Handcrafted 2018 Ram Promaster 1500 Van 136”
Built with the intention for this to be my “forever” van but of course, life changes. Truly no cut corners, designed and crafted for full-time living in any environment. I can say with full confidence this van will take you literally anywhere you want to go, as I know from experience. The design is based upon a year-round adventure. It easily accommodates 2 people on Baja surf trips, powder-chasing winters, and comfortable shoulder season dirtbag climbing.
My partner and I lived in this van full-time for a year and a half, I took a year sabbatical climbing, surfing, and skiing while my partner worked full time in the van. The electric system never quavered, supporting the edge case of 40hr work weeks while buried in snow.
This van is a wood lover’s dream. Every piece has been skillfully scribed to create a sleek interior for this tiny home on wheels along with proper wood joinery used in the cabinetry. It’s rare to find this level of detail in camper vans.
I bought the vehicle from a dealership in Virginia when it was virtually new with 6,000 miles. The dealership “sold” it to itself and was used by the dealership itself for that amount of time. I’ve been the sole owner since then, registered and built it out in CA, then moved to Oregon this past year where it is registered as a Campervan.
Maintenance Details
I haven’t had a single issue with this van since I’ve owned it. Other than regular oil and filter changes, and full tire replacement, there isn’t much to report. It’s been a very dependable camper van.
I used Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic (5W-20) Oil and Mopar MO-349 filters for these changes, and I changed the oil every 7-10k miles. I diligently tracked all maintenance performed, so I have documentation of all that which I’d happily turn over.
Electrical
- 300 watt Newpowa monocrystalline solar panel
- 300Ah Renogy AGM battery bank
- 750 watt Renogy Pure Sine inverter
- Renogy 60A DC-DC Battery Charger
- Victron 100/30 charge controller SmartSolar MPPT with Bluetooth
- Victron BMV 712 Smart Battery Monitor with Bluetooth
- Victron Lynx Power In
- Dimmable LED lighting throughout
- DC and AC electrical outlets throughout
Interior/Exterior
- Swivel seats – driver and passenger
- Full-coverage, sustainable Havelock Wool insulation
- Insulated black-out curtains
- KILMAT 3mm Butyl rubber sound-deadening installed throughout… wheel wells, walls and headliner
- 1” Polyiso insulation under factory floor
- Custom 6-Inch Full Latex Foam Mattress
- CRLaurence T-Vent sliding door window
- Attachment points throughout the ceiling, allowing a hammock to be hung and sleep a 3rd person. Also designed to strap surfboards to the interior ceiling
- Custom built roofrack using 8020 extruded aluminum. Exposed attachment point channel along every rail for unlimited attachment options. Entire passenger side open for 9’6” longboard storage
Hand-crafted Cabinetry
- Lightweight Baltic Birch cabinetry
- Shaker style doors and drawers built with Baltic birch panel and Poplar frame
- Marine grade boat latches on doors and drawers
- Blum soft-close drawer slides
- Upper cabinets with lid stays
- Solid Maple butcher block countertops
- Adjustable Full/twin bed. One of the coolest parts of the van. The bed is on sliders, pushing the bed in exposes an extra 2ft of galley kitchen space. Provides the flexibility for “solo” mode.
- Lagun table for working/dining
- Garage equipped with 3 MONSTROUS 40in deep drawers. Each mounted on 500lb drawer slides
- Airtight propane locker, vents through the van floor
- Plenty of additional storage in the garage
- Beastmaker 1000 Climbing Hangboard
Appliances
- Maxxair Vent Fan – Deluxe 5100K
- Propex HS2000 propane heater w/ Thermostat
- Dometic CFX3 55IM Refrigerator
- Dometic drop-in propane cooktop
Plumbing
- 7 Gallon fresh water tank
- 7 Gallon grey water tank
- SHURflo Revolution Standard 12v Automatic Demand Pump Classic RV Pump 4008-101-E65
- SHURflo 182-200 Pre-Pressurized Accumulator Tank
- Stainless Steel deep sink
You can find more pictures at the below link on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/191946686@N02/k484T52B4w
