Proudly owning a Sprinter van may be a good way to discover the world, however customizing it to your liking can take it to the subsequent degree by way of consolation and space for storing.
Once I was designing my third Sprinter, I knew I needed to maximise my gear storage, whereas making my spare tire extra accessible.
That is the place Owl Vans got here in – providing modern and smooth van equipment for Sprinter van homeowners trying to improve their van life expertise. From practical add-ons corresponding to roof racks and outdoors storage to ladders and extra, Owl Vans may also help remