Everything in Our DIY Ford Transit Camper Van Conversion
Is this our forever camper van? We truly believe that we nailed everything about this van build in a way that is perfect for us. From ergonomic work stations, to the ultimate off road and winter capable van, we are going to share everything about our ford transit camper van conversion with you below.
Rover, our camper van, is our second DIY van build; however, between the two, we have helped countless other via travel van builds & virtual consulting. Reach out if you are in need!
Highlights:
- Fully Built with Extruded Aluminum
- Epic Gear Wall
- Reliable Internet
- Built for Extreme Winter
- Off Road Ready
** Disclaimer: This blog post contains various affiliate links that provide a small kickback to us, at no additional cost to you. We truly appreciate your support if you choose to purchase through these! **
Our Ford Transit Campervan Conversion Photos
But first, photos for a good visual. Scroll through the below gallery to see Rover in all his glory! Then, we will break down all of the systems and components that are in this rig.
🚐 Exterior 🚐
- Ford Transit 2022 High Roof EXT
- Quigley Q Lift + Strut & Shock Upgrade
- BF Goodrich KO2 AT Tires (LT245/75R16/10 120/116S)
- Flarespace Flares
- FVC Safari Roof Rack
- FVC Side Ladder
- FVC Nudge Bar
- Raptor Liner Protective Paint
- Bug Wall Bug Screen
- Colorado Fairing Company Wind Fairing
⚡ Electrical System ⚡
- 570 ah LiFeP04 Batteries (“engineers” for $50 off)
- 3000W Multiplus II Inverter Charger (“Engineers” for 5% off)
- 740 watts Residential Solar Panels
- 2x Lynx Distributors (“Engineers” for 5% off)
- 2x DC-DC chargers (“Engineers” for 5% off)
- 2x 100/30 MPPT Charge Controller (“Engineers” for 5% off)
Below you can see our camper van electrical system. We like to use a plexiglass to protect our components as the installation is more breathable than a contained wooden box and your electrical components heat up. The electrical system in our camper van was sized for us to be able to go 3-4 days on a single charge, and to be able to charge completely between solar and our alternator. In 3 years of van life, we have only used shore power twice.
💧Plumbing System 💧
- 32 gallon Over the Wheel Well Fresh Tank
- 11 gallon Under Carriage Grey Tank
- Hot water via Eberspaecher Hydronic Heating System
- USA Adventure Gear 3gpm Water Pump
- Shurflo Accumulator
- Pex A Piping
- Brass Fittings
- Compo Closet Composting Toilet
- Indoor Shower in a Bench with 8 Foot Hose for Outdoor Shower
- Large Farmhouse Apron Sink
- Van Life’s Best Faucet
🚰 Water Filtration 🚰
- ARX+ Off Grid Water Filtration System (portable option for our complex system!)
- Acuva UV-LED 2.0 Water Purifier
- Blu Tech 3 Stage Water Filtration System
Below is our water system and hydronic heating system. Camper van plumbing systems are rather simple; the hydronic heating system is what looks complex below. We restrain our water tank with 80/20 10 series extruded aluminum as it is extremely small while being immensely strong. Water is going to be the heaviest part of your camper van. Not pictured is our water filtration systems.
❄️ Climate Control ❄️
- Eberspaecher AquaSystem (Hydronic Heating System)
- Wall & Cavity Insulation: Havelock Wool
- Ceiling Insulation: 3M Thinsulate
- Thermal Break: Lizard Skin Ceramic Insulation
- Thermal Break on Wall Panels: Low-E
- Sound Insulation: Lizard Skin Sound Control
- 2 x Maxx Air Fans 7500k
- 2 x Arctic Tern 300×700 Double Pane Windows
- Van Made Gear Window Shades
💻 Internet 💻
- Peplink Max Transit Pro Dual Modem Router
- Parsec 7-in-1 MIMO Antenna
- T-Mobile 800gb SIM Card
- AT&T Unlimited Small Business SIM Card
- Starlink RV (when in the desert)
- LePow 15.6″ Portable Monitor
- Portable Monitor Stand
Rover is a beast off road. We built him with two things in mind: Alaska and chasing powder through out the winter. He was a champ through both, and stayed warm and toasty.
Below you can see the interior of our camper van conversion. We prioritized a full size bed, a large cooking space, and an ergonomic workspace for our full time jobs.
🔨 Interior 🔨
- Complete 80/20 Extruded Aluminum Construction
- Kitchen Galley + Bed System: 15 series smooth 80/20 Extruded Aluminum
- All Other Modules: 10 series smooth 80/20 Extruded Aluminum
- Walls: Nassimi Fabric + PAD5 foam
- Counters: Paperstone (find local dealer)
- Floor: Winding Stream Floating Cork
- Flarespace Flares + Hi Tech Trim Ring
- Vancillary DIY Headliner Shelf
- 2 x Scopema Swivel Seats
⏲️ Appliances ⏲️
- SimpliSafe Monitoring and Alarm System
- IsoTherm Cruise 130
- 2x NuWave Induction Stove Tops
- Collapsible Kettle
- 10″ Magnetic Knife Rack
- 12V Coffee Grinder
- Stainless Steel French Press (Bougie but best ever)
- Breville Bambino Espresso Machine
- Fellow Espresso Grinder
- 2 x Maxx Air Fans 7500k
The gear wall you see above was designed solely so we could hang our skies. However, it ended up being one of the best design decisions we made! It provided extra insulation in our bed space and allowed for a lot more storage than we expected.
The construction is simple: 1/2 plywood templated to the shape of the back beams in the Ford Transit. It is held up by 5 bolt + plusnut combos. The plusnuts are inserted into the rear pillars and across the top of the door frame.
🎿 Gear Wall 🎿
- 1/2″ Baltic Birch Plywood
- Plusnuts + Bolts to hold it up
- Ski Rack
- Garage Storage Hooks
💡 Lighting 💡
- 8x Recessed Puck Lights
- 2x 12V USB Gooseneck Reading Lights
- 4x 12V LED Strip Lights
- 5x 12V Rocker Switches
- 2x 12V Dual Dimmer
SketchUp Diagram Our Ford Transit Camper Van Conversion
Planning your van build through the end is extremely important. One of the ways we do that is by building a 3D mockup of our layout, all the extruded aluminum modules, and large components. We made this diagram available for purchase. You can also watch our free YouTube tutorial on how to use sketch up for designing camper vans. This screen sharing session should bring your from 0 to 100 with Sketchup in a way specific to designing your camper van!
Our DIY Ford Transit Conversion Video Tour
And, last but not least, we have recorded a camper van tour of Rover! In the tour, you can see just about everything listed above, where it is, and how we use it. Enjoy!
Start Here for Your DIY Camper Van Conversion
Now it is your turn to build your dream home on wheels. Our blog is full of DIY Van Building guides of varying complexity. We have everything from in depth how-to guides that focus on theory to overall “101 style” starter guides. We recommend reading the starter guides during your planning phase so that you buy the right components, Then, dive into the more advanced guides when you are ready to begin building so that you have the knowledge behind what you are doing.
Below are some of our 101 Guides:
If you are looking for a more broad place to start, we recommend starting with our Step by Step Guide to Converting a Camper Van.
Thanks for being here! Happy building!
Eric + Colby
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🙏🏽 If you are looking for more 1:1 van build help, we are here to help via Consulting or Travel Van Building.
[Start Here] Beginner Guides:
