Built For Trails Most Vans Can’t Handle

本站添加: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Sitting behind us is the most off-road capable van on the market. And that's because it's built on a very special chassis that maybe you have not even considered before.

[00:00:17][music] This isn't just an all-wheel drive kind of electronic 4x4. It's [music] made >> [music] >> This is a true high low range transfer case style of four-wheel drive system.

[00:00:37]>> Yeah, [music] >> literally have full power to all four wheels at all times.

[00:00:47]>> That's incredible. And then it also converts into a bed.

[00:00:50]>> And then you also have that whole other segment of like $500,000 truck campers.

[00:00:54]What's up, guys? Sitting behind us is the most off-road capable van on the market. And that's because it's built on a very special chassis that maybe you have not even considered before. Today I'm here with Johnny, the CEO of Field Vans. He's going to be showing us around this incredible rig. Johnny, you want to introduce yourself?

[00:01:11]>> Yeah, Johnny with Field Van. Uh my family's been building vans since 1989.

[00:01:16]And back then, they didn't have the Sprinter vans or the Transit vans. It was all kind of the classic American vans made by Ford, Chevy, Dodge. We had to do a pop top or some type of a raised roof to stand up inside. Unfortunately, they discontinued the Econoline van back in 2014, but they still make the cutaway chassis, which I showed you earlier.

[00:01:37]>> And uh so we're able to get a brand new cab chassis from Ford. And uh that's what this unit is based on. So we have basically the front end of the van and then a frame back. And we designed this fiberglass body to go on the back of it.

[00:01:51]>> Yeah. put our 4x4 system in, which we designed here in house, and um yeah, turn it into an off-road beast.

[00:01:58]>> That's impressive. So, we're mostly used to seeing like three options for chassis. There's the Dodge, there's the Ford Transit, there's the Mercedes Sprinter, but a lot of people don't know that this is actually a really good option, especially if you're considering off-roading because you said it's way more off-road capable than a lot of these others. Do you want to talk about that a little bit?

[00:02:16]>> Yeah, definitely. So, it's a higher clearance for one. I mean, you can see how far off the ground this thing sits >> with big 35- in tires. Um, the suspension that we put into it. Um, it has a locking front differential. And this isn't just an all-wheel drive kind of electronic 4x4. This is a true high low range transfer case style of four-wheel drive system.

[00:02:38]>> Yeah.

[00:02:38]>> Um, so you can get a a lower gear ratio when you're climbing hills or descending. Um, it has locking differentials front and rear. Um, yeah, all the travel and articulation. We have a quick disconnect on the sway bar, so you can really get a ton of travel articulation when you're crawling over rocks or doing some of the more challenging trails. And it has a big V8 motor.

[00:03:02]>> That's awesome.

[00:03:02]>> So, [clears throat] it's got all the power to to get you there and get you get you home. It's got the 7.3 L uh gas V8 Godzilla motor.

[00:03:10]>> Oh, wow.

[00:03:11]>> Yeah. Over 400 horsepower. It's just an animal.

[00:03:14]>> That's a beast. That's what this van is.

[00:03:16]It's literally a beast.

[00:03:17]>> You can call it the wild beast, right?

[00:03:19]Cuz it's designed to be out in the wild.

[00:03:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. People often called it like the Volkswagen van on steroids.

[00:03:25]>> Yeah. Basically.

[00:03:26]>> Yeah. And so um yeah, doing all that um the 4x4 and then putting the body on it and then we finish it with a textured paint called Raptor Liner. Um >> super durable stuff. So it's kind of like a truck bed liner. Um, so when you are off-road and going through branches, um, and you know, rocks and things like that, it's not going to scratch the paint like a traditional paint job on a vehicle.

[00:03:51]>> And it looks really good. I've seen this in multiple different colors in your factory here. It looks very impressive.

[00:03:56]It's probably my my favorite paint job now.

[00:03:58]>> Yeah, I we we really love it, too. Yeah.

