Camping with a Physical Disability Made Practical in a Dodge Sprinter Conversion Van
January 3, 2009 by Luc
Filed under Articles and Stories, Travel/Recreation
Do you find it hard to go camping as a disabled person? I used to love camping in a tent, but that has become hard to do since I became disabled as a quadriplegic. For years now I have been dreaming of being able to stay overnight in our national parks again, and have been searching for ways to make that a reality. I knew that any viable solution would need to be easy to use both for me and for my wife. Recently, I discovered a wonderful solution that I’d like to share with you.
Recreational vehicle evaluation
I started to get ideas several years ago when I saw a motor home completely converted for a person in a wheelchair at a mobility expo. However, motor homes tend to be large, hard to park in cities, very expensive, and are hampered by poor gas mileage. My wife and I had been envisioning something more maneuverable – along the lines of a regular van with enough space for my wife and I to sleep in comfortably. Also, we wanted something practical enough to drive around town in if necessary, and a motor home is definitely overkill for typical city driving. So we looked at several vans but none of them were big enough to accommodate our camping needs.
A travel and mobility solution
Recently we discovered a business that converts Dodge Sprinter vans into camper vans. This seemed to suit our needs exactly, and we ended up purchasing a 23 foot extended model. After we had a handicapped lift and a lockdown system for my wheelchair installed by a mobility facility, we moved ahead with the camping conversions. We added a refrigerator, a microwave oven, and a sink for our basic kitchen and bathing needs. There are sleeping facilities for me and my wife, along with plenty of storage space.
We had a ceiling fan installed to keep the van cool when parked on a hot day, which also gives us comfortable air circulation. The van has several windows but we are able to block them all off from the inside using shades to allow us complete privacy. Adding a television and DVD player are options, but we decided not to – we prefer to focus more on enjoying the outdoors when we camp.
Because we have dogs that we love to take with us on trips, we made sure to select a van configuration with enough space to secure two dog crates. This allows us to make sure they are safe when we travel, and is comfy for them too.
We also installed a handicapped lift with a track neatly mounted in the roof to easily transfer me between my wheelchair and the bed. The van has a water and power hookup similar to the ones in a mobile home, and we have two solar panels installed on top of the roof to keep all the equipment running when we don’t have access to power at a camping ground. The van is also equipped with a compact and environmentally friendly porta-potty if nearby restrooms can’t be found.
Wheelchair road trips made easy
Packing all the supplies and equipment I need to go on a trip used to be a difficult chore for my wife. With this van, it isn’t – we just leave a backup of all my supplies and equipment in the van, along with some clothing, and we can round up our dogs and leave for a weekend trip in the spur of the moment.
Should we decide to stay in a hotel, we have space in the van to secure a hoyer lift which is used to transfer me between my wheelchair and a hotel bed. Even with the hoyer lift, the dog crates and our accessories, I still have enough space in the camper van to move around easily, and it is wonderful to have the freedom to maneuver inside the van.
On day trips, everything is a snap because we have a refrigerator to keep our food cool, and a microwave to heat things up.
Despite it’s size, my wife feels confident driving the Sprinter van. She says it feels more like driving a minivan, and is actually quite nimble for a large vehicle. Even though it is longer than a normal car, it still fits in our driveway, and should fit in most normal length driveways.
My wife and I are very happy with the way the van turned out and we are looking forward to our first camping trip next spring. I feel very lucky to be in a position to have a vehicle like this, because even with my disability, I now have greater horizons open to me.
We also filmed a video on the van showing how some of the features work. You can see it at custom Dodge Sprinter Van wheelchair accessible conversion.
Dodge Sprinter Van Pictures
Brain
Gglad to see you getting out and about , we are talking with johnathin at Sportmobile about designing a sprinter accessable, class b motor home / van and your input would be appricated !i would like to post you travels on our Nor-cal Mobility web site .
note :i cannot delete items or correct spelling on this Submit comment .
thanks
Ken Karasinski
Nor-Cal mobility
osse
Hi Ken,
I’ll be happy to work with you on this. Feel free to send me an email at luc@disabledandproductive.com with your contact info and I will get in touch with you.
