A LIFTED Minivan Camper Conversion?! (Honda Odyssey Tour) 

Thanks for watching! Here are some links to Darren's channel, website, etc. and some of the gear he uses in the video: * Darren’s channel: ru-vid.com * Darren’s website: odysseycamper.com/ * Darren’s Instagram: instagram.com/odysseycamper/ * The Traxda lift kit: traxdaliftkits.com/product/ki... * Immersion heater: amzn.to/3j3A3Cr * Folding toilet: amzn.to/3kJmk40 (The Amazon links are affiliate links.) Tristan

This is a great van tour. I think it was a great tour because you weren't interrupting him or inserting yourself into the tour a lot so you made it more about the van and his conversion than about you. (insert standing ovation here) 👏👏👏

Always interesting to see how different people do things differently and the solutions they come up with.

Nice van! I love how everyone figures out what works for them. Me, for ventilation I put rain guards on the front windows. With the rain guards people can't tell that the windows are down an inch, and a USB fan circulates air quite well on the low setting, where it's very quiet.

Thanks for the interview, Tristan! It was great to meet you and I really appreciate the share on your awesome channel!

I wish other you tubers would learn how to do a vehicle tour. They seem to love to hear themselves talk. Tristan knows how to do it.

I really appreciate all of the ideas for future builds. Loved the idea of the bilge pump fan and the larger water tanks

I love our 2009 Odyssey and so this tour was so interesting. A bright guy and a great build. Very personable and you get an A+ for the way you conduct your tours!! 🙂

This guy's tech and build is like what a James Bond SUV build would be.

I'm in a Sienna FWD. I appreciate the ideas. Best container I've found are the Hefty high top container sold at Target, sometimes special order but cheap, secure sealing and extra height greatly increases capacity. I second that advice about the immersion heater. It was great for that $4 Starbucks coffee that is lukewarm by the time I get it to the car. Then one day I left it out of the liquid a few seconds too long and the heating element burned out. Also great for a quick cup of instant coffee or cocoa stop on a long drive, I have a water heater kettle that runs off cigarette lighter power. Just for water since it's narrow and would be very hard to clean soup residue out of. I'm thinking about getting that right-rear seat from a salvage yard too. Sitting upright is a lot more comfortable than against a wadded sleeping bag with legs outstretched. It also adds the option of +1 passenger seating.

Great build. I had a Honda Odyssey many years ago and it was an old lady then. I loved that van !

Intelligent design and narration. Thank you.

This guy is smart about the potential risks of projectiles coming at you from behind in the event of a collision. It’s no good having crumple zones and airbags if you’re also being hit from behind by heavy items! In the Royal Australian Navy we called loose items like that, “missile hazards”. Any shock to the ship(collision, explosion on board, etc.” could potentially send loose items flying through compartments and further endangering personnel.

You said you would be doing more interviews. Cool! Great video!!

He has things figured out, good info.

A business man...that's awesome, good for him...stay safe and keep going

I’m in love. The van was cool too! Nice tour and I could listen to him all day.

It's always great to get ideas from others builds.

Wow! Cool rig. That control panel up front is awesome! I’m also digging the way he configured the shower curtain. And he has lots of fresh water onboard. Seriously cool build! On a semi-related note, loved the light bar that kept him from going off a cliff. I immediately thought of your RAV recently getting stuck as you were driving in the dark! 😊

Nice van setup . It's amazing how much "stuff" a person can build into a small vehicle and still be very comfy !! Saw you being interviewed at Quartzsite on a couple of other youtubers videos !! Cool . Stay Safe

Another great video and interview! Thank you Tristan. Whether you are sharing an adventure or another person's build out, I always learn usable information.

The most awesome vehicle I've ever seen was a 4x4 van with a snorkel that was our vehicle on an Outback tour in Australia. If money was no object, I'd definitely get one.

Leaving one chair,,,,,, Think I'll use that thankyou. Looking for Tristan's camp spots. Your vids are the greatest for mapping routes, really enjoy off the beaten path.

this guy has some really clever ideas. he is also well spoken. thanks for posting.

Why do people care what side someone puts their bed on? Seriously, the things people worry about just amazes me. I will check this guys channel. Cool that he does this and still works.