[00:04:00]Our talented painter, uh, who's right across the street here. Shout out to Patrick and Lee. He lays it up perfectly. Um, and we paint it, you know, we get into the door jams. We do those smooth for the weather seal and everything else. So, um it's quite the process uh putting all this together.

[00:04:16]>> Absolutely. And really quickly, cuz we do have a Sprinter van parked right over there. You could see the ground clearance difference between them.

[00:04:22]>> Yeah. Yeah. This thing has about a 6 in uh suspension lift over what even just a stock Ford van would have.

[00:04:29]>> That's impressive. Is there anything else you can tell us about the exterior or should we jump into >> outside? Yeah, we also on the front you see this big beefy front bumper by Illumines.

[00:04:37]>> Oh, nice. Um, it has a compartment here which houses a 12,000lb winch. Still a little dirty. I just took this thing down to Baja for a week. And so we did a a lot of off-roading down in Mexico. And then uh it's also key for that. This is the air hose with a air chuck and onboard air compressor.

[00:04:56]>> Yeah.

[00:04:56]>> So when you're off-road, airing down your tires is important. Um better traction and um yeah, more comfortable ride when on those rougher roads. And when you air down, you got to air back up when you go get on the highway. So, having that Yeah, we even acted as a pit crew for some of the other vehicles out there, just airing up tires, getting back after it. Uh then we have some uh rigid lights. Um they basically turn night into day.

[00:05:21]>> That's awesome.

[00:05:22]>> So, when you're off-road driving at night, you you need something like that.

[00:05:25]So, yeah, you can see what you're doing.

[00:05:27]>> Very very bright.

[00:05:28]>> They are. Yeah, extremely bright. And then we have a roof rack um up here which is accessible from the inside as well. So in the pop top >> those windows and the screens unzipped.

[00:05:40]Oh, that's >> so you can actually yeah get to whatever gear you might have stored up there. And then we have an additional rack on the top um with a platform and then two solar panels in the front. Nice >> that are constantly powering uh up our lithium battery system in there.

[00:05:56]>> Cool. And then on the back here, of course, have steps to get in with this high clearance vehicle. Um, we have a ladder to get to the roof rack there.

[00:06:05]Awning that comes out so you get shade on the on the outside. And then we have uh our big aluminous bumper. I've got a lock, but uh storage for, you know, your dirtier stuff, maybe barbecue, firewood, things like that. So, you can never have too much storage in the van, right?

[00:06:20]>> No, you can't.

[00:06:21]>> Yeah. And then it also has another compartment here in the back um for storage. Awesome.

[00:06:27]>> And yeah, while we're back here, I'll show you this >> and more storage. Storage. Uh we have a we call it our under floor storage compartment. And so this is a good place to keep like your tools, maybe your jack, things that your recovery gear you might not use all the time, but you want to carry with you for >> those off-road adventures.

[00:06:48]>> And so, uh yeah, that all stores down here. And then another compartment here in the bumper. get a little dirty right now.

[00:06:56]>> I didn't realize you could store stuff in there.

[00:06:59]>> Yeah. Pretty cool, right?

[00:07:00]>> Yeah.

[00:07:00]>> So, yeah, we, you know, we try and utilize every ounce of space in these things to maximize storage and and comfort.

[00:07:08]>> You have to. While we're back here, is there anything else you can show us from Let's just start at the back.

[00:07:12]>> Pull down. This is our outside shower um connection. So, all of our vans come with a exterior shower. We have a curtain that can set up back here.

[00:07:21]>> Nice. and shower outside, which is my preferred method is >> um the weather permits. Uh the outside shower is is really nice.

[00:07:29]>> Yeah.

[00:07:30]>> Um and then we have big storage trunk here. Uh up top is the rest of the bed.

[00:07:35]It's in sofa mode now, but that lays flat. Creates a big bed.

[00:07:38]>> But this is a good spot to keep like your bedding pillows and things like that when you're traveling.

[00:07:44]>> And then um you have the lower bed here.

[00:07:46]And then of course the upper bed and the pop top. Absolutely.

