Originally, I got some old kitchen units, screwed them in the side of the van. I had a braking incident trying not to hit a rabbit on the road and all of that stuff in the back of the van was on the back of the bulkhead and I thought “blimey”, you know. So, then I went and looked around and got some wooden ply - got some made up. But I wasn’t really happy with it. It kept moving, it was noisy so yeah. That’s how I did it before, I just chucked everything in and hoped for the best that I could find it at the end of a hard drive around somewhere. And that’s what I’ve got now [Mike gestures to his bott Smartvan van racking]. Again, it’s still not the neatest but I know where everything is. It doesn’t move. 

Not really no because my admin was such a nightmare in the back of the van I didn’t really have a plan, I just knew roughly where I wanted my first fix and second fix stuff and I knew what I needed to get quickly for those callouts where I don’t want to go digging in the back of the van. For example, I was doing some outside lights two days ago when it was biblical weather and I just… instead of just [Mike groans] a nightmare crawling around I just knew where I wanted my stuff, didn’t have to pre-prep anything - just went and got it, did the job came back out. Still soaking wet but I didn’t spend an extra 30 minutes trying to find something that I’d lost in the van. 

To be truly honest it’s nice to have that level of choice because I could make it what I wanted. I don’t think I’ve seen another van [like mine], even though it’s got the same kit and the same stuff in it, they have it slightly differently. Because I’m only a little short guy you know, so I want everything my height, everything at the top there [Mike gestures to the top of his van racking] - I’m not going to go up there. I need a step ladder to get to the top of that you know. I get everything as low down as I can possibly get it you know and it’s easy for me that, really.

A lot of people think that I would carry enough tools to go and first-fix a mansion. I don’t. A lot of the stuff I have in here are for those emergency callouts where I don’t know what I’m going to go to and I don’t know what kit I’ll need. So, I’ve got all the little random spaces of all the little random things I’ll need. I don’t need big boxes of first fix items. And then when I go to a wholesaler, I have this space up here [Mike gestures towards the half floor deck kit] and I can just put it all on there and it’s just done - it’s out of the way. So, the way I labeled [my boxes] like so is so that each [label] relates to each [section] and that is it really. Because, like I said if I go to a callout at 10 at night and it’s something ridiculous, I don’t want to spend half an hour in my van looking for one gang blanking plate I just know where it is and it just slots in there [Mike slots the box back into his van racking] it’s easy. Easy as that. Very happy.

It’s paying for itself already in time, in fun away from the missus, not doing the dishes. You know? Fantastic, yeah.

Well if I said it took me a day it would be a lie because I’m always changing it. I got it in in a day, it was in as per the instruction manual in a day, that was no problem, that’s with tea breaks and the dogs running off trying to bark at everyone walking past. But it’s been an ongoing project so it’s constantly progressing. I’m constantly getting a new tool so moving something, getting something else so moving something, moving something around. So, you could say it’s never been finished but it was done in a day, if that makes sense. 

I don’t know what it is with some customers, because I’ve always had a van that was just a mess and [now] a customer will come up and say “oh you’ve got a nice neat van” and I’ll be like that “what are you interested in my van for, are you going to rob me?” But no, I think a lot of customers are really impressed with it. And they said “oh that looks really smart” or “you’re really neat” and you know that, yeah that’s ok I’m happy with that. 

Living in North Devon, we have a quite a lot of badgers, foxes, deer - you name it and they want to jump out at you. And there’s many a time I’ve had to brake test going down the link road etc. and I can hear all sorts of noises out the back and I’m thinking “Oh my God, it’s going to be wrapped up the side.” I go in and it’s… this is it [Mike gestures to his tidy van]. And I think ok what was that noise then? And it was nothing, it’s just me not securing something properly in the cupboards, you know? But I come in and everything’s where I left it.

Definitely. A big outlay, without a doubt, it’s a lot of money to fork out. Especially for me, I’m a sole trader so you’ve got to try and justify the outgoing and think “is it worth it?” but I’ll tell you what, if I get home an hour earlier than I normally do because I’m not having to try and find something or get angry or think I have something and I haven’t, it’s worth every penny and over a year it’s worth it without a doubt.

Why didn’t I get it installed sooner? I should have gone straight from the Renault garage, straight down to you and slapped it straight in there.