Before I became a van guy, I was a truck guy with a chip on his shoulder about over-the-top adventure vans. So when I finally caved and bought my first cargo van, I was hellbent on keeping things simple. I hastily cut window coverings out of cheap insulation from Home Depot. Instead of buying an awning, I tried to park near trees (a futile strategy in the desert where we live). I cooked meals on a $20 butane burner that almost exploded multiple times.

I鈥檝e since accepted my new identity as a van guy. So when I replaced my first van with a brand new Sprinter, I decided to go all in. These are the upgrades I should have made the first time.

Better Suspension

Last summer, during a trip to Montana, I drove a 30-mile stretch of tooth-rattling washboard road on the Sprinter鈥檚 stock suspension. It was a special kind of hell. That was before I upgraded to the ($1,215), which mates Sumo Springs鈥攅ssentially beefed-up bottom-out bumpers that add much-needed support to the front end鈥攚ith adjustable Falcon piggyback rear shocks.

On the firmest setting, the shocks, which can be adjusted tool-free on the fly, inspire surefooted confidence on the interstate and dramatically reduce body roll on winding mountain backroads. In the middle setting, which I use around town, the ride is comfortable, but supportive. And when the pavement ends, the softest setting takes the edge off of square-edge rocks and rough washboard. The best part? I was able to install the whole system in one afternoon, in my driveway, with just a few wrenches and sockets.

On-Board Air Compressor

Airing your van tires down is easy, and it hugely improves off-road traction and ride quality. Limping along in search of a working air station after hitting pavement again is the hard part. The Viair Bike ($450) makes the latter process easy, too鈥攊ts powerful compressor has enough juice to inflate all four of my rig鈥檚 tires from 25 to 45 PSI in about ten minutes (Sprinters are specced with 245/75 R16s; Viair rates the TLC Pro for use on tires up to 35 inches). And because the compressor charges a small reservoir to 150 psi, it can seat a tubeless mountain bike tire, too. The TLC Pro is portable out of the box (it comes with a rugged canvas storage bag) but I opted to hard-mount mine under the hood with a . The included shop-style inflator, presta and schrader valve adapters, and a 30-foot coil are high-quality and impressive so far.

Insulated Window Coverings

I opted to install lots of windows in my new van for more natural light and better views. But all that glass comes with two big drawbacks: heat transfer and a lack of privacy. These fix both of those problems by sandwiching lightweight aluminum-faced insulation鈥攃apable of blocking up to 97 percent of radiant heat transfer鈥攂etween two layers of durable ripstop nylon. But that鈥檚 not their best trick: the magnetically mounted covers are stitched such that they fold up accordion-style and stow in place with integrated snap-button straps. Translation: no valuable storage space is wasted when you want to let the light in. They鈥檙e available for just about every possible window configuration (vent fans included!) and for most cargo van makes, models, and years.

Proper Back Seat

I started my hunt for the second van with my sights on a crew configuration, which sports a factory-installed rear passenger seat. I quickly learned that finding one would be nearly impossible (Mercedes produces far fewer crew models than cargo or passenger configurations). But a proper back seat was non-negotiable for me鈥攎y wife was pregnant at the time鈥攕o I looked into other options. Ultimately I designed the floorplan around a seat that鈥檚 there when you need it and not when you don鈥檛.

With the flick of a couple of levers, the ($2,750) from Alpine Van Works shape-shifts from folded flat against the wall to a full back seat with three-point belts and child safety restraint attachment points. Alpine ships the seat, which meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 210, with two beefy steel mounting plates and all of the necessary hardware needed to install it (the process took less than an hour).

Sliding Door Screen

One reason I think vans make the best adventure vehicles is the huge sliding door. When it鈥檚 open, you get the kind of seamless indoor-outdoor living space that home-renovation TV hosts are constantly going on about. There鈥檚 just one drawback: bugs.

