sprinter CARGO VAN converted to a camping van

Hashtag #vanlife

So many dopey looking kids doing this on the YouTube

My dad did a few. He did a GMC 6.2 diesel, full glass. Had a high top added, took out the seats and built a folding bed couch that made out to a queen size bed with good 6” foam. Usually left it made out traveling. Built a box with pull out portable toilet you pulled if you needed it. Three way Dometic chest fridge on top of that. Insulated board on top to use a two burner camp stove for coffee. My brother built oak cabinets front and rear in the high top with a built in ac. You could pull the toilet fridge cab out and put a factory seat back in when using it like a van. I bought that one and drove it for years with my kids.

The other one was on a long Ford van and he added a pop up roof.
That one was much simpler. Bench seat on one side that folded out. Same toilet fridge arrangement. Mistake he made with that one was building it on a half ton chassis.

Midnight runs to the campground restroom aren’t fun. A five gallon water tank won’t wash many dishes. How will you cook in the rain? Limiting yourself to developed campgrounds makes you less free.

A used Motorhome is cheaper than a lot of these conversions

Yep, YouTube has the videos. Buy during the Fall after camping season. Good deals can be had.

Edit: I saw this web site.

https://vancave.wordpress.com/

GordonThree wrote:
Hashtag #vanlife

So many dopey looking kids doing this on the YouTube

Watched some for amusement. Most of them last maybe one season then return to reality.

Yes. I built one of these out. Loved it. Almost as good as my Artic Fox truck camper. I had higher quality parts than most RVs (mostly marine, better wiring, 440AH Trojans, etc). Generator, air conditioning, propane heater that drew almost no power (Dickinson Newport heater), Norcold full size refrigerator and freezer...

Used it for several years. Got twice the mileage my Dodge Ram diesel and Arctic Fox does. Plus the tank was enormous. Somewhere around a 500 mile range between fillups.

Cautions:. Rust, needs a lot of insulation, the automatic transmissions are weak. Or rather, they can get metal shavings in the sensor and cause transmission errors.

Probably my favorite vehicle I've ever owned.

PM me any questions or post here.

Make sure you get the long and tall model to convert.

If you want a project, go for it...but keep an eye out and you likely can find a camper van ready to go for the same or cheaper.

valhalla360 wrote:
If you want a project, go for it...but keep an eye out and you likely can find a camper van ready to go for the same or cheaper.

This is absolutely true.

It's not less money to build one out. It's higher quality, if done well using quality parts.

trx680 wrote:
I visited Yellowstone last week. Flew to Denver and rested a car and drove.

Saw so many RVs... no, I don't own one...still dreaming.

I noticed a couple of Sprinter cargo work vans that had been converted over to camping vans. These were the high roof models. Both had beds, one had a sink made up of a 5 gallon holding tank a 5 gallon waste tank.

This is something I would consider if I found a decent Sprinter. Nothing fancy. Something to take to the mountains when the nights are cool. Park it at a campground and use their bathhouses.

Anyone here a converted van?

Yes - check out this thread. They did a great job outfitting their cargo van with the necessities they need. It's not as complete as our B, but it works for them and it sounds like something similar would work for you.

Good luck!