California to Denver and back in our Sprinter 4X4

[offroadkid]

We live in El Dorado Hills, California just past Folsom on the way to South Lake Tahoe off of Highway 50. My wife sees a Doctor in Englewood, Colorado and we usually fly out and back.

This trip we took time off work and made the drive out and back in our Sprinter! We headed out of town on December 2 via Highway 50 and just took our time arriving in Denver December 4.

For the return trip we came home Highway 80 and passed through Wyoming back through Utah and Nevada then home.

Total trip mileage was 2515 miles and we really enjoyed ourselves!

We stopped for some sunset photos in Fallon before trudging on.

The first night we stayed in Eureka, Nevada where it was -4º when we arrived!

Next stop was Great Basin NP.

 

[offroadkid]

Stayed the night in Arches NP, it was 7º that night!

Drove around the park, we pretty much had it to ourselves!

On the way home we stopped for a roadside monument in Cheyenne at Ames Monument.

We stopped to check out Bonneville Salt Flats but couldn't go drive around as they were submerged under the recent rains.

We stayed the last night in Winnemucca, Nevada. So close to the Utah-Nevada border that our phones couldn't decide what time zone to pick! They kept flip-flopping back and forth!

We found some battery powered small Christmas lights to put up!

 

[CSG]

That's a great looking rig! What's the story behind it?

 

[offroadkid]

That's a great looking rig! What's the story behind it?

Thanks!

We custom ordered her from the factory in January 2018 and she showed up off the truck on July 12, (our 21st anniversary)!! I started with a cargo van so I could get the factory swivel seats and then pretty much checked all the boxes for options on the build sheet!!

We knew we wanted to build it ourselves and so we made a budget, designed the interior and ordered a bunch of 80/20 extruded aluminum! We cut our first big hole and installed the CL Laurence T Vent window then the two 14X14 holes in the roof for the Maxx Fans.

I wasn't sure of myself about the two rear small side windows so we had a local company cut those in!

Next we pulled the interior and installed the insulation kit from Adventure Wagon, roof, walls, floor and all the voids we could! I also installed the Espar D2 heater.

We like modern style and didn't want it to be too "RV-ish" inside. There is a lot of storage under the benches and a panel on piano hinges folds across the middle to form the bed. My wife made the cushions from 4" memory foam and used her fancy machine to cover them.

I replaced the factory auxiliary battery with two 6V 224Ah Full River batteries and connected them to an sPOD so consumers could be controlled via the touchscreen or my iPhone.

The kitchen sink, faucet, and countertop are from IKEA, and we are just waiting for our kitchen cabinet doors.

We are so happy with her and still can't believe how lucky we are to have her!

 

[Christian P.]

wow these are great images - right in my backyard...!

 

[CSG]

Thanks!

We custom ordered her from the factory in January 2018 and she showed up off the truck on July 12, (our 21st anniversary)!! I started with a cargo van so I could get the factory swivel seats and then pretty much checked all the boxes for options on the build sheet!!

We knew we wanted to build it ourselves and so we made a budget, designed the interior and ordered a bunch of 80/20 extruded aluminum! We cut our first big hole and installed the CL Laurence T Vent window then the two 14X14 holes in the roof for the Maxx Fans.

I wasn't sure of myself about the two rear small side windows so we had a local company cut those in!

Next we pulled the interior and installed the insulation kit from Adventure Wagon, roof, walls, floor and all the voids we could! I also installed the Espar D2 heater.

We like modern style and didn't want it to be too "RV-ish" inside. There is a lot of storage under the benches and a panel on piano hinges folds across the middle to form the bed. My wife made the cushions from 4" memory foam and used her fancy machine to cover them.

I replaced the factory auxiliary battery with two 6V 224Ah Full River batteries and connected them to an sPOD so consumers could be controlled via the touchscreen or my iPhone.

The kitchen sink, faucet, and countertop are from IKEA, and we are just waiting for our kitchen cabinet doors.

We are so happy with her and still can't believe how lucky we are to have her!

Just wow! I'm green with envy. I think the 4x4 Sprinter high top would be about perfect for me but between the cost of the van and a conversion, it's the price of a house! BTW, I used to live in Pollack Pines and then Placerville in the late 70's before finishing school and moving down to the Big Tomato. Left California in '94 to move to Idaho.

Anyway, the van looks about perfect to me! Great job on it.

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

Good and unusual traveling van story and pix. We live in Nevada City and have done the Hwy 50 to CO trip quite a few times, laying over just off 50 or 70, but never in the depths of winter. Do you have a porta potty? Does the rig have sufficient insulation for 0-f degrees? How does the Espar do? Good job on this van.
You've put together a very nice concept rig that I'm seeing more and more of on the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada.
jefe
Our rig during the winter of 2010: I wonder what the snow load is on the Lance Camper?

 

[CSG]

That's a lot of snow. I gotta quit griping about our Southern Idaho winters.

 

[offroadkid]

Just wow! I'm green with envy. I think the 4x4 Sprinter high top would be about perfect for me but between the cost of the van and a conversion, it's the price of a house! BTW, I used to live in Pollack Pines and then Placerville in the late 70's before finishing school and moving down to the Big Tomato. Left California in '94 to move to Idaho.

Anyway, the van looks about perfect to me! Great job on it.

Thanks for the kind words! Yes it is expensive to but and build if you have a company do it! We save a lot by doing it ourselves, but it was still a chunk we put aside to do it!

 

[offroadkid]

Good and unusual traveling van story and pix. We live in Nevada City and have done the Hwy 50 to CO trip quite a few times, laying over just off 50 or 70, but never in the depths of winter. Do you have a porta potty? Does the rig have sufficient insulation for 0-f degrees? How does the Espar do? Good job on this van.
You've put together a very nice concept rig that I'm seeing more and more of on the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada.
jefe
Our rig during the winter of 2010: I wonder what the snow load is on the Lance Camper?

We have one of the PETT toilets with the wag bags so we can stow it away when not in use. We didn't want a stinky toilet in the van but now I see there are compostable toilets!

We feel the insulation is sufficient. We removed the headliner, walls, and floor and installed Thinsulate Double Scrim in the ceiling and walls, and doubled it up from waist high down where the walls are wider. There is a special Thinsulate for the floor that is designed by 3M to work when compressed.

My wife made window coverings filled with Warm Window and covered them with ripstop. This helps as there are a lot of windows for heat to escape from.

The bed is made of 4" memory foam and we gave a nice toasty North Face Dolomite Double sleeping bag to keep us cozy.

The Espar fires up quick and sips fuel from the factory auxiliary tap on the diesel fuel tank.

Thanks for the kind words! That is a TON of snow on the rig!!!

 

[UHAULER]

These seem like the perfect size for road tripping/camping. Not too big and bulky.

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

I like everything about this rig, especially the traveling mode with nothing hanging outside the van. This is a good candidate for layovering on long trips.
This is what we look like when pulling over for the night between two big white simis in an industrial zone. White is like urban camo.

jefe

 

[offroadkid]

I like everything about this rig, especially the traveling mode with nothing hanging outside the van. This is a good candidate for layovering on long trips.
This is what we look like when pulling over for the night between two big white simis in an industrial zone. White is like urban camo.

jefe

Thanks!

I'll have to go over to the appropriate forum and make a build thread tonight!

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

Good idea. Grey is an even better urban camo. It disappears after sundown.
jefe