Mini-Van-Camper-Conversion

[Wandern]

Very important, and the minivans are terrible in this regard.

It isn't that black and white though. Some dirt roads are perfectly fine for most cars. Some require 4x4 and ground clearance. Just needs some planning and adjustment of expectations.

Since you seem to want to DIY, that opens up a lot of possibilities...

But... I don't think we have enough info from you to make intelligent suggestions on the type of vehicle. You can certainly use a minivan to travel and camp, but there are serious limitations, and you don't appear to be penniless, so it's best to get and build something that really suits your purpose.

1) How many people?
2) Use case? Weekend trips, multiweek, fulltime, where, how (campgrounds, remote, really remote rugged trails, etc)?
3) Budget?

IMO, it's pretty silly to get hung up on mpg. Anything that is comfortable to live in and is durable will be in the 10-15 mpg range. Trying to get more is way too much compromise for little gain. The nomads with tight budgets just limit how much driving they do.

I prefer to camp in quiet and isolated places, so offroad ability is important. Trucks are better than any vans in this respect, with better ground clearance, more robust suspensions, ubiquitous 4wd, and a host of upgrades available. You can also buy a camper as a very well insulated fiberglass/foam shell, and build it out yourself. I personally started from scratch on the camper shell, but wouldn't again... ... at least not the way I did this one.

I appreciate the help. In earlier posts I sort of described what I am planning to do. Basically downsizing from a Class B camper van to a Minivan. I am aware of the limitations, and they don't limit what we are planning to do most of the time.
This isn't to say that 5 years from now the Minivan will be up for sale and I will be scouring RVTrader again.

 

[Wandern]

You could always get ebikes as a daily driver and still have a decent size van. Just a thought. We ordered a couple last week and can't wait to stop driving the van around for groceries, laundry, restaurants, shows, etc. Plus, they fold and fit in the "garage."

Hehe. I have an ebike and like it a lot, but not really great for grocery runs for a family of four, or to the 40 mile (80 mile roundtrip) to the doctors appt or office at work (whenever I have to go in).

 

[Happy Camper]

I know you really want a front door fridge. But you might consider a chest fridge freezer combo you can fit under the bed or kitchen space. It would give you a lot of storage while potentially taking up less floor space. And they are extremely efficient these days

 

[Wandern]

I know you really want a front door fridge. But you might consider a chest fridge freezer combo you can fit under the bed or kitchen space. It would give you a lot of storage while potentially taking up less floor space. And they are extremely efficient these days

The problem is how to pull out a particular item which may be on the very bottom, so you have to dig through upper layer, possibly remove stuff... no, not going to do that.
If you fit that under a bed you need to find a way to either pull it out (needs space) or to somehow tilt up whatever it is sitting underneath. A front access fridge, you can basically build into a cabinet.
I have dealt with ice-chests and cool-boxes for many years and once you get used to a front door fridge, you don't ever want to go back, even if they are much more expensive.

 

[Happy Camper]

Fair enough.

 

[Wandern]

Let me share my Kitchen-ideas. A picture is worth 10000 words, so last night I learned SketchUp which was kinda fun and maybe a bit addictive, but still need a lot of practice. Here is the view from the outside (missing the vehicle entirely):



So I think putting the kitchen in the back makes a lot of sense, since that way it can easily be accessed both from inside and out. Not saying I would cook much in a crouching position from the inside, but to fill a water bottle or grab a spoon at night or in inclement weather would benefit from not having to get out of the car.

I figure the hinged door for the right side would double as a cooking/preparing surface, via some locking bracket. It would cover pots, propane cooker, propane canister(s) as well as shopping bags with groceries that don't need to be in the fridge (bread, certain fruits, cereal etc).
The center part would contain drawers, accessible from both inside and outside, to hold cutlery, plates, utensils, snacks, pouches with soups/ramen etc.
The left part would be the "garage" for tools, levelers, camping chairs, collapsed solar shower and water bags, shoes, etc, with some "breathing room" for the fridge behind it.

