Two minute minivan camper conversion one year later 

I just bought a 2004 Toyota Sienna on offer up for 1900 and it has 218,000 miles on it and I’m loving it 😆 especially if it’s an emergency it’s a great backup van that’s the most reliable

I made a Two minute minivan camper conversion same as you which is the best convenent comfort and useful in RU-vid , Thank you Chuck and Terri, I love you.

Nice to meet you. I happened to visit you. I am a camp in Korea.You did the hard work yourself.It's possible only when you have knowledge in automobiles. Good job. I hope you continue to enjoy car camping.^^

Love you guys. Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge.

Wow !!! 10 years ago !!! I think you may be one of the first ones to do the V-Thang with a minivan !!!! I think I may be the 2nd in 2012, where I did the V-Thang with a Dodge Caravan just for survival purposes, I knew my income was going to drop considerably in about 4 months, so, I was just brainstorming... hey, I learned to sleep just about anywhere when I was in the Marine Corps (Infantry), on cement and on dirt and rocks... I know I could sleep in a gutted out mini-van.... that's I started the V-Life.... Just putting this out there for you and for others, it's best that you get a "Floor Jack" not a scissor jack, why ??? With a scissor jack (the one you have now) it only works when you're on a flat level pavement, if you get a flat on any kind of incline or dip or a slight decline of the shoulder or if you're on dirt or sand or rocks the car will start to lean and the scissor jack will topple over and the vehicle will crash on top of the scissor jack. This is your life we're talking about, I got the 2-3 ton floor jack and I have 2 spare tires (I go to some very secluded places) just in case if something happens in the middle of nowhere.... Those are my 2 cents, hopefully this will be useful..... Keep on Truckin (Vannin) !!! I just love being the only one on the road with a 360 degree view of the horizon !!!!

Great to see you both again. I still like your build and will for sure make it my 1st choice if the time comes that I can do this for my van. Thanks and safe and happy winter!

OMG !!!! I really love your construction mini-van hacks !!!!! welding, sawing, drilling, the iPad holder deal is pure genius !!!! Just drill it to the van !!!! Love it !!! Definitely glad I crossed paths with you.... I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan with just me, I would definitely get a larger bed if I had that "Special Someone" !!!! So glad to see a loving couple who's on the same page who both love the V-Life !! and the V-Adventure !!!

We’ve been living out of bars for three years we have a mettis Minivan ring love it

Awesome awesome awesome job, thanks, happy trails 💯

Loud musics mishap happens often, even mainstream channels make that mistake too. Sound levels were perfect on this video. Great van video.

You guys are very cool people God bless both of you happy trails.

I really like your tablet holder. And I also liked how you stored your house battery under the hood of your minivan. Thanks for sharing!

I have an 05 sienna. You have done what I really want to do myself. ...Great job!

You two rock!! Great video! Happy Trails, and maybe I'll see you down the road.

You guys are awesome. Learning so much!

Just bought an 05 today, have big plans for the summer, thank you for the tips.

Omgsh! What a joy to watch and so helpful as I design my own lil digs. Thanks 👍

Thank you for the video. Good info. Have a blessed day.

Looking at converting a dodge caravan. Thanks so much for the ideas! -N

love the van journey it amazing

I love the "super natural" window covers! lol Seriously though, great video guys. I have an AWD sienna and might camp in mine soon to save money on hotels when on long distance work trips.

Very good "after one year" review!💯👍

Ty for some simple tips I can do myself with a little RU-vid tutorial lol. Love my new old van. Been 4 years since having a van, sure have missed it. But did do a build for my Kia Rio that worked beautiful for long weekends. Ty

I may have tried go with bsskets wire storage bins as opposed to wooden box u cant see through, still glad see u guys out enjoying nature!

Wow, great one year sum up👍

The new sienna is fully hybrid. It can run idle and quiet while giving heat in the middle of a cold night.

Very nice, thank you for sharing.

Something you might want to consider is getting another wiper fluid bottle preferably a new one and installing it under the hood and getting some tubing from the fish tank and a little pump again from an aquarium store and install it underneath the hood and the engine compartment this will give you warm to hot water when the engine is running now this is something that I did years ago when I was doing construction and it's worked out very well because my guys actually had like a little cleanup station but the fact that you can have warm water or hot water depending on how long you run the engine for is always a good thing as we all know I water comes in very handy

Great job. 👍

Great review! We are going to get started on our build in the next couple of months, can't wait! Thanks so much for all your videos!

great video. Ive been thinking the same thing. Started out contemplating a bus, box truck. but for just myself, a reclusive minimalist. as long as I have room for a coffee pot, I'm good. I like the extra room in the Siennas. Thank you for your inspiring video.

