Specifications after conversion of a 2014 Mercedes Freightliner Sprinter

This is our trustworthy custom built 2014, 144" wheel base, high roof, Mercedes Sprinter camper van which has taken us all over the USA in 2018. 

She is spacious, homey, and includes top of the line components. This van has comfortably fit two humans and their adorable German Shepherd on their trip of a lifetime. 

Vehicle:
We are so glad we went with the 144" high roof and you will be too. No ducking required even for tall folks like us. Bonus points for it's ability to easily fit in normal parking spots.
- 2014 144" high roof Mercedes Sprinter in dolmite metallic brown.
- RWD.
- Odometer reading: 69,000 miles.
- Fuel economy: 22 miles per gallon average from last 8,000 miles.
- 4 cylinder turbo diesel.
- Lane assist.
- Blind Spot prevention.
- Backup camera.
- Front collision assistance. 

Kitchen:
Cooking on this gorgeous countertop couldn't be any easier with filtered tap water and a removable butane/propane burner. Making a delicious meal is possible even in the rain with tons of air circulation from the two Maxx air deluxe fans. For fresh food storage, there is a large, chest style fridge and freezer combo hidden inside a pull out cabinet.
- Cumaru Brazilian Teak live edge countertop and backsplash with jojoba oil and beeswax sealants.
- Ruvati 14"x18"x8" undermount deep bar sink.
- Moen pull down faucet.
- Dometic CFX 95DZW fridge/freezer. 

Sleeping:
Our custom pull out bed extender allows for front to rear sleeping. Don't worry about being crammed in this bed. The 5" duel memory foam mattress is large enough for three with plenty of room for activities. No chilly nights in this van, with the Espar D2 heater with high altitude kit no matter where you are and what temperature it is you'll stay nice and toasty. The walls are filled with closed cell foam boards and expansion foam providing excellent insulation in cold or hot weather.
- Bed size 60" x 68" in day time mode.
- 75" x 68" in nighttime mode.
- 5 inch mattress (top 1 inch cooling foam, 4 inch supportive foam).
- Tablet mount in the upper cabinet.
- High head clearance.
- USB outlet in rear upper cabinet to charge your phones at night.
- Espar D2 diesel heater with high altitude kit, muffler, and exhaust. 

Storage:
These poplar wood cabinets and drawers include self stay hinges and full length extension for ease of use. The magnetic locks keep all of your belongings in place while you're on your way to the next incredible destination. The "garage" storage space is accessible from the rear doors and can fit all of your adventure equipment.
- Cutom built popular wood.
- 6 Door upper cabinet with self stay hinges.
- 5 Drawer lower kitchen cabinet on soft close slides and magnetic locks.
- 5 Under bed storage drop-down tilt boxes.
We have so much space underneath our bed but our organization could use some work. What do you use to keep your storage items organized? We are thinking of getting Tupperware bins but that doesn't match the Joanna Gaines style I have going on inside the van. 

Electrical:
Let's start with the large aray of solar power. The 400 watts of solar will give you enough power even in the rainy climates. These panels feed to two large, maintenance free batteries. LED dimmable lights provide the perfect lighting, any time of day. For electrical control and monitoring, there is an easily accessible 8 breaker distribution panel, battery monitor, and battery switch. Need to charge up the camera or drone? With a Pure Sine inverter you can take care of all of that.
-Renogy solar kit, 4 x 100w panels through a 40A MPPT controller
-VMaxsolar 2 x 200ah AGM batteries
-12 LED lights on 2 dimmable circuits in the living space
-4 LED lights on dimmable circuits under the bed
-Marine grade bus bars
-2 x 2a USB ports, one in upper rear cabinet, one on the front of the kitchen cabinet
-1500 Watt pure sine inverter with 3 outlets
-2 Maxx Air 7500 Deluxe Fans 10 speed air in or out with remote controls. 

Plumbing: 
The huge water tanks provide a total of 44 gallons. They are conveniently accessible from the rear doors so filling up is a breeze. No foot pump here! The electrical water pump and filter will give you cold, delicious drinking water. It also supplies water for the outdoor heated shower. The 5 gallon gray water tank is mounted under the van and can be emptied with the turn of a valve.
-½ Inch pex lines
-Stainless lines from the water filter to sink
-30 Gallon internal water tank
-14 Gallon external water tank that can be segregated and pumped out for cold weather travels
-5 Gallon gray water tank
-Propane hot water heater under the bed with shower head
-Shurflo water pump with accumulator mounted under the bed with reliable, smooth and quiet operation
-Stand alone Thetford Porta Potti 565e Curve Portable Toilet. 

This has been our tiny home on wheels that has supported us in every way possible. The van is absolutely ready for more traveling.

Content credit: @threeweekstowander (Krissy, Milch). 
. 
. 
. 
* vanlife, 
* vanlife stories worldwide, 
* Conversion for vanlife, 

Roger Sund says that van conversion needs differ from person to person

Roger Sund was a former Sanitation Officer in a Norwegian Cruise Line. He is from Hawaii. For those contemplating van conversion his suggestion to them is to go camping 4 or 5 times. Conversion ideas will automatically start flowing. 

He says that everyone has different needs. His own need involved carrying a kayak, therefore having solar panels on the rooftop didn't work for him. He also uses his van  for work so his bed platform had to be removable and so also his shower and water container. However, his tool chest is also for his silverware and dishes and other camping supplies, so it stays bolted to the floor. 

He did the build all by himself which he did in 4 hours for a grand total of $3000. $2000 was spent to acquire the preowned van and another $1000 was spent for the build. 

. 

. 

. 

* Vanlife 

* Van Conversion 

* Vanlife Stories Worldwide 

Completely stripped Land Rover Defender base vehicle before starting the build on a new Marshland galvanised chassis

After 2 years of work, we are almost there.

We started with a Land Rover Defender base vehicle which we fully stripped down before starting the build on a new Marshland galvanised chassis. We completed a full nut and bolt restoration, sending all running gear components to be reconditioned.
We then built a Habitation Pod on the back - the pod structure is made from an aluminium frame and skin, with each piece being handcrafted using an English wheel. Once the pod structure was complete, we insulated the interior with 60 mm of closed cell insulation.
The pod interior was then cladded using 20 mm strips of bamboo, all with bead and cove routed into each strip to allow the wood to follow the curved shape of the pod. We then made the furniture out of aluminium and again skinned in bamboo, and made the counter tops out of locally source oak.
The induction hob and a compressor fridge are powered by a Victron system, with a 200 ah Batter and 3 Kw inverter. This system is charged by the engine power as well as two 111 W solar panels which are on the roof.
The weight of the truck as it sits now is just over 2,500 kg, which we think is lighter than you might guess.
For updates of when this is all happening, follow: 
www.instagram.com/duckworthoverland/?hl=en
or
www.facebook.com/DuckworthOverland/
Even more info on website: www.duckworthoverland.com 
- Tom Duckworth 

. 

. 

. 

* Vanlife 

* Conversion For Vanlife

* Vanlife Stories Worldwide 

Selfbuild Peugeot Boxer 2006 in progress for regular vanlife

7 weeks ago we bought our first Van project! Peugeot Boxer 2006 still a few little bits to do, but this is what we've done so far! Absolutely love it. Lots of hard work and late nights but definitely worth it for any one debating it. 

- Sophie Plant 

. 

. 

. 

* Vanlife 

* Conversion For Vanlife

* Vanlife Stories Worldwide 

Selfbuild van with windows

Due to old age this will be our first and last self-build. A big thank you to my husband for building us our retirement present. 

Don't be deceived it's not a campervan, but we will enjoy my hubbies hard work. 

It's a van with windows! 

- Carol Dilger 

. 

. 

. 

* Conversion For Vanlife

* Vanlife Stories Worldwide 

Fixed portable shower for vanlife

We now have a fixed portable shower for our vanlife.  We still need to do some final touches. 

- William Malone 

. 

. 

. 

* Conversion For Vanlife

* Vanlife Stories Worldwide 

Pre-owned Tempo Traveller van conversion for vanlife by Vimal Geethanandan

Pre-owned Tempo Traveller van conversion for vanlife by Vimal Geethanandan. 

A lot of you wanted to know my journey of building Maaya, my self converted van home and things related to that. 

As I mentioned earlier, it is a dream of more than 3 years; more than 2 years of working various things for it and more than 1 year of working in it. 