[00:07:49]>> And something we touched on earlier is like some of the little touches with like this netting over here with an outlet so when you're sleeping you have a place to put your phone, keep it plugged in.

[00:07:58]>> Exactly.

[00:07:58]>> You have a water bottle, whatever you might want when uh um and then extra storage in here, a little net, but um yeah, every inch of of storage is is maximized. And then you have access to your water lines there. So for winterizing your van, >> awesome. If you're going to leave it um by itself in the cold for a long period of time, you want to drain all your water lines.

[00:08:19]>> Yep. How how customizable are these vans?

[00:08:22]>> So, we really are now pretty much doing this floor plan. There's a few customizable options as far as the layout of the van. Yeah.

[00:08:29]>> Um but material-wise, extremely customizable.

[00:08:33]>> Um so, yeah, of course, whatever exterior color you want, >> um we can we can paint that. Um different cabinet colors, trims, um different flooring options. I went with kind of the diamond plate look here.

[00:08:45]>> Yeah.

[00:08:45]>> Um different light and rack options. So, um yeah, bigger battery systems. Um whether or not you want the furnace, the air, you know, all those types of things are customizable.

[00:08:56]>> Exactly.

[00:08:57]>> Um but yeah, the the layout we're trying to really kind of stay close to this layout with few modifications.

[00:09:03]>> Seems like it's tried and true.

[00:09:05]>> Yeah.

[00:09:05]>> Yeah.

[00:09:05]>> Yeah. This is layout of all time. Um it's the bestselling van layout um of all time. from back when the Volkswagens. This is kind of that classic Volkswagen layout.

[00:09:16]>> That's awesome.

[00:09:16]>> And then um yeah, back since we've been doing this since the late 80s, this is uh by far been our bestselling plan.

[00:09:23]>> That's awesome.

[00:09:24]>> It's a good combination of organized storage, some bulk storage, open space, and uh yeah, another cool cool thing we have here and more storage is we call this the door galley. This is something my dad came up with back in the day. And so it opens up and can drop down on both sides. I have some of the stuff cleared out. I still haven't finished completely unpacking the Baja, but there's a a silverware tray that slides out here. Um you have that for I've seen a lot of mini bars made out of that area.

[00:09:54]>> And then it can house two of our little butane stoves here. So you can drop them out and have cooking right outside under the awning, even if it's bad weather.

[00:10:03]>> That's awesome. Um, so I I really do prefer to do most of my cooking outside.

[00:10:08]And it's on barrel hinges, so the whole cabinet can be removed if some reason you wanted extra room on the inside. And then more storage in this door. Another little table. Um, we keep our privacy curtain here that wraps all the way around the uh cab windows in the windshield. And so, and that's one of the great things about a van as opposed to maybe a truck bed camper >> um or trailer or anything along those lines. is having access from the cab to the back and also being able to incorporate that cab area with the swivel seats into parting your live part of your living space.

[00:10:42]>> Very much. Yeah.

[00:10:44]>> Could you tell us a little bit more about the materials you guys are using?

[00:10:48]>> Yeah, the cabinets are a ply Russian birch. Um actually we're American birch now after everything going on. But yeah, eight ply birch.

[00:10:55]>> Nice.

[00:10:56]>> And uh yeah, the um it's got a laminate finish which is you see this one's textured. It's like a baked on. It is super durable.

[00:11:04]>> Can hang up uh you know scratches and stuff. Don't really affect this.

[00:11:08]>> And then we use it's called Mega Knight.

[00:11:09]It's a solid surface countertop.

[00:11:11]>> Yep.

[00:11:12]>> Um we can offer it in a butcher block too if you prefer that look.

[00:11:15]>> Awesome.

[00:11:15]>> Um yeah, it's pretty easy to manage and keep clean.

[00:11:19]>> And before we get inside, I want to touch on one more point, which is that obviously the the Sprinter comes in all-wheel drive, the Ford comes in all-wheel drive, and then you also have that whole other segment of like $500,000 truck campers. How does this compare to the off-roading capabilities of those all-wheel drives and then also the truck campers?

