Could you just add a bathroom? More batteries? A pop-top? A bump-out?

We hear questions like these all the time. Heck, we’ve even had requests for humidors and dog washing stations.

But every idea has to pass one important test: Is it simple?

Over the years, we’ve learned that adding more stuff doesn’t always lead to better adventures. In fact, it’s often the opposite. That’s why simplicity is such a big deal around here.

More ≠ Better

We build vans for people who want to get outside. The goal isn’t to recreate every amenity of your home. It’s to make it easier to spend time doing what you love in the great outdoors. We want you to put your phone down, eat a s’more, and watch a shooting star. We don’t want you to spend your time dealing with plumbing issues or sorting out an appliance on the fritz.

Simplicity isn’t just about having less stuff. It’s about having a van that’s ready to go when you are. Every extra bell and whistle adds another thing to maintain, troubleshoot, or repair. We’d rather focus on high-quality materials, thoughtful craftsmanship and systems designed to last. We’d rather build a reliable camper van you can depend on than pack it full of features that create more problems than they solve. 

Just because we could add something to your van doesn’t mean it’ll make your camping experience better. Sometimes the best way to improve a van is to remove complexity, not add more of it.

Complexity Can Hold You Back

A shower is a great example. At first it sounds like a simple upgrade. But in reality, it isn’t simple at all.

Let’s say two people want to take showers for a long weekend. Depending on how conservative you are with water, you could easily need anywhere from 20 to 50 gallons of fresh water. What does that mean for your camper van?

• First up, a shower takes up precious real estate. Lots of it, even with a tiny stall. And, you probably won’t enjoy lathering up in a 2’x2’ space.
• Second, water takes up space. Even on the low end, you’re looking for room for something about the size of a 20-gallon aquarium. On the high end, you’re trying to find space for something closer to a 50-gallon drum. And don’t forget, you’ll need room for a grey water tank too.
• Water is heavy. Each gallon of water is 8 pounds, so you could be looking at up to 400 pounds of added weight to your vehicle before you’ve packed any of your gear.
• You need to heat and pump that water. You’ll need a plumbing system, a water heater, a water pump, and a way to power it all.
• What happens if the water leaks? We love our vans and the places they take us. The idea of discovering a water leak and mold inside our van is enough to make us cry. And sadly, it happens. Reddit threads are full of these horror stories.
• How about winter or crossing high elevation when the seasons are changing? You’ll need to winterize your system to avoid frozen pipes, even for short drives over mountain passes.
• Where do you fill and dump your tanks? This isn’t a job you can tackle at home or at a dispersed campsite. You’ll need to find a campground with full hookups and a dump station for every trip.
• What happens when it breaks? You have to find a repair center, schedule service, wait for parts and potentially put your trip on hold. 

For us, those tradeoffs just aren’t worth it. Being able to hit the road without fussing with a massive water tank means we get to spend more time doing the things we love.

There are plenty of ways you can stay clean on the road that don’t require turning your camper van into a rolling plumbing project. And at the end of the day, it’s camping. It’s okay if you’re a little smelly – that’s a sign that good times were had.

What You Actually Need

After more than a decade of building camper vans, and with more than 1,300 on the road, we have a pretty good idea of what actually gets used in a van. When you boil it down, you really need just a few things:

1. Protection from the weather
2. A comfy place to sleep
3. Storage for gear
4. A simple place to cook, eat and relax

What Is Overrated

We’ve converted vans for many people who started with a DIY conversion or mass-market RV route. The features that we hear are most overrated and least used are:

1. Wet baths: We already dove into why showers are a headache, now add in human waste, and you’ll see why things get messy real quick.
2. Microwaves: Yes, we love them at home. But we’re camping. Fire up the campstove and slow down while you cook dinner. Microwaves, as well as ovens and other kitchen appliances, require space and power. 
3. Closets: Space is the most precious commodity in a camper van. While we all use them at home, closets take up a lot of space and make a van feel cramped very quickly. Luckily, we’ve already tucked loads of storage into your van, just not in a closet format.

Simple shower solutions like the Nemo Helio keep things clean and compact

Small, compact cooktops make dinner easy breezy

No closet? No Problem! Overhead cabinets don’t take up precious floor space.

Simple Vans Get Used More

Picture this scenario: It’s Friday at 4pm, your one obligation at home gets canceled and you can now spend the weekend camping. 

Option A: Your simple camper van is sitting in your driveway and ready as soon as you toss in your clothes and food. 

Option B: A more complex RV might require a trip to the storage lot to get your rig, filling propane and water tanks, checking multiple systems and booking a campsite with hookups – assuming you can find one at the last minute.

Which option do you think you’d use more? In our experience, it’s usually the simpler setup. When there are fewer systems to maintain, fewer things to troubleshoot and less prep before a trip, getting out the door becomes a whole lot easier.

Simple By Design

Simplicity isn’t a limitation for us. It’s the feature of our conversions that we’re most proud of: the one that makes it easier to say yes to one more trip.

A camper van should make it easier to leave work a little early or spend an unexpected weekend outside. The less time you spend prepping and maintaining your van, the more time you’ll enjoy where it takes you.