Thinking of getting a sheet of plywood (boy are they expensive nowadays, ouch), and cutting/screwing/gluing it all together. Need to figure out how to anchor it to the vehicle, and how to be able to access the rear bench hole underneath it (hatches?) to fill/drain/sanitize the water jug and change the water filter.

 

[VanFan]

Let me share my Kitchen-ideas. A picture is worth 10000 words, so last night I learned SketchUp which was kinda fun and maybe a bit addictive, but still need a lot of practice. Here is the view from the outside (missing the vehicle entirely):

View attachment 35851

So I think putting the kitchen in the back makes a lot of sense, since that way it can easily be accessed both from inside and out. Not saying I would cook much in a crouching position from the inside, but to fill a water bottle or grab a spoon at night or in inclement weather would benefit from not having to get out of the car.

We rarely do more than make a sandwich inside, but really like being able to access what we need from inside. Our dry food is stored in a closed container to discourage rodents. As many have suggested here in the past, making a rough cardboard mock-up can be very helpful.

Nice work with Sketchup, BTW.

 

[Wandern]

We rarely do more than make a sandwich inside, but really like being able to access what we need from inside. Our dry food is stored in a closed container to discourage rodents. As many have suggested here in the past, making a rough cardboard mock-up can be very helpful.

Nice work with Sketchup, BTW.

Thank you! Always appreciate your feedback.

Yep, any food would be fully enclosed. This was a bigger issue with the camper, which had a bunch of holes and openings on the bottom, some of which were not closed off well. Never had an issue, but wouldn't have been surprised about some rodent or at least ants moving in. I try to not leave any food in the car that may emit odors. Now my wife...

 

[Happy Camper]

How tall would that be? And how deep? Stove would definitely be sitting too high. Just a simple adjustment, of course.

I strongly suggest you work out your thoughts on the computer first, and yes great work on the sketch. Then get some cardboard and mock it up.

Then rent the vehicle and see if the space works with the design using the cardboard mock-up. It's truly the simplest way. In fact I would consider renting one early on so you can better know the curvature of the walls and the actual floor space you'll have.

It could be as simple as making minor adjustments. Or eye opening and realizing you might need to make some compromises. It's better to know earlier in the process.

Lastly, and I would actually do this first. Look for all the minivan builds that have been done over the years on the forum. The search function here isn't the best. And a lot of times people don't just say minivan in the title of a thread. There are some very good builds. Even some with two people and a large dog, which is about the same as a teen lol.

The wheel has been invented. It just might need a little smoothing.

 

[Wandern]

How tall would that be? And how deep? Stove would definitely be sitting too high. Just a simple adjustment, of course.

Not written in stone/wood yet. Between 18 and 24" deep. Height maybe 30" from the ground, not sure yet. As you say, easy to adjust, especially since...

I strongly suggest you work out your thoughts on the computer first, and yes great work on the sketch. Then get some cardboard and mock it up.

... it is all on the computer and in my imagination.

Then rent the vehicle and see if the space works with the design using the cardboard mock-up. It's truly the simplest way. In fact I would consider renting one early on so you can better know the curvature of the walls and the actual floor space you'll have.

It could be as simple as making minor adjustments. Or eye opening and realizing you might need to make some compromises. It's better to know earlier in the process.

At some point you just have to make a decision and go for it. I am planning to buy the vehicle, then remove the seats, measure some, buy the fridge, and then see how everything else would fit in there, curvature and trim and holes and all.

Lastly, and I would actually do this first. Look for all the minivan builds that have been done over the years on the forum. The search function here isn't the best. And a lot of times people don't just say minivan in the title of a thread. There are some very good builds. Even some with two people and a large dog, which is about the same as a teen lol.

The wheel has been invented. It just might need a little smoothing.

Done a bit of reading, but nothing too close to what I am trying to do. There are of course conversion kits with kitchen and bed frames and all, which provide some inspiration.

 

[MA-Rider]

Please join & help me on my voyage to a camper-converted Mini-Van. After about 3 years owning a Class B camper I would like to downsize to a Mini-Van.

We did enjoy the room and luxury of the RV. At this time, we are looking for something a bit more suitable as a daily driver. Perhaps once I retire and have more time to travel I will return to a more dedicated RV.

View attachment 35815

What I did not like about the commercially converted (Thor) camper:

1. All the things I did not really need or want
2. Quality and workmanship of the conversion
3. Size of the vehicle

1) While it had everything we wanted/needed, it also had quite a bit more that we could have done without. For example, a generator seems like a good thing to have, but we did not use it EXCEPT a few times to run the A/C in Summer on a Utah trip, and doing monthly maintenance runs is actually pretty annoying. Going to the deserts in the middle of Summer can be avoided, especially once the kids are out of school and it is easier to pick optimal travel seasons. Two 100Ah AGM batteries (175lb) could have been replaced with a single 100Ah LiFePO4 battery (26lb). The multiplex control panel sounds like a great idea, but a simple light or pump switch can be beautiful too, if you don't have to boot it up first.
Having a bathroom seemed like something essential, but in hindsight we did not use the shower or sink very much. The cassette toilet was something that my wife/daughter would probably want, so I'll need to think about that. I never even turned on the hot water.

2) I am pretty "handy" which was beneficial many times. Often the question wasn't if something would break/fall apart/cease to function but "when". It's a pretty complex setup, to squeeze the functionality of a home into a small vehicle, and then exposing it to constant jerking movements (dirt roads?). Especially with a camper on the lower end of the pricing scale, things just continue to cause issues. I feel that simplifying things and doing my own work (like using screws and wood glue instead of staples going nowhere) will overall make it a much less finicky and more reliable setup.

3) Don't get me wrong, being able to stand up in the camper is a wonderful thing, and something I will probably sorely miss that, as well as all the space to carry stuff with us. But smaller vehicles are more efficient, easier to drive, and less conspicuous.

All of this leads to a more minimalistic setup in a Mini-Van...

My 2-Cents worth: I traveled solo in a 2009 Toyota Sienna Minivan for a time. Traveling 2-up in a Minivan can be tight unless you are smaller people. Forget keeping any of the back seats. This space is need for the the bed. I dont understand why you need a dedicated water tank with filtration and pumping. The easiest way is to use 3 or 5 gallon water jugs with a hand or battery powered pump. What water are you planning to use that needs filtration? To keep the electrical system small and cheap, I used a 35 amp-hour AGM battery (like they use in wheel chairs) and charged it from the vehicles 12 volt outlet (I wasn’t sitting in one place for long).
In general, you dont need to reinvent the wheel. There are hundreds of existing minivan builds on line or on Youtube to copy or take ideas from. I lived with a well insulated cooler with ice that would keep things refrigerated for up to a week. Do you plan to Boondock in one place for longer than that?

 

[Wandern]

Thank you J.P. for sharing your experiences.

My 2-Cents worth: I traveled solo in a 2009 Toyota Sienna Minivan for a time. Traveling 2-up in a Minivan can be tight unless you are smaller people. Forget keeping any of the back seats. This space is need for the the bed.

There are many options here, I am going to explore them in another post.

I dont understand why you need a dedicated water tank with filtration and pumping. The easiest way is to use 3 or 5 gallon water jugs with a hand or battery powered pump.

Having a dedicated water tank with faucet is mostly about convenience. I know I always need water one way or another, so having to move water jugs around, tie them down, etc, I would like to avoid that. With water being fairly heavy, it's good to have it at a low point, perhaps a bit centered in the car.

What water are you planning to use that needs filtration?