[00:11:38]>> Cool. Well, I think this is really the most capable RV out there due to its size. So, you know, some of the bigger like the Earth Roers, some of those truck campers, they're just heavier and larger. Yeah.

[00:11:50]>> Um in size. So, some of the forest roads or tight trails can be a little difficult um with those larger vehicles.

[00:11:57]While they do have like the drivetrain and the capability, the size is generally the limitation. Yeah. And so this is while it's a fairly goodiz vehicle, it can still fit, you know, most of the like Jeep trails.

[00:12:08]>> Yeah.

[00:12:08]>> Dirt roads, forest roads, um, and, you know, all the desert stuff that that we put it through. And then comparing it, going back to the all-wheel drive, um, clearance, number one, you know, this is a higher clearance vehicle, so you can get over more obstacles.

[00:12:22]>> Yeah.

[00:12:23]bigger motor so you have more power climbing the crazier hills and then locking differentials and a true 4x4 system.

[00:12:30]>> So the electronic all-wheel drive it kind of just does its own thing.

[00:12:34]>> Yeah.

[00:12:34]>> With this you can shift to low range, lock the front, lock the rear differential >> and literally have full power to all four wheels at all times.

[00:12:44]>> That's incredible. That's incredible.

[00:12:46]And then yeah, things like the onboard air and then the winches and yeah, um yeah, some of the tools we use like the Max Tracks and Cole pals and high lift jacks. You can take these things where >> Yeah. most people wouldn't even imagine going.

[00:12:59]>> That's awesome. One more thing while we're on the exterior because you mentioned you guys have a cutaway chassis and then you put the fiberglass shell on it. Um how how durable is that fiberglass shell when you're going off-road? Is it longlasting?

[00:13:12]>> Oh, yeah. It really is. you know, I mean, a lot of those bigger RVs are, you know, fiberglass, you know, boats. Um, so it's it's a very strong fiberglass body. And then I think I showed you in the back the steel >> kind of cage that we put inside. Um, so structurally, um, you know, we strengthen it with steel as well on the interior.

[00:13:32]>> Really good stuff. And so because you're putting your own shell, I'm assuming you guys have to make these doors yourself, too.

[00:13:38]>> Yeah, these actually are factory for doors.

[00:13:40]>> Okay. Yeah, that's cool. So, yeah, we're still able to get the the four doors. I mean, we might eventually start molding them or doing something a little different.

[00:13:48]>> Yeah.

[00:13:49]>> Um but the way we did the body lines, um we did flare the body out a little bit.

[00:13:54]Yeah.

[00:13:54]>> So, it's actually we've got about 5 in more >> interior width than the classic Econoline had. Um >> and you can't tell like I wouldn't know.

[00:14:03]I I didn't know until you told me it was a fiberglass shell.

[00:14:06]>> Yeah. When you look closely, you'll see how it bubbles out a little bit behind the cab and it's a little bit taller there. Yeah.

[00:14:13]>> Um but yeah, at first glance, it's funny when we first introduced this, I was out at the Overland Expo and this guy, it was like the last day of the show and he comes up to me and he goes, "I've been walking by this thing all week and I couldn't figure out. I knew something was different." And he goes, "I just realized this is a cab chassis and this is a B." Yeah. Guy turned out to be a designer for Jeep.

[00:14:34]>> Oh, no way. and he's like, "This is brilliant. I love what you've done." So, that was pretty cool, you know, getting accolades from someone in in that space.

[00:14:41]But, um, what yeah, I love the look of the Econoline. Um, you know, I wish they had never done away with it.

[00:14:48]>> It's awesome.

[00:14:48]>> We couldn't let it die. And so, yeah, we kind of kept the same body lines again, flare it out out a little bit, but the way we engineered the shape and curvature, it was uh being able to support the the factory doors.

[00:15:00]>> That's awesome.

[00:15:01]>> Yeah. So, the side doors and rear doors are steel factory four doors, but the rest of the body here in the back is fiberglass.

[00:15:09]>> Cool. Let's get inside this thing.