I have found that uni-strut makes vibration noise at high speed. Really nice set up.

2013 = 4th generation, but without the 6 speed transmission that became standard in 2014. Imho 2015+ is the sweet spot in May 2023 2:00 All wheel drive? Are you serious? And loose the flat floor? When you have front wheel drive? Really? 13:45 Nice control panel! I am very impressed with the multiple, distributed fuse boxes on my 2015 EX-L. Each with spare circuits!

I love that guy ! He’s got a good caracter about him or something 🤷‍♂️ Very nice camper build.

He has such a nice voice.

I have an immersion heater for travel, but I almost never see them in vanlife rigs, so thanks for sharing how you make it work. And I like the priority on water. The electric _out of the way_ except what you need access to is great. Only the 2nd build I’ve seen with a floor vent but very different implementation. Lots of neat twists to make it work. Like the large person accommodations as well 😬

Great rig. Great video.

This guy really blew me away, rarely do a lot of van life people know what they’re doing and their vans are held together with packing tape. This guy actually has the knowledge and ability to build. I’ve never met anyone who has put safety as a concern with heavy items in the cargo area.

Super cool. Great set up. Thanks for sharing.

This is a really well thought out build!

Awesome! I camp out of my 2008 Honda Odyssey.

3:28 love the exercise mat idea!

these videos are so inspiring, I mean I'm building out my xterra ( I should say continuing to build out lol, been living out of it for like 7 months) but there's always some good nuggets in these videos. thanks!

Bravo....clever.......the only problem I have had with elevated bed.......head room...... ........ .good to be stealth......cheers

Very cool build

Well spoken

I really enjoyed watching your interview with such an interesting, skilled and extremely intelligent van builder. I've subscribed to his channel to hopefully learn a few things.

Love his rig. Excellent and informative video.

Genius. One of the BEST videos. You can tell how clearly he thinks through the build just by listening to him. Methodical and logical.

Finally somebody has considered accident safety in his build. Some of these nomad builds scare me.

Some good ideas there, sleeping in how Moab heat is the hard one.

Ingenious! Thanks so much for this thorough video. New subscriber!

Very nice. Love the switch panel and bring air in from underneath the van.

this guy is legit,t old school education, probably great parents too. to bad for the youngster's these days.

Thank you guys, really clever set up.

Aren't you worried about a block of ice falling from an airplane wing and crushing you while you sleep 😂

Great segment. Fully function based build. Very nice. Who knew Vince Gill was so handy and a van lifer too. Thankyou for sharing.

Thanks for bringing us these reviews Tristam. This guy was interesting and amusing. Just fyi, can get lower profile off-road lights that just attach to the grill of an suv, from Amazon. About the same amount of detail but far more stealth

It's heartening to see that here are people - including you Tristan - that are able to maximize the usage of their vehicles. I like to think I'm one of them!

Nicely done.

His setup is impressive. I love how he took safety into account, making sure everything is strapped down or set up so he won't be killed by flying items in an accident. Accidents are guaranteed to happen as much as we drive yet most people don't seem to consider that an object flying 70 miles an hour that's stopped by their head is going to severely injure or kill them.

lots of good tips. I've been usung an imersion water heater for many years.

Sienna camper here. You mention mileage first thing! Thats the best part of minivans. Secondly, they have lots of power and drive like a car. I don’t like the wood cot, if you get rear ended the stringers will impale the drivers seat. I use a foldable. I use same “toilet” but found it is too low and if I cannot dispose of the bag, the smell stays. So I use a orange home depot bucket and with a couple mods the unfolded toilet straddles the bucket, raising it a few inches. A screw top on the bucket seals off the bag(s) and smell. Oh, I had the driver & passenger windows tinted. Probably illegal but you cannot see inside when walking by with the front window sunshade in. I also tinted the rear window.

Great setup. Thank you for mentioning high temperature adhesive. Didn’t know 😊

I didn't recognize the name but there was no mistaking the voice! I can't think of Odyssey Camper without thinking of ice cube makers. Trying to talk myself into making room for one in my van.

