The Camper, Trailer or Adventure Vehicle Thread

Headed for adventure

Sweet rig , is that a synchro?

is that bumper steel or aluminum ?? that,s cool with the storage compartments .

It's steel , I designed it and had a 4x4 fabricator build it for me.

http://www.sprinter-rv.com/sprinter-rv-conversion-sourcebook/

invest in this , very informative on building a camper van , it,s based off the Sprinter platform but the ideas can be adapted to any van format

hey thanks for the link, looks like a great read.

my biggest concern in a RWD van is getting stuck access remote biking/hiking/climbing/skiing spots..if I remember, you're van is RWD, you found it problematic at all in those applications? Get a rear LSD and some agressive tires and call it good?

hey thanks for the link, looks like a great read.

my biggest concern in a RWD van is getting stuck access remote biking/hiking/climbing/skiing spots..if I remember, you're van is RWD, you found it problematic at all in those applications? Get a rear LSD and some agressive tires and call it good?

Yeah my van is rear wheel drive , what limits me is the ride height and the fact it,s a camper top so it is top heavy somewhat .

There are versions of mine van in 4x4 , boomer is one I follow on Instagram it,s a diesel 4x4 camper top like mine and they take it every where .

As for the VW,s I am no expert but have looked into them and chatted with people who own them . In fact my Tacoma I purchased was sold to fund a Subaru motor conversion in a VW van , the lady I bought the truck from told me it was around $10k USD to do the conversion properly .

Several other owners I follow that live and travel in their VW vans also highly recommend the conversion . A cool feature of the VW van is that then can easily be converted to 4x4 and or lifted to a 4x4 ride height for more off road use . That being said the Sprinter is just as capable and around the same price once the dust settles , $$$SPENDY!!! LOL .

I bought the Sprinter ebook for information and ideas for renovating my van this winter and spring . The book is very handy ,I have spent hours reading thru it and making notes for my van .

Sweet rig , is that a synchro?

Thanks - and yes!

Spotted this on FB today.

http://www.businessinsider.com/i-quit-my-job-to-live-in-a-van-2016-11
http://davidsandel.com/vanlife-diy-campervan/build-your-van-from-start-to-finish/

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/rvs/5919527267.html

Don't see many of these around, and I've never seen one this kitted out. Thats big$$ though and USD.

Looking at a Toyota Sienna as a "sleep where you stop" vehicle for mostly summer biking excursions. I'm thinking that the main mod is removing all the rear seats (or back row at least) when we go on road trips. It's just the two of us, so we need one bed and space for gear. We won't be heading up 4x4 roads. Pros/cons?

Magic seats are the one nice thing about the Caravan.

Looking at a Toyota Sienna as a "sleep where you stop" vehicle for mostly summer biking excursions. I'm thinking that the main mod is removing all the rear seats (or back row at least) when we go on road trips. It's just the two of us, so we need one bed and space for gear. We won't be heading up 4x4 roads. Pros/cons?

No reason why it won't work well. Post up some pics of your build. I will be doing something similar with my old Montana but for dirt bike racing.

Looking at a Toyota Sienna as a "sleep where you stop" vehicle for mostly summer biking excursions. I'm thinking that the main mod is removing all the rear seats (or back row at least) when we go on road trips. It's just the two of us, so we need one bed and space for gear. We won't be heading up 4x4 roads. Pros/cons?

what year Sienna? I think the newer ones have the stow n go seats..if you remove them altogether and use the space they'd normally fold into for storage you get a bit mre space. Minivan camper looks like a great compromise if you mostly need a sleeping area and won't be hitting too many rough roads. Benefits of the minivan are obviously fuel mileage is going to be much better than a cargo van, it'll be nicer to drive and won't need much in the way of conversion compared to a repurposed cargo van.

Friend of mine has a Honda Odyssey with all the seats removed, built a 6ft sleeping platform just high enough to fit shallow rubbermaind containers underneath for storage, the back area where the stow n go seats is big enough to fit 2 mid sized rubbermaid for wet gear and kitchen supplies. It leaves about 2ft behind the front seats, probably just big enough to cram 2 bikes inside at night or when you need to park somewhere and keep things secure.

what year Sienna? I think the newer ones have the stow n go seats..if you remove them altogether and use the space they'd normally fold into for storage you get a bit mre space.

yeah our 2007 rear seats look to be pretty integrated and they fold into the back. the middle seats can be removed. ours is the AWD, so not sure if non-awd are different for whatever reason.

minivans rock, i love driving mine for long trips. plus with kids in the back seat and no middle seats, you can shove in so much stuff. i would be picking one for solo trips sans kids too. the older siennas in canada came with the towing package stock as well.

i just wish minivans came with a rubber interior. i don't get why they have to be so fancy. our carpet is gross from bikes, kids, etc

Thanks all! It would be a 2011 or newer model, and probably with AWD. The in-laws have a Sienna, and although it's nothing like the WRX and STI we have, it actually drives okay. With the 3rd row seats stowed, and the middle seats out, various Youtube vids show that a 4x8 sheet fits in, so that's a lot of room. The only downside is that the middle row seats attach via rails that stay in the vehicle so the floor isn't completely flat. Still, these are resolvable first-world problems.

interesting about the rails, that is a change from ours. we don't have that.

i might have been wrong on the towing…i thought we were special with towing 3500lbs and the trans cooler and bigger alternator…all of them might have it. be worth it to look into though to be sure, if it matters to you.