[00:15:11]>> Come on in.

[00:15:13]>> Let's talk about the flooring first.

[00:15:15]>> Okay. Awesome.

[00:15:15]>> This looks very, very high quality.

[00:15:18]Looks like you beat it up and nothing will happen.

[00:15:20]>> Yeah. It's made by a company called Lawn Seal. Uh it's like a rubberized style floor. So, um first we put down marine grade plywood.

[00:15:29]>> Yeah. And then we wrap the the plywood in this material. I went with the diamond plate look on this one.

[00:15:36]>> Nice.

[00:15:36]>> Um but yeah, super durable. It's made for hightra areas. You'll see this in hallways at hospitals, elevators, like things like that that are hightra because it is so durable and easy to clean. I mean, you'll notice we'll never do like permanent carpet.

[00:15:51]>> Um because it's really hard to change your flooring in a van.

[00:15:55]>> Like at home, you'd be like, "Oh, let's change our carpet. Let's just move the furniture out way.

[00:15:59]You can't do that. It's not. No, you have to take it apart to replace the floor. So, um, we make sure we put something that's uh longlasting and easy to keep clean. You just wipe it off.

[00:16:11]>> Tell us a little bit more about the kitchen.

[00:16:12]>> Cool. So, yeah, our kitchen galley over here on the uh driver's side, right behind the driver's seat. Um, it can come with a permanent stove. That's one of those options that um people have. I prefer going portable stoves and being able to either use a stove on the counter here or outside in the door galley or at our >> camp table.

[00:16:32]>> Um, and yeah, it's a good, you know, workspace. Nice big countertop. We have a a sink tucked in the corner here. Um, and part of that is to get a longer bed.

[00:16:43]So, this bed is actually 81 in long. Um, so we have some tall customers and that's what the pop top kind of allows too for >> taller people to get in here. Um, and then our drawers.

[00:16:56]Oh, I still got a bunch of stuff in here. Um, we line all our drawers. We use heavy duty hardware. Um, drawer slides, solid latches, so you don't have stuff flying open or Y, >> um, you know, anything like that when you're off-road. We talked earlier about squeaks and rattles, which I cannot stand.

[00:17:13]>> And so, you know, having that makes everything a bit quieter. But yeah, so quite a bit of organized storage here.

[00:17:20]And then um we have a cabinet here that accommodates a porta potty.

[00:17:25]>> So you can't have uh the bathroom here.

[00:17:27]And >> generally what I'll do is when I get to camp is pull the porta potty out. I like those little outhouse pop-up tents >> and then I can put the toilet there and you kind of have your your out house bathroom there. And of course with the shower out the back um you have everything you need >> when you're camping.

[00:17:43]>> One of the things I want to touch on, you mentioned it here a little bit was the squeaks and rattles, right? And I know you guys do an incredible job at eliminating those almost entirely, right?

[00:17:51]>> Yes.

[00:17:52]>> Whereas a lot of other vans on the market, it's very loud when you're driving, which is not ideal. So, and you said that's also covered like the squeaks and rattles are also covered within your warranty. Yes. I think you told me, right?

[00:18:04]>> Yes. Yeah. With our 5year unlimited mile workmanship warranty. Yeah. If you have squeaks and rattles, we're going to get to the bottom of it. And it's not something that happens very often.

[00:18:14]>> Um, yeah. It wouldn't be uh very business savvy to offer such a long warranty if you were constantly having to act on it.

[00:18:20]>> Exactly. Yeah.

[00:18:21]>> And all our cabinets are bolted through the floor and then they have extra bracketry uh that keeps everything nice and uh secure and solid. Um you know with the real plywood construction. Um you know we don't use any MDF or particle board or you know you don't see a lot of like plasticky stuff around like you do in a lot of u RVs and vans out on the market. Um, yeah, using high-end materials makes a huge difference.

[00:18:46]>> Agreed. Agreed. Obviously, you got the fridge freezer.

[00:18:49]>> Fridge freezer there. ISO them.