Tap water. I know some fill separate jugs with filtered water beforehand, but I don't want to do that. I want to easily be able to fill the tank with water from various sources, including faucets on campgrounds. Mostly already "drinking water", but pushing it through another 1 micron filter will not hurt and simplifies things in some ways. I could also get some from a river. It will be used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and washing our dirty selves and dishes.

To keep the electrical system small and cheap, I used a 35 amp-hour AGM battery (like they use in wheel chairs) and charged it from the vehicles 12 volt outlet (I wasn’t sitting in one place for long).

I will use a 100Ah LiFePO4 power station which will be charged from solar panels and the car alternator. It already has a solar charge controller, so I can plug panels into it directly. It can be charged via 12-24V, as well as USB-C. It has a 1000W inverter and a boat-load of outlets incl USB-C. I think I linked it in an earlier post.

In general, you dont need to reinvent the wheel. There are hundreds of existing minivan builds on line or on Youtube to copy or take ideas from.

Oh yeah, I am surely benefiting from folks sharing there ideas, be it here or there or Youtube.

I lived with a well insulated cooler with ice that would keep things refrigerated for up to a week.

Understood, we're all different, and I immensely enjoy a nicely organized 12V refrigerator with a freezer compartment. Ice chests, portable coolers, yes, been there and done that for many many years.

Do you plan to Boondock in one place for longer than that?

Not a problem, thanks to solar, I have unlimited cooling/freezing duration. Water would be the limiting factor if not available, but it is easy to take a few 5gal water jugs along as extras if needed.
But to answer your question - no, most likely would not boondock in one place for longer than a week. At least until I retire and have more time for that.

 

[Wandern]

After considering 4 of the 5 points...

1. A nice, good sized, front-accessible refrigerator with a good sized freezer compartment
2. Place to prepare meals/propane cooker
3. Sink with filtered water
4. Storage

I would like to bring up the last one...

• Place to sleep at least 2 ppl, ideally 3

Besides staying in hotels, lol, the options I can see here are:

1. Roof Popup
2. Rooftop tent
3. Extra tent
4. Sleeping inside

Option 3 is always an option, but not something I am seriously considering as I hate pitching and taking down tents.
Option 1 is great, but commercial additions of popper uppers are incredibly expensive, and I am not sure there are even any done on Odysseys. Kinda intrigued about an option to add one (DIY?) that can be accessed via the sunroof opening... not sure something like this exists, makes sense, and/or is possible. Probably better to go with some Vanagon that has the popup already.
Option 2 seems very do-able, if a bit annoying to remove the RTT for the time in between trips. Also issues adding solar panels, and general worries about the roof caving in.

This leaves us with Option 4, sleeping inside. I have been told a few times here that it is not possible for 3 ppl to sleep inside a Minivan, and I'll take that into consideration. One tempting thought is that very soon it will be just two of us, with single-use happening frequently (I often go hiking on my own).

So three peeps sleeping inside would be a temporary situation, and perhaps I can avoid purchasing a RTT.

If you recall the rough sketch of the floor plan, I am thinking of positioning the fridge and storage cabinets along the drivers side. Length is not a problem, and I am considering building an extendable bed frame on top of that row that is about 2ft wide when pushed in (leaving space to squeeze by the 3rd seat into the back area), and 4 ft when pulled out. May be a bit tight for two peeps... they'd really need to like each other. It would also be somewhat high up, with little head room.

I did check if the passenger seat back can be laid flat to join up with the seat behind it and converted into a bed... the answer is pretty much no, at least not without some sort of supporting frame that evens out the sculpted shape of the seats.

However, there would be some space on the floor, in the center of the van. For a mattress and sleeping bag/bedding.

I don't really want to re-invent the wheel, but I have not seen any floor-plans for exactly what I have in my mind. Also painfully aware that this means it may not work out at all, but I tend to be skeptical and have frequently done things that are a bit... uncommon.

 

[Happy Camper]

Anything on the roof takes away space for the solar panels. Keep that in mind.