TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN CAMPER TOUR - After 52,000 miles and 42 States Road Trip 

Yes, you can go places with just whatever setup that fit your travel style. Life is too short to stay home and wait for better day to come. Every trip is a blessing. BTW, how old is your shepherd? Thanks for watching and good luck to your rig.😊

@@vinnyandrocky Thanks so much! I've had Grace for 1-1/2 years. Vet guessed her to be about 3 at the time. So, maybe 4-1/2 years? I got her from a shelter and she's been awesome!

@@rose8662 Glad to know both you and her are happy together, shepherds are very good companion and very smart too. She will follow you wherever you go. Good for you. 😊

Thank you.

Thank you. Yes, more travels coming.

Glad you like it. Solar panel is definitely a must for fulltime vanlife. With current gas prices, hybrid is a good choice.

Glad you like it.

Thanks. Difficult to secure the tire if it wasn't flat.

OK, I will put it in my "To Do List".

Yes, after 52,000 miles I still like the Sienna. Take your time and enjoy your travel. Thank you for your comments.

Thanks you.

Wish you back on the road soon. My health improved when I travel.

Thanks.

I did something similar in my first few trips by keeping the passenger side second seat before I upgrade to my second build. Anchorage is definitely in my travel bucket list. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

My pleasure!

I have been thinking getting a 4x4 truck too since my van cannot go off-road. One issue I have with a truck is finding a suitable cap. Most truck caps are level with the front cab with very little head room. Pop-up camper is also not ideal for my type of travel. I have to stick with my van until I see a better option. Thanks for watching and wish you find your dream rig soon.

Thanks.

Thank you.

You made the right choice, have fun and enjoy your trip.

Thanks. Thanks for watching.

Thanks!

Thanks.

Thanks for watching.

Thank you.

You are so welcome!

Since 2018, I drove to West coast three times and I always stay in quiet places. My dog will bark if there is strangers walking around. Some Walmarts even more quiet than campgrounds. But you must plan and re-search ahead of time because not all Walmarts are equal. I actually sleep better in my van than at home, LOL. I agree buying a van these day is no fun at all. Life is too short and I am trying to see the beauty of this country before it was gone. Good luck on your journey.

Thank you.

Some Sienna owners actually removed their 2nd row seats successfully. see link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-24cYWBiTUwY.html There's another example of turning a 2021 Sienna into a camper worth take a look: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P7hjHLtXYow.html

Maria, is it because the batteries are under those seats ? I wanted to remove all rear seats also so maybe might have to look at Honda s van but I like Toyota more .

Thank you.

Thank you, glad you like it.

Thank you, glad you like it. I'll put more dimensions to my next video.

Thanks for watching.

Glad you like it.

Thank you.

thanks

Thank you.

Thanks.

Glad you think so!

GSD sleep on the floor. The bed is only big enough for me and my wife. On some trips, l go alone with my dog. The space in front of the bed is 24"x42", plenty of room for single GSD. If you travel alone with two GSD, one or both can share the bed with you. When l travel alone, l only set up half the front bed panel. It will yield more floor space for my dog.

@@vinnyandrocky 🐕‍🦺Woof! Woof!🦮

Thank you. I will put this in my " To Do list".

The front seat desk just sits on the door arm rest and a DIY L-shape wooden bracket mounted to the center plywood console. When the desk top is not in use, the L-bracket serve as phone mount.

Great idea. Can you show us the bottom of the table too?

@@hannalee3389 Yes, coming soon.

I don't like RFT because their ride is not as comfortable as regular tires and they cannot be repaired if punctured. I replaced mine with regular tires and bought a full size as emergency backup since places I travel do not always have cell signals in case I have a flat. Initially I did car/tent camping for several months and kept the 3rd row seat but finally removed it to fully utilize the van.

@@vinnyandrocky I am just waiting for the RFT's to wear out to do the same. There is a button on the lower dash that the driver can press with his left knee. It deactivates the sliders for child safety. I thought my doors were broken. Nope. Stupid button placement. Nice dog.

