New Sprinter Adventure Van? Start here.

I'm Adam. CMO of Owl and van owner.

When I bought my van 1.5 years ago, it was a little intimidating to understand how to outfit it for the types of adventures we wanted to have. I wasn't an employee of Owl yet - and frankly knew nothing. I had seen vans on the road and had looked at a couple online, but  hadn't done any research on the aftermarket options until I brought my van home. 

Here is an overview of my journey: products I recommend, and why - informed by a fairly typical van owner. If you have questions about what to do - this is a great place to start!

Ladders

My van had a terrible, Chinese-made round ladder on the back. Not only was it flimsy and cheap, but the first rung was also about 4 feet off the ground. My rig has solar on the roof that needs to be cleaned regularly, so I had to have something functional. I was afraid that I would have to do bodywork to delete the ladder. I spent some sleepless nights thinking about it. Turns out - "ladder deletes" are a thing in adventure vans. I removed the ladder, sprayed the inside of the holes with clear Rustoleum, put the hardware back in, and BAM - ladder gone. You might wonder if you'll notice the hardware. The answer is no. There will be too much stuff on the back to ever notice. 

My first upgrade was an Owl Explorer side ladder. It looked super cool, and I needed to access the roof safely. I was nervous about drilling into my van to install, but that went away about 60 seconds into the installation. The entire process took 10 minutes, involving drilling two holes into the lower pinch welds. Easy peasy. 

Side Steps

I didn't opt for running boards on my build. I'm particular about the look (as indicated above). Fresh off my stunning side ladder success, I was overconfident when the Owl Explorer Side Steps arrived. They are much harder to install. I did it, but it definitely took every bit of 3-4 hours. 

Why side steps? Vans get pretty high, especially when you finally add proper wheels, tires, and suspension (see below). Additionally, I have a mild case of OCD. Side steps were a great place for my children and guests to take their shoes off before they got in my van. It's important to note that I originally bought Flatline side steps. I was taking a walk around my neighborhood before installing those, and my neighbor convinced me to get Owl. Mandrel-bent tube. Proper gap spacing to the vehicle to eliminate caught feet, or paws. Bombroof construction. I'm not throwing shade on Flatline. I have their roof rack. However, the Owl side steps are just far higher quality. This was all before I joined Owl. I was four upgrades in before I became a member of the team. 

Bike Rack

The last of my "must haves" was a bike rack. The list of my must-haves has expanded significantly now that I have had my van for over a year. But - originally, this was it. I carry mountain bikes, road bikes, my two children's bikes, and an e-bike from time to time. Like most - I started with a hitch-mounted rack and realized it was a pain in the ass (and the shins) every time I wanted to open the rear doors. So, I bought an Owl B2 with horizontal bike tubes and 1up racks. I could mount two bikes higher up on my rack, and they swing open with the doors to stay out of the way. The install was very easy, although a little more intimidating drilling into the back door of my van. In all, it took me 25 minutes with the help of an 11-year old. 

My van, early in the journey. The RTT was a mistake.

The B2 is perfect for mountian and road bikes, however, I still needed a solution for the e-bike and third bike. So, I also bought a RakAttach swing out carrier for my Kuat bike rack. I don't use it often - but it is perfect to add to the back when we have a lot of bikes to haul. I have since switched out the 1up bike trays for the Kuat ones. I find it so much easier to get them off with one hand. Also - since the bikes are up high - this step ladder a great item to keep in the back. 

Finally - when your rear door is full loaded (with bikes and boxes), the swing weight gets heavy. The single best upgrade I did to my van is the Stop-Stay Door struts. The doors open automatically and stay open in the wind. 

Suspension

While my first list of upgrades was more from an "around-town" perspective, suspension really comes into play when you have put a lot of miles on your van. My typical tour took me down to Moab for biking and up to Jackson, WY, for fishing and watersports. Lots of windy roads. Lots of dirt washboard. The first time that the wind-assist kicked in on my Sprinter, I thought I was going to crash. It feels like a much more dangerous system than the wind itself. Add that to the chattering dirt roads and a noisy van, and I knew I had to fix the ride. 

At the time, I was working for Owl, and Ryan from Owl Offroad in Phoenix told me that an upgraded suspension would virtually eliminate the wind assist. Sold. That alone was worth the price. It just felt too dangerous for me to take long mountain drives in my stock Sprinter. This one upgrade led to a lot more (as is often the case), as the van needed to be in the shop anyway. So, while it was on the lift - I also did:

• Wheels and tires. Increased size slightly to 285s on Owl Mojos. Then, I needed a full-size spare and a place to put it. Enter the Explorer Tire Carrier and Ladder.
• Extended Fuel Tank. Long drives equal a lot of stops. But - that actually wasn't my problem. I do a lot of winter camping, and I have an Espar diesel heater in my van. I never wanted to run out of heat in the middle of nowhere. That felt scarier than a $1500 47-gallon fuel tank.
• Differential Skid Plate. I already had a tense moment of nearly wrecking the (surprisingly fragile) diff on my van heading to a fishing spot. Insurance comes in multiple forms on a $200k van. 

I originally installed a Van Compass 4.3 kit with Rally Struts. I now have the Arrow Trail Pro suspension system. The latter has made a sea change difference in body roll and sway. I love what Owl has done with this suspension - my van is quieter, smoother, and frankly, more fun to drive. 

