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Story time
This van started it's life as a van for Venture County Health and Human services. I bought it around 2018 with grand plans to make it a camper van for my outdoor adventures. I'm a mountaineer with a few dogs and this was going to be THE rig to take. My initial thought was to heavily insulate the van and make it capable to live in for a week or more. The van has gone through a few versions. No popup originally. Then a few different designs while it got the pop top.
The initial build out was with wood, but the current version uses primarily aluminum (except the lower bed). The 14 gallon water tank is enough for a long weekend without refilling if you don't shower. The tank is inside the van to keep it from freezing and easy access to water level. It refills from outside via a locked RV style water fill port. It has hot water from propane that can use a 20lb tank or the 1lb tanks with an included adapter (which is primarily how I run it.) If you don't need hot water, no propane is necessary with this rig. It has a 200ah Lithium battery that is charged by 200 watts of solar and the alternator. The smart controller fills the van batteries, there are two as this is a diesel, first then fills the house 200ah battery. It'll charge it in 30 minutes of driving once the van batteries are full. I've never run out of power, even in winter. The induction stove uses a good amount of power but can go a full weekend without sun or driving. If longer than that, just give it some sun or drive for 30 minutes. There is a power meter facing the driver which I have positioned to be able to check while driving specifically for this use case.
The dual beds are fantastic. The upper is SUPER airy and the view out is amazing. Find somewhere scenic and enough the restful view. National parks, state parks, or even mountain pull offs have all been excellent view points for the upper bunk. The lower bunk is a bit bigger, and has a memory foam mattress. I am not kidding in saying it is the BEST sleep on the mattress. Possibly better than at home.
Toilet options are plentiful but I think the best is Laveo Dry Toliet. The toilet functions somewhat like a diaper genie. No smell. Easy clean up. The best option in my opinion. There is a privacy curtain to make the bathroom area complete. The shower is located out the back of the van. I usually bring a small outdoor mat to put out there with a curtain. It make showering a breeze. It is also fantastic for rinsing off dogs after a long adventure. Even had your dog decide to roll around in dirt after a dip in a lake? Yea shower is necessary.
Storage? Yeah there is plenty of that inside and out. Starting outside we have the full Aluminess box, tire carrier setup and bike/ski setup. The box can store all your dry goods or maintenance items. The add on of hte bike & ski carrier is a saver for keeping dirt and snow out of the rig. There is, what I call, an equipment locker on the side. It is where the house battery and diesel heater are hooked up. Also where I typically store tools and odds and ends. Nice weather safe area for storage. Inside there is a bunch of storage on the driver side. Collapsible bins in the lower area. Great for storing food and kitchen items. Upper area has many bins as well for organizing clothes, medical gear, head lamps, etc. Plenty of room for all your gear. All strapped in to prevent it from being displace by a washboard or rocky road.
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2002 E-350 7.3L PSD Sportsmobile Poptop
1992 E-150 4.9L Sportsmobile [sold]
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