Tempted by Vanlife? Looking for how to convert a van to a campervan? We obsessively documented EVERYTHING from our DIY campervan conversion process. Whether you are converting a Ford Transit, a Mercedes Sprinter or a Ram ProMaster, it’s all good: our step-by-step directions should point you in the right path whatever the van you choose to convert. Happy conversion!
Knowledge
Shopping List
Techniques
Second Thoughts
Visual index
(Click to follow the links)
Sequential Build Journal
(Chronological, same order as we built it)
Our Build Journal below is presented chronologically. That being said, the order of some steps can be interchanged; for example, you could decide to upgrade the tires, the radio, or to install the Air Lift system at any moment. But some steps should be performed in the right order... The timeline below indicate, what we think, is the critical path:
Larger All-Terrain Tires Upgrade
First things first. We’re not off road enthusiasts, but we’re not roadies either. We need tires that can handle highway, off-road and snow as well. And we don’t mind the badass look too, because we’re such badass people. Whether you are converting a campervan or own a work van, this is something to consider.
Maxxfan Roof Fan
Do you have what it takes to convert a brand new van? This is the test right here. We just brought home a new shiny van and we're about to cut a big hole through the roof to install a fan... THERE IS NO TURNING BACK NOW!
Window(s)
We did NOT add a window above our bed and, well, maybe we should have... We're considering adding one to our van during summer 2019 (edit: we didn't! 2020 maybe?). If we had to start over we would most likely do it at this point of the conversion, right after the Maxxfan installation.
Solar Panels
Off-the-grid or not, we still have to run the fridge, the fans, the water pump, the lights, etc; our autonomy and freedom depend A LOT on electrical power at all time. Harvesting power from the sun feels a bit like cheating to us: we LOVE IT! If you say freedom, we say solar!
Passenger Swivel Seat
We chose to convert the largest Ford Transit available, thinking we would have plenty of extra space... Note by us from the future: "nope, no extra space"! Indeed, every precaution should be taker to maximize the space available. Adding swivel seats is one of these precaution, we HIGHLY recommend it! We use it constantly. So let's get to work!
Driver Swivel Seat
The driver swivel seat installation requires to lower the e-brake, so it's a bit more complicated than the passenger seat. But in retrospective, it's essential for our layout: we use it everyday. So we're glad we went for it!
Fiamma Awning
If space is a rare & precious thing in a van, why not create some space outside? An awning is not cheap, but we'd rather be outside. Rain or shine. Do we actually use it? Please take the time to read our "Second Thoughts" in this article...
Webasto Heater
If you have enough budget to invest in a van, ski gear and ski passes, then you have enough budget to invest in a dry heat source; we can’t recommend that enough. We LOVE our Webasto as it has "unlimited" heat source (it uses fuel from the van's tank, so no need to refill a propane tank), it keeps the humidity level below 40% (even when drying ski gear!) and it's powerful enough to keep the van warm (68F) at all time. This thing is awesome.
Propex Heater
Webasto AND Propex, do we really need both? Here's the situation: right before our first winter (2017) we had some issues with the Webasto. So we decided to add the Propex as a backup heat source, because being parked at -22F (-30C) is not a joke; having heat is safety matter! Turns out our Webasto is working fine, so we didn't really needed the Propex after all, but it's nice to know we can have heat when we forget to add enough gas in the tank AND a second heater is not a bad thing when temperatures drop below -20F (-30C)...
RELATED:
Cross Nuts & Hex Nuts
We don’t like drilling holes in our van as it could: attract rust on bare edges, spread metal chips all over (almost impossible to remove and will attract rust), interfere with your van electronics (!). Cross Nuts and Hex Nuts are the solution! Check it out!
Floor
And now is the time to install a floor in our van because, you know, we need something to walk on! That’s being said, a floor has many other primordial functions than just supporting our feet. Indeed, a proper floor installation prevents water infiltration (= rust), provides thermal and noise insulation, and serves as anchor for the cabinets. In addition it should be resistant to wear, be able to withstand enough weight, not produce any squeak, and … look good (yep, that counts!).
Thinsulate Insulation
Welcome to the most controversial topic on van conversion: Thermal Insulation! One could spend days reading about it online, only to find out there is no consensus on that topic... Our researches on insulation and condensation led us to choose Thinsulate and we're glad we did! After two winters chasing snow full time, Thinsulate kept us warm even down below -22F! And it still looks great after all this time (no molds, no bugs). Awesome!
