New Modular Conversion Kit Allows Limitless Camper Van Options

Adaptive for Vans offers an array of low-cost design choices.

Modular cubes
Happier Camper's Adaptiv system is based around an ingenious system of modular cubes.
Happier Camper

What do you do when your dreams of owning a camper van are stymied by, well, the high cost of camper vans? A new product from California’s Happier Camper has just been announced, and it’s designed for drivers who yearn for a camper van even as the prospect of an endlessly customizable vehicle intrigues them. 

Curbed has the details on the newly-announced Adaptiv for Vans system, which builds on an earlier system — Adaptiv — which was designed for trailers. This takes a similar approach, but applies it to a van; in other words, it allows a vast array of design options tailored to the individual users. As Curbed’s article puts it:

Currently designed for the Mercedes Sprinter 144-inch wheelbase (although you can expect kits for other popular vans in the future), the Adaptive for Vans concept starts with a fiberglass grid floor base and a series of cubes. Two wheel well trunks create four built-in cubes, and once the base is in you add additional cubes in any configuration that you want. Most cubes double as storage areas, and a base package includes cubes with seat cushions, access holes, a cooler ice box, and a cube that functions as a pantry.

The cubes can also be combined to form furniture, or taken out of the van when camping. Curbed reports that the system will be priced in the neighborhood of $15,000, with a deluxe edition set to cost closer to $20,000. Curbed’s article has more details, including some fascinating photos of the new system in action.  There’s something deeply appealing about using a van as a blank canvas for the camper van that perfectly meets your needs. 

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