Life On The Road w/Kids (Hi from CO)

[Fueco]

My wife and I live with our four boys (oldest is five) in Boulder, CO). We’re looking at getting a bigger van for road tripping and travel during the summer months when the kids are out of school.

This will most likely start out as a passenger van (We’re mostly looking at Sprinter and ProMaster vans that can tow a reasonably large camp trailer). The reason for towing rather than RV is flexibility. If we want to go visit friends in say, Seattle, we can park the trailer at their house and have the ability to take the van around to see and do things in the area.

My wife works in tech (remote work!) and I’m self-employed. Oh, and we also have two dogs who’ll get to travel with us. Bonus pic of the three older boys from our camping trip this past week.

 

[user 22017]

My wife and I live with our four boys (oldest is five) in Boulder, CO).

Welcome Fueco and family

 

[afblangley]

I think a campervan pulling a travel trailer is a great combination. A home you can drive and a home you can park!

I have a passenger Sprinter that I did a DIY modular/removable build. Cargo vans have much greater towing capacity than their passenger counterparts. The cargo and crew VS30 can tow up to 7500 lbs, while the max for the passenger variant is 5000 lbs. Which restricts it to smaller/lighter travel trailers.

There is a huge difference in space between the largest Sprinter and the largest Promaster. A 170" WB Ext Sprinter with two rows of passenger seats would have a floor area behind it equal to a Promaster 159" WB Ext. So you could seat 8 passengers in DOT approved OEM seats and still have room for a full campervan conversion.

FYI, the Promaster is not available in a passenger variant.

Here are dimensions on the 3 popular vans:
https://sportsmobile.com/van-dimensions/

 

[Fueco]

I think a campervan pulling a travel trailer is a great combination. A home you can drive and a home you can park!

I have a passenger Sprinter that I did a DIY modular/removable build. Cargo vans have much greater towing capacity than their passenger counterparts. The cargo and crew VS30 can tow up to 7500 lbs, while the max for the passenger variant is 5000 lbs. Which restricts it to smaller/lighter travel trailers.

There is a huge difference in space between the largest Sprinter and the largest Promaster. A 170" WB Ext Sprinter with two rows of passenger seats would have a floor area behind it equal to a Promaster 159" WB Ext. So you could seat 8 passengers in DOT approved OEM seats and still have room for a full campervan conversion.

FYI, the Promaster is not available in a passenger variant.

Here are dimensions on the 3 popular vans:
https://sportsmobile.com/van-dimensions/

Is there a version of the Sprinter crew van that I’ve missed? They seem to only seat five. With four kids, we’d need more seating.

The Sprinter passenger van would be ideal if it had better towing, and if the dealer wasn’t adding a $30k markup to it.

 

[afblangley]

The Sprinter crew has only one bench seat. I was referring to building out a passenger van and retaining 2 bench seats.

The only van currently in production with seating > 5 and towing > 5000 are the old school GM vans. Used Nissan NV 3500 would be the only other late model option.

I think the outrageous dealer markups on Sprinters are occurring less frequently, but MB has implemented an across the board price increase. Nevertheless, they are north of $60k out the door...

 

[Fueco]

The Sprinter crew has only one bench seat. I was referring to building out a passenger van and retaining 2 bench seats.

The only van currently in production with seating > 5 and towing > 5000 are the old school GM vans. Used Nissan NV 3500 would be the only other late model option.

I think the outrageous dealer markups on Sprinters are occurring less frequently, but MB has implemented an across the board price increase. Nevertheless, they are north of $60k out the door...

The Sprinter passenger would be my first choice. I’m a bit skeptical of adding seats to a cargo windows van even though a local van conversion company told me that it’s doable. But then, I’m not as attached to the idea of a bigger camp trailer as my wife is. I’ve spent a lot of nights camped out of a tent or small car.

 

[afblangley]

There are mobility companies that have experience outfitting seats in a cargo van. This would not be a cheap option, but from a safety perspective, they probably know what they're doing.

Starting with a passenger van is definitely cheaper in comparison. I have a 170 (non extended) so I know it has plenty of room behind the 2nd row of bench seats for a camper van conversion.

Another (admittedly expensive) option, several manufacturers make Class Bs capable of seating your crew in proper, forward facing seats. The Winnebago Era, Airstream Interstate, and Coachmen Galleria, come to mind, there may be others. These are based on the Sprinter platform.

A trailer would not need to be super large (read: heavy) because tasks/activities can be split between the two spaces. For example, if your wife needs to work, she can commandeer the van while you and the boys use the trailer. Or the boys can sleep in the trailer while you and your wife sleep in the van. Or the van serves as the hub for activities and the trailer is only used for sleeping (read: really lightweight). There are lots of possibilities...

 

[Fueco]

It’ll be a few years before even the oldest boy is old enough to sleep in a separate space from one or both of us.

We seem to have narrowed our search dow to getting a full size SUV (probably a Suburban). This would give us maximum flexibility while traveling, and would also work well for winter ski trips. The tow capacity won’t be a limiting factor.

I can definitely see us getting a conversation van a while down the road when the kids are older (like when/if the older ones start heading off for university in Canada).