Platform Bed
There are a lot of creative way to make a bed: Murphy bed, pull-out slats, futon, etc. We personally wanted a permanent bed (so we don't have to do/undo the setup everyday) and to leave plenty of room for the "garage". A raised platform bed seemed ideal and we don't look back!
Slide-Out Bike Rack
We won’t lie, this whole FarOutThing revolves a lot around the mountain bikes. They deserve a neat and functional storage. And we can't emphasis on that enough: repetitive tasks should be make easy (we ride almost everyday in summer, so that's definitely a repetitive task)!
Fridge & Electrical Cabinet
It's the first cabinet we're building, so it's quite the learning curve... but we made it! In retrospect, we're VERY happy with the large countertop (we cook a lot in the van) and we like that the electrical system doesn't use much room (but it's challenging to work in it because it's so small).
Electrical System Guide
Designing a 12V electrical system from scratch is not a simple task, we learnt that the hard way. It is where most people get discouraged, so it's BY FAR our most detailed guide on this website. You'll learn how to size your components, decide between different technologies, make the connections, where to install fuses and breakers, etc. We're also sharing our Wiring Diagram, which is flexible and can be implemented on pretty much anything (Transit, Sprinter, ProMaster, Tiny House, Boat, Trailer, etc!). Hope that helps!
Overhead Storage
There's not much use to make of the space above the countertop... except, of course, adding storage! The overhead storage will be used to put away our kitchen stuff (dishes, pots & pans, food containers, espresso machine, etc).
Bedroom Storage
In small space, organization is the key to sanity! Looking back, we LOVE our bedroom storage because we both have our own "storage cubes" to put away our stuff, organized by categories. No random packing, it's all neat!
Sink & Stove Cabinet
Adding a propane range and pressurized water was a GREAT decision, considering we live full time in the van. The sink & stove cabinet is home to the Atwood range, the Dometic sink and has some storage for household products & food as well.
Water System Guide & Installation
We hesitated to install a draft beer system in our DIY campervan conversion, but we finally installed a pressurized water system instead. This is the Water System Installation of our DIY campervan conversion. Materials, tools, cost and installation. Fully illustrated to make it easy to understand!
Low-E Thermal Break & Radiant Barrier
We chose Thinsulate (and we're glad we did) as our “main” thermal and noise insulation. To be effective, Thinsulate requires to be fully expanded: that’s almost 2 inches thick for SM600L Thinsulate. There are locations where we just don’t have that space (we'd rather keep that space as living area), so we installed Low-E insulation (formerly EZ-Cool) to act as thermal break.
Wood Paneling
Right from the start, we knew we wanted a rustic finish. It is fairly easy to obtain a nice & clean finish with the tongue and groove paneling: each plank will sit flush the the adjacent planks, creating a uniform & continuous surface. The planks are relatively thin at 5/16” thickness, making them flexible enough to conform to the van funky surfaces. We did not sand the planks, but we finished them with varnish to protect them against a spaghetti incident.
Foam Blobs Makeover
The foam blobs... we don't really like them, but we can't really get rid of them either (because of the adjacent air bags). So we did our best to make them look good. Check it out!
LED Ceiling Lights
After a few trial-and-error we finally found what we think are the perfect recessed ceiling LED lights! The first LED we ordered were WAY too bright as the glass was clear instead of frosted. Even with a dimmer, the light was shocking for the eye. Then we stumbled on the Acegoo LED lights…
Nature's Head Composting Toilet
We plan on living full time for a year in the van (update from the future: we're currently in our third year!). For a minimum of comfort (and convenience), we really wanted a toilet and after reading about composting toilets, it seamed like the perfect solution for us! It’s honestly really easy to install and manage; there is no odor (that’s right!) and no black water to deal with. It's one of these thing we couldn't live without. Sweeeeet!
Propane System Guide & Installation
Propane stores a LOT of energy in a compact and cheap way. To get an equivalent amount of energy via solar & batteries would cost thousands and thousands of dollars. To make it perfectly safe, we enclosed our propane tank in a sealed & vented locker. This Propane System Guide has everything you need to build your knowledge and execute your build. We even share our Propane Diagram in there, hope that helps!