The basic idea of Maaya started when I realised how much people are giving to me and how much I wanted to give back in one way or the other. But I can't stay at a single place. That's when I thought, why can't I take my home to the road and that is where this dream started. 

After all the dreaming and drooling, I started with a food truck. I thought that would be a logical step, then I sold it. After that, I did crowdfunding, then I sold tea on the road, I sold toys on the road, I worked various things including as a freelance content writer, as a delivery boy, as an interior designing intern, helping my mom setup AirBnB at her place and managing it etc. 

Finally, with the help of so many people including my mom, I got to buy the van I have dreamt off. 

Then started the struggle of converting that into a private registration vehicle as I bought it as a commercially registered vehicle. 

Funnily enough, I thought I can get it done in 4 days, in reality, it took me 4 months. I used to go to the RTO, which is like 25 kilometres from the place I was staying at that time, every day, to convince them that there exists a provision in the Government, which is being mentioned in their own website. I went to their head office to get permission from them. Literally, I tried everything I can. I used to stand before the office from morning to evening, to not miss the chance. 

After 4 months, I got the registration as Camper Van/Trailer (Private Use). 

My happiness knew no bounds. 

In the meantime, I went to Maharashtra, with just the inspector's order copy of conversion, without RC, in the hope that I'll get the RC immediately. But after that also it took me another two months. 

After the whole saga, I started the conversion. I learnt everything and I did everything by myself. One of my juniors from school, joined me and stayed with me for the whole year to help me out without expecting anything. 

Every single day, it was a struggle, it was a trail and error process. I lost some money. As I did everything myself, I saved some money, this is the exact reason, it is very difficult to share the exact amount I spent. 

But my friends who helped me in the building process at various times, started a van building company. If you need a professional help, I can help you send a quotation. 

If you are doing it yourself, I'm dropping in few important things to remember via the process I built Maaya.

Process of building: 

1. Design and Planning: 

This is most important part. Based on the size of your vehicle and your requirements, plan your layout. 

Van is an extremely small space, so you need to be very frugal and very attentive to every single space available. 

And note down your needs prior to designing. For example, I needed a full bed rather than a bed that converts into a sofa, a living room rather than a full time shower etc. 

2. Welding and Tinkering

If you are buying a second hand vehicle, there can be places which need some tinkering work. Fortunately, I got a pretty good vehicle. But it is important to get it done. 

Then, if you need to build anything which needs strength, get it done with iron. I did it for my bed frame. Because mine is a full bed. 

3. Insulation: 

Insulating your van is the most important and the very first logical step of building your home in the van. Choosing right kind of insulation matters. After a lot of research I went with PIR insulation boards. These are effective and does the job pretty well. 

Note: Always remember, van is a pretty hot place, no matter how much you insulate, there's some heat you have to bear. But insulating definetly helps to some extent. Without that, it is very hard to live in it. 

4. Plumbing: 

Depending on your layout, you can go with an over head tank or a DC motor which pumps water. 

Most importantly, don't forget any connections and make sure all the connections are tight enough to avoid lekages. 

With experience, I'm saying, leakages can be frustrating, too much frustrating. 

I have a 220 litre water tank underneath my bed and a DC pump. All my grey water goes to the tanks underneath my van, which I can dump responsibily at places I want. 

I chose to have hot water at all places there's a water connection. Now, though, my gas geyser is not working, will get it repaired some place. 

I have two showers, one indoor shower, which I can setup whenever I want and one outdoor shower. I have a commode inside for emergency purposes which also has water connection. 

I have a water filter which filters water for me. 

Know basics of plumbing, basic things you need, like Teflon Tape, Mseal, Clamps, T connectors etc. 

5. Electricals: 

I went with a 350 watt solar panel, two 120 Ah Batteries, one 2200 VA solar inverter. 

I can choose to connect it to any power source in a home and directly draw power without involving the inverter. 

You can also choose to go with increasing the size of your Dynamo, so that driving will also charge your batteries. 

I chose to go with all AC appliances and get all the power from the inverter. The primary reason is DC appliances are costly and there's not much difference in power loss. 

Know basics of electricals before starting, use right kind of sq mm wires as it can cause a little power loss. 

You can watch YouTube videos to understand connections and they explain it pretty well. 

6. Wood work: 

I chose wood for building everything because wood acts as a secondary insulator. It is also easily available and available at cheaper rates. I chose plywood because of my budget constraints. 

I took the machines for rent. But I'll suggest you to buy them because you never know how much time it'll take to build yours and you can save a lot of money. You can also, sell them on OLX/QUIKR after you are done. 

7. Painting: 

Initially I thought I'll use laminates but then I realised lamintaes can come off with time, so I went with wood painting. It came out well. 

8. Arrangements: 

According to the layout you chose, you must have already bought the required appliances just place it accordingly and your van home is ready to move. 

Lockdown, lack of money at times took me an year long to build it. Everyday, I used to think, another two days, another week etc. 

But, like it happens to me always, universe has always been kind. 

From making me meet a completely random stranger in the head iffice whi turned out to be my cousin's senior to complete strangers sending me money randomly when my bank balance became zero. 

Will always be grateful. 

PS: My inbox is always open, you can always DM me and I'll always reply.

PS2: For those who don't know me, I'm a nomad and travelling in India for more than 4 years now in various capacities. I live in my self converted van home Maaya. ❤️

I have uploaded most of my building process almost daily through stories on Instagram. Get on to my Instagram and check the story highlights 'Maaya - Our Van' (instagram.com/inspiringwanderer) 

Courtesy: Vimal Geethanandan. 

Facebook profile link: 

https://www.facebook.com/vimalgeethanandan 

Post link on BBTI: 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/backpackingIndia/permalink/1773694456137754/  dated 2021-01-07. 

. 

. 

. 

* vanlife, 

* vanlife stories worldwide, 

* Conversion for vanlife, 

Compost toilet is what Jessa J. E. Lewis has in her van for peeing and pooping

Nature’s Head, is a known brand of composting toilet in USA. 
The toilet is self-contained, urine diverting and the waterless operation allows for ease of use for many applications. Also called a dry toilet, the Nature’s Head is lightweight, odorless and compact making it a perfect fit for your home, cabin, tiny house, RV, workshop, boat and survival application.
This eco friendly toilet with its stainless steel hardware, robust construction and user friendliness has been designed to withstand the harshest of conditions.The company takes great pride in offering a product which it mmanufactures in the United States and strives to provide exceptional customer service. 

Vanlifer Jessa J. E. Lewis has got a Nature's Head composting toilet in her van.

Composting toilet with built in fan to vent was what she had been debating on. She went ahead with composting worms to increase capacity and speed up the process of decay. 
She says that it's worth the money. 

There’s some practice to positioning yourself over the “poop chute” where it goes directly in. In the first photo you can see the two holes where the urine is diverted up front and then the back door is currently closed but can be opened when it’s time for poop. 
She suggests a spray of vinegar mix to “flush”.  

. 

. 

. 

* vanlife, 

* vanlife stories worldwide, 

* conversion for vanlife, 

Justin Parsons, 1 year of vanlife, 3 countries, 65000 kms, 2017-12-07 to 2018-12-08

Justin Parsons and his partner had been doing small trips in the van before, but  2018-12-08 marked one year since they have been travelling full time in the van! They left Alberta on December 7, 2017 and have been to many cool places since.
The little video marks one full year of vanlife, of road memories.

1 year, 3 countries, 65000 kms 🚐💨
.
.
.
* vanlife
* Vanlife Stories Worldwide
* Global Roadie Vanlife

Toilet solution by Krissy and Mitch during their vanlife

Krissy: "Babe, we need to take more candid pics".
Mitch: (5 min later) *click*.

Krissy and Mitch gets a lot a questions about bathroom situation in the van during the course of their frequent vanlife. That's what made Krissy to share this very practical but ridiculous photo.
They have a small portable Thetford toilet that uses a special solution to keep things smelling pretty. The toilet has saved them on more than one occasion.
However, they roll by on the highway to take quick potty breaks.
They use the toilet inside the van for only going number one (for obvious reasons) and they stop at gas stations for any other business. The toilet gets emptied once a week and it's easy to take care of at any waste station or rest stop.
When building the van, they contemplated whether or not they needed it as it takes up valuable storage space. Now they are glad that they incorporated it into the van design.

Content courtesy: @threeweekstowander

# vanlife
# vanlife stories worldwide