This Van Conversion Is Outstandingly Practical and Spacious, Comes With a Bathtub

But sometimes people don't choose to build their own mobile home or camper van, instead opting to buy one made by someone else. This Mercedes Sprinter four-season van is just that sort of thing. Despite being built with a focus on camping, it could easily be used as a mobile home, as it has all the bells and whistles, including the ability to go off-grid without breaking a sweat.

The off-grid capabilities of this Sprinter start right on the outside, where it's clear it's no run-of-the-mill van. First, it's the 4x4 170" version, making it relatively versatile and able to tackle its fair share of off-road scenarios. But the roof rack covered in a 460W solar panel array and sporting a retractable awning makes it completely clear that this van is meant for more than transporting goods.

However, if you're embarking on the nomadic journey, it's not the outside that matters most, as it's the van's interior where you'll spend a significant chunk of time, at least when not out surfing, hiking, or taking on other adventures. And this van has put a lot of thought into that, as it's absolutely stacked, with every amenity one would want and plenty of space to boot.

The first thing that's apparent when stepping inside this camper van is how nice it looks. Everything is decked in either cedar, maple, or birch, making you feel like you've entered a Norwegian sauna. Although in this one, you must remember to put up the magnetic mosquito nets before you can relax.

And thanks to a couple of windows and a skylight, abundant natural light flows into this van, making it seem spacious. There are also many diffused LED spotlights, ensuring the artificial illumination is just as generous. One aspect that detracts a bit from the overall aesthetic is the flooring, which is blue and made from rubber for ease of cleaning.

Moving on to the practical aspects and layout of the van, we found the kitchen as the first area. It has a highly practical design, even using the passenger-side swivel chair in the driver's cabin through a flip-up table that can be used as a comfy workspace.

That flip-up table is mounted on the far side of the cabinets, which are fairly numerous in this van, thanks to the kitchen being split between both sidewalls. On the passenger side, a large cabinet with two large storage spaces and a full-length drawer is covered with a solid birchwood butcher block countertop with a custom sink cutout. And this space is fully usable, as the sink can be covered with a cutting board.

A couple more cabinets are covered in the same solid birchwood countertops on the opposite wall. This area is dedicated to the isotherm fridge and lots of storage, even sporting a separate custom drawer for the electric stovetop. There's also a myriad of overhead cabinets and drawers, all secured with latches to ensure nothing rattles or falls when driving.

Sadly, the kitchen is also where we encounter a typical compromise, common among many van conversions, the toilet. In this case, a Separett composting toilet splits the liquids from the solids and is also ventilated to the outside to prevent smell is used. And it's housed within one of the cabinets, although efforts have been made to ensure it offers as much privacy as possible.

Moving a bit further back into the van, we get to the dinette, where the innovative build of this van really starts to shine. Albeit, you would not be able to tell at first glance, as the only thing you can see is two couches. But thanks to a large tabletop and a prop-up leg stored in the van's garage, it can be turned into either a dinette with plenty of seating or a guest bed.

Another cool hidden feature here is the shower and bathtub combo. As ludicrous as that sounds, this van has a bathtub, albeit a tiny one, hidden beneath one of the couches. Although with only 30 gallons (113 liters) of freshwater and 22 gallons (83 liters) of gray water, taking a full bath is probably not the best idea.

And to add some functionality, the kitchen faucet has a hose to be extended into a showerhead, and a curtain can be hung from two anchors on the roof to prevent the water from damaging the gorgeous wood. If that wasn't enough practicality, the second couch hides the glycol-based heating unit that takes care of both the ambient temperature and the water.

The bed is also focused on making use of every inch of space available. Of course, that means it's elevated, creating a hugely spacious garage area underneath it. It can also extend to transform into a full queen size bed when sleeping while also being able to shorten and save as much room as possible when not in use.

And since I mentioned the garage, that's the last and most important place to check out, as it's very carefully curated to maximize both practicality and aesthetics. The first things of note here are the side storage cubbies and a gear storage rack that is mounted on rails and can be pulled out for ease of use. This is also where all the electronics are stored within separate and carefully designed compartments.

The 400Ah battery gets the biggest space, as it's rather chunky and also allows for an upgrade to 600Ah. Just below it, there's the electronics management unit equipped with a smart MPPT solar charge controller, a 3,000W inverter, and DC to DC charger. On the opposite wall, the water pump is housed along with an additional outdoor shower and the water-fill valve.

There are more features and details built into the design of this van, like floor heating, blackout curtains, and top-of-the-line insulation. But we would be here all day if we went into all the crazy bits and pieces present. Overall, this van is an outstanding build, fully capable of being used as either a camper van or a mobile home.