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Upfitter Auxiliary Switches
The Ford Transit can be ordered with the optional Upfitter Auxiliary Switches, but getting access to their output is a bit tricky. Fortunately, we made our homework and we’re guiding you through the process!
Air Lift Spring Kit
As we progressed in our conversion, the van got heavier and we could see the back starting to sag... We decided to add an Air Lift Spring Kit to bring the van back to it's original level and to improve the ride. And with the on-board compressor and the wireless remote, we can adjust the air pressure in the springs on the fly to level the van for the night! Neat!
Mosquito Screens
And here’s the only non-DIY part of our Transit van conversion: the mosquito screens. They’re almost too good to be true, there is NO WAY we could have match the functionality or quality of those. So we did not bother making them!
Radio Upgrade
The Ford Transit can be upgraded with an aftermarket radio and we’ll show you how in the following article. We went from the basic Ford factory AM/FM radio to the Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX 6.94″ TouchScreen Multimedia Receiver: it has Android Auto & Apple CarPlay (wireless or USB), backup camera ready, DVD receiver, Bluetooth, SiriuxXM, etc. Sweet upgrade. Let’s get to work and get done with the installation!
Speakers Upgrade (Doors & Pillars)
After upgrading our radio unit, the next smart move was to upgrade our speakers. We ordered our Transit with the basic factory radio which includes 1 speaker in each front door; and they’re not that great… we’re not audiophile or something; in fact we’ve been using the same small portable stereo in our house for the last 10 years, but we quickly got bored of the flat sound of the Transit’s factory speakers.
Speakers Upgrade (Headliner)
Let’s recap: in our quest for the perfect sound, we upgraded the Ford Transit factory radio to a Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX AND we upgraded the factory front speakers. It definitely improved the sound and we were pleased with the results. We enjoyed that setup for two years, but then we couldn’t help but push our quest even further: how can we make the audio even better? Indeed, because the front speakers are located in the doors close to floor-level, the sound quality was not as good under loud ambiant noise (driving under heavy rain or wind, or when cooking in the van). So here we are today, adding Rockford Fosgate speakers to the headliner; and this, my friends, complete our quest for the perfect audio experience. It’s exactly what we were looking for!
Exterior Shower
We LOVE riding our mountain bikes. It can only means two things: 1-We drink a lot of craft beer 2-We take a lot of showers. Let’s focus on item #2 in here. This is our van conversion exterior shower setup.
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Insulated Window Covers
While curtains work for houses, we think insulated window covers are better for campervans. They are lightproof (for shade & privacy) and insulated (to keep us cool in summer, warm in winter). We’re obsessed with functionality and with the rare earth magnets all around the edges, they just “snap” to the van metal window contour. Easy breazy! Similar design should work for Transit, Sprinter or ProMaster.
Rear Floor Vent
We are adding a second floor vent to cool down our bedroom (and the whole van too)! It’s similar to the fridge vent except that we added a gate, an inline fan and a duct to route the air above the bed.
On-Board Tire Inflator
We previously installed an Air Lift Kit and we're about to tap into it to solve a third-world problem: adding air to our mountain bike tires without a floor pump. It's not by any mean an essential upgrade, but we do actually like it a lot!
Le Garage
La Pièce de Résistance. All this van conversion must serves our end goal: RIDE MORE. That means we're packing a lot of gear and we want to be able to load / unload it easily. If we have to play Tetris each time we need to access something, it isn't gonna work in the long term; we can do better than this. So here it is: The Garage!
Bike Repair Stand
We're pretty obsessed with our bikes and riding (almost) everyday means a LOT of maintenance and repairs. For the last two years we improvised repair stands with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, bike racks, and other unrelated objects that are definitely not suited for the job. A repair stand is not absolutely necessary, but it makes mechanical sessions much more efficient and enjoyable! After holding back on this upgrade for the last two years, the time has come 🙂
Dash Cam
People elect to install dash cams for several reasons: evidence in case of accident, prevent fraud, capture footage of a road trip, etc. In the article below, we documented how we installed the Garmin Dash Cam Mini in our Ford Transit and why we chose it. Hope that helps!