This integrated ($349) is the solution. It鈥檚 simple if a bit finicky to install鈥攖he nylon margins tuck under the sliding door鈥檚 weather stripping and are held in place with tiny metal clips (the tricky part). Once in place, though, it couldn鈥檛 be more intuitive: just push your way through the magnetic screen, which closes automatically behind you with a satisfying snap. When bug season ends, you can either unzip and remove the screen entirely or roll it up and store it with the integrated straps. An added bonus is that it鈥檚 great for keeping our dogs in or out of the van while maximizing airflow.

Chunky A/T Tires

I know my two-wheel-drive van will never go rock crawling. But it will cruise countless miles of remote gravel and rough two-track far from the nearest town鈥攏ot somewhere I want to find myself with a sliced sidewall or no traction. That鈥檚 why I ditched my van鈥檚 OEM rubber for a set of (from $163 each) right away. They鈥檝e since driven everything from steep, loose gravel to sand, slush, and packed snow, with more than 2,000 highway miles. I expected that the aggressive tread pattern and generous siping would deliver great traction across all of the aforementioned road conditions (they did), but I also expected a noisy highway ride and spongy high-speed cornering. That鈥檚 where the Open Country鈥檚 surprised me鈥攃ruising at 75 MPH, they weren鈥檛 any louder than the stock tires and they felt nearly as supportive on winding mountain roads.

An Awning

It only takes one hot afternoon of camping with a friend who鈥檚 rig has an awning to realize that the luxury of shade is worth whatever dent it leaves in your wallet and your van鈥檚 MPGs. Because I learned that lesson long ago, I installed a ($1,300), which deploys in about a minute to create more than 80 square feet of protected outdoor living space. The result? We spend way more time hanging out and cooking alfresco because we no longer have to retreat indoors from afternoon sun or rain showers. To me this is a big win because, after all, being outside is kind of the point, isn鈥檛 it?

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In 2017, I traded in my trusty Tacoma for an unproven, barebones cargo van. I was hedging that my soon-to-be camper and its creature comforts would afford me even more鈥攁nd bigger鈥攁dventures. All I had to do was build it. I鈥檓 a handy guy, and with a plan to keep things simple, I figured it鈥檇 be pretty straightforward. It wasn鈥檛.

Turns out, it鈥檚 hard to build inside a structure with approximately zero right angles鈥攖he process ended up taking months, not weeks, like I鈥檇 hoped. But just like most great outdoor adventures, the effort was worth it in the end. That van took me, my now-wife, and our dog to just about every western state and the Baja Peninsula. But the process left me thinking there had to be a better way to convert a van for first-time DIYers. Five years later I got to find out when I did another conversion on a new van. This time, the resources in the DIY landscape had improved dramatically, and with the help of a few online materials and products, I achieved better results, in far less time, than I ever thought possible before. Considering a DIY conversion of your own? These are the insights and resources I found most helpful.

Learn From the Pros

During my first build, forums were about the only place to turn to for ideas, information, and real-world insights from fellow DIYers. But more often than not, hours of scrolling left me with more questions than answers鈥攁ll I wanted was for someone credible to tell me what to do.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much analysis paralysis when it comes to van building because there are so many different opinions out there,鈥� says Sid Beck, co-founder of , a Santa Barbara鈥揵ased custom van upfitter. Beck, who manages the shop鈥檚 social channels, saw that reflected in the neverending stream of questions posed by Campo鈥檚 followers. He knew there had to be a better way to share more of the shop鈥檚 learnings with the community than by replying to individual comments and emails.

His ultimate solution, a ($299), launched last fall. It鈥檚 like a MasterClass, but instead of Steph Curry teaching you how to drain three-pointers, you get Campo Vans鈥� shop manager Isiah Brothers talking through every phase of the camper-building process. 鈥淭he impetus for the course was, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 all the tools, here鈥檚 all the answers: go build a higher-quality van than a garage builder鈥攁nd do it in your own garage for less money,鈥欌�� says Beck.

