So my 2014 RAM Promaster 159" wheelbase extended with the 4 banger turbo diesel is here, time to build.
Bought the van in Pittsburgh and immediately went on a 2 week adventure to get it back to Denver. I borrowed an air mattress, couple of chairs, a table, propane heater, and an LED lantern from WalMart but otherwise used my backpacking gear. Stayed in a couple of parking lots, a WalMart, and a couple of cool campgrounds. Great success, but learned a few things:
1) Insulation is key. The bare metal van is f'in cooold
2) No one gives a **** about this van, it's perfect for stealth camping. Going to have to keep that profile
3) It drives WAY better than I expected and 23mpg combined on my bigass road trip back to Denver. 26-27mph @ 55mph 21 or so @ 80mph.
Now that it's in Denver, it's time to start modifying and getting it all campered out. So far I've purchased the solar panels, batteries, electrical system, wiring, pastidip, and slider for the bike mount. After the solar is installed and the electrical is mocked up, it's going into Colorado Camper Vans to get the insulation, interior panels, and bed platform made. The day it comes back (Xmas Day), I get to hook the solar/batteries up to the lights, install the bike slider, and I'm leaving for Sedona, AZ for a 10 day adventure.
As a reference, here are a couple of planned pics of the interior:
The "To Do" items for the next few weeks are
1) Lowering the rear of the van and extra support spring removal (done)
2) Build version 1 of the bench seat and mock up the batteries and electrical to make sure everything gets installed properly by CCV
3) Plasti Dip the wheels and debadge the logos. Will look a whole lot better with that
4) Build the sliding bike rack. I can build the whole thing in the garage without the van and just install into van once I get it back
Bought the van in Pittsburgh and immediately went on a 2 week adventure to get it back to Denver. I borrowed an air mattress, couple of chairs, a table, propane heater, and an LED lantern from WalMart but otherwise used my backpacking gear. Stayed in a couple of parking lots, a WalMart, and a couple of cool campgrounds. Great success, but learned a few things:
1) Insulation is key. The bare metal van is f'in cooold
2) No one gives a **** about this van, it's perfect for stealth camping. Going to have to keep that profile
3) It drives WAY better than I expected and 23mpg combined on my bigass road trip back to Denver. 26-27mph @ 55mph 21 or so @ 80mph.
Now that it's in Denver, it's time to start modifying and getting it all campered out. So far I've purchased the solar panels, batteries, electrical system, wiring, pastidip, and slider for the bike mount. After the solar is installed and the electrical is mocked up, it's going into Colorado Camper Vans to get the insulation, interior panels, and bed platform made. The day it comes back (Xmas Day), I get to hook the solar/batteries up to the lights, install the bike slider, and I'm leaving for Sedona, AZ for a 10 day adventure.
As a reference, here are a couple of planned pics of the interior:


The "To Do" items for the next few weeks are
1) Lowering the rear of the van and extra support spring removal (done)
2) Build version 1 of the bench seat and mock up the batteries and electrical to make sure everything gets installed properly by CCV
3) Plasti Dip the wheels and debadge the logos. Will look a whole lot better with that
4) Build the sliding bike rack. I can build the whole thing in the garage without the van and just install into van once I get it back