8 Amazing Minivan Camper Conversions
Designing a minivan camper conversion is a great way to save money, maximize space, and travel in a vehicle nimble enough to fit into a standard parking garage.
In this article, we’ve combined a list of creative minivan camper ideas to get your wheels spinning.
These budget builds are perfect for the weekend warriors, solo travelers, or people who want to live in a van on a budget. Enjoy!
Minivan Camper Conversions
We love this Volkswagon T4 camper conversion. In addition to the pop-top for sleeping, the couch folds out leaving an extra area to relax.
The kitchenette uses a propane-powered stove and gravity-fed sink design. There’s also plenty of drawer space beneath the shelving for plates and other kitchen accessories.
Chantelle from My Basic Journey lives in a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan named Bubsy. She had two goals in mind when starting her build; make it cheap and easy.
The end product turned out looking great! This mini van has a lot of innovative ideas packed inside. Chantelle incorporated furniture she already owned and added bungee cords and netting to hold the items in place. She also created a custom closet area to hang clothes using of PVC pipe.
Her electric system uses a, Jackery 1000W solar powered generator which is more than enough to charge the electronics in her minivan.
- 3x110V AC Outlets
- 2x USB-C
- 1 Quick Charge 3.0 Port
- Standard 12v Car Port
Living In A Minivan Camper
Another VW T4 Camper that we love is this minivan conversion by Ester and Muriel. It may look small from the outside, but there is tons of storage space packed into this tiny home.
In the design they used a lot of shelving combined with bungee cords to hold loose items back. A fold out desk makes for the perfect workspace. And there’s a couch that folds into a bed fit for two.
This couple cooks on a propane powered stove and uses a camping cooler to keep food cold.
Joriën and Sandra are the proud owners of a 4×4 Toyota Hiace. These self-proclaimed hippies travel around Europe with their corgi Fudge.
The fun and colorful DIY camper design perfectly accommodates their lifestyle. It has a pop top for sleeping, a 30 liter water tank for long road trips, a deesel heater, and mini camping fridge.
Minivan Camper Conversion Kit
Roadloft is a company that designs camper van conversion kits specifically for mini van campers. Their modular kits are optimized to make the best use of space and includes features such as bench and table, slide out kitchen, and retractable sinks.
The company is based in Quebec, Canada and sells conversion kits for the following vehicles:
- Dodge Grand Caravan
- Toyota Sienna
- Honda Odyssey
- Kia Sedona
- Chrysler Pacifica
- Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
- Nissan NV200
Mini Van Campers
This VW Caddy was converted into a micro camper to take road trips around the UK. The colorful build uses inexpensive materials to create the perfect space for a couple and their dog.
Overall, it’s a simple design with a sofa that slides out into a bed, back drawers that slide-out for cooking, and extra shelving on the side for additional storage space.
Another simple and inexpensive build that we love is this Nissan NV200 minivan camper design. The micro camper uses basic shelving for storage and a slide out bed design that can be used as extra seating or for sleeping.
We like this classic layout because it makes great use of space and is comfortable enough for a couple or solo traveler.
Professional Minivan Camper Conversion
Oasis Campervans is located in Boulder, Colorado. This conversion company specializes in minivans including the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Chrysler Pacifica.
Custom builds take just 3-4 weeks and include components such as a full kitchen with running water, dining table, bed, and plenty of storage.
These builds are inexpensive compared to the larger cargo vans and leave you with plenty of budget left for an adventure.
Can you turn a minivan into a camper?
Yes, there are several companies that manufacture minivan camper conversion kits including Oasis Campervans and Roadloft. You can also design one yourself using these resources.
What is the smallest camper van available?
The Ford Transit Connect is a popular small camper conversion. You can also convert a minivan camper like the examples shown here.
What is the best small camper van?
Minivans like the Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey make perfect camper conversions. You can also build a minivan camper out of a Ford Transit Connect.
What minivan can you sleep in?
Minivans that make great campers include Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Chrysler Pacifica, and Nissan NV.
That’s A Wrap!
Minivan camper conversions are the perfect way to save money, save space, and travel on a budget. Just because the rig is small doesn’t mean you can’t make the most out of van life.
Whether you choose to convert a Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Chrysler Pacifica or Kia Sedona, there are plenty of designs out there for your inspiration.
Living in a minivan can be just as rewarding as living in a larger rig.
Check Out These Other Tiny Van Conversions:
These are wonderful.
Thanks for listing suv/van models that work well.
Hello I was wondering if you could help me with a place that will help me with convert. my dodg.van i live in San diego,ca.
Yeah, it’s a party until you get rear-ended ????
Why would you get rear ended when youre parked?
Cities across the west are trying to outright ban traditional RVs not belonging to wealthy homeowning residents, so smaller less obvious options are attractive to nomads and newly displaced homeless. Many builds however add excess materials which can overload the vehicle and reduce use flexibility. Too much weight wears out brakes, wheel bearings, suspension and drivetrain parts, the latter two can be costly to replace. Minivans have passenger car components, unlike full size vans which are built on a light truck frame.
The trade off is driving experience, my honda odyssey drives like a 4 door sedan.
I read with amusement your assessment of lite wt. minivans vs full size vans. First, let me say Im 67 yrs young and have done at least 4 van conversions over the yrs. I just finished a 2001 Ford E250 hi top. Installed a National Luna dual battery system, powered by a 135amp alternator. This supplies power for the 2000 watt inverter for the microwave and the electric refrigerator. I beefed up the suspension with heavy duty KYB truck shocks designed for high profile vehicles. Also, installed high performance anti sway bar ends and Bridgestone Rev3 all terrain tires. I recently completed a 14, 000 mile 3 month road trip from N.Y. to the U.P. of Michigan southward thru Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, New Mexico, Utah, ect. As u stated, many campgrounds are only looking for more of the high end glamping rv crowd than the older vehicle conversation crowd. Everywhere I went was overcrowded and difficult to find less expensive options. Because I have a vehicle with heavy duty suspension and construction, I was able to access public lands like in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and high desert outside of Dead Horse point. Fact is ya just can’t access these sort of places in a minivan and you don’t see any put there. Roads consisting of loose dirt, huge divets, ditches, rock slabs and flooded out zones are not for the light weight vehicles built with light wt. parts. I’ve owned a dodge caravan as well as a Toyota Rav4. These vehicles are fine for standard campground use but are not gonna cut it for rugged boondocking camping. Even though I cannot go where 4 wheel drive vehicles can, my 2 wheel drive coupled with a 330 cu. in. motor, along with high ground clearance, provides plenty of power and grip to get out of the tight spots. So, make your early reservations so you don’t have to fall back into a situation where you may have to be towed from. As for the ride, on the superslabs out west where ya go between 70 and 80mph legally, my truck ( van built on a ford e250 pickup truck platform) hunkers down and cruises like a dream, much more stable than the minivans I have owned. This is true especially at speed in high winds. Minivans may be great for light duty applications but I will take my heavy duty machine over them anyday, except for GAS MILEAGE !
I’m doing an AWD Sienna that will have a three inch lift. So I would be willing to be I can go off-road with the best of them, and Mileage!
For those living in them, what do you do about bathroom facilities?
I don’t live in my Honda Odyssey van but I do have a porta potty and I am able to use it inside the van. Yes roll the windows down. Occasionally I find a campground with shower facilities or if the weather and situation cooperates will use my outdoor shower room.
Great question! Check out this post: best portable toilets for a camper van and how to find public showers
I love this idea of living in a van on a budget! It’s so creative and I can’t wait to see more van conversions!