Why We Chose a Sprinter Van for Our Family Adventures

Contents

• Introduction
• About Us
• Why We Chose a Sprinter Van: Key Considerations
• Space and Comfort: How the Sprinter Van Accommodates a Family of 4
• Cost vs. Value: Is a Sprinter Van Worth the Investment?
• Real-Life Experiences: How the Sprinter Van Has Enhanced Our Family Adventures
• Tips for Families Considering a Sprinter Van
• Video: We Bought a 4WD Sprinter Van

Introduction

When our family of four set out to find the perfect vehicle for our adventures, we faced a tough decision. Should we go for an RV, a large SUV, or something else entirely? After extensive research and test drives, we discovered that the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van was the ideal choice for our needs. Here’s why a Sprinter van might be the perfect adventure vehicle for your family too.

We bought a 2015 4WD Sprinter Van 2500 4x4, 144 length in the spring of 2024!

About Us

We have two kids, currently 8 & 10, and we camp all spring, summer and fall. The roof-top tent we were using was a huge game changer for us from a regular tent. We still love roof-top tents as they are fast to set up and make life more comfortable. However, tenting is hard to manage in cold weather and especially in snow.

We ski all winter in British Columbia and Alberta. We are fortunate to be within an hour driving distance to many places. However, there are times we’d love to be closer and not always in a hotel. We’ve always wanted to be able to ‘camp’ in the winter so having an insulated van with a diseal heater was a requirement on our list.

Why We Chose a Sprinter Van: Key Considerations

When you start looking at used fully set up camper vans there are tons for sale. The biggest limiting factors for us was having a minimum of 4 seats (most small campers seem to be set up for 2 and are very hard to adjust to more people) and 4WD. 4x4 capability is very important to us in vehicles as we like to get off the beaten path and we drive in bad winter conditions. Vans that are 4WD are limited and are essentially Mercedes Sprinter Vans and Ford Transits. If you are not looking for 4x4 capability there is a much bigger selection of vehicles for sale even both in Spinter and Transits and they are cheaper.

Space and Comfort: How the Sprinter Van Accommodates a Family of 4

We looked at tons of Sprinter Van layouts. Many of them are beautiful and “Instagram worthy” however our priority is function. We do many activities which includes lots of different gear. We didn’t want pre-set drawers in the trunk for organizing we wanted a big space - we waited and that’s what we found.

Our Sprinter Van has:

• Bench seat for 3
• Side Windows
• Bunk beds at back (top for kids, bottom for adults)
• Open space under lower bunk bed for gear, large tupperware containers can slide under
• Fridge with table over
• Storage units on side without sliding door
• Diesel heater
• Pot lights that dim
• Fan

Cost vs. Value: Is a Sprinter Van Worth the Investment?

To us YES! We bought an older van so are already having to replace parts but it is still WAY cheaper than buying new. It’s 4 season, off-road and small enough to drive in the city and park in front of a house.

Real-Life Experiences: How the Sprinter Van Has Enhanced Our Family Adventures

We have been able to do things we never have before. For example Lake Louise can be impossible to get parking to visit so we were camping at Lake Louise, woke up very early to get parking, went back to sleep for a few hours then went for our hike. You can’t do that with a roof-top tent!

Tips for Families Considering a Sprinter Van

1. Make a list of what you want and figure out the why. That can include “don’t wants”. Campers are set up so different and simple, practical with lots of gear storage was our priority. Things like a toliet, shower and bottom drawer storage seems like a waste of precious interior space for us.
2. Look far and wide at Sprinter Vans. We bought ours out of province. The 3 hour drive was well worth it!
3. Don’t rush it, they seem to be getting more popular and we saw several with set ups we liked.

Here’s a video of our van, it’s not perfect but it is move in ready and pretty darn close to perfect for us.

Video: We Bought a 4WD Sprinter Van

We’ve used it in sun, rain, hail and snow already this first season and it’s been a glamping dream in the crazy weather.

We wouldn’t consider a longer van as we keep it in front of our house and want to be able to drive it in the city as an extra vehicle. The 170 might be more spacious but the length is a lot more to deal with when parking in tight areas like small National Parks parking lots, grocery stores, etc.

Good luck in your van hunt! If you have the ability to be patient in your search you’ll likely find what you are looking for.