Thanks for your comments. I removed the 2nd and 3rd row seats, their total weight was 214 lbs. I also measure the clearance between the tires and wheel wells to see difference ride height before and after the conversion. Maximum payload for my Sienna was 1,339 lbs after I removing the seats. I estimate my built was less than 500 lbs, so I am well within the load limit.

@@vinnyandrocky might want to stiff up the suspension to get better quality ride and safe for handling the corner with extra payload. Important is safety first that was my concern . Happy OverLanding look forward to see your sienna around the trails 🤙

Thank you for watching.

Thanks for watching.

Some National Parks allow dogs on the trails and certain areas such as campgrounds and roads are pet allowed. Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia are both pet friendly. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia even let me park overnight at their Visitor Center parking lot, You will see lots of dogs in this park too.

No, I don't have bug screen. I didn't encounter bug in all my trips. Probably because I don't travel during Summer months. 😉

I don't travel during the Summer months to avoid the crowds and the heat. I use the fan when it is too hot to sleep. I keep the reflectix window cover on the windows during the day when the temperature are above 60F to keep the sun out and it really helps to keep the van cooler than without the reflectix. Thanks for watching. I see you have a beautiful dog too.

@@vinnyandrocky thanks...we do use fans and shades to cover up all windows. We're in Texas so it's really hot in the summer and we love the beach. We have been travelling in a Sienna too and couldn't figure a way to deal with the heat. We thought of a generator and drill hole on the roof of the van to install an AC. We have a moon roof that may or may not fit the AC.

@@darlenechung8664 I think it will help if your van is under some kind of shade to reduce the heat gain from the sun. A white tarp over the van will certain reduce the heat. One issue of using generator at night is not all campsites allow the use of generators after 8 pm and the noise may offend other campers. Let me know if you find a workable solution. Happy travelling.

@@vinnyandrocky wow...did not know that

That's a Garmin Drive Smart 65 GPS since the Sienna Navigation apps is not very useful. The table top is just 16" x 25" x 1/2" thick plywood sitting on a custom support and door arm rest. I don't use it when I am driving. the vertical support was attached to the DIY center console. I might put up another how to build video once I finish my other video. Thanks for watching.

@@vinnyandrocky Yes, please show in detail your front seat laptop desk in another video minus the laptop so that I can see what the back part of the board looks like. Is it just a straight edge with rounded corners? What did you use to trace a template for the rounded corners? I want to see what's underneath that's holding it up (from the floor). I was hoping that you have a template, like a pdf file of some type so that I can trace the shape out. That would be awesome. How did you get the exact shape (rounded corners and all)?

@@vinnyandrocky Based on your year model of 2019, you should be able to get CarPlay if you use an Apple phone. Regardless, I believe that you can even use an Android phone and get Google maps on it, so that will help you eliminate the need for the GPS screen.

AWD is nice to have but not necessary for most places and paved roads. It just give me extra peace of mind when I go to remote locations with no cell signals. National Forest roads are muddy when rain and I don't want to get stuck in middle of nowhere. Since you plan out where and when you go and 2W drive is fine. High clearance is nice to have but not necessary if you are not plan to go off road. Just go out and enjoy with whatever you have. My Sienna only have 22.5 mpg with a roof top box, not great. Staying overnight at free or low fee campsites do help me pay for the gas, LOL.

@@vinnyandrocky thx very much re AWD

Thanks for watching. Yes, there are tons of good places to visit in this country. I will explorer Colorado this coming Fall, can't wait.

I have mentioned the shower again in my recent video. You just connect the shower hose to the dispenser, that's it. I included the parts you need and I bought the shower head at Lowe's. Regular shower head won't work. If you put the dispenser and water container higher, you will get a stronger shower spray. The link is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MCNEAUwuNHI.html

@@vinnyandrocky thanks a lot will try it and i wantto modify my van grand caravan to have more space in side to moove lol i like your bed and pentry to ....

Thank you for watching.

Depends on what temperature you set in your fridge. If you use it as freezer(below 32), it will drain your battery faster. If you don't have second means of charging except from driving, a bigger generator is always better. After I upgrade my van with a portable solar panel, I can run my fridge when I am not driving. I will say 500W is minimum for long trip. Adding insulation to your fridge also help especially in hot weather.

