Vansie – Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Race Van Camper 5 Berth

Vansie is our amazingly well equipped 2006 Mercedes Sprinter race van. With a large rear garage he’s capable of taking a couple of full sized MX bikes. This facility makes for an excellent adventure camper and you’ll find him kitted out as such, with everything you need for a memorable trip.

Vansie sleeps up to 5 people, if you’re close! We camp comfortably as a family with 5 year old twins and space for one of the shorter older ones. 4 is better though.

A large king sized bed above the garage is the main fixed double berth, accessed by a removable ladder. This is quite cosy with limited headroom so you need to be pretty agile to use it. Once up there though a roof window makes it a pleasant place to watch the stars. It also has dimmable touch lights either side with USB sockets and stash nets for phone etc. You will need to bring your own bedding.

The L shaped sofa pulls out to create a small transverse double, max occupant height 5’6” to be comfy. A memory foam topper is stored in a large sack in the garage to go over the cushions. We use two sleeping bags & pillows on here which you’ll need to bring along yourself. You can exit through the small hatch via garage when this bed is assembled if you need.

Final berth is across the front seats. A foam mattress is stored in the mattress bag in the garage. There are inflatable footwell cushions to fill the floor in, which are also great for kids to put their feet on while travelling.

Travel seats are 3 with 3 point belts up front, and two rear facing 2 point lap belted places in the rear. The rear facing bench has isofix points & two high backed booster seats with 3 point harnesses for kids up to 25kg.

There’s a double din Sony head unit fitted with Bluetooth and wired CarPlay / android and hands free phone. Bring your own USB cable. This is how we use the sat nav. There is a reversing camera with its own display.

A 22” LCD TV/DVD is mounted to a bracket next to the seating area (mainly for travelling), but this can be lifted off and placed around the van.

Amidships there is a small heads, with shower, Thetford 565 cassette toilet, mirrored cabinet and fold down basin and thermostatic shower. Hot water is via Truma Ultrastore propane /240v boiler. If you would prefer the toilet elsewhere, a toilet tent is stored in the garage rack and there is a wooden floor sheet with mounting plate for the cassette toilet in there too, so it can be set up outside.

Opposite the heads is the kitchen, with a Dometic twin gas hob & sink unit with glass covers and fold down hot & cold mixer tap. There is a 12v Alpicool compressor fridge with icebox below.

Crockery, utensils, cookware etc is all provided. There is a Tassimo coffee machine for that morning espresso as the sun comes up. Drainer bowl, chopping board, knives and a selection of conventional and Ridgemonkey pans (the sandwich toaster is excellent for cooking sausages) are provided.

Fresh water is pumped from a undeslung Fiamma tank via a Seaflo 12v pump with accumulator to keep the system pressurised. The lockable remote filler cap is in the rear left hand side.

Grey water drains to an underslung waste tank. A hose is in the garage to connect to the outlet for draining, or there is a black waste can to decant grey water into if not near to a suitable drain point.

Vansie has a small waste bin which hooks on the kitchen unit or hung around the place with a separate bracket, plus bin bag hooks for outside, a fold up table on the end of the kitchen and a removable / rotatable egg shaped table on a Sequioa post.

There is another MPK roof window above the main living space for light and ventilation. LED lighting is fitted to all areas, individually switched above the kitchen unit.

There is ample storage within the living space and above the cab, with lockers at high level and floor level. We store dry food in a plastic trunk in the garage.

A diesel night heater is installed beneath the L shaped seating. The night heater control panel, inverter / shore power switches, water level indicators, water heating controls and CO sensors are all located in the living space. There is a remote fob for the heater on the keys. All windows have curtains or blinds. The plant area is within the garage with a gas drop out and CO alarm.

The garage provides ample space for adventurous families to take along whatever they need for a trip away. There are two MTB fork supports fitted to the floor (with adapters for different axle types), plus we also have a 4 bike tow ball rack if required for a small additional charge. Other available add ons are 2 and 3 person Sevylor inflatable kayaks, inflatable SUP, two Gul body boards, bat & balls and a Mobi pressure washer for rinsing down wetsuits, bikes etc.

Stored in the garage are 4 folding moon chairs and a fold up table. There is a 4m awning mounted to the roof with body clips for the legs and a breathable awning carpet and pegs on the rack in the garage. A fold up clothes airer is stored on board and the back door has fold down hooks fitted inside it.

Vansie is fully off grid, with two 130ah leisure batteries, a 1500/3000w pure sine wave inverter and a 200w suitcase solar panel stored in the garage. There is a diesel tank for the night heater and a 6kg propane bottle for cooking and hot water.

Throughout the van there are 12v and 240v sockets and lights. A 15m mains EHU cable is provided with household 13a socket adapter. Vansie has a split charge system with two onboard chargers, one for the leisure system which will charge the leisure system whenever the EHU is connected, and a separate one for the starter battery, which is generally switched off and for winter storage use only. The leisure system can also be charged / powered by the Renogy portable solar panel and charger which plugs in with an Anderson connector, super easy, but we’ve never run down the batteries yet.

Outside Vansie runs on General Grabber AT tyres which help when the weather is less than perfect, but he’s big and heavy, so don’t venture too far off road! A pair of wheel chocks / wedges are provided for levelling. A tow strap is kept inside for emergencies; try not to need it!!

We absolutely love Vansie (I genuinely didn’t think I would at all) and if your young family loves the outdoors then you’ll love Vansie too.

Points of note:

1. Gas: Propane is by bottle and charged for by weight. In the unlikely event you run out and have to exchange the propane bottle during your trip, you will be refunded for unused gas on return, please keep the receipt.

2. Pets: Digby, our spaniel, does come camping with us (he sleeps on his bed in the front footwell) so if you have a strong pet allergy then you probably shouldn’t stay in Vansie. Please ask if you wish to take your dog with you. We can provide a crate for the garage but animals are not permitted in the living space.

3. Cleaning: Please empty and clean all grey water containers and the cassette toilet prior to return or a cleaning charge of £30 per tank will be incurred. Please ensure the exterior of the van is reasonably clean and the inside is not covered in muddy footprints, the cooker, sink & fridge are wiped clean and crockery, cutlery etc is washed. We don’t expect you to spend the last day of your holiday cleaning - will deep clean and put everything through the dishwasher before every hire - but we would appreciate it if it is returned in good order.

4. Pick up / drop off times: We are flexible by arrangement, please enquire when booking.

5. You can park your car safely out of the way and undercover in our barn during your trip. We are not liable for it so it must be insured.