Slide in truck camper vs Built out Sprinter van? Any advice

Anfarwal Vr wrote: ...I'm leaning more built-out sprinter right now...

Why? It seems to me that everyone has listed a whole bunch of cons to the Sprinter. My company bought some to use as work vehicles and has regretted it ever since mainly because they're insanely expensive to repair (especially the DEF systems), they're terrible in snow, and the ultralong wheelbase (at least on the ones we bought) makes it difficult to take them anywhere off-road. Also tons of road noise in the cab makes putting lots of highway mileage on them (aka road tripping) no fun. 

Once I was driving a company van (full-length dually) in the snow with something like 2 tons of steel (it was not underloaded) in the back that I very carefully drove up a very gentle grade. Made it up, but when I tried to stop at the top instead I slid all the way back down the hill. If you're trust funded and want the street cred, go for it. Otherwise go for literally any other van.

I've been living out of my crv for the last two summers, its not bad but I'm planning on moving into a van at the end of this upcoming winter.  I used to want a truck bed camper but I have come to appreciate the benefits of being a little more discreet and under the radar.  My work van is a Chevrolet 3500, just have a bed built in the back but I can sit fully up in it with my feet off the floor and I am 6 ft tall. That being said the length is just way too long, it's a pain to drive and park.  My top choice for a van at the moment is the ford transit connect, 2014 or later.  I don't like the body as much as the older models, but the newer ones are rated to tow and have a better engine in them.  The main perks for me are almost 30 mpg on the highway and FWD. Longer wheel base should be enough for a bed and a little sink and stove burner, the main con being that it doesn't have great clearance but I plan on getting a trailer hitch mount to carry a dirtbike for accessing rougher roads to climbing areas.

also I saw someone say something about not wanting to constantly hunch over, but why would you just be standing around in your van? I suppose maybe to cook, but I don't know if that is enough to need to be able to stand in your van.  Hopefully you will be spending most of your days climbing and exploring, just sleeping and eating in the van.

Either way, decking out a Sprinter with lockers is silly. It's not an off road vehicle, it's a cargo van intended to be driven on pavement in the city for business use.

Installing a rear diff locker on a Sprinter can improve your ability to get out of the shit. Unfortunately, I don't think this is possible without disabling the factory traction control. Maybe you could have a switch to turn on one or the other. 

Or you could get a AWD Chevy van without TC and install one in that. It'll cost less to repair, too. 

Fun fact: the reason there is a dearth of 4x4 van-like vehicles in the "land of the free" is due to the chicken tax and the NHTSA which specifies that if you change anything in the drivetrain it's considered a 100% different vehicle. Everywhere else in the world we would be driving any number of factory 4x4 vans and wouldn't have to pay $12,000 extra for the option.

Nick Drake wrote:

20kn if you have a clutch plate style LSD you can alter its handling for snow/ice by changing the fluid in the rear diff. Just don't add any friction modifier and it will act like a locker on ice and packed snow. On dry pavement and the freeway there is enough traction to get the plates slipping again. 

This sounds like a good way to create chatter and break your limited slip diff. 

Politically Correct Ball wrote:

This sounds like a good way to create chatter and break your limited slip diff. 

Chatter potential yes. You're not breaking a clutch type lsd unless you're drag racing and stay in it with wheel hop off the line (and even then you're just shattering a spider gear).

 Chatter Totally depends on the spring tension against the spider gears. Oem clutch lsd have weak springs, they still slip in a parking lot on dry pavement.

20 kN wrote:

The Sprinter will also be stealthier as it just looks like a cargo van whereas the camper shell clearly indicates the vehicle is for RV use.

How many folks are this easily fooled? I haven't really understood why this was a thing? If you're camping where you aren't allowed, it's pretty obvious no matter what you're in. So many Sprinters "flying under the radar". Funny. 

Darren Mabe wrote:

How many folks are this easily fooled? 

