I just wanted to say hi. I have been lurking on EP since 2011 and learned a ton, it's time to contribute a bit, hopefully interesting.
Truth be told, I have gushed over Sportsmobiles for years, always wanting one for the family. I also spent countless hours looking at Outside Van's site. Then the 4x4 Sprinter came out and.... couldn't resist..
We just purchased a 2016 MB Sprinter 4x4 170" as a family adventure mobile. We will be traveling across the western US on at least one huge trip a year to Tahoe, and lots of mini trips here in TX and nearby states. We needed something that can accommodate our 2 kids, 2 dogs, my wife and myself and all the things we want to bring. We didn't want an RV, we wanted to get more 'off the beaten path' yet still have some luxuries both while driving and in camp. We wanted light offroad capability plus all weather safety. This van fits that bill.
We chose the 170 because we felt the taller roof and ~30" more length fit our use case better. It just so happened a van with the color we wanted and about 95% of the options we wanted (or didn't want) was near us *on the lot*. 4x4 Sprinters are a bit hard to get, and/or long waits to get them. The model is a Sprinter Crew so it has some niceties that come stock like the rear bench seat, partial windows, headliner, etc. Life is short so we bought it immediately. I hope to document the build here. This forum has given me the confidence to tackle the project, so thanks to everyone already. ;-).
The theme of our build is flexibility. We want to be able to sleep, camp, tow, and haul with the van, but the 'missions' will vary depending on length of stay, toys involved, family members involved, etc. Plus, after reading a million build threads one thing is in common. Builds evolve and change over time. So our build will evolve and focus on flexibility in it's ability to accomplish a mission. We need to haul dogs, mountain bikes, moto bikes, side by side (trailer), fishing poles, firearms, and be able to have a reasonable sleeping situation. I plan to have things removable and reconfigurable as much as possible.
For V1.0 we plan the following mods:
- Sleeping platform, I am looking at the hammock style setup (cavevan build), something easy to pack away, yet comfy. We will put adults on the floor for V1.0 and see how it goes and if we need a second hammock setup.
- Divider between passenger and storage/sleeping area. I think I like a soft partition, 99% sure we will use the RB Components soft partition. This is so heat/cool work better for passenger compartment, yet still remain removable/reconfigurable.
- Aluminess. We can't afford a lot of Aluminess goodies, but we will do the front bar and the ladder to start.
- Roof rack. I plan an 80/20 DIY solution. The van has factory roof rails. For V1.0 I need it for our gigantic shade tarp and perhaps simple storage to start.
- Tie downs. We need L-Track all over the back area. Bikes, Coolers, etc.
- Storage: I plan something unique here, I will update later if my plans start to look non-stupid. ;-).
- Tires. Toyo Open Country AT2 in 265/75-r16 on order.
- Trailer hitch. The one big thing I wish was on the van from the factory is the hitch. I have an email out for quoting adding it properly with factory loom, hitch, and programming required.
- Baja Designs front and dome lights for all the interior lights (LED, lasts forever on battery and looks awesome). I already have a couple laying around so..
- Insulation
- Vent Fan
Then we will see how it looks from there, we have a huge trip planned in the next 60 days in V1.0 trim, so we will see how it performs and what we want to add/change from there.
I do want to do house batteries/12v system and will likely want A/C. This appears pretty challenging, so more research is needed and thus I am not sure it will get into v1.0, especially since we are heading into winter and won't need it for a bit. So I have good time to ensure this part is researched properly before I dive in.
A couple quick pics:
Truth be told, I have gushed over Sportsmobiles for years, always wanting one for the family. I also spent countless hours looking at Outside Van's site. Then the 4x4 Sprinter came out and.... couldn't resist..
We just purchased a 2016 MB Sprinter 4x4 170" as a family adventure mobile. We will be traveling across the western US on at least one huge trip a year to Tahoe, and lots of mini trips here in TX and nearby states. We needed something that can accommodate our 2 kids, 2 dogs, my wife and myself and all the things we want to bring. We didn't want an RV, we wanted to get more 'off the beaten path' yet still have some luxuries both while driving and in camp. We wanted light offroad capability plus all weather safety. This van fits that bill.
We chose the 170 because we felt the taller roof and ~30" more length fit our use case better. It just so happened a van with the color we wanted and about 95% of the options we wanted (or didn't want) was near us *on the lot*. 4x4 Sprinters are a bit hard to get, and/or long waits to get them. The model is a Sprinter Crew so it has some niceties that come stock like the rear bench seat, partial windows, headliner, etc. Life is short so we bought it immediately. I hope to document the build here. This forum has given me the confidence to tackle the project, so thanks to everyone already. ;-).
The theme of our build is flexibility. We want to be able to sleep, camp, tow, and haul with the van, but the 'missions' will vary depending on length of stay, toys involved, family members involved, etc. Plus, after reading a million build threads one thing is in common. Builds evolve and change over time. So our build will evolve and focus on flexibility in it's ability to accomplish a mission. We need to haul dogs, mountain bikes, moto bikes, side by side (trailer), fishing poles, firearms, and be able to have a reasonable sleeping situation. I plan to have things removable and reconfigurable as much as possible.
For V1.0 we plan the following mods:
- Sleeping platform, I am looking at the hammock style setup (cavevan build), something easy to pack away, yet comfy. We will put adults on the floor for V1.0 and see how it goes and if we need a second hammock setup.
- Divider between passenger and storage/sleeping area. I think I like a soft partition, 99% sure we will use the RB Components soft partition. This is so heat/cool work better for passenger compartment, yet still remain removable/reconfigurable.
- Aluminess. We can't afford a lot of Aluminess goodies, but we will do the front bar and the ladder to start.
- Roof rack. I plan an 80/20 DIY solution. The van has factory roof rails. For V1.0 I need it for our gigantic shade tarp and perhaps simple storage to start.
- Tie downs. We need L-Track all over the back area. Bikes, Coolers, etc.
- Storage: I plan something unique here, I will update later if my plans start to look non-stupid. ;-).
- Tires. Toyo Open Country AT2 in 265/75-r16 on order.
- Trailer hitch. The one big thing I wish was on the van from the factory is the hitch. I have an email out for quoting adding it properly with factory loom, hitch, and programming required.
- Baja Designs front and dome lights for all the interior lights (LED, lasts forever on battery and looks awesome). I already have a couple laying around so..
- Insulation
- Vent Fan
Then we will see how it looks from there, we have a huge trip planned in the next 60 days in V1.0 trim, so we will see how it performs and what we want to add/change from there.
I do want to do house batteries/12v system and will likely want A/C. This appears pretty challenging, so more research is needed and thus I am not sure it will get into v1.0, especially since we are heading into winter and won't need it for a bit. So I have good time to ensure this part is researched properly before I dive in.
A couple quick pics:
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