of freshwater is hidden in a closet and there’s also a big desk where he keeps his laptop and does all the studying. A portable air conditioner is installed under the desk.
Moving on to the sleeping loft, it is spacious enough for the owner to fit in a full-size mattress and also comes with plenty of built-in cubbies for clothes storage. Access to the bed is made via an improvised climbing wall that serves as a ladder. There’s also a cool pull-out closet with a shoe rack and very soothing ambient LED lighting both in the sleeping loft as well as in the main living area. Dimmable LEDs have also been installed in the underside of the upper cabinets.