Luc
I HAVE I B M AND WAS WONDERING HOW MUCH THE SPRINTER VAN COST.
THANK YOU RSVP
Hi Michael,
The cost of the unmodified van depends on the euro exchange rate, but expect something between 40K – 50K depending features selected.
If you need to add a wheelchair lift, that’s another 10K -> 15K.
If you also want to convert it into a camper, count on 18K -> 30K for that. Again, pending features.
Luc
My son has had many vans over his 31 yrs…out grows them.
The sprinter was not big enough for his wheelchair system and so for 9 thousand more we factory ordered through Shetky Bus Company in Portland (David Schecty is 3 rd generation sales/owner).
We have an ElDorado (crash tested top of the line) on a Ford 350 chasis.
The seats in the back of the bus flip up for more room and the LIFT is a top of the line Ricon used for commercial transit buses.
IOW it is a custom transt bus yet the size of a Dial a Rids in length.
It is wonderful not to have to climb over his wheelchair and have the room to tie down with the state of the art tie downs.
As his careprovider of 30 years (my body is aging) it is wonderful to have the steps and rails for myself on the passenger side with the electic door.
IOW for long term consider size/durability.
Sprinters are not condusive for the coastal range travel we do.
Also the ride is rough. Transmission has been known to go out around 40,000 miles and triple A will not tow Sprinters.
I took 4 yrs to plan this Ford Diesal transit bus out and considered moter homes/the Sprinter/another Ford Econoline with pop top/drop floor (that is what we have been using the last 14yrs).
The safety features (bells and whisltes)/great interior/exterior lighting even the lift has two lights for night use.
Dual wheels and beefe up suspension for a smoothe ride.
Windows (two of which are emerg exit) huge tinted for great viewing and the driver mirrors leave absolutely no blind spots (dual electric and aut defrost).
The bus company was excellant in working with us to put together the package (they knew their WC buses, unlike a regular dealership)
Hi Chris,
That’s great that this custom transit bus is exactly what you were dreaming of. I assume everyone’s needs are different. We wanted to avoid having a really big vehicle because it had to serve a dual purpose. #1 Be able to go camping #2 Have it as a backup van my wife can drive in case the van I drive breaks down.
That meant that it also has to be easy to drive it around town and to park. It has served us well so far because my van has been in the shop twice for almost two weeks each time in the past year.
Luc
I ALSO LOVED TO GO CAMPING ALL THE TIME.
I ALSO AT ONE TIME I WAS A SCOUT MASTER.
THANK AGAIN
SAME AS ABOVE
All very nice if your a millionaire,what about those who can only just afford a standard second hand camper,which seems impossible to adapt to help my daughter with cp to get up the steps as the doorway is only 21″ wide.
any cheap ideas please
Hi hug,
I am sorry to hear you are going through some tough times. This website is really about looking at the bright side of life even though you may be living with a severe disability. We believe that if you stay positive and put in some extra effort that good things will happen in life despite of a disability. I am far from being a millionaire, but I can certainly relate to where you are at in life. When I had my accident 22 years ago and became a C5/C6 quadriplegic, I was scared and felt that my whole world had fallen apart. My son was only two months old and when I was laying in the hospital for seven weeks without being able to move I wasn’t sure whether I would ever be able to support my family again. After my hospitalization I went to rehab for 4 and 1/2 months and worked very hard to regain some of my strength. I went back to work immediately after I came out of rehab even though that was a struggle and sometimes very uncomfortable at first, but I knew it was the right thing to do and I worked extra hard to prove to my managers and peers that I could still be productive even though I barely had the strength to work a full eight hour day. I have always strived to perform better than the average able-bodied person and it has paid off. My manager have appreciated my efforts, I have been compensated accordingly, and have been able to buy myself a few extra things because of that. That’s really all there is to it. My message is to never give up, be positive and work towards your dreams instead of pitying yourself and you may find that life can still be very rewarding.
As far as cheap deals are concerned, http://www.disableddealer.com sometimes has some really good deals. I wish you and your daughter all my best!
