Need Vehicle Ideas

[JMyerz]

Hello!

I've been trying to figure out the safest / best way to tote a family of three around on adventures. We're mostly a family
of surfers and fly fishers. My initial thought was a converted cargo van and I've been eyeing a new Dodge 118" Promaster
with the idea of building it out with a very basic bench seat setup similar to the eurovan. My wife is concerned with the safety
as the walls seem thin and unprotected in the back.

Our needs our:

Quick sleeping arrangements
Haul 10' longboards securely and safely
A decent daily driver
Haul photography gear for work (It's amazing how much stuff I tote around).

I've thought about an older euro or vanagaon but at this point in my life don't have time for a project.

Thanks!

J

 

[Cole]

I've had 25 years of Jeeps, small 4x4 trucks, big 4x4 trucks, and everything in between.

I built a Eurovan a few years ago(small thread on it around here somewhere:coffeedrink and love it! A van is definitely the best family adventure vehicle ever! Loved it so much that I started building a Sprinter a few months ago for a bit more room.

I'm torn between them. I love the small size of the Eurovan and how well everything is integrated. But....with 5 (two dogs) of us in there it gets tight quick, especially with gear. Thus the Sprinter build! Bigger has its advantages.

Not sure I would do such a short 118" van if you are hauling lots of gear and want to sleep in it, etc.


First page of my Sprinter thread has the link to the Eurovan thread. Some of the pictures in both might help you figure out what size and gear you need.



http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-I-just-fly-to-Maine-to-by-a-Sprinter!/page32

 

[JMyerz]

Cole!

I assume a sprinter is the same as the promaster in terms of the rear cargo build. My wife is concerned about the "thin walls" in case
of an accident. Any thoughts?

 

[Cole]

Cole!

I assume a sprinter is the same as the promaster in terms of the rear cargo build. My wife is concerned about the "thin walls" in case
of an accident. Any thoughts?

I'm honestly not sure how to address that concern. They are all available (Sprinter/VW T4 Eurovan/Promaster/Ford/GM/whatever ) in both passenger and cargo models. The walls obviously "seem" thinner when not hidden by the plastic interior trim of a passenger van. In reality, they are all the same. Honestly, if I took all the trim out of a normal SUV or car it would also seem like it had thin walls of just sheet metal.

I can say that building out a cargo van is far more complex, expensive and time consuming than it is often presented to be on these forums. (If you want something relatively nice). Much easier to start with a built van. Might even try some used conversion or camper vans that are already built.

Where are you located?

 

[JMyerz]

Portland, OR

I'm not looking for much, Van specialties is going to put a rear seat / bed extension with belts in and I'm going to insulate and panel the walls with abs plastic. Maybe add an engel fridge in the future but that's the extent of my plans. We don't need a kitchen or anything like that.

J

 

[Cole]

The only think I don't like about my Eurovan is that everything is "one at a time" inside it. Bed out...no more standing, no table, no fridge access, no cargo under bed access. I do love having the ventilation new and second bedroom of the Poptop and the fact that it fits in normal low parking garages. But, unless it's up and nobody is sleeping upstairs, everything must be done on your knees.

The Sprinter lets us have a bed AND seating for 4 up front, (which means I don't have to move a toddler seat to pull out the bed) this would be the same issue on any SWB van. The other issue I've found with the SWB van is that if I want to haul big cargo I have to remove the toddler seat, leaving only two seats...and there are 3 of us. With the long Sprinter I can haul anything AND have 4 seats up front( I can fit two full sized motorcycles inside for example and still have all the seating)

Having room to leave some gear inside the van all the time has proven handy. (Jackets, change of clothes, etc) Also nice to lock stuff away inside vs having it in bike/roof racks all the time. But with boats you will probably always have something on the roof.

Point begin that you may want to look at something a bit longer than the 118", high roof! Being able to stand inside makes a world of difference!

 

[Cole]

Check out some do the things outsidevan.com does for interiors for some ideas.

 

[coolfeet]

I drive an old 1998 Ford E150 Club Wagon with a basic folding platform beds in both the front and rear. It's our stealth camping van as it looks like a basic window cargo van. We store equipment and sleep in it. No cooking. No plumbing. We do carry a port a pottie that helps keep the woods clean.

Most of our gear is stowed below the bed. I built a similar folding platform bed for the front that folds down across the bench seat. There is enough room to travel with 6 people and it sleeps 4. I am thinking about adding the ARB or Engel Fridge freezer as it really is a space saver. I fill my cooler with 20 pounds of ice which translates into 10 quarts of real estate space lost.

This is our basic set up in the rear.


Front folding bed.

Front folding bed installed.




Deployed camping bed

 

[AFBronco235]

I guess it really depends on how much gear you plan on taking.

If you were traveling lighter or pulling a small trailer/camper, then I'd recommend a Bronco of some kind. Your wife should like the safety factor in that they're built like tanks. Mileage is decent for its size. Properly tuned, the engines, depending on tires, transmission and other factors, you can get between 15 and 20 mpg empty. About 10-15 mpg loaded down. They can tow a small camper/trailer and adding a roof rack for boards isn't hard.

If you absolutely need more room, see if you can get ahold of a Centurion, which is a stretched, 4 door Bronco.

 

[rcharrette]

I had an 87' Vanagon Syncro for 12 years with my wife and 2 pup's. We loved it and it took us on so many adventures. I will say anything involving a VW Van will require many instances of crawling under it on the side of the road IMO I think vans are great for 1 or 2 people and a dog or 2. Once our first child arrived things changed. When we use to keep the bed folded out to make a quick run into town etc, now we had to fold the bed back into the seat and reinstall his car seat (kind of a PITA!). And of course that never changes, you just eliminate the car seat part after a few years, but you still have to close it all up and reorganize.
The Sprinter would be a nice thought as long as you can keep a row of seats behind the driver and use the rest for sleeping living.
We opted for a tow behind camper. IMO it's the best of all worlds for us (with kids and a dog). Get to camp, drop it and set up then we have the truck to go out running around and exploring with no tear down required.

 

[Butch1979]

We LOVE our Sprinter van. The thing has changed how we travel. We take off every weekend because it is so easy to have the van packed and ready to go. Our daughter sits in the middle on a fold down bench seat while we are traveling and sleeps in a pack and play during the night (when we are stopped an setup for camping).

 

[Butch1979]

Our previous rig was a 100 series Land Cruiser with a pull behind off-road trailer. This setup was great for off-road capability, however the setup and tear down was a ton of work.

 

[toyotech]

I think being able to stand in a sprinter van for most people is a plus. The walls or no thinner or thicker than any other vehicle. The side protection comes from reinforced tubing they run across them but this mainly on doors.


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[Raul B]

have you considered a motorhome? if you can get one that is built off of a E series platform it would be pretty easy to convert it to 4wd.

 

[Paddlevan]

when you want to have it all a pickup rig with a scamp 5th wheel and trailer behind is the most versatile rig... for the other 97% weekends after school and quick trips with friends ..sprinter for a "super" weekender