Based in Oroville, California, West Coast Adventure Vehicles believes that their campervan conversions “have the power to save our favorite, wild spaces.” It’s a bold statement, but when you consider the impact that even just a few small groups can have on a campsite, trampling vegetation underfoot or under tents, you can start to see the point West Coast is trying to make. It’s no stretch of the imagination that confining cooking, cleaning, and sleeping activities to the footprint of 4 tires could reduce human impacts on campsites.
As you may have gathered from their environmental concerns, this upfitter cares about the impacts we have in our pursuit of adventure. If you are someone who shares this perspective, it’s likely that you’ll appreciate their approach to upfitting vehicles.
“We aim to share specific products and companies that make it easier to spread only laughter and memories. Our team will work with you to find the best components for your build to keep your negative impacts [on the environment] small. Our specialty is designing functional conversions that don’t compromise in looks, comforts, or storage with an emphasis on environmentalism and sustainability.”
But with campervan upfitters springing up everywhere these days, it’s always smart to maintain a bit of skepticism and ask yourself, “why should I trust this company?” Well, to start with, every member of the West Coast team has lived in and traveled in an adventure vehicle (and most of them still escape in their campervans whenever the opportunity arises). Because they’ve lived life on the road, they understand the common headaches associated with DIY builds and the neglected details and shortcuts, often resulting in problems or additional labor. They aim to help you avoid going down that road. It’s a team made up of skilled individuals with backgrounds in woodworking and electrical engineering, all of which help them deliver a properly executed build with a high-quality finish.
West Coast Custom Conversions
All conversions are one-off custom projects specifically designed for the individual. Do you like to surf? They’ll design a pass-through from your gear garage into a bench in your living space so that your surfboard can fit. Are you a mountain biker? In that case, a slide-out tray with bike mounts could help you pursue your passion just a little bit easier. The idea is to build the campervan around the individual instead of asking the individual to adapt to a pre-designed layout.
“Think of our conversions as your favorite flannel shirt. It fits perfectly, never goes out of style, and works with you, not against. This shirt won’t be finding its way to the landfill anytime soon.”
Because of their approach, West Coast doesn’t generally have pre-built campervans for sale. Although, if you happen to be in the market for a 2019 170-inch wheelbase 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter, they have one that needs a good home. The author will assume that this vehicle was a show rig or a build that didn’t quite work out for the original buyer, but either way, this is a practically new vehicle with only 5,000 miles on the odometer.
This Sprinter has a $185,000 price tag, so it should definitely be considered a premium build, but as you would expect at that price, you’re getting much more than a basic campervan. The vehicle is outfitted with the features below.
- Queen-sized bed
- 340 amp-hour lithium house batteries
- 560 watts of roof-top-mounted solar power
- 35-gallon fresh water tank
- Truma Combi Eco Plus air and water heater
- Isotherm Freeline 115 Elegance refrigerator/freezer combo
- Nature’s Head composting toilet and many other design features.
Learn more about West Coast Adventure Vehicles or read the full spec-sheet for their campervan, which is currently available for purchase here.
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