Off-Grid Sprinter Setup for Adventure

What you’re getting:
2016 Mercedes Benz Sprinter (2 keys)
126500 miles on the clock (might go up a bit as still in use)
3 berth converted campervan
Full Victron Energy off-grid electrical system
Garmin CamperVan Sat Nav with Garmin wireless reversing camera
Running water – Kitchen sink and tap in garage
Thetford Gas stove top
Compression Fridge/Freezer (42 litre fridge, or 34 litre fridge with 8 litre freezer)
2 Fiamma ceiling vents with multi directional fans
30 litre underslung LPG tank
Thetford Porta Potti
Documents safe
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Lock box for spare key
Thermal Window blinds kit for the cab
Wild Earth removable awning (2.4 x 3m)
Front seat covers
2 x camping chairs, 2x foot rests and outdoor rug
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In terms of a go anywhere do anything camper, this is it! It’s a slick base van with enough storage space for your gear and more than enough off-grid power to keep you comfortable while you’re away on some epic adventures. The highly desirable Sprinter is an absolute workhorse and a gem in terms of driving comfort and covering distance efficiently. The two of us and our dog have loved living in this vehicle more than some of the apartments we’ve lived in around the world!

When converting we wanted to achieve an off-grid home that could comfortably house a couple or small family who needed space to pack in all their gear required for a fun road trip away, and in a vehicle that wasn’t prohibitively long or difficult to drive for the non-van-drivers among us.

It’s an ex-delivery van so there is a bit of wear and tear, but it’s in good condition and the high roof medium-wheel base 2016 Mercedes Benz Sprinter means you get an easy-to-manage bigger vehicle without having to fret too much about it being oversized.

But in terms of size, it’s good for anyone and everyone and easily accommodates slightly larger inhabitants. I’m 6’2” and I’m very comfortable inside. When standing in the main area of the kitchen/dining/lounge area, my head doesn’t touch the ceiling. The bed when extended is 150cm wide and 180cm long (otherwise 150cm x 150cm) so I can sleep comfortably on the memory foam mattress and my size XL road bike fits into the garage easily enough by only taking off the front wheel. I also fit onto the day bed (third berth) which is one of my favourite spots to relax in.

We tried several storage options in the kitchen but found the best solution for us was crates in the cupboards. The current setup means you can adopt this or install drawers or cupboard doors. Nothing moved around for us and the softness of curtains makes for a nice aesthetic.

We have survived a few multi-month trips and I feel that’s testament to the design and clever use of space to be able to bring all your creature comforts along. The L-shaped kitchen has a 2 burner Thetford stove top that came into its own in France (still hard to find a good coffee there) with our stove top coffee pot, and the fridge has enough configurable space to suit a few days worth of shopping. There is also a sink with running water and most importantly for us, lots of counter space to prepare meals. And it’s nice to have windows on both sides of the van, to look out when you’re washing dishes or when the weather come in and you can peer out over a moody ocean!

Running water is courtesy of a Shurflo pump and accumulator, and 3 x 25litre gerry cans of fresh water in the garage. That services the kitchen sink and a tap in the garage that’s useful for cleaning bicycles and other gear.

Our current setup allows for two large bicycles with 6-8 packing crates and other bits in the garage alone. I designed and built it to be reconfigurable so there’s room to change things up. Other storage comes in the form of the vast kitchen storage sections, the over-cab storage, and all the the shelving units in the the main body of the van itself. One of the lounge/dining seats has a Thetford Port Potti stashed in it and extra storage, and the other has the 2 leisure batteries and extra storage.

The third berth is the two lounge seats with an insert between them and this makes a comfortable bed, or is perfect for pulling up in a beautiful setting and staring out the sliding door using it as a day bed! Without the insert, a pull out dining table is perfect for dinner with a view. The insert is actually also a fold up table that we use every day we’re in the van. If you want them, you’ll also get two black fold up camp chairs and two small stools that can be used as seats or foot rests, and a black and white striped outdoor rug that all work well with the table. And there is a removable awning that provides nice shade to sit under with all this.

For the electricity, we engaged Nomah (Nomadic Energy at the time) which is the company setup by the authors of The Van Conversion Bible that knows van electrics and designed the requirements and wiring system that was easy to follow and has successfully worked without a hitch. It comprises the following highlights amongst others:

3 x 100W Renogy Solar Panels on the roof
2 x 125Ah Leisure Batteries
Victron Energy Sine Wave Inverter
Victron Energy DC-DC battery charger – only used once to make sure it works, sun is all we’ve ever needed
All other bits are Victron Energy that you can manage on an App which is useful
6 x down lights on two switches
3 x plug points; one each in the garage, the cab and next to the bed with usb plugs

Insulation of the van is courtesy of 25ml insulation on the floor covered in 12mm plywood, thick rubber matting in the garage and adhesive floor board tiles in the rest; while walls and ceiling have a mixture of 100mm insulation panels and synthetic insulation “wool” to fit the rest of the gaps. This is all covered in a bubble insulation sheeting vapour guard, and the walls are 9mm ply while the ceiling is recycled timber slats. There are Dodo sound deadening sheets on all wall and ceiling panels which helps keep the inside nice and tranquil.

We’ve had the best trips in this van, whether overnighting 20 minutes down the road, or spending months in it travelling around Europe. We’ve moving to France (found an area we liked in the van!) and it’s a bit of an expensive pain to reregister a self-converted UK van, so that’s why we’re reluctantly selling it.

Beds Description
Extendable double bed (150cm x 150cm extends to 150x180cm)
Single bed

Main Bed Length
180cm