What’s it like traveling in a small van? A lot of people have asked, so by popular demand we bring you a tour of what we call Adventure Van, or AV.
Making custom window covers. We cut reflectix to the size of each window then used spray adhesive to attach black fabric to the outside and a light fabric to the inside
When we first hatched the idea of camping in a minivan, we had a couple of key ideas that guided the design:
- The van should be set up for a few days of camping – unlike some other van owners, we don’t intend to live inside or even stay for multiple weeks.
After cutting the mattress into 3 pieces, we sewed covers for each section
- Even when fully loaded for camping, the van should look like a standard minivan. We didn’t want external boxes, surfboards strapped to the roof, or any other sign that AV is anything other than a standard family-hauler.
AV in couch mode
- It should be comfortable to sleep inside. If we’re going to be camping regularly, we want to raise the sleeping comfort to a level as close to home (or boat, in our case) as possible.
We can easily convert AV from couch to bed mode
Keeping these key ideas in mind, we built out the interior. Item 1 meant that Mike had to keep his electrical customizations in check. Just a cooler is good enough for a couple of days of camping, so no need for a whizzy electric cooler with an even whizzier solar charging setup.
Comfy, cozy bed mode
Item 2 drove the height of the interior build-out. We needed enough room under the bed to slide two surfboards in, so that set the height of the bed/couch. And we’re lucky that Toyota designed the Sienna so that Angie’s 8’4” longboard fits exactly between the back of the forward seats and the rear hatch.
Lifting up the back section for access to the ‘garage’ which stores our cooler and food on the right and surfboards on the left
Item 3 was the most difficult. We settled on a mattress from Ikea and then added a couple inches of memory foam on top. In some major surgery, Mike cut the mattress into three pieces, and Angie made custom covers for each piece to allow the bed to be converted to a couch. It’s good to have a near-professional seamstress on the team!
Cooking behind AV on the table which stores nestled below the back section of the bed frame