LOVE all the stuff you guys have done and absolutely cannot wait to get our van build done and hit the road :)

Amazing! I'm headed to get my 2006 Sienna tomorrow and can't wait to get started!

You guys rock! I love your music choices 🎶🎸

Very nice! Thank you!

Really great. You did a lot in “two minutes”.

Great vid! Here is an idea for remedying how the back section knocks into the charger when folded up: How about notching out a small area off the side of the wood flap, just enough to make it past the charger? In any case, I wish you many more happy travels!

Thank you for sharing! God bless!

Thanks for sharing and inspiring.🙂

Most inspiring 🌻

Good stuff

Thanks so much for your clear & detailed sharing of your van and changes you made. I'm hoping to get a Toyota minivan in the next year. Oh and I just subscribed.

Awesome information thank you 🙏🏼

awesome! You could also build a shelf/table with thin legs to fit into the ipad holder (when empty) shelf could easily be stashed away.

The iPad holder is epic

You heard a shot,,, it's America, no surprise there!!!. Great vids bytheway..

I have the same van. Re. the Reflectix window coverings: I sprayed mine with glue and put black cloth on the covering instead of painting. Works great and no flaking off. Plus, you can choose the silver side out or black side out, depending on temperature.

Love it!! I can't wait to convert a minivan. I just have to figure out a way to configure the bed, so we can have a 3rd seat in the back for our toddler.

So glad I found your video. I’ve got an ‘04 T-Sienna 225k and would love to convert it to camp. I know what I want but have no expertise or tools to do it myself. I’m in Louisiana. If anyone other than yourselves sees this just add a comment and I’ll be checking. I need a moxie person to help with my thoughts of an off grid conversion. Sorry, I don’t mean to offend you by imposing on your site. God bless you in your travels and continued good health. Thanks

Excelente, very good job

Thanks for showing how you made your camper van! Very cool! #TwiftiesSharingWhatWorks!

I m sure the bears and muggers love the open tent airflow too. Try a hybrid!! Ever thought of 1$ Store black foam boards??????!!!!!! (Painting silver stuff black? Where have you been?)

At 3:50 I laughed when you said “What’s really important is the ability to screw in the bed.” Yes, I’m immature 😁

I like reflex it on all my back windows and curtians for privacy. Power is nice for fans and I jut ran extention chords .

New sub love channel much love from Minneapolis I just got me another van I was lost without my old one

just bought an 04 sienna, thanks for inspirations

thanks

Thanks 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🌸❤️🌸

Great detailed video! Regarding adding storage boxes (ipad/cell phone holders), you said you screwed them into the wall of the van. Can you explain this? Do you use anchors or some other method to keep the screws from cracking the plastic and/or falling out?

bought this yesterday for 1600 EUR, needs 100 new oil + filter, some minor things to repair like for 300 and it will be great for conversion :) I'm so exited, it have only 220,000 km pretty good for camping. Here in Europe it is called Kia Carnival btw

Thanks for sharing, what do you to protect from getting injured by flying derby in a crash?

North Carolina and like rock and roll! I live in the triad area (Greensboro High Point) and looking to convert a van with your bed and kitchen idea. If you are near the triad, come see my band “Rockit Science”. We play all around the area. Really enjoy your videos! 😎👍

Toyotas are the best cars on the road will run forever

Thanks Terri and Chuck! You don't happen to have the flat floor dimensions before the bed is added do you? Might have to look at a Sienna :) -Bone

I wouldn't have even realized I was drilling into the gas tank. 😮😮😮

you should cover if you use mattress or just a sleeping bag but on the wooden bed it will be painful

Congratulations on reaching 1,000 Subscribers!!! 🤘 You said you screwed directly into the vinyl of the interior? I have a Dodge Grand Caravan so loving your layout to inspire mine! Are you all aiming to go full-time in the van?

I see where you put your Solar Charge Controller. Isn't that where the JBL Subwoofer is supposed to go? I have a 2004 Sienna.

