Monotone Couple Converts Yet Another (Sprinter) Van

The humans: Tyrah is the mover and shaker that actually makes things happen instead of remain daydreams. Ben is your author most of the time. I come from the boat design world and now write software. Vans are a pretty great way to cope with the boat nostalgia.

The van: 170" high-roof 4x4. High enough for a 6' person to stand in and long enough to squeeze in a minimalist bathroom. The 170-ext and the longest Ford Transit have crummy departure angles, especially with a dual-sport back there on the hitch.

Table of Contents

• DIY high-altitude hydronic van heating: It’s basically a DIY Rixen system, but we (my dad and I, both trained engineers) repeatedly calculated that we needed both a bigger storage tank and a bigger heat exchanger than what they call for… to get nice long showers and low heater cycling. I also have some more detailed Espar D5 installation notes.
• Electrical system: We have tons of flexibility and redundancy due to solar charging, alternator charging, 30-amp 120v “RV” shore power and 240v “EV” shore power. We also have some details on the 565 watts of rooftop solar.
• Freshwater system: 5 micron filter before the tanks and 0.2 micron filter after the tanks.

Older links / articles:

• Insulation: We looked at everything and mimicked outdoor enthusiasts with Thinsulate for the van walls and Primaloft One for the window covers, curtains, etc.
• Flooring: 1/4" EPS in the recessed ribs, 3/4" EPS on top of that, factory subfloor, TBD finish materials. The EPS needs to be 2 pcf / 25-psi compressive strength. We got Type IX EPS from a local industrial supplier. This was a bit tricky, but not a huge deal.
• Ventilation: MaxxAir fans work in the rain, when you need them most.
• Fan installation
• Soundproofing: A bit of Fatmat RattleTrap per the audiophiles. Not sure how well it worked, but was hesitant not to use it. RattleTrap was one of the more healthy options.
• Trim panel issue: Sprinters leak out of the factory. Being a fretful blog reader finally paid off, so glad this was caught and solved early.
• Freshwater system: We wanted a “real RV / marine” freshwater system. It can be tricky to try to balance the criteria of hardcore boondocking AND the ability to be luxuriously connected to a water source AND the ability to easily winterize… it’s not rocket science, I’m just a bit slow to see things super clearly. We’ll get there.
• Electrical: We chose moderately sized lithium batteries because they’re cheaper than lead-acid on a lifetime basis. I can’t stand the idea of trashing $800 worth of batteries that can’t be deeply cycled and only last a couple / several years. They hold all the energy one can capture in a day w/ the limited solar power of a Sprinter roof, so… not that motivated to go that much larger. I am still interested in a Nissan Leaf battery (or similar reclamation story), but… would need to find more sources of green energy to justify their use over burning diesel.
• Protecting lithium batteries: We must protect the $2k batteries for their lifetime to justify the upfront costs. Our strategy for doing that is detailed in the link above. It involves protecting them against accidental over-charging. We know life on the road makes one kind of spacey sometimes and not taking any chances. The BMS probably takes care of this, but I don’t really want to find out when it’s just a $100 solenoid and some know-how to add some extra protection.
• Plumbing: Trying to get a pretty big tank in there so that an evaporative cooler will remain an option. We’re putting everything inside so that it’s truly 4-season capable. No fretting about whether a tank-heater is working correctly or whatever.
• Avoiding fossil fuel heat all together is really expensive: We will run an electric heater and an electric blanket, but will have to fall back to the diesel heater at a certain point. Batteries large enough to not need to do this would be very costly and take lots of charging.
• Layout ideas: Kitchen in the front, bathroom in the back, bed in between.
• AC: Not going to have it. Might have an evaporative cooler for the arid west at a tiny faction of the energy consumption. Boondocking in the east was hard and centered around visiting friends and family anyway.
• Marine diesel stove: Considering it. If we could get it to work at elevation, it could allow for a smaller primary furnace, provide an oven, and provide hot water on cold, dark days.

The biggest resources in the game include:

• The Sprinter Sourcebook
• The main forum
• The “main” Facebook group… join us there

Social Media Links:

• Instagram… started when we were in a Tacoma with a Flip-Pac and an Into the Wild Overland offroad trailer… how we originally cut our teeth.
• Pinterest… some pretty great boards (in my opinion) on lighting, galleys, interiors, electrical, showers, cabinetry, and other layouts.