New project for hubby and I.... Tent on wheels

[rodi]

My BIL passed a few months ago. Among his possessions was a stripped down extended length van. He'd modified it to have a higher roof. He used it to go camping on land he owned in a different state. After discussion with the rest of the family - DH made an offer on it that everyone thought was fair. He drove it across country this past week and it's now in our driveway.

It literally has just the the driver and passenger seats. But, apparently, it was formerly a conversion van that had a power adjusting back bench seat that converted to a bed. That is long gone - but the switch is still there.

We are going to outfit it to have two benches - front to back. (It's too narrow to do a side-side bed.) One will convert (fold) to a seat. It will be bolted and we'll use the existing seatbelt brackets to put in a seatbelt... in case we need to carry a third person. The idea is that we have comfortable sleeping spaces - but otherwise it will be like tent camping - camp stove etc will be down outside. No fancy sprinter #vanlife going on...

Here are some pictures and I'll post more pictures when we start building it out.

 

[rodi]

Hmmm. I rotated the picture and it still comes out sideways.

Anyway - DH, who's 6'4" and stand up with 2 inches to spare.

 

[street]

That will be a great project and a great way to camp.

 

[Ronnieboy]

Looks cool.

Good Luck!

 

[NW-Bound]

You are ready to tackle Alaska!

 

[Bamaman]

You Tube has videos on dozens and dozens of vans turned into full time campers. Many ideas can be found there.

 

[Vacation4us]

Very cool. Hope you enjoy the new project and the camping to come!

 

[Walt34]

Neat project! Do post photos as it progresses.

 

[rodi]

It's amazing how quickly you can get in the weeds on little decisions. It has no radio currently and we'd like a back up camera... So we've been analyzing all the options for something to mount where the radio used to be. Quickly realized it would be great to integrate with out phones for google maps display, and handsfree phone calls... more weeds to plow through... LOL.

Don't get me started on the bike rack decision details. LOL.

But... baby steps. Tomorrow we go to AAA to get the title transferred then home depot to buy plywood for the bench/beds.

Oh - and went ahead and booked a beach campsite just up the road from us in Carlsbad. In october because it booked solid till then.

 

[JRon]

Looks like a lot of fun - enjoy!

 

[finnski1]

That looks like it will be a blast. I would love a project like that.

 

[audreyh1]

I like bike racks that plug into the rear hitch. You can access the back door once you remove the bikes and optionally rotate down or remove the rack.

 

[Jerry1]

Hmmm. I rotated the picture and it still comes out sideways.

I don’t know why it does that either. What I do is crop the picture and for some reason reshaping the picture forces it to stay in the right rotation.

 

[rodi]

Thanks Jerry.

 

[Ronstar]

I can't figure out what would be more fun - fixing it up or camping in it.

Enjoy!

 

[CardsFan]

That looks neat. And you are right, a tent on wheels. Having owned a few trailers, and rented a few RV's, here are some things to consider:

- Do you need A/C. In MO it would be a need, In SD maybe not.
- AC Electric hook-up. Do you need/want one? Convenient if camping where available. Of course would need an AC/DC converter. But not required if you don't have Air Conditioning. You can plug in locally for lights and such.
- When putting in beds, make sure there is easy access for both sides to get out in the middle of the night. Climbing over one another is only fun in the movies, not at 3:00am when you really need to pee. .

I will think of more, but for now, have fun. It looks like a neat project. And very practical for short trips.

Oh, one more thing. We have friends that had a Sprinter like van. Even if they did not camp in it, they like the room for long trips.

 

[finnski1]

That looks neat. And you are right, a tent on wheels. Having owned a few trailers, and rented a few RV's, here are some things to consider:

- Do you need A/C. In MO it would be a need, In SD maybe not.
- AC Electric hook-up. Do you need/want one? Convenient if camping where available. Of course would need an AC/DC converter. But not required if you don't have Air Conditioning. You can plug in locally for lights and such.
- When putting in beds, make sure there is easy access for both sides to get out in the middle of the night. Climbing over one another is only fun in the movies, not at 3:00am when you really need to pee. .

I will think of more, but for now, have fun. It looks like a neat project. And very practical for short trips.

