My Minivan Camper Conversion | Van Tour
Today I'm finally revealing my Minivan Camper Conversion!
I've completed my minivan camper conversion at last! Today I'm giving you the full tour!
The canyon walls looked as if they could touch the sky. The sun cast beams across the roadway as I continued my drive into the mountains, blasting indie/folk music and laughing with my friends. It was 7 or 8 years ago and we were on our way to a weekend camping trip, a crowd of friends already waiting for us in the mountains. That weekend was the first weekend I camped in my van and I have been obsessed ever since. I knew that someday I wanted to convert a van to travel
in, instead of simply rolling out a sleeping bag in the back! Over the years I would camp out a few times in my van, but it wasn't until this year that between remodeling the new homestead and commuting, I decided to start work on my van conversion! It was important to me to have something compact and easy to drive, so I converted my Chrysler minivan, and I'm so excited to reveal to you how it turned out! You can watch the video above for a full tour, or read the post below!
Step 1: Building the Bed
The First Step
Building the Bed + Decorating
Thanks to the ongoing renovation of my 1943 farmhouse, I have an abundance of lumber from walls we've torn out, beams we've taken down, and more! All I had to do was take a trip to the wood pile, pull out the old nails, and get to work! I did a basic slat bed that converts into a bench seat. I wanted something I could pull in and out of the van so that if I ever wanted to use it as an everyday minivan it wouldn't be difficult to undo the conversion and put all the seats back up! The seats fold flush into the floorboards, except for the back which are about one inch higher than the front! This was easily accounted for by making the front legs an inch longer than the back, and everything was level!
I fixed up the bed with some satin sheets, a cozy green quilt, a light pink duvet, and some cute tasseled and burlap throw pillows! I also strung up a garland, battery operated fairy lights, curtains, and added some battery operated lanterns!
Minivan Camper Conversion Step #2
Setting up the Kitchen & Other Supplies
I am totally food OBSESSED. As soon as I got the bed done, I moved on to setting up the perfect portable camp kitchen system! I will do a more detailed post of what I include in my camp kitchen, but I'll give you a quick run-down of what I have in my setup! I have my Biolite camp stove that I'm completely OBSESSED with, a gorgeous copper + metal mess kit, gold toned silverware, copper cups, wooden cooking utensils, pop-up portable sink, bamboo dish scrubbers, and environmentally friendly natural dish soap. I used a C-shape table from Amazon as the portable table I can pull out to cook on, or place inside to use as a desk or a table.
Toiletries & Bath Kit
In my bath kit I keep a towel, Ethnique natural shampoo + conditioner bars, Venus to Mars diverter, camping Bidet, wipes, hamper bag, and every day toiletries like toothbrush etc.
The Third Step
Time to Make some Memories!
With the van stocked and the necessities in place, it was time to take it on its first adventure! I quickly decided on Duck Creek, Utah as the first destination! Born and raised a desert rat, I had never seen trees so tall in my life! In fact trees? What even are those? The first day there was a beautiful misty, rainy day. Some of the spots I visited that would usually be crowded were wide open with panoramic views! The weather was a bit chilly compared to the southern Nevada heat I'm used to, but it was perfect! I'll be posting soon a more in depth post and travel guide for Duck Creek!
INSPO PICS
The Pics I Drew Inspiration From When Designing my Van!
Anytime I start a new project the FIRST place I go is Pinterest! I love finding inspiration and ideas for layouts, design factors, and just to see what's possible! Of course, there aren't a lot of minivan campers out there, so I had to make design adjustments accordingly, but here are some of my favorite pin-spiration for this project! As I found these on Pinterest, I'm not sure who the photo credit goes to! If you know, comment below and I will link to the proper sources!