Bumper with a winch

Like suspension, recovery points, and a winch were upgrades that came to me by necessity. Armed with a new suspension, my children and I started going further and further afield. One morning, in the high Uinta wilderness outside of Park City, my son said, "Hey Dad, what happens if we get stuck?" Good question. While I wasn't worried about that particular spot - I did start to get worried about the potential that we couldn't self-rescue in the future. John has a great video about self-rescue, and after watching, I added four more items to my van. 

• Pismo bumper and Warn 12K winch. The Pismo is the burly steel bumper of your Sprinter van dreams. Tough as nails with two recovery points. 
  
• Maxtrax Recovery Boards with Magnetic Mounts. Surprisingly, I have used these 3 times already. Living in Park City, Utah gets slick. 
• Starlink Mini and Mount. The ultimate recovery tool in the event of the worst scenarios. Ensuring you have constant and reliable internet is paramount.
• Upgraded Bottle Jack. I have already used this to teach my children how to change a tire. Dad core memory moment - check. 

Lighting

My van had halogen headlights. Halogen. Seriously - is this 2010? Those had to go. I upgraded to the Alpharex NOVA headlights, which are cheaper (and better) than the factory alternative. So, if you are reading this before you buy your van, opt out of that. It's an easy upgrade. 

I also wanted some trail lights for getting in and out of camp spots, so I added the Triple-R Linear Light bar and Triple-R Vent Lights. The light bar shines directly forward, and the vents are angled to the sides as ditch lights. The field of vision is radically different. I drive on lots of dark, mountain roads, and this is the perfect setup for me. I have seen vans with six or eight 7" lights on the roof rack. I don't need stadium lights. What I haven't done, which I want to do, is add scene lights on the side of my van under the awning for campsite light. This van is a forever project. 

Regarding the "forever project" note, one thing I did at Owl was add a Switch Pro (or Switch Works) CAN-based light panel to my vehicle. It allows you to add a switch panel inside your van that is expandable as you add more stuff. So, wiring scene lights isn't nearly as daunting as a DIY project, because there is a controller inside the engine bay that handles all the current and ground. You wire directly in and simply change the button face inside your cabin. 

Storage

As a new van owner, you will quickly find that there is not nearly as much space in a Sprinter as you want. Regardless of how much you have, you will always need more. Second, I have three types of storage. Clean (inside the van), dirty or large (in the garage or racks), muddy, or sweaty (outside the van), or temporary (on top or the sides). Here is what I employed for the latter three:

1. Muddy: The best solution for muddy, wet, or sweaty van needs is a Monster Box attached to a B2 or B2 Pro. I have the Monster 30, and at any point, I have towels, boots, outdoor mats, sweaty cycling or yoga clothes, wet fishing gear, or anything that has been involved in making s'mores stored inside until I can get home to clean them. 
2. Temporary: One of the most significant advancements in van storage over the last 24 months has been the introduction of magnetic attachments to the steel body. High-powered neodinium magnets can hold lots of gear on the outside of your van, from a Starlink Mini, to Maxtrax, to skis, or trash cans. I have a magnetic molle panel with a Rotopax and my shovel. I don't need them all the time, and I would prefer to be able to take them on and off quickly and easily when I'm not venturing off-road. The other temporary solution I have is a Roam box on my roof rack. I pack some of the bulkier clothes up there when we camp, as my interior storage is limited. Jackets, sweatshirts, etc. 
3. Dirty or Large: One thing I have on my van, which I haven't seen elsewhere, is a fly fishing rod case by Riversmith attached to my side ladder. It does not impede the ladder function at all, and it's in a perfect spot for easy access. 

Fishing rods in the perfect place

Camping

I have a fixed garage in my VanCraft van, and I love it for the flexibility when camping. Storing camp chairs, privacy tents, toilets, fire pits, etc, is a game-changer. I also use packout cases in the back to pack bike, fishing, and surf gear. Here is what I use every day and what I would recommend. Some of these we sell. Others are just the best that I have found. 

1. Howl Campfire. I used to lug around a Solo Stove with wood. LOL. I never liked the smell of smoke on my clothes and the west has gotten really restrictive. This thing sets up in seconds and is blazing hot with no gas smell. 
2. Ignik Propane Tank. Small and great for both my shower and firepit. 
3. Roam Camp Chairs. I have bought a million chairs. Roam has the perfect back height and are still lightweight. 
4. Nemo Privacy Tent. For toilets or portable showers. I had another brand. It blew away and broke. This one is bulletproof. 
5. Dometic Adjustable Camp Table. I have never found a completely flat camp spot. 
6. Vehicle Levelers. See table comment. 
7. Trelino compost toilet. 
8. Fiamma awning. Mine blew off in a squall in Moab. Sheared the brackets and flew about 50 feet. Still works perfectly. 
9. Luno front cab mattress. Easily give yourself another bed inside. This thing is genius.  
10. Jackery Power Bank. I take this everywhere. Beach, pool, camping. Pair it with a Starlink, and you'll find that you don't leave home without it - especially if you work remotely. 

Interior

The interior of my van is mostly stock. The two things I have done (which I don't think I could live without) are the headliner shelf (for more storage) and the InHabit mats. When I first saw the price of the mats, I was shocked. They are so expensive. However, the way they snap in and out and wash clean in a second has made it worth it. I keep all of my window shades in my headliner shelf as well as my Starlink and Owl swag (to give away on the road). If you see me, I always have t-shirts and hats. 

My Van - In the Wild

The Full Picture

My van actually became the template for a new Halo build we did called the Wasatch (shown at top). You can check out the entire build here. Some of the accessories have been changed out - but it is almost exactly the same build.