Choosing a Van for Camper Conversion

This is a tough – and popular – question. I can’t presume to tell anyone which van to buy, but there were a few reasons I chose the one I did, so I figure I can at least share those thoughts.

For some background I started my van life with a 1969 Volkswagen which I had through most of my college years. It was a tin-top passenger van with a plywood bed in back and a big stereo system. Racing ahead past various small-pickup iterations to a few years ago when I fell in the wrong crowd and bought a 1985 Vanagon Weekender. It was a mess (probably worthy of another blog), but it was a fun project. (It was named “Marley” due to a combination of an existing window sticker of the great musician and the baggies we found between the seat cushions.) After much work, we ended up with a really cool van that would only sometimes make it to our intended destination. Always on the lookout for the next project, I happened upon a used 2005 Sprinter conversion that was a deal we couldn’t refuse. So we easily sold the Vanagon and bought its German brethren: a 2500 159″ white high-top which we affectionately named “Beluga.” It was built out by someone of moderate skills in CA who obviously plagiarized a Sportsmobile floor plan.

It had a couch/dinette style bed in back with a bathroom, galley, large fridge, and the requisite wiring and plumbing to make it all work. It quickly became clear which features made sense for us and which didn’t: the whole grey-water/black-water thing was not for us and we really didn’t need a 5-gallon water heater that could only be used when we plugged in (which we rarely did). So to recover all that space, I tore it all out keeping a minimal water system, electrical systems, and gaining a bunch of storage. Adding a simple portable toilet gained us all the convenience we needed without the hassle and weight of all those systems. After using this for a few years it was clear what was truly needed for a year-round portable basecamp and what wasn’t.

4X4

Although the Mercedes 2WD system is pretty capable when paired with a good set of studded tires, it isn’t always a match for the Alaska winters. Unfortunately this kept the van in the driveway for a significant portion of the year and also limited summer access to some of the more remote campsites that I like. Considering that and my desire to use it as a reliable basecamp for winter excursions, 4WD was a must. I considered various options including the Chevy Express AWD (or Quigley), Ford Transit AWD, and Sprinter 4×4. I figured I could make any of them happen, but was leaning towards Sprinter due to availability and experience.

Short and Tall

I hated having to work my way around the distant sections of the parking lot looking for spots that could take the full length of Beluga and the van was way too long to even consider downtown street parking. Basically, I didn’t feel that I could jump in and run to the store or do errands. I really wanted a rig that would be comfortable to drive around town and handle tight spots off-road. Given the general convenience of a short wheelbase and the fact I wasn’t planning on being a full-timer, I figured the shorty would do the trick. The “Tall” was a must; for a person that’s 6’1″ there’s a big difference between putting on clothes scrunched down in a 5′ tall van verses being able to stand up and move around. Taller also meant I could used a raised-bed design and have ample storage underneath.

Other Desires

I wasn’t too keen on cutting up my van first-thing, so I had hoped to get something with windows already installed. I think the concept of van without windows is stupid (and a bit creepy). I’m not trying to sneak around or give away candy to children, plus I prefer to camp in beautiful places, so I wanted to have as many windows as possible. I figured the crew-type van was a good compromise since they come with side-windows up front and in the rear doors. I also didn’t want a “luxury” van with a lot of extra “features” that could go wrong and upholstery that won’t stand up to a 2-year old husky. (I really wish I could get a van with manual windows – I hate having to turn on the ignition just to open the front windows at night!) You get the idea.

It also had some things that would make it camp-ready fairly quickly:

• Insulation package
• Rear auxiliary heater booster
• Panels & headliner
• Adequate lighting

Another big goal of mine was to be able to use this ASAP, which in reality meant I would be using it during the build process. The last thing I wanted was to have my van sitting around all spring and summer disassembled while in the middle of my build. This proved to be inconvenient for the build, but I wouldn’t have done any other way (except maybe to improve my self-discipline).