Darren and Tristan are both amazing! I've been watching them for years. I have a minivan and an SUV. It's great to see them together. Happy trails to these great guys!

HEY! HERE IS A RELEVANT TOPIC: Does everyone on here know that Honda Odyssey has a fatal design flaw that causes the roof to leak from years 1998-2018 (at least) I spent the last 3 months searching for the perfect one. Was about to pull the trgger on a really nice 08 Touring model… saw that all the floormats were piled up in the trunk, picked them up and lo and behold, mold After that the trunk tub thing would be the first thing I checked when I looked at one. Every one I looked at had damp carpet back there, most were being hidden by the seller, whether dealer or private party. After about six wet ones in a row, I realized it was time to search for a Sienna or bite the bullet and save up for the 4cyl turbodiesel Sprinter I have seen ONE good video on fixing the roof leak on Odyssey, it comes from the roof rails mounting bolts and rain gutter trough I hope this resentful rant will help someone!

How do people keep cool during the day, like specifically the afternoon? He said Quartzite and going out to the desert? What do you do if you can't do AC or an RV to stay cool? If you are a nomad, I think that I can handle the cold, you just have more blankets, more insulation, more sleeping bag, electric blanket can be plugged to battery bank. But afternoon heat.... don't know how to solve that in summer, that seems like the part I'm worried about the most.

Thank you gentlemen! Impressive rig!

Tristan In your video on Bob's channel today I have a question or two: You said refrigerator can work for days on the 1000 Jackery. H Exactly how many days? How long does it take for the Jackery to charge back up? Thanks.

FYI most vehicle are designed to have vents on the rear quarter panel. At the bottom side its cover by the bumper cover. You can pop off 1 or use both. I use both to draw in air and out. In my last vehicle I had sun roof. So used that to draw in air and vent it too.

Im guessing he has the EX which avoids the troublesome VCM but doesnt have a moonroof. To me the moonroof is vital Im in socal where summer rain is non existant so rigged up a vornado transom window fan (its actually a blower) and uses just 28 watts on high. Makes it bearable on the hottest days with 2 small fans in back. I can remove the blower in 2 seconds from the drivers seat, and it pulls in a tremendous amount of cool air but is virtually silent.

I was looking for an AWD minivan to lift. I never did find one & got a 4Runner instead.

I just bought myself a Honda odyssey. This is going to be my way of life for awhile due to me losing my home because of an auctioning off of the land it's on. Finding a place to rent is near impossible around my parts. So thanks for this!

Something to think about would be tinting the rear windows. They make a 5% tint that has a mirror like finish on the outside and it would work well. This will help to make your windows look as if they're not tinted as dark, being that it's under the factory 20% tinting.

Years ago I wanted to convert my 2004 Ody to a camper but there were no examples online. Found out there are structural ribs across the roof, so a pop up is out of the question

This is a fully loaded RV…….in a mini-van. He’s brilliant.

Fantastic and thorough review. Great ideas and very comprehensive!!

Well thought out build. There are maybe 3 things I'd have done differently. 1. Instead of adding on the air inlet and fan, I'd just use the vehicle's HVAC fan to save space. Just add a SPDT switch on the positive wire, to select between feeding it from your house battery vs vehicle battery. Make sure the vents are not on recirc or max-AC when you turn off the vehicle, you need to make sure that it draws in fresh air. So, also check that the car doesn't shut the outdoor air inlet flap when the car is off. If it does, you may need to switch the power to the flap-moving circuit. In all my cars in recent memory, running the fan with fresh air, exhausts it outdoors via rubber flaps hidden between interior trim in the hatch area, and the quarter panels. In a Prius, the air passes through the hybrid battery on the way to that, so the battery is heated or cooled toward being the cabin temp. The rubber flaps are a secondary mouse entry point, so I form a tiny open shoebox shape of wire mesh and epoxy it on. Primary mouse entry point is firewall openings leading to cabin air filter, so I wire mesh that also. 2. I'd go with oversized, higher load new-technology snow tires (Michelin X-Ice3 or X-Ice Snow; Continental VikingContact7, etc.) rather than oversized 10-ply rated offroad tires, ESPECIALLY if I drove 80mph often, while loaded down, as Darren implies he does. Check the speed ratings on those tires, some are shockingly low. My Michelin X-Ice3 are speed rating T, meaning 118mph, and last me 50K to 63K miles per set even with some really fast/hard driving, though on average I'm easy on my vehicles. I would not buy tires rated slower than S, 112mph. 3. I highly recommend adding a black curtain behind the front seats, the whole width of the vehicle, floor to ceiling. I use black muslin photo background material, tripled up, and using its pre-made curtain-rod sleeve. As a curtain rod, I use a 48 inch aluminum ruler, cut down to form a perfect arch to the headliner/roof when jammed between the tops of the seatbelt-retractor trim pieces. If you still have a gap at the top, just stuff extra material above the bar, or hang a separate piece from the headliner to overlap. Anyone looking in the windshield or driver/passenger windows sees the empty front seats, and NOTHING but blackness behind it, so in fact they see reflections of the sky. Make the curtain a foot or two wider than the rod, to leave room to reach the sides of the vehicle and velcro or clip it to prevent gaps. When at home base, I slide the curtain behind the driver's seat when driving, but when living out of the car, I just leave it in place and treat it as a cargo van or truck with no rear windows.

