From Cargo to Comfort: Finding a Ram ProMaster to Convert to a Campervan
I love Pinterest! I mean I could waste a full day on there looking for new travel ideas or ways to upgrade my campervan. I have several boards saved on my Pinterest account from specific travel destinations to camping necessities, to camping food ideas. Pinterest is how I began my campervan journey. As I was randomly searching on day, I came across a couple, Two Wandering Soles, who were traveling across the US in their self-converted campervan, and I became intrigued. I started saving all their pins and became totally obsessed with learning more. The great thing about Pinterest is, you can keep searching every keyword until you find what you need. The rest is history….
Researching campervan conversions
After all the research, I decided I wanted to build my own campervan. I began by reading different blogs to find what van other people recommended and what others were using for insulation, walls, flooring and more. My list kept growing with ideas and I became overwhelmed with all of the possibilities! I also became more and more excited and decided that this was something I could totally do!
Finding the perfect van considerations
Then the search began to find the perfect commercial van to convert to a camper. Things to consider when researching:
budget, how much do you want to spend in total or for your monthly payment. Negotiate the price if you can
inside cargo space needed for bed, kitchen, seating, and walking space. This bigger the interior space, the more room for people or your build
does inside height matter? you can get a low top, medium top, or high top. I chose a high top for convivence when we were in the van cooking or hanging out. But really, do you plan to be in your van much when you travel to some amazing destinations? You decide what is best and most cost efficient for you. The higher the top, the higher the price
if buying used, will you need to replace the battery or tires immediately after purchase or will you have time to save for these items
mileage, do miles matter. Do you want to consider buying a van with low miles? The lower the miles, the higher the price
age of vehicle, the newer the van, the higher the cost
Where to find your van
I used carsforsale.com, autotrader.com and Google search to find a van that would be perfect for our family. You can also look at Facebook Marketplace, dealerships, Craigslist and classified ads. With the pandemic, more and more people were also deciding that they wanted to convert a van to a camper, so the van prices increased, and the demand became greater therefore making it harder to find a van at a reasonable price!
Which model to purchase
I knew after my all of my research that I either wanted a Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster. Through my research, I knew I didn’t want a Mercedes Sprinter because other bloggers reported that if repairs were needed it was going to cost more since it was a foreign brand, and the mechanics were going to be harder to find.
Campervan cost and mileage
I searched every day for a van and most of the time the van was gone by the time I inquired about it, so I knew I had to act quick when I found one I liked. I wanted to keep the mileage under 90,000 and the price under $20,000. I also knew I wanted a high top and wasn’t going to sacrifice that space, so I found that I had to increase my price to find a high top with low mileage. After a couple months of searching, I finally found a 2017 Ram ProMaster for $26,000 with 70k miles. Although this was higher priced than I wanted to spend it checked all my boxes and I loved the color red. The van is easy to spot in a parking lot because of its height and color and I named her “Rosie”!
Van inspection
Before you purchase the van there are a few things to consider.
has the van ever been in an accident, if so where was the damage
inspect the body for rust. If you are going to travel in multiple weather patterns, on gravel roads, or salty/snowy conditions, you will want to avoid vans with previous rust
test drive before you buy to make sure it runs smoothly and there are no mechanical issues
insist on seeing previous maintenance documents to make sure the previous owners maintained the vehicle appropriately.
2017 Ram ProMaster specifics
I chose a 2017 Ram ProMaster cargo van 3500 with 70k miles.
159-inch wheelbase
24-gallon gas tank
16.4 MPG City/20 MPG Highway
V6 cylinder
front wheel drive
2 front passenger seats
76 inch inside cargo height
420 cubic feet interior cargo space
rear double doors
side sliding door
no cargo windows (we had one installed on the drivers side)
Campevan build details
You can check out my blog post that describes the van build and all the materials used to transform our van into a camper. I absolutely love our van and I am so happy with the van I chose and the materials I used to build her out. It was a blank van, as pictured below, when we purchased it, and we completed the van build on our own in a couple of months except for the electrical work which I hired done for safety concerns.
First campervan trip
We made our first trip in our van the summer of 2021. We drove 7,962 miles in 27 days. We drove through 17 states from Florida to Nevada and back to Florida. It was so exciting to feel so free as we traveled, and I loved every minute of it. There were a few stressful moments like when we almost got stuck on a back road looking for a place to camp, but thankfully we were able to get out and safely to a new camping location. Otherwise, it was an amazing journey!!! Due to my extensive research, we were well prepared and had everything we needed to have a successful trip.
A few places we visited on our travels
Magnolia Market in Waco Texas to explore the empire that Chip and Joanna Gaines created.
A stop at White Sands National Park to view the beautiful white sand dunes.
24 hours in Las Vegas with kids and what there is to do.
A visit to Arizona proved to have some of my favorite places to visit, from Devil’s Bridge to Horseshoe Bend and more.
As my kids get older, I want to take any opportunity to spend time as much time with them as I can before they graduate and move on with their lives. Buying a van and traveling the US so I can spend extra time with my kids might not be typical for most families, but it has worked for us, or maybe I am a little selfish because I love to travel and wanted a reason to travel more. We had a travel trailer in the past that we use to camp in, but we never camped for more than a week at a time, so this was a different experience. The older my teens get, the less campervan travel they enjoy, but they do admit to enjoying several of our excursions we have taken over the last few years.
Stay patient and persistent in your research. Do not settle on just any van, just to get one as soon as possible, you want to make sure it will last you for years to come and through many travel destinations.
Do you have any questions about finding the right campervan for you? Comment below or email me to get your questions answered. 👇
Enjoy the journey,
Meet the author: Jennifer
I’m just a girl who loves to travel. My favorite travels have been traveling across the US in a campervan, visiting all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, marking National Parks off my list, & many smaller trips. I love to share my adventures to inspire others to travel more. If you can dream it, you can do it!
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