Before you “jump in” and buy a camping van, ask questions that will help inform your decision about how you want your van built. We’ve done some research with a variety of van owners about the questions they wish they would have asked before they decided to buy a converted van.
1. What is the company’s experience and warranty?
The most basic question is whether your camping van is built with certified electricians, plumbers, and reputable seat and window installers who will ensure that the van meets basic safety standards. You will also want to ask about the warranty on each component of the van. What happens if your shower leaks? Or if the electric wiring fails? Van conversion companies offer different warranties. You’ll want to find out the warranty information on each component: the vehicle itself, the appliances like the refrigerator, batteries, inverter, heater, and other components. Choose a van conversion company that provides a signed contract before the build begins or upon sale of the vehicle that details their level of commitment to fix problems that may develop.
2. How does the cost estimate compare with other companies?
There are only a handful of van conversion companies that have been around for more than five years. This is a new industry, and there are many new companies. From our research, these established companies have some faults. They don’t seem to be researching the latest technology and information in van conversion. Some don’t seem to use the best methods of insulation or the safest standards for mounting seats. Many rely on a 1980ish obsession with laminate materials and a plastic feel on the interior of the van. Even in their own advertisements for their vans, you can see that the cabinets don’t fit perfectly. And they often charge $20,000 – 60,000 more than some of the younger companies. Before you buy a converted camping van, do some cost comparison research to compare solar power, battery power, number of seats, beds, and features like bathrooms, etc. The younger companies are turning out less expensive camping vans.
3. What can the van power?
The great thing about a camping van run on solar panels and battery banks is that you can make coffee in the morning, cook a large meal, take a hot shower, charge your phones and computers and have lights at night. Van build companies offer a wide range of power options. The big companies tend to simply offer shore power plug ins, assuming that you’ll always be staying at an RV park. Some of the newer van conversion companies offer a few solar options for “boondocking” or “off the grid” camping at normal campgrounds or even in parking lots for urban “stealth camping.”
But many of these solar powered camping vans don’t actually offer enough batteries or solar panels to cook a full meal. So many of the solar vans use diesel water heater and propane stoves for cooking and only use solar for charging and lights. Some fantasize about running air conditioners on solar energy. Most van experts say this is nearly impossible. Running an efficient A/C unit requires the power stored in one lithium battery per hour. Each lithium battery costs around $1000. We’ve seen a van with an A/C and 9 lithium batteries so that the owner could run an A/C unit all day.
Our Via Verde Vans went through a complete power inventory for what power is needed to cook multiple meals, heat hot water, charge lights, run cooling fans in the ceiling, and power electronics for 4-5 people living in a van. It’s a much larger power system than most other van build companies offer: 480 watt solar panels, 3000 watt inverter, and 3 100ah lithium ion batteries. Make sure to ask your van build company for a realistic estimate of their power system and what you will be able to use while camping without shore power.
4. What kind of insulation do you use? What is the R value? Will it off-gas or smell?
Vans need insulation both to keep cool in summer and to keep warm in winter. Van insulation needs to have these properties:
- a high R value that will provide a buffer to heat and cold
- be water resistant so that WHEN it gets wet… and all vans get wet… it can repel water and dry out
- be light weight so that it will not add too much to the weight of the van’s limited payload.
Van conversion companies use a wide range of materials for insulation. And there are pros and cons of different types of van insulation materials.
Some offer simple plywood panels that cover the metal walls of the van but offer almost no R value insulation. Some use materials like recycled jeans that are a terrible choice for vans because it is likely to retain moisture, grow mold, and is heavy. Some companies use chemicals or insulation products that are expensive, highly toxic, off-gas into the van, and are made by highly polluting companies like 3M’s thinsulate or spray foam. Other van companies won’t share their insulation materials and just say it is “proprietary.”
Ask your van conversion company what type of insulation they use. Ask to see photos or videos of the insulation installation.
After extensive research, at Via Verde Vans we believe nature makes the best insulation. Havelock wool and Thermacork have high R values, water and mold resistant, and lightweight. These are easy to use, low-cost insulation materials are superior to most of the other insulation options for vans.
5. What kind of structural reinforcement is added to the van to support the bed and components to provide maximum safety? How much weight can the bed support?
Designing interior components for a van is a challenge. Van conversion companies offer a wide range of options. You’ll find examples all over the web of engineers attempting a variety of types of bed structures and methods of building cabinets and kitchen centers.
There are two main questions to consider. First, what structural reinforcements are added to the van to increase the wall strength supporting the bed? Second, what is the weight limit for the bed?
Some van conversion companies don’t offer much information on either question. A wide range of van conversion companies -including Via Verde Vans – are now using the Adventure Wagon MOAB (Mother of All Beds) because it offers the greatest structural integrity to the van walls with an extensive engineered wall support skeleton connected inside the van which supports 600 pounds of weight, far more than van beds made by other companies.
6. What kind of installation plates are used if you are installing additional seating? Are the integrated seat belts forward facing and bolted with plates above and underneath the floor?
RV seat safety is kind of crazy. RVs often offer no seat belts for rear passengers, or seats placed at side angles which would be unsafe in a crash. Converted camping vans are no different. While regular vehicles are required to have safety tested seat belts and rigorous tests for crash testing, vans and larger RVs can add in couches, lounge chairs and seats that face sideways, have no seat belts, offer just lap belts, and attached to the floor of the van with small bolts. In an accident, passengers in the back are going to be thrown around without protection. Seats are going to rip out of the floor. And it is going to be devastating to any fragile human body.
Van conversion companies use all kinds of different methods for installing seats behind the front driver and passenger seats. We’ve looked underneath the chassis of some converted vans made by the most well-known companies. And we’ve been shocked to see only small bolts with no extra metal plates holding down the seats. That is why Via Verde Vans talked to Mercedes experts to identify the installation requirements for bolting seats into the floor with extra metal plates and large washers that won’t pull through the floor in a crash.
If you care about the safety of your family and friends, ask your van conversion company about how they installed the seating and look under the chassis to make sure there are metal plates and 4 inch or larger washes holding down the seats.
7. What is the weight of the build and how much extra room is left in the payload for people, food, gear, etc?
Van conversion companies use vans designed for hauling cargo or passengers, so many assume they can pile all the weight they want into the van without worry. This is not true.
Each van comes with a payload limit; the maximum weight the van can carry without adding extra strain to the engine or impacting mileage and vehicle performance.
We’ve seen many van conversion companies that seem to pay no attention to payload. They use heavy materials such as all wood paneling, inch thick cabinets and counters, heavy mattresses, and heavy AGM batteries. When asked about the payload left over for passengers and gear, they don’t have an answer. And some conversion companies leave literally no payload for people, bags, food and all the other things you want to bring with you in a van.
Ask your van conversion company how much of the payload is left for passengers and gear. Look for van conversion companies that use lightweight materials like cork, bamboo, and wool. These products are not only more eco-sensitive, they are also cheap, readily available, more durable, and lightweight.
You’ll want to have about 800-1000 lbs. available in the payload for passengers and gear. This is our commitment at Via Verde Vans.
8. What are all the different options from the vehicle manufacturer?
Each van manufacturer offers a host of different safety options. For example, our Via Verde Vans include the top level of safety options from Mercedes including back up cameras so you can see behind the van, Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, and other features. This adds a few thousand to the cost for the Sprinter. The Transit and ProMaster also offer additional safety packages. Make sure to ask your van manufacturer for a full list of details on the safety options on the vehicle.