Interesting use of the center console. Lol. 👍

Wrapping up just in time before the rain came down :-)

Guys, very interesting 🤗🤔👍👍. Darren, love the rooftop light bar. Love immersion water heater. Thank you for sharing. Guys take care.

25 mpg is amazing. I got 16 on my Toyota sequoia.

Fascinating build. Very creative and well thought out. I envy the electrical knowledge. These ideas could be used in almost any SUV or van also. Thanks Darren! I would be interested how he keeps dirt/mud, etc fron accumulating on the under the car air intake so that dust and dirt doesn't blow in.

Thanks, Darren. Appreciated the detailed description of everything.

Good interview and interesting build. Well done. What does it mean to cook an egg in a bag?

AWESOME 💪 LIFT.... You cant beat an older Honda odyssey,... They were great !

Thank you Tristan -I am going to check out his channel 🙏✌️🌎💞

Odysseys have been good to me so this conversion looks great. Thanks for showing this, lots of good tips.

I like the care that Darren used to secure the heavy parts of the build, so they don't fly up and hit him in the back in a wreck (and he talked about this in the video). So many builds have batteries and beds just floating in the back, ready the go airborne in a collision. He has a perfect place to secure his electrical system - under the floor in a well that normally holds his spare tire. The metal lid keeps things in place and will prevent any sparking from lighting the floor on fire. My only thought is that I wish there were some way to get access to the electrical area in a hurry, if you see smoke coming from that area I would like to be able to quickly open a door and fix the problem. But I would accept that drawback if it is better to keep the area sealed off and prevent fires.

Amazing the bills you can have when you know how to do the work yourself

very informative thank you

I've fitted an in home sofabed in my van, it saves so much space during the day, is super comfy and is a genuine bed at night. Why isn't anyone else doing it?!!

Thanks learned alot

Very clever! I like the immersion heater & the vent system. He was very good at explaining everything.

Well thought out van build. He is safety minded. Enjoyed today's video even though I have ruled out a van for my nomadic life.

Well done💞💞💞

Great video with useful information on his minivan build. Very interesting that he commutes to overlanding

IMHO the front passenger seat is useless and takes a ton of space…

18:53 Aaaaahahahaha!!!! You have to love a man with a sense of humor!!

I have the same van as him and need to make mine set up as nice as his!!! I have 100w solar and lith 100ah batt that is "rigged to trickle charge with an inverter on the cars batt lol Going to subscribe and watch your videos to copy what you did! Cant wait! Will post videos of what i do. Most of my van is on my channel too @OdysseyCamper

Hola y gracias por el video ❤❤❤

Yeah, I have a 2018 odyssey. This guy isn't getting 28mpg fuel economy. I've only got mine weighed down by 2 adults and 5 kids and I get 22-24mpg like epa says it does

This is a great set up. I especially like the air vent and on demand water pump.

I’ve been trying to convince the wife minivans are cool. I think I finally have my proof.

Really nice clean set up !!