The course, which I took this spring ahead of my second camper-van build, was exactly what I had been looking for: authoritative, comprehensive, and actionable. From rough layout to insulation to plumbing and heating, it helped me wrap my head around every step of the process, determine the correct order of operations, and plan a more efficient project. Most importantly, it gave me the confidence to just make decisions, because the advice informing those decisions was coming from a group of pros, not an armchair engineer on a forum.

That said, the course is not a step-by-step tutorial. You won鈥檛, for instance, learn how to build the exact galley cabinet Campo uses in its builds. Instead, you鈥檒l gain an understanding of the tools, techniques, and skills needed to construct cabinetry that will stand up to the abuse of life inside a moving vehicle. That鈥檚 by design: Beck and the Campo team kept the information high-level so that it could serve the widest swath of DIYers possible, whether converting a brand new Sprinter, updating a 30-year-old Westfalia, or tricking out a truck camper. Should you want to replicate some of Campo鈥檚 designs, the shop sells on its website (course participants get 50 percent off digital products). And the company鈥檚 makes finding and buying the right components easy.

Join a Tool Library or Maker Space

I鈥檓 lucky to have a garage and an ever-growing collection of tools. But you don鈥檛 need either to build a camper. Many towns now have a community tool library which, for a nominal fee, can be your ticket to almost everything you鈥檒l need for the project (an annual membership to the library at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore ran me $30). Not sure if there鈥檚 a library near you? Check out the online directory Localtools.org.

If you don鈥檛 have a dedicated workspace, or you need some guidance using power tools, look for a maker space. These community workshops are set up to support projects exactly like yours鈥攆or a monthly fee you鈥檒l gain access to tools, training, and, most importantly, a community. 鈥淒uring the build we got tons of drop-ins from other members and volunteers excited to see what we were up to,鈥� says Sasha McGhee, who built a camper van with her husband at the Fort Collins Creator Hub, a maker space in Colorado. 鈥淥ften, those drop-ins helped us solve problems, like the time a retired electrical engineer soldered a missing microchip onto our Battery Management System for us.鈥�

Don鈥檛 Shy Away from DIY Kits

It鈥檚 easy to adopt an overly orthodox approach to DIY and do everything from scratch. But knowing when to pull the trigger on pre-fabricated components can save you a ton of time鈥攁nd, counterintuitively, money鈥攚hile helping you achieve a better end result to boot. I hit the easy button on my wall and ceiling panels, opting for a CNC-cut Baltic birch from Titan DIY Kits. The package costs roughly $1,200 more than the materials alone would. That鈥檚 not an insignificant delta, but by avoiding the process of templating, scribing, cutting, re-scribing, and sanding each piece, I shaved about a week off of my build time (the flat-packed panels took about two hours to install). For those who can鈥檛 stomach the cost of the full kit, Titan DIY offers , too.

Rather than reinvent the wheel (and risk burning my new camper to the ground) I also opted for a hybrid DIY approach to my electrical system. I briefly considered an all-in-one product like the Goal Zero Yeti 6000x, but decided against it due to its limited customizability. Eventually, I sprung for a from Dakota Lithium specifically designed for off-grid van conversions. Could I have saved a few bucks piecing together a system on my own? Maybe. But this bundle, which pairs the brand鈥檚 batteries with everything I鈥檇 need to charge and monitor them, removed any question about whether my electrical components would be compatible with one another.

For the bits and bobs I needed to wire those components together, I purchased wiring kits complete with the correct gauge wire, wire lugs, terminals, and even heat-shrink from , an online shop and YouTube channel dedicated to helping people build safe, effective camper electrical systems (their is mandatory viewing). Once again, I could have saved some money by simply ordering the raw materials from Amazon鈥攂ut the combination of convenience, speed, and peace of mind more than made up for the extra expense.

The bottom line is this: there have never been more or better resources for the aspiring adventure vehicle builder. With a bit of planning and determination, you can create the rig of your dreams. Beck, of Campo Vans, agrees. 鈥淛ust start building and you’ll see, you can do it. It鈥檚 possible. We all start somewhere.鈥�

The post I Built a Pro-Level Sprinter Camper Van in My Driveway. Here鈥檚 How You Can Too. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.