[00:18:51]>> I'm assuming people will have like a portable induction cooktop in this setup or they could have it built in.

[00:18:56]>> Yep. Yeah, you can go either way. Yeah.

[00:18:58]>> Awesome.

[00:18:58]>> Yeah, the portable I think is cool. So, that's how we set this one up.

[00:19:01]>> What What is the standing height inside of this?

[00:19:04]>> Oh gosh. Uh, you know, with the bed, I don't even really remember exactly.

[00:19:08]Yeah.

[00:19:08]>> But, um, yeah, I'm like 5'8. So, a taller guy can stand up in here. And the bed is removable, so you can take it down and and put in the back or leave it at home and just use the lower bed.

[00:19:20]>> That's awesome.

[00:19:21]>> But right now, the rest of the bed is up here. But yeah, well over six foot standing height >> easily. Yeah, it looks like 6'5 almost.

[00:19:28]>> Yeah, that sounds about all right.

[00:19:29]>> Yeah. And so what what I noticed is like you guys do the pop top very differently. Usually there's like a square rectangle cut out just for you to get up and sleep on there.

[00:19:38]>> But this one it's designed to give you standing space inside of the van and then it also converts into a bed it looks like. Right.

[00:19:44]>> Yeah. That's the idea is like back in the day like we were talking about they didn't make a high roof model van.

[00:19:50]>> Yeah.

[00:19:50]>> So everything was kind of at that standard you know like an SUV height. So there's no standing up and um yeah when you're preparing food or just putting your pants on it's nice to be able to stand up.

[00:20:01]>> Agreed. Um, so yeah, we had to do the pop tops or some version of a kind of a bubble fiberglass top. Um, since we've been building these things.

[00:20:10]>> Nice.

[00:20:11]>> Um, the upper bed is also such a a nice u feature of the pop top if you have a family or you bring friends or something. You have now two full size beds. Um, so you can sleep four adults comfortably without having to go to like a longer vehicle.

[00:20:26]>> Exactly.

[00:20:27]>> So yeah.

[00:20:27]>> And that part right there is hanging up top. You can just bring that down, put it there, and you got a fulls size bed now.

[00:20:34]>> That's awesome.

[00:20:39]>> Very convenient.

[00:20:40]>> Yeah, it's easy, huh?

[00:20:41]>> It's nice that it's also stored up there, right? Cuz now you don't have to worry about extra cushions.

[00:20:45]>> Yeah. And you did a little lay down test on upstairs.

[00:20:49]>> Um, very, very comfortable.

[00:20:51]>> It's a dual stage memory foam type mattress. So, this is my favorite spot to sleep. Um, it's steel reinforced all around. So, again, it's uh safe when we cut out your your roof. It's plenty strong. And then the other big question I get is how does it do in the wind and how how does it do in the cold?

[00:21:10]>> Yeah.

[00:21:11]>> Um, so there's it's a tight canvas. You don't get any like flapping. I mean, I've been in this thing where 60 mph gust, you can feel the whole van moving.

[00:21:20]>> Um, but there's no like it's not like a tent like flapping around because it is secured top and bottom. Nice.

[00:21:26]>> And then we have insulated curtains 360 degree that's dropped down and so >> you can create like a full insulated barrier all the way around in this pop top.

[00:21:38]>> That's amazing.

[00:21:39]>> Um yeah, again I've camped in about zero degrees and uh do have a furnace as well and you know heat rises so it um does fill this area and then >> keeps it nice and nice and warm with insulated curtains. And then we also have zip out windows and uh so in the warmer summer months you can undo these and then they have screens and so you get 360 uh air flow through.

[00:22:08]>> Nice.

[00:22:08]>> And it's cool for the views too, you know, standing here and looking out.

[00:22:12]>> It's like a little penthouse.

[00:22:13]>> Feels like you're camping. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:22:15]Right. Um and then the screens also unzip. uh we sell to a lot of photographers. Yeah.

[00:22:22]>> And so they can use this and stay on site. And that's kind of a cool thing.

