Using a Van for Photo Expeditions

[JohnC88]

I bought a teardrop trailer 4 years ago which is what I travel with now, mainly to national parks. Works great. I’ll add too that I used to drive 80 most of the time on the highways. Learning to drive slower while towing has been a true blessing. I now drive 60-65 and it so much less stressful than putting the pedal to the metal and thinking I have to pass everybody. I guess there are some advantages to getting older. LoL .

 

[Ductape]

You are going to love it. Congratulations.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[dabhand16]

@Viathelens

Just seen this thread. Mark Denny posted YouTube videos on his Sprinter van:

Hope the order ids right.

 

[Anjin San]

We tow a 28 foot fifth wheel. It is capable of dry camping for about seven days. We have an inverter and solar panels which allow us to use most of our appliances, except the A/C. We can go anywhere on public lands that allow dispersed camping, no campground required. It is more like a base camp. As of a couple of months ago we have Starlink internet service which is a bit expensive but only needs to be turned on when it is being used. Literally anywhere we go the internet follows us.

Our tow vehicle is a Ram 3500 diesel long bed which is a similar chassis length to a Sprinter. It has lots of storage and tool boxes can be added to the truck bed. The Ram will go literally anywhere but it is easy to become over confident.

I have looked at vans but keep coming back to a smallish fifth wheel. It just gives us more flexibility.

As a long time full timer in the RV…you are right. A 5ver is really the closest thing to a sticks and bricks house for long term living or travel. Class As are too much like living in a tube and while a travel trailer, class C, or van are fine for a weekend or even a couple of weeks…they’re just inadequate for lifestyle as opposed to vacation.

 

[Viathelens]

@Viathelens

Just seen this thread. Mark Denny posted YouTube videos on his Sprinter van:

Hope the order ids right.

Graham,

Thank you so much for sharing this video with me. It was great and a lot of help. I made notes to discuss with the builder. I'm not a DIY person, which would be nice because it would have cost me a lot less but the upside is I'll get the van, completely finished, in under two months. I think the guy in the video did a great DIY job with his van. I had to laugh a couple of times, he sounds a lot like me about food, four or five simple things to eat and I can repeat that and good to go. I lived on peanut butter or cheese sandwiches in Yellowstone this year for two weeks. He has the same size van I do, too, so that was good when he was talking about the roof, rack, and solar. I really want to get on the roof to take photos but that is still under discussion with the builder. Again, thanks, very helpful videos.

Connie

 

[Calson]

For photo trips I have found the Class C motorhomes to provide the best living space and work space of an RV and no issues like those towing a trailer. A number of smaller Class C motorhomes with AWD are available. With a 22 foot long tow vehicle and a 20 foot trailer in tow it can be very difficult to get up to freeway speeds to safely merge with traffic.

You should be aware that at BLM lands where there are no public toilets the only camping allowed is for those with a full self-contained RV.

A separate issue is the length of the tow vehicle and trailer as most camping spaces in the west at USFS and park campgrounds were created many years ago and anything longer than 30 feet will not fit in 90% of them and so one is relegated to the KOA type of places.

 

[dabhand16]

Graham,

Thank you so much for sharing this video with me. It was great and a lot of help. I made notes to discuss with the builder. I'm not a DIY person, which would be nice because it would have cost me a lot less but the upside is I'll get the van, completely finished, in under two months. I think the guy in the video did a great DIY job with his van. I had to laugh a couple of times, he sounds a lot like me about food, four or five simple things to eat and I can repeat that and good to go. I lived on peanut butter or cheese sandwiches in Yellowstone this year for two weeks. He has the same size van I do, too, so that was good when he was talking about the roof, rack, and solar. I really want to get on the roof to take photos but that is still under discussion with the builder. Again, thanks, very helpful videos.

Connie

Thought they would be useful as it is the same van as yours.