Luc
I would love to see what your floor plan is for this Sprinter. I just bought a used one for a similar conversion (My wife has MS and uses both a power wheelchair and a wheel scooter). Sprinters, if well maintained, often get 500,000 to 700,000 miles on the engine/transmission and excellent fuel economy (which I why I bought one). It looks like a great platform for this type of traveling.
Jens, I don’t have a blueprint of the layout, but basically next to the driver’s seat there is a lockdown system for a wheelchair. Behind the front two spots is an open space to accommodate a wheelchair user being able to move around, and there is a lift system on the ceiling to transfer from a wheelchair to a bed. On the driver side at about the midpoint is a couch that will fold down into a bed and across from it is another bed that folds up out of the way. At the back of the van is a refrigerator, microwave, and some storage on the driver’s side, and on the passenger side is a sink.
The whole system allows for keeping and cooking food, for a disabled person to be transferred into and out of a wheelchair, and for more than 1 person to sleep. It’s a pretty cool setup that turns the van into basically a mobile home.
For those using a Sprinter (Alan), how did it work out with the wheelchair next to the driver seat. I looked like it might work great because of no engine cover sticking out. Alan, what about the toilet? Where did that get put?
Ooops, I meant aaron.
Hi Mike,
Yes, there is plenty of room for a wheelchair on the passenger side. We will do a video soon about the van interior and post it on our site.
I work for a company that builds travel trailers with accessible floor plans. our product line is being improved as we get more feed back by our customers and dealers.
Take a look at our web site and also at the other products such as Goshichi. 4X4 GM accessibe pick up truck which is also a great tow vehicle for what we build..
Happy Camping!
Kim Gerring
Here is the website for you to check on..
http://www.mobilitycamper.com
Kim
My husband and I used Sportsmobile to customize a RV for us also. We started planning ours in 2008 but we wanted a Braun UVL (under vechile lift) and not the lifts that Sportsmobile offered. This created xa little more researcbut finally we found CCI in Michigan to put the uvl in and lower the floor so I could sit next to my Husband while we drove
I laughed when I read your post because one of our major motivating forces for this RV was that ! We wanted to sleep under the stars at arches National Park. We also go to many folk music festivals and camping there was another goal
back to building the van,,,,it was quite complicated but when we got the van we were delighted. with help I came take a few steps so we were abler to havdethe lift put me in the van. Is it next to the driver. directly brreehinf the driver we have a 5 foot sera that is open so I can move in thewheelvhair and there is anareathat is open to help me dress and other care. Behind that are-’ we have a bathroom with a toilet, sink, medicine cabinet and sort of a dower. Across from that is a small kitchen with refridgerator, 2 burner gas stiff and microwave. Then there are two couches that open up into either s wren size bed ot two Indibidual bed which is how we use them. We opted for the TV but no antennas or dish. When the whether igs brad,u we will watch a movie but we usually choose to be outdoor, reading books or other activities
We spent a month in Florida last winter ands many nights going into weeks in the van this summer. We get 20 miles per gallon on the road and my husband loves driving it. This is also a second van and the only vechile we have that we can take the who lee family in. We have 6 seat belts in back plus the driver and myself,
I have a very painful neurological condition thst causes severe contractions and slow to little movement in my legs , right wry and torso. I had spent many years suffering from systematic infection that landed me in the hospitals for close to half of every years from 1990 to 1997. Now I have control of the infections. I have always gone out, helped care for my 3 grandsons and enjoyed my life. I will be in pain and disabled if I do nothing and I will be in pain and disabled if I am busy and constantly challenging myself and society to accept mye as they accept anyone else
I would love to share adventures and photos of e
Barbara, so glad that you liked the article, and glad to hear you’re getting some really good use out of your van. We would be happy to take a look at some of the photos you have of your van and how you’ve been using it.
I’m sorry to hear about your pain and the discomfort it’s put you in, but glad to hear you have such a good attitude about it.
If you want to share some of your photos you can contact us at: contribute@disabledandproductive.com
Thanks!