Add & Program New Keypad
The Ford Keyless Entry Keypad allows to unlock your vehicle, you guessed it, without using your keys. Turns out we use it a lot when going for a bike ride or skiing, because we like to pack light and getting stabbed by your keys when crashing is no fun. We’re no beach bums, but we heard surfers love it as well! It’s possible to order the Keyless Entry Keypad with a new vehicle, or to add one (or up to 8) later. After using the keypad on our Ford Transit for two years, we’re adding a second one on the passenger-side for more convenience. Here is how to install and program it!
Campervan Must-Have
An empty van is not a home! Here is a collection of campervan gear we researched and tested on the road full-time since August 2017. Check it out!
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about us
Nice To Meet You.
Hello! We’re Isabelle and Antoine 
In 2017 we sold our house (and everything in it), quit our engineering careers and moved into our self built campervan. We’ve been on the road since then and every day is an opportunity for a new adventure; we’re chasing our dreams and hopefully it inspires others to do the same!
Aloha. This is by far the most informative and helpful site I have seen ever. Thank you for sharing your journey with others. Not sure what you do for a living, but you all certainly have a gift for presentation!
Thanks for the kind words, glad you like the website! 🙂
Hi! Just ordered my high roof EL transit. And doing something similar for a moto build. Wondering what issues on BLM roads you’ve had with the EL? Does the back end scrape much? Thank you!
Just wanted to thank you! There is a wealth of information on this website I will refer to in the coming years. After reading your write up on Vans, I can agree Ford over Mercedes was a wise choice. I am the owner of a 2005 Mercedes. I will not purchase a Mercedes again unless I come into a large some of money that I want to burn! Happy New Year and safe travels!
Guys, I just want to say that this site is AMAZING! I just took delivery on my 2020 Transit yesterday and stumbled onto your site today while researching what to do first. The level of detail you provide is incredible and I just want to say Thank You! You have saved me so many hours of research with the sequential build journal alone. So grateful, cheers!
Thanks for the kind words, glad we could help 🙂 Happy build!
So you have organized your build with amazing detail and inclusive of every sub-system.
The presentation is sort of linear, vehicle mods, insulation …. Is that how the build flowed? For example did you rough in LED lighting/switches, pex tubing before you insulated or floored?
It seems there are benefits or a cleaner build if you were to hide a great deal in the walls, floor and ceiling.
We tried to present our Build Journal in chronological order as we built it; but of course some steps overlap in reality. For example most of our wiring is inside the walls; but the water pipes are outside the walls (because we use the van in winter, so the pipes don’t freeze).
Cheers
Hey, I just purchased your van diagrams. I am trying to use the van electrical one but when I try to change certain things like 3 batteries instead of 4 nothing happens. I have downloaded the Abode Reader to ensure its not a software issue.
Would love some help on this.
Thank You
Hi, we just sent you an email to make a follow-up on this. Thanks.
Thanks, you guys, your obsessive documentation is a godsend for beginning van converters like me! Can you tell me what size and length of screw you used to affix your Maxxair vent to van through the roof adapter? I assume the screws that came with the Maxxair vent are not long enough to god through the adapter into the roof. Thanks!
Not long enough, indeed. Honestly, I don’t remember what screw length we used… it’s been a while sorry!
This is just great! I’m now highly encouraged to build one because of this great web-site!
I am new to your content and am so thankful that I found it. I so love what you have created. Thank you for sharing your experiences. This is amazing.
I just have to say, your website is amazing so kudos to whom ever did it! It just looks good, easy to read, I never comment lol but I was so excited to find this blog, I couldnt bookmark and pin it fast enough. I need to have step by step instruction and without good visuals or an actual arrow pointing to something, its easy for me to mess it up, everything is here. Thank you!!!!
Is it correct that the drawer slide tracks are 48″ even though the drawer is 60″?
That’s correct!
WELL DONE APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS AND DEDICATION .
I have learned so much from this site (so thank you!) ESPECIALLY about thermal bridging! It seems like from what I am reading, you want the metal covered with insulation (thinsulate and EZ cool) to counteract this. So my question is: What did you do with your slider and rear door frames? In your build journal it looks like they are not covered?
They’re not covered, indeed! We ran out of time and had to leave our house and hit the road 🙁
But for the rear doors, in winter, we lower the Mosquito Screen and that helps: https://faroutride.com/mosquito-screens
For the slider door, we didn’t do anything. It’s no ideal, but we’ve been living like that for the past 2.5 years and it’s not such a big deal.
Cheers!
Oh okay! Perfect, thanks so much for your quick response!