I did a comparison between minivans and SUV before I decide which one best suit my needs. 2011-2020 Sienna are the largest among all, it has 150 cu. ft. volume behind the front row seats. the 2000 Odyssey which I owned has 146 and the 2018 has 140. Even the 2017 Ford Expedition EL only has 130.8 cf. My previous Honda Odyssey last over 260K miles. The reasons why I ditched the Odyssey were: low ground clearance (only 4.5") vs 6.5" for the Sienna. If you plan on camping on National Forest, try to avoid low ground clearance vehicles. All-Wheel Drive cars seldom came with spare tire because they use run-flat tires(RFT). I blew two RFT at 20K miles at the same time when I hit a big pothole and I switched to regular tires. I added a full size tire for added safety. Most 2W Drive minivans have the spare tire under the 2nd row or rear trunk. I did not put additional insulation on the van since I need to sell it some day and not a screw was drill to the interior. My trips are all around Falls and Springs. The coldest temperature I encountered was 20F. I have no heater but I use 10F sleeping bag. I always carry extra blanket just in case. The temperature inside the van is always warmer than outside due to our body heat + my dog. Reliability is also important when choosing a van for long distance travel, it is no fun being break down in a middle of nowhere.

@@vinnyandrocky Thanks for the reply here. Good info and appreciated. I think you forgot one question, - Any vans to stay away from if you're taking out the second and third row seats? BTW, shepherds are my favorite dogs! We had a few. All were really smart and great dog to hangout with.

@@allana8253 Sorry I missed that question. I believe most popular minivans can remove the 2nd and 3rd row seats without too much troubles and there are many how to videos on RU-vid in this tropic. I will stay away from minivans that do not have such a video. Some newer minivans have air bags in their seats that need special attention when removing them since it was not recommended by the manufacturers. Yes, you are right, GSD are very smart and loyal.

Yes, I did everything myself. I guess the best way is to ask your friends for referrals of any carpenters near where you live. May be search online like Facebook for local van builders. When you see someone driving a camper-van, stop and ask where he got his build.

I just updated the product links to include the fan, please check online again.

Not yet! I have two flats before I added my spare. Spare tire give me peace of mind since I go to places with no cell signals and over an hour drive from nearest service stations.

No, I have no plan to go South America or Asia, especially with so many Covid-19 restrictions. I like to travel in Spring and Falls. Summer is too difficult to find good camp sites without early reservations which I seldom do. For safety I stay away from places that have high crime rates.

2019

Yes. I seldom use the sofa mode. Splitting the front panel allows me to use it as table. I still have the full bed at night if l want it.

@@vinnyandrocky what made you choose that set up compared to van lengthwise sofa bed ?

@@johnapple7006 I don't use the sofa mode when I am driving because my dog didn't like it. He prefers a cozy space so that he can lean on rather than a 4'x4' open space. So I always on semi-bed mode. During rest stop, I can relax on the back or make something to eat. I also have stuff under the bed, sofa mode will interfere with all the storage. When I split the front panel into two, I created an L-shape space for my dog. He has plenty of room to stretch his legs or lie down. When I go to bed, I put the panel back to have a full width bed. This sofa bed design is not perfect for everyone, at least not for me. If I do it again, I probably do it differently.

@@vinnyandrocky is there a way I can message you privately? If you did it differently how would you do it? I’m torn between this and a design where the bed just goes length wise then you have the whole other side of the van for space and storage. (__!) if that diagram helps Was your bed twin xl or full?

@@johnapple7006 Space between the wall cabinet and passenger side wall is 46" wide. I allowed 1"gap, so the bed width is 44". It is how you will use your van and how many people determine what bed design is good for you, no single solution for everyone. I don't hang out in the van during the day, that's why I seldom put my bed into a sofa. Besides, I will lose storage space when it is in sofa mode. I hope it helps.

I have a toilet but just never use it. All the places I stay have public toilets. It's free, why not. Thanks for watching.

@@vinnyandrocky that why we need it compact :)

2019.