More and more people are getting attracted to life on the road. The #vanlife looks very promising, especially for those who long for adventure and freedom. Endless trips, no expensive monthly house rents—it seems like it cannot get any better.
However, it’s not that easy to start a van life. In fact, even planning and thinking of ideas for your van conversion can be headache-inducing. How to maximize the van’s limited space? Which materials are more efficient but less costly? What accessories to add to the interiors? Will I need tinted sprinter van windows? All of it will need a lot of your thinking power. To give you some ideas, here are some sprinter van conversion DIYs made completely by the hands of some successful vanlifers:
Related: 5 Must-Have Conversion Van Accessories
1. Minimalist Bachelor Pad
Daniel designed his Mercedez Benz Sprinter like a minimalist bachelor pad with a combination of white and wood. It has a spacious, elevated bed on top of a garage and bike storage, two sets of overhead cabinets, and a complete kitchen setup with domestic two-burner cooktop-and-sink with fold cover, a mini-fridge and a drop leaf table. Where are the shower and the toilet, you ask? On the gyms, restaurants and rest stops, apparently.
Photo: Daniel’s 2016 Mercedes Benz Sprinter
2. Slick & Modern Apartment-Style
From the inside, this sprinter van conversion DIY looks more like a small apartment than a vehicle. Its main feature is an airy lounge-slash-bedroom-slash-dining area in the form of a comfy sofa with atop cabinets and a removable table for dining. At night, it transforms into a bedroom, via an electric hoist bed that can be lowered down from a bulkhead in the ceiling to the sofa. It also has a pop-up shower tent and polished kitchen with a sink, stove and a fridge.
Photo: Mark’s 2010 Mercedes Benz Sprinter
3. Cozy Family Home
Can a van sprinter sleep a family of four? Apparently, it can. The Rosenes family lives full-time on the road on their transcontinental journey to tour the majority of the 50 states—and their home on wheels looks surprisingly spacious and cozy. It has two sleeping areas with foldable beds; a large kitchen set-up with a sink, stove, and even an oven! Ample storage overhead and underneath. A bathroom with a compost toilet and an outdoor shower.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJYp_FnOAv/
4. For Extreme Adventure
As a certified surfing and rock-climbing addict, Justin built a van he can take anywhere in his adventure. It is mostly wood with dark tones of blues and black. It has one bed, a substantial kitchen with a double burner and sink, and lots of storage including a large back storage space for his climbing equipment. On the other hand, the toilet is on cafes while showers are on the ocean while surfing or the gym, which he tagged the “van’s best friend.”
Photo: Parked in Paradise
5. Home & Office Style
Married couple Eamon and Rebecca travel and work at the same time. The most distinctive feature of their $11,000 sprinter van conversion DIY is the bed which doubles as a workbench with one quick rearranging of the mattress and a foldable table. It also has complete kitchen essentials such as a sink, a double burner and a refrigerator.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPoDZVjyN6/
6. Fancy & Luxurious Style
So what makes this sprinter van conversion DIY fancy and luxurious? Apparently, it’s not the faux leather on its entire ceiling, its water system with automatic level sensors, or its moving home cinema system, but its compact toilet and shower cubicle. Yes, a toilet and shower indoors complete with door installation—the hashtag-goals for many in the vanlife. Nooze from Russia also created two vertical sofas that convert to a bed, plenty of storage space above and underneath, as well as a kitchenette with a sink, a stove and a refrigerator.