Oregon-Based Company Turns Diesel-Powered Mercedes Sprinter Vans Into Homes On Wheels
Around the country, depending on the month, a cadre of bikers, skiers, surfers, climbers, and other outdoor enthusiasts travel as a tribe from state to state, from one pristine mountain slope to the valley floor, to beautiful beaches and coniferous forests.
This is the tribe of alternative styled athletes who have to keep moving with the weather, because the best places to do all of these sports moves around, as the seasons change.
Or to put it somewhat crudely, "Bitchin’ moves around.”
Those are the words of Erik Ekman, founder of Oregon-based Outside Van, which completes conversions primarily on diesel-powered Mercedes Sprinter vans. He goes on to explain:
“There is no perfect place. To catch the right season, you need to move around. It’s possible to start spring in California in March and end it in August in Colorado, with Oregon and Idaho in the middle.”
Erik spends some of his time in the Beaver State, but the rest of the time he is traveling in his van, chasing the alternative sports scene across the American West. There is no standing house in North America that would be in the most popular outdoor carnival all year long, nor should it be so.
"My van is my freedom card,” Ekman, formerly a highly competitive snowboarder, told The Buzz.
Indeed, the only way to get to all the spots like Sun Valley, Aspen Valley, and other places of imminent and eternal coolness is to put your home on wheels. Enter: Outside Van.
Ekman's brainchild was in soft development for a decade before he got serious and built a business that was as heavy as the diesel engines loaded into the Mercedes Sprinter vans that he customizes.
"The company started organically over 20 years ago. It got real serious about 10 years ago."
Erik scours other industries for builders and has formed a team that produces and delivers sprinter van conversions that often run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Asked what one of his creations costs, he said between $75,000 and $300,000 at the top end.
“We have some of the best van builders on the globe. The talent comes from our culture and passion and people who really get it. Things are built from scratch from ground up,” he said.
Erik offers three levels of customization – “for maximum freedom and joy” -- that he explains on his Web site. The basic package is called “core.” These are the upgrades every van gets, and they include things like a premium interior package, roof vents that are remote controlled, load lights, pre runner bumpers, and a three panel bed.
Bump up the conversion package, bump up the price, bump up the turnaround time. While the company can deck out a core conversion in 4-7 weeks, the “configurable” option will take 2 to 4 months. And for that customers can order things like a solar package, big customized windows, retractable running boards, high output LED bars, custom color jobs, and other options.
"People want good things and they will wait for it. You [also] get what you pay for,” he said.
That must be especially true of Outside Van’s customers who go for a full customer conversion. That job can take up to a year, but the van that rolls out of the shop will include features like hot and cold water, refrigerators, stoves, AC on top, showers, and customer upholstery and cabinetry.
Ekman would not say how many vans he sells, but all indications are that his company is moving a lot of vans and obviously, moving a lot of money around. Still, Ekman remains an outside adventurer in his heart, and that means he lives in one of his custom vans for half of the year.
He boasts that his personal van can run A/C from a “military grade” battery bank. The vans have heavy-duty off-road wheels and solar systems that can keep it all powered up for weeks on end. In some of the more remote and rugged spots of the American West -- where the tribes of outdoorsmen gather -- the ability to go off road is essential.
"We are in it for joy and providing freedom and a state of expansion,” he said, noting that his motivation is not really about making money.
Take a look at the company’s blog, “The Tribe,” to get an idea of what a state of freedom and expansion is all about. Articles featured bicyclists careening down mountains above 10,000 feet and a personal narrative from a ski bum on dawn patrol on a pristine white-powder mountain.
By his telling, Erik moved into his first van when he attended college. He bought an old Ford Econoline for $3,500 and found a place he could park it for $60 a month, which allowed him to run a power cable to his home.
He went from there to leverage his outdoors lifestyle by becoming a sales rep for an outside brand. Finally, after years of tinkering around on vans and doing the off job conversion, he took Outside Van into the mainstream. Today his shop is filled and his customers are lining up.
The most touching article on Erik’s blog is a post titled, “It’s in my blood.” It’s an ode and obituary to his grandfather, who took him along as a boy in his classic motorhome, Moho. He describes the feelings he had going on those RV trips -- the sense of freedom and exploration it engrained. He finishes with a simple expression of thanksgiving for that:
“The freedom of being on the road, in a Moho, or in a van, is part of my heritage – my family. It is in my blood and I am so grateful.
“For my Grandpa…. with biggest love.”
David Irvin
A graduate with a Masters Of Science from the University Of North Texas, David has written on many beats including crime and business for such outlets as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Montgomery Advertiser & USA. He enjoys RVing and surfing the Internet.
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Outside Van, where freedom begins. Basic set up engages the buyer with the essential features which gets will get the buyer the ability to get on the road and use as needed.