[00:22:26]Instead of having to drive in and out of a beautiful location to go shooting, you can just stay right there on site and you get the, you know, golden hour and early morning shots that you might want to get.

[00:22:39]>> All right, let's let's talk about the bed.

[00:22:41]>> Cool. Yeah, so this bench seat um has seat belts. Uh, so it has a shoulder harness and then two lap belts here that we feed in when it's time to make into a bed and it's super easy to fold down.

[00:22:52]>> Wow.

[00:22:53]>> Yeah. Right.

[00:22:55]>> We'll travel with like a X ped, which is like a blow up topper. Um, I think you mentioned earlier >> when you do have convertible seats, um, you don't really want to make these out of that same memory foam.

[00:23:06]>> You want a little bit firmer to sit on and be more comfortable while you're riding. And then so I will either do like a memory foam topper or a little air mattress topper um on here and it kind of fills in the gaps as well.

[00:23:19]>> Good to know.

[00:23:19]>> Huge bed, you know, I mean >> huge >> see for for two adults. So we got plenty of room. Plus we have all the storage which we'll get into here in a second.

[00:23:28]>> Um yeah, super easy to convert from bed back to seat. And then uh that's like the open space we have here too.

[00:23:37]>> Um so it is a nice living room. I when I'm camping, I like to spend most of my time outside >> doing whatever we're doing. You know, hiking, fishing.

[00:23:44]>> Yeah.

[00:23:45]>> Riding Polaris and dirt bikes.

[00:23:48]>> But, you know, if there is bad weather, you can have your family in here and everyone can sit comfortably. It is kind of like a living room.

[00:23:56]>> Yeah.

[00:23:56]>> You can set a table up in here, a couple tables. Um, and so, yeah, it really works out well. And my wife is super organized and so like where I want like big just bulk stuff for my gear. Yeah.

[00:24:07]She likes having everything in its place and so of course the organized drawers and stuff up there. There's also a >> small pantry right in front of the the fridge there >> so you can get your on the road snacks and then uh there's another little pantry here. It's just your paper towels in there. But uh then behind that we got a microwave of course up here. And then we have more organized storage. So there's shelving here and then there's a hanging closet in the back that also has shelves that are removable.

[00:24:35]>> Mhm.

[00:24:36]>> So generally in the winter months I'll take the shelves out of the back and that's where you can hang your coats and jackets and then the summer when you don't need that stuff I'll put the shelves in there and >> we kind of just like roll up all our shorts, pants, shirts and uh you can really fit a lot of stuff back there and be super organized.

[00:24:53]>> Exactly.

[00:24:54]So everything it kind of has its place again the big trunk space and all your tools and all that in the back and so you never feel cluttered. You know there's all this open space and then um more organized storage up here. I've got more paper towels and some cups and glasses and you never have too much storage and I'll say it a million times.

[00:25:11]>> Yeah, we use every inch of this thing.

[00:25:14]And then along this side is our control panel which has our solar controller, our inverter, our timber line heater which is also an on demand water heater that runs right off the fuel tank. So this is a gas version because of the gas motor, but it also comes in a diesel that we use on the screen.

[00:25:30]>> That's awesome, man. Really cool.

[00:25:32]>> LED reading lights.

[00:25:34]>> Yeah. Oh, that's cool. You you just push them at the front.

[00:25:37]>> Yeah.

[00:25:37]>> And then uh the lights are on dimmer as well. So these you just wave your hand in front of which is pretty cool. turn on and off. And then if you hold your hand on it, I think that brightened it up. Then we can dim it.

[00:25:50]>> Oo, that's cool.

[00:25:52]>> Mood lighting.

[00:25:54]>> So, talk to us about the systems.

[00:25:55]There's a a few notches down here. Tell us about >> So, we have our um breakers and fuses here for the 110 and 12 volt side of things.

[00:26:05]>> And then we have a big uh kill switch for our lithium system. So, if you do have to have this thing stored where it's going to freeze, >> um you want to kill the uh the access to those batteries as far as charging so you don't start ruining them.