Could you use a male-male plug to get AC without altering the cable? Thanks!

Hi Chuck and Terri... minute 9:25, What kind of screws you did you use to screw the wood plate to the van's acrylic? Thanks!

Very cool! Which trifold bed did you get?

Interesting

Thanks for all the tips, I have a Sienna also. When you turn the lights off in the van using the switch, how do you stop the little open door blinker on the dash, while the trunk is open with the tent attached? Thanks

Did you silicon caulk only around edges of solor? Please explain exactly the coverage of silicon you put on back. Please be specific about the application you used. Your result was amazing - we would like to match. Did you put silicon caulk on Sienna and press solor panel down or put Silicon on panel and press down? What brand caulk? Do you think application would work on a full roof size solor panel? Thank you! -also Have you noticed your technique working on ..say camper shells (topper) than are made out of a soft covered material and have trays formed in them from front to back (lord knows why). My topper looks great, store bought, but the top where the solor panels would need to go isn't flat - it has several trays of about five inches wide anf 4.5 feet long running ontop of camper shell. I wonder if aero dynamics would allow glued on solor to stay on despite indentation. Vaguely worried about trapped water soaking solor panel apart.. have you seen anyone successful with this type of surface.. cauling down?) Thank you

Hi Chuck and Terri, I would like to add hard flooring over the floor in the middle area to make it easier to keep the floor clean. I was wondering if you were able to pull out the rollers that glide on the tracks for the middle row seats. Can you, or anyone else, tell me how you removed them? 😊

Hi. Water doesn't travel down the wire of the solar panels and into the rear light or batteries on a rainy day ( around minute 6:40) ? Thx. Well thought build.

I'm not finding the link that shows all the dimensions for the 2X4 frame. . . . to support the plywood beneath the mattress.

I have a van just like yours what the measurements on the bed fram. Please

Do you have a link to the hanging light bulb?

I bought a 2012 Toyota sienna off the used car lot from a Toyota dealership when it was a year old. I felt really good about this vehicle because they told me the owner of the dealerships wife had driven it for a year. However now looking back on this I think the vehicle had been wrecked and fixed and never been put on the report that shows you if a car has had a major repair. So looking back on this it makes me think that I probably got ripped off. And for the age of the vehicle when I looked at it on the used car lot you know how they make everything look shiny inside and like new well within a few days it seem like the shininess started disappearing and I could see a ton of scratches on the console and dash that weren’t visible before. So I really think this lady being the dealerships wife I really think she didn’t take care for the van. I feel that she probably knew she was gonna get another new car in a year and just abused it really bad. And that report that it didn’t show any kind of accident on I think it’s called a Carfax.

Have you thought of getting a larger van camper and modifying it ?

What is kind of ice chest do you use?

I'm 64 and still live rock but I love progressive even more screw the age

Just got 2004 Sienna and exciting to be a car camper soon! May I know how did you leveled your floor behind first row seats to third row? Thanks!

With all the widows covered doesn’t it get humid? What about air circulation?

Why don't you put the top piece of wood blocking access to jack on a hinge that would allow you to flip it up when needed?

I’m dropping out after 2 minutes...I still don’t know what make and model this van is...I guess I’ll never know

I am planning to convert 2008 Odyssey with 110K miles, has no maintenance record when I brought it. I have no idea if timing belt has changed or not. How can I tell if it was or not. Did you change it?.

I can confirm that the 2003 and older Siennas have the spare tire carrier in a different spot; since the third row doesn't fold into the floor, the tire is stored at the rear. The AWD Siennas also don't have a spare; they just have a tire patch kit.

That's what I want ,a Toyota Sienna ,used, but I think I can't afford one

Am looking at the Napier sportz tent. Have you ever considered that?

When screwing into vanilla walls what type screw

Why cut both ends of your cord, when you can basically unreel it completely and re reel it the other way.

😎✌🎼🎸🎺🎷🎻🎹🎤🔔 More cow bell! 🤘

Hi ,, Where can i buy the single light ? thank you

30 watts of solar is all you need?

Simply glue black material ,matte

Would you be willing to help a single mom who lost everything and help her convert her 2008 Toyota Sienna like yours? That would be amazing.

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I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna & I have converted mine into a RV. I also am a Teardrop Camper builder. Please check it out if you'd like:) Great job on your build. Best wishes to you both. ~Kevin