A Sprinter randomly parked in a no camping zone in the middle of the desert obviously isint going to fool anyone, but that is not the type of area you need  camouflage. Blending in is mostly needed when camping in the city and a Sprinter parked off the road with 200 other cars down the street will blend in fine, but a camper shell not so much especially if you can see lights on inside the camper shell.

20 kN wrote:

A Sprinter randomly parked in a no camping zone in the middle of the desert obviously isint going to fool anyone, but that is not the type of area you need  camouflage. Blending in is mostly needed when camping in the city and a Sprinter parked off the road with 200 other cars down the street will blend in fine, but a camper shell not so much especially if you can see lights on inside the camper shell.

Thats what I am talking about. A bunch of Sprinters camping in the city is pretty obvious to me

Darren Mabe wrote:

Thats what I am talking about. A bunch of Sprinters camping in the city is pretty obvious to me

I'm guessing that  you are more observant than most. I live in Salt Lake, in a neighborhood that currently includes at least a half dozen or more urban Sprint-style van campers at any one time, and I would bet that it never occurs to most people (non-climbers, that is) that people are living full time like that.

 Get a big Roto-Rooter vinyl applied on the van and the chances that anyone would bother you would go down to about nil..

Darren Mabe wrote:

Thats what I am talking about. A bunch of Sprinters camping in the city is pretty obvious to me

Who said anything about a bunch? I am talking about one Sprinter, your Sprinter, parked in the city alongside the other hundreds of cars on the street. If the windows are blacked out it's pretty hard to determine if there is someone in the vehicle or not and most residents dont exactly go around looking for people sleeping in  their cars since it's a pretty rare occasion.

20 kN wrote:

Who said anything about a bunch? I am talking about one Sprinter, your Sprinter, parked in the city alongside the other hundreds of cars on the street. If the windows are blacked out it's pretty hard to determine if there is someone in the vehicle or not and most residents dont exactly go around looking for people sleeping in  their cars since it's a pretty rare occasion.

Ok

Jeremy Justus wrote:

also I saw someone say something about not wanting to constantly hunch over, but why would you just be standing around in your van?

Agreed. My girlfriend and I lived out of our Ram 1500 for about a year. Definitely not enough room to stand up in, but that never bothered us. We didn't have a fancy kitchen setup though, so we always cooked outside.

Great thread, we went the Truck Popup camper route. Have a Ram 2500 and a Fourwheel camper shell. The shell is cheaper and has more room for gear. We took the bed off and went flat bed with some boxes welded to the side for more gear storage that is easily accessed. The truck is lifted and will go anywhere , so that is a serious plus. Stealth is out, but I have to say we have not needed that yet. It takes a few minutes to setup and put down, so pro for the van. I think the sprinter might be warmer, and with the right insulation may not have as much issues with condensation. We leave are camper on most of the time. The truck does not notice the weight of the camper.

We take it up to mammoth for ski, it rocks in the snow. We went up a few years ago when they had an epic snow fall and we were passing by cars and trucks that had gone off the road.
Wish it had closed cell foam for insulation. Was jealous of a few hardsides we saw with wood stoves.

slight pro for the van is forgetting crap in the back / or cab and going back and forth
Pro for the van is being able to easily toss bikes in the back and have them out of sight from thieves. I have put a bike in my shell, but it took a fair amount of work.

Some day hope to drive it down to Patagonia, a van might be a plus for the stealth and gear safety but a minus for mechanics.

Sprinters aren’t that bad in the snow (pending tires) and driver ability. Have driven in the PNW, Sierras, NH, etc with horrible conditions and if you drive it like any other large vehicle in the snow, you should have no problems (obviously it isn’t a 4wd). I wouldn’t throw a locker in a van to improve snow traction as most of the issue will be with turns and that isn’t a lockers strong area.

I have lived in three vehicles (Sprinter with a second person), Sunrader, Jeep. Ultimately I think Sprinters are great, but a truck/camper setup are more versatile and if you aren’t fulltime probably the better option.