[00:26:20]>> Um you only want to feed a charge into those batteries when they aren't frozen, otherwise you can can damage them.

[00:26:28]>> More outlets and then our GFI 110 outlet. They're all GFI protected through that outlet there.

[00:26:35]>> Um >> that's awesome. And so everything, yeah, we didn't really touch on this, is built to RV code. We're a member of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. So, every one of our vans comes with that RVIA label.

[00:26:47]>> Um, which is important nowadays. Um, >> certain campgrounds will not let vehicles in >> um that aren't RV certified, right?

[00:26:55]>> And um it's a liability because they can have fires or if they hook up to their electrical um they might have issues if the you know wiring is done improperly, batteries. So, uh, we I think it's once a month. Um, it's at least quarterly that the RVIA will send an inspector randomly out to our facility, walk the production line, look at the models that we've completed, and make sure everything's up to their standards.

[00:27:20]>> Cool. And how much power does this one have inside of that?

[00:27:23]>> This one has 360 amp hour.

[00:27:26]>> Okay. And there's is there option to upgrade that as well?

[00:27:28]>> Yeah, it's all the batteries are inside.

[00:27:30]So, it's compromise between how much power you want >> verse uh storage space. But yeah, I mean I could put batteries all all across the back there if you really wanted. Um >> I find that that's more than ample power. The the time you need a bigger power system generally is just if you want to run air conditioning off grid.

[00:27:49]>> Yeah.

[00:27:49]>> Um which most of my vans I don't even put a secondary AC in. you have the AC while you're driving, >> but with the pop top and all the windows open, it's generally um unnecessary for me to to have air conditioning living out here in California.

[00:28:02]>> Yeah. And if somebody does want to, let's say, do some off-grid stuff and run the AC all night, maybe even do this fulltime, how much power would you recommend for them?

[00:28:11]>> I would say uh around that 900 amp hour.

[00:28:15]Um you know, 900 to,200 amp hours. Yep.

[00:28:18]>> Is generally good. Um, and then you'd want either a secondary alternator or maybe a a backup generator. And those times if you deplete all that power, you got to have a way to get it all back in.

[00:28:32]And you can't put enough solar on >> um, you know, to adequately charge that if you're constantly running down, you know, that amount of power. And they all have RV hookups. You know, you've got your water and electrical. So, if you do go to a campground or um you know, a lot of times people take these and stay at a friend's house, you know, stay in their driveway, go run extension cord out and plug it in and fully recharge all your batteries.

[00:28:55]>> Well, Johnny, thank you so much for the comprehensive tour. If you guys want to learn more about this van and the individual specs and exactly what components they're using, hit the link in the description and head over to Vanalyzer where you can see every single thing about it and even see the factory tour and hear about their story and see all of their other models as well. Any any last words, Johnny? analyzer. I love it.

[00:29:14]>> Yeah. [laughter] >> Um yeah, we we like to give factory tours. So, if you want to see how these are put together in person, we're here in Fresno, California. Um we do a lot of the adventure van shows, the overland expos. Um a lot of events and come out and see us. It's nice to Yeah. get in and get a feel for the space and maybe lay down on the bed and really, you know, feel what you're you're about to get into.

[00:29:37]>> Yeah. Cuz at the very least, you're going to learn a lot. I mean, if you just like look around here, there's over a dozen vans just in their showroom. And so, there's a lot you can walk around, see, touch, feel, get a sense of what you like versus what you don't like. And that alone will help a lot with your van research. Plus, they got their whole factory back there as well, which is an incredible space.

[00:29:57]>> Thank you. Yeah. And you can learn more on our website, of course, our YouTube channel. Um, and then we also work, we were talking about our rental partners earlier. Um, so you can rent one of our vans um either on Outdoorsy or through Motra. Yeah.

[00:30:11]>> And so doing that can be a good way to kind of get your feet wet, see what you like and don't like, and help you in the overall design of your van.

[00:30:17]>> Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Johnny. I appreciate it. Have a great day, guys.

[00:30:20]>> All right.

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