

- #ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN REGISTRATION#
- #ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN PORTABLE#
- #ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN WINDOWS#
#ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN WINDOWS#
We also really love all the windows in our van, but it’s easy to put a wall over them if you want something a little more closed in. Once you’ve gutted it, building out a conversion van is just like building out a cargo van – except you have the added flexibility of a high topper. If you’re like us and enjoy the process of turning a base vehicle into a perfectly-custom and homey living space, then a conversion van is a perfect blank slate for your van build. You can always add more amenities on the road as needed.
#ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN PORTABLE#
Just throw in a cooler, some auxiliary batteries with a a DC-DC charger, (or a portable power station), and you’re good to go. The typical conversion van comes with a nicely-upholstered interior with basic vehicle insulation, curtains on the windows, and a rear bench seat that folds down into a bed (many are even battery-powered for push-button conversion to “bed mode”). If you just want to hit the road tomorrow, conversion vans already have factory-built interiors that are mostly move-in ready. This isn’t specific to conversion vans, but it’s still a great feature. Most conversion vans also have barn-style swing out doors that give you even more options for mounting storage, or fold out tables, or anything else you can think of, that sliding doors make impossible. We keep our dry food above the cab, and we’ve built the rear shelf into our clothes closet. Because of our high topper, we have natural shelves in the back and in the front above the cab. The high topper adds extra storage space that other vans just don’t have, which frees up room to create your perfect layout. So Many Storage Options!Ĭonversion vans are awesome for storage. She convinced John to nix anything without a high top, and believe us, John is happy that she did! 4. John didn’t think headroom would be a big deal at first, but Jayme had grown up with a conversion van and knew how awesome the extra space would be, especially for someone as tall as John. The extra headroom that a high topper adds was something we honed in on pretty quickly in our van search. Extra Headroom Makes the Interior Feel Very Spacious And it’s in great condition – we’ve had very few problems with it, and every mechanic who’s seen it has told us how clean the engine is. Our van is a ‘96, but it only had 100,000 miles on it when we bought it in 2016. While you may be able to find a newer, affordable cargo van out there, chances are it’ll be in worse condition and have much higher mileage than a comparably-priced conversion van. Most cargo van owners buy them for work, and only sell them after they’ve beaten them into the ground and racked up a ton of miles. So even though that sweet high top van you’re looking at may be from the mid-nineties, it’s probably in great condition with fairly low miles.Ĭontrast that with cargo vans. Most used ones you’ll find for sale were only driven once or twice a year on road trips, and those road trips likely consisted of mostly highway miles.

Low(er)-Mileage Vehicles in Good Condition are Easier to FindĬonversion vans are leisure vehicles.
#ROAD TRIPPER CONVERSION VAN REGISTRATION#
We bought Gnomie for only $1500, and that plus new tires, taxes and registration fees, some mechanical fixes, and our entire conversion cost us just over $10,000 in total.

Newer vans like Ford Transits and Ram Promasters are too pricey for many.īut it’s not hard to buy a nice conversion van and build it into the DIY rolling tiny home of your dreams, all for much less than buying just the base vehicle of any other van. As vanlife grows in popularity, Westies are getting more and more expensive – and that’s before you shell out thousands of dollars (or many hours of your time) getting them mechanically road ready. Older ones are very affordable, especially compared to many other vans out there. If budget is your primary concern, conversion vans are a great choice. They’re Affordable Compared to Other Vans It's Ultimately About the Freedom of the Open Roadħ Reasons We Love Conversion Vans 1.
