@jaywo
We went through a similar decision process as
@SimplyAnAdventure and sounds like you are now starting down the same process. You already elaborated on some of your concerns/criteria and those are fairly different than ours, so some of my below points will not apply to you. I'll still post them for future readers of the thread. Will also point out that a thread dedicated to a certain unit, like this, will obviously have some bias. Maybe not intentional, but just by the nature of the participants deciding that this is the rig for them or already owning. It's a good conversation to have, though, as their are likely others thinking through the same decision.
We'd had two different slide-in, pop-up pickup campers before we got the van bug. We hadn't even considered a van until we started considering some hardwall campers (AT Overland Aterra XL, OEV Hudson Bay hardwall, etc.). That naturally lead into considering a van because they have some of the disadvantages (overhead height) as hardwall campers. An advantage of van over camper was the inside storage you mentioned. We liked the idea of putting MTB/eMTB inside so less dust/weather from hauling outside and more secure. The Winnebago Revel was the first to spark out interest. Went and looked at one at local dealer right up the road. Really like it, but the built in bathroom took up a lot of room. Problem solved when Storyteller van was rolled out. Researched a lot. Finally drove to Salt Lake for a van convention to see a Storyteller in person. Was even more jazzed about it after seeing in person. Scheduled a rental of one so we could evaluate in the field. At that point, I knew the reliability issues with Sprinters. Storyteller then announced they would also build on a Ford Transit van. Much more reliable. Serviceable at any Ford dealership vs the Sprinter serviceability only at commercial shops. However, Transit was even less offroad capable. True that you can get rigs more places than you can imagine driving slow and taking good lines, but it takes waaaaaay longer. Vans also can't fit large enough tires for better rollover performance, escpecially when aired down. Everyone drives different terrain, but for us, we drive terrain with our pickup/slide-in campers where we have a wheel off the ground frequently. My wife often gets out and walks rather than riding through some of the terrain. More than just average forest service roads.
So before the trip date came for the Storyteller rental, reality set in. We'd been so caught up in the excitement that we'd drifted away from our priority list. Everyone should have a weighted priority spreadsheet when considering such a complicated decision. We list out the list of everything that is a need or want ordered by priority. And some of those will be weighted heavier than others. Then compare each rig to that spreadsheet.
High on our list were reliability (subcategories of vehicle reliability and serviceability) and drivability on the trails and terrain we frequent (subcategories of overall height/width, ground clearance, four wheel drive performance). Other categories, from memory, were storage, towing and hitch capability (we frequently tow a 3,000lb boat and 3,000lbs-when-loaded enclosed trailer, and receive hitch for dirtbikes and MTBs), interior layout, potential battery capacity, need or ease of lifting top, etc.
In the end, the vans (and the hardsided campers) didn't meet our highest priority which was fitting down branch-infested trails. We already scrape branches on the sides and top of our pop-up campers so adding 2 or 3 more feet in driving height really isn't an option. Another aspect is narrow trails with tree trunks or rock walls immediately on the side. Often these trails are rutted/weathered and so if a tires on on side drop down into a rut, the entire rig leans the upper portions of the camper to, and behond, the vertical trailside edge. That can lean into trees/rock walls. Even with a popup, we have contacted when leaned and there have been many times that we would have had our roofline been any taller.
Related to terrain, we started watching the terrain we drive on an average weekend with the eye towards "would a van allow us to make this?" Everything from overhead branches, ground clearance, rough terrain, etc. and we quickly realized a van would have us turn back from a route, that we did with a pickup based camper, about every other trip.
Reliability and serviceability is also high on our list. Sprinters (in particular, Sprinter emissions/sensors) have poor track record. Not ideal for a rig we take 60+ miles into the middle of nowhere. Gas van engines are an options but unfortunately, the gas optioned vans have even less clearance and less capable offroad ability, which is also high on our list. Add in the long wait time for Sprinter servicing and that they can only be serviced at Mercedes commercial shops is another strike. The gas vans can be serviced at most any dealership of that brand.
Robustness is another aspect. Sure a van can be abused and make it through some rough terrain, but for 100,000miles? 200,000miles? A pickup is a more robust starting point for the terrain we drive.
I already mentioned that we tow or use a receiver racks for dirtbikes and MTB. Sprinters are rated to tow 5,000lbs in van form. I don't recall advertised may payload and how our potential tongue weight would figure in because I don't know that I ever got that far before realizing a van wouldn't work for us. But, I think some of the van conversion places claim that stock sprinter van tow rating, but I have my doubts after them adding in sooooo much weight for camper contents. Many vans I've seen have the rear suspension already sacked out and touching, or nearly touching, the bump stops. Not ideal for adding tongue weight when towing, adding more payload/cargo, or offroading and harshly banging off bump stops.
Our list of considerations was much longer than that, but for us, those were the important enough points that if a potential rig didn't meet those criteria, it could not be considered, so we scratched camper vans off our list.
Again, I understand our criteria are much different than yours, but just throwing those out there should they align with others doing the same evaluation.
). The rear mille limit and kitchen l track limits are super low. Yesterday I was happy I found those as they are collapsible and l track mounted: