www.NotATent.com <– check out my website and Instagram!
TLDR:
I make 1 van every year, takes 1200hrs.
Brand new van from dealership, completed in January 2026.
Water won’t freeze and you can take hot shower in -20°f or colder
Designed for skiing/cold environments
72″ projector with automatic screen
34″ tires, WeldTec 5″ lift
Starlink Internet and adjustable work desk for remote work
Not 4×4, but heavily designed for snow. I haven’t put chains on my last 3 vehicles, and I’ve skied over 450 days. Can be upgraded to 4×4.
Full description:
My name is Mitch Nodland.
I build camper vans, and I like to ski.
I used to build high end homes (even won kitchen of the year in San Diego home and garden magazine once).
I decided to give up that life and now every year, I spend about 1200 hours designing and building the van that I’ll live in for the next winter. I’ll use it full-time for the season, sell it, and start my next build. This is the sixth iteration.
Each one gets better and better because I’m the one living in it, using it, seeing what works, and what needs to be changed.
I went to school for cabinetry.
All the cabinets are made of the highest quality Baltic birch and by utilizing the floor, walls and the bed directly into my cabinet builds, it saves a lot of weight. Every drawer runs on soft-close slides with locking latches.
A bench that comfortably seats 2 people, quickly turns into a bathroom and a hot shower. Simply clip up the waterproof curtain and shower head. When you’re living in a small area, you need to take advantage of all of the space without blocking the living area with unnecessary walls.
Cold and wet boots are no fun, so I installed ski boot heaters in the shower pan where the snow can melt off without getting the floors wet.
There is also a fold out adjustable table top, plus high speed Starlink internet for working remotely.
This years van came straight from the dealership. A 2023 Chevy 3500, that is 22’0” in length including the custom ski box on the back that holds up 5 pairs of skis. It’s on a WeldTec 5-inch lift with 34-inch BFGoodrich KO3 tires.
Winter roads get rough. Parking lots get buried. I’d rather have the clearance and not have to think about it. I ski 100+ days every year between 10 and 20 resorts. I do this by keeping the weight in the rear. All of the water and batteries are in the back of the vehicle. I also swapped out the open rear differential for a posi traction diff and geared it down to a 4.10 gear ratio so it can climb hills with ease. The vehicle is not 4×4. I have not put chains on my last 3 vehicles. It’s a possible aftermarket upgrade, but for me it has never been worth it, especially since not even using the chains.
Everything that you see gets powered by 750 watts of solar and 280 amp-hours of self-heating Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. Fully off grid with a back up DC2DC charger to supplement the power during those longer storms. You don’t and can’t plug in this vehicle. No noisy generators needed.
This ski van is truly blizzard-proof.
I built it so I don’t have to worry about frozen tanks or electronics shutting down like in most “winterized” vans. Below -5°F, I flip a switch to turn on additional battery heaters and pipe warmers.
I can run heat, lights, cook, and be comfortable, even when the outside temps drop to negative 25 degrees.
Hot water is handled by a 6-gallon calorifier that is tied into the vehicles radiator. A short drive produces up to 190-degrees of potable water in about 30 minutes which is automatically mixed down to a safe and adjustable 114 degrees. It stays hot for up to 24 hours — no extra fuel required. If it needs topped off, a turn of a switch will electronically heat the water.
A fully insulated van (1″ XPS R-6, floors, ceilings, and walls), with blackout thermal curtains, and an altitude adjusting diesel heater keeps this van very warm in all winter conditions.
6’6” high ceilings provide plenty of headroom for almost anyone. And because unlike the Mercedes Sprinter, it’s a box, you get 6’4” of interior width from front to back, top to bottom, giving you the most storage of any vehicle in its length.
Next time you tour a Mercedes Sprinter, just imagine where you will store all of your food, gear, clothing, tools, and ski boots.
Pack away an entire season of ski gear and supplies into this van, and your counters will look as clean and clutter free as these photos.
After skiing a long day, it’s nice to come home and be able to cook a hot dinner.
Climb into the extended length full size bed and throw a movie onto the 72” projector screen
It’s tough getting rid of my home that makes so many memories every year, but I enjoy seeing them continue to be used by others, and I’m excited for my next builds.
If you’re ready to stop chasing the snow, and start living in it, this is your van.
Check out my website for
more information or reach out to me.
www.NotATent.com