Oh, one more thing. We have friends that had a Sprinter like van. Even if they did not camp in it, they like the room for long trips.

This is a small van. I don't see any way you're putting in a bed that you can get out from both sides. I do agree with your other points.

 

[rodi]

The plan for the bed(s) is to not do a combo double bed - but two side by side beds with an 18" "corridor between them. We snuggle plenty at home - but camping (tent camping) we're fine on separate pads/bags. So same thing here. Bed benchs will match our Wellax 3" inflatable foam pads we already use for camping. The big thing this offers is being up off the ground/floor. Vs a tent where you have to hoist yourself up, while ducking down because of the top of the tent, when you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

We plan on camping by season. Joshua tree and Death Valley in the winter. Coastal camping and elevation camping in the summer. Hoping not to need heaters and AC.

This is not fancy camping. No plans for toilet or indoor kitchen. But we are looking forward to some of the awesome state parks here. The SF thread (in the travel forum) talks about Napa... that made me look - there are two nice state parks there in Napa... but I wouldn't go in the summer because it's too hot... Fall or Spring sound nice. Go to a winery and buy some wine, then drink it that evening while grilling at the campsite.

With younger son going to SLO - we're looking at camping at Morro Bay, on the water, and taking him out to dinner (if he's available.) I have fond memories of tent camping at that state park when I was a kid.

 

[travelover]

Looks like a fun project. When I was 20 years old, I converted a Ford van (no popped roof) and lived in it for 6 months as I did one lap of America. It was a great way to travel.

That roof just begs for a few solar panels, but you'll figure all that out as you camp and make additional modifications as you find the need.

 

[O2Bfree]

The plan for the bed(s) is to not do a combo double bed - but two side by side beds with an 18" "corridor between them.

The bench beds are a great way to go if you don't need all the storage you'd get under a double bed. The corridor makes it much easier to get out of bed, especially for those night time bathroom runs.

 

[CardsFan]

This is a small van. I don't see any way you're putting in a bed that you can get out from both sides. I do agree with your other points.

The plan for the bed(s) is to not do a combo double bed - but two side by side beds with an 18" "corridor between them.

I should have been more specific. What OP is planning is exactly what I have seen in other vans like this.

 

[old medic]

Defiantly looks like a fun plan... A good friend loves their set up they have been running and adapting for about 6 years now. We have also given it some serious thought.... So if you dont mind some ideas... Seeing you already have tent camping gear and experience as did they.
They have kept everything modular. They have totes set up with their gear for different trips. They have folding cots that work either in the van or tent, with the sleeping gear, outdoor kitchen stuff, even a porta-potty tote. Depending on the trip plans just grab the needed totes. Wired in lights and inverter with solar panels. they have a bunch of tie downs to secure stuff... Stack the needed totes and coolers, cargo net over to secure. THEN... load 4wheeler, or 2 duel sport bikes... and can hang Kayaks too. They also have a camper that adds a different dimension... they've done several cross country trips leaving the camper as a base camp and then jump in, take the bikes to explore BLM areas with shorter trip camping in the van.
Just food for thought.

 

[CaptTom]

That'll be a fun project!

I assume it'll be campground camping, where there are showers and rest rooms (or at least, outhouses) available. Those nightly treks were always my least favorite part of camping, but it doesn't look like there's really room for a bathroom in that van.

Crutchfield is a great on-line supplier of car audio, and you can certainly get a unit with Bluetooth and a big display for maps or backup cameras. They even sell custom trim for most vehicles to make the install look like it came from the factory. I've upgraded two vehicles this way.

Don't dismiss the value of shore power, if you're going to be in campgrounds where it's available anyway. Consider a small microwave. Think about how you're going to spend rainy days "indoors."

 

[GreenEggs]

12-volt fridges are nice to have if you have an aux battery. If you enjoy the water inflatable paddle boards & small boats are fun to have & pack small for traveling.

 

[Badger]

This will be a fun project and a great way to travel. I did this in the 70s with a VW bus and traveled all over the US and Canada for more than a decade. Van conversions for camping were popular in the 70s and 80s. I thought of doing another conversion with a Sprinter years ago but too many health problems got in the way.
Go for it!


Cheers!