Sprinter Camper Van Conversion Comes With a Hidden Bathroom and an Open, Spacious Interior

Recently, I wrote about an overland truck camper based on a 2011 Land Rover Defender. I was impressed by its countless features and cleverly designed living space. So, I dug a bit deeper and found out that its owners and converters, Jess and Jon, have also created other types of mobile homes.

In fact, like for many other adventurers, it all started during the pandemic. Jess and Jon built their own van during the pandemic and fell in love not only with van life but also with the process of making a camper van from scratch. This is their third camper build.

What we have here is a 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a 140" wheelbase. It used to be a patient transport vehicle, and John and Jess purchased it when it had 60,000 miles (96,561 km). As usual, I'll start the tour with the exterior.

This vehicle's performance was improved via suspension mods (nothing too crazy, just heavy-duty rear springs and a 50-millimeter lift) and some engine upgrades. What's more, it rides on alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires.

At the front, you'll find spotlights on the bumper and additional pod lights above mounted into a roof rack. By the way, the roof rack also holds a Fiamma F45S awning, an aluminum storage box, two 180 W solar panels, Maxtrax traction boards, and two canisters: one for water and the other for fuel. Moreover, at the rear, the couple installed a ladder and a Thule bike carrier.

The last notable exterior features are on the driver's side, or in this case the right side of the vehicle since it's a UK model. The couple fitted a custom surfboard mounting system. To make it easier to take down the surfboards, they also installed three folding steps, allowing them to quickly climb up and down the van.

Pop the main door open, and you'll discover that a kitchen counter blocks part of the entrance. Jess and Jon installed a shoe storage spot, an outdoor propane connection for cooking outside, and a massive flip-down table perfect for eating or cooking outside.

The couple opted for an open layout for this van. That means the driver's cabin isn't separated from the living space by a wall. Instead, Jess and Jon use a large curtain mounted to a small rail for more privacy.

The two front seats can quickly be swiveled to face the interior. Furthermore, there's a small swivel table within reach of the seats, which can also be swapped for the larger tabletop I mentioned above.

The first part of this van behind the driver's cabin is the seating area. It comprises a double-seat bench complete with seatbelts. Underneath the bench, you'll find a diesel heater and extra storage space. By the way, this area has plenty of storage space: you can use an enormous headliner shelf or two overhead cabinets on the right side of the interior.

A panel beside the headliner shelf controls the rig's utility systems. It consists of a battery monitor, light switches, and a switch for the van's factory A/C. Two Maxxair fans ventilate the living space - by setting one for intake and the other for exhaust, you can ensure the interior is properly ventilated.

Next up, we have the kitchen, which is split into two parts. The counter blocking part of the entrance integrates a two-burner stove, a stainless steel sink with a cupboard underneath, and drawers for storage. Furthermore, a fridge/freezer was installed underneath the bed.

On the opposite side, you'll discover a sizeable countertop. Since the other counter doesn't offer much space, this is where you'll prepare all the meals. However, this part of the van serves a double purpose.

Lift the counter's top panel, and you'll discover the camper's bathroom featuring a composting toilet and a shower. You can open a small door to be able to step inside and sit on the toilet.

Setting the shower up is pretty easy. A shower point allows you to connect a shower head, and a curtain can be hung from the ceiling to ensure you don't splash water around. The water then drains through a stainless steel shower pan and ends up in an under-mounted 19-liter (5-gallon) greywater tank.

Another clever modification is that the bathroom's top panel has hooks, so you can leave your stuff to dry. I love that the bathroom is quite well-equipped and that these features are all hidden out of sight in this inconspicuous kitchen counter.

And finally, we have the bedroom at the very rear of the interior. Jess and Jon arranged the bed to sleep lengthwise. The extra space they got on the sides of the bed using this arrangement was repurposed into sizeable nightstands with charging points. What's more, these boxes are about 15 centimeters deep (6 inches), so there's actually a lot you can store not only on top of them but also inside.

The top part of the bedroom is occupied by eight overhead cabinets, four on each side. Since the bed is arranged lengthwise, you don't have to worry about hitting your head, and you have plenty of spots to store your belongings. Furthermore, the cabinets were specifically built to house baskets for more versatile storage.

A disadvantage of arranging your bed like Jess and Jon did is that the mattress takes up a lot of space. However, Jess and Jon came up with a clever solution I've seen used in many camper vans. In the "day mode," the mattress doesn't interfere with the kitchen space, but at the same time doesn't offer enough space to lay flat on the bed.

In the "sleeping setup," Jess and Jon slide out a wooden frame between the kitchen counters and cover it with a long cushion. This way, they have enough space to lay flat and rest their legs on the extra cushion. It's a simple solution that takes no more than 30 seconds to set up.

The last part I've yet to discuss is the garage, which is only accessible from the rear by opening the two doors. It houses an instantaneous water heater and a 100-liter (26-gallon) freshwater tank above the wheel well on the left side. The middle part of the garage is occupied by two enormous storage boxes, an inflatable kayak, and a huge pull-out wood box.

You'll find the power system on the right side of the garage. The couple didn't share its specifications. However, based on the hundreds of vans I've written about, I'd guess this one has about 200-300 Ah of battery capacity, a 3,000 W inverter, a DC-DC charger, and a solar charge controller connected to the 360 W solar panels on the roof.

All in all, Jess and Jon did a great job with this camper van conversion. I love the cleverly designed bathroom, abundant storage space, and the efficient layout.

Unfortunately, Jess and Jon didn't share how much this camper van cost to build. Since it was built back in 2021, the budget isn't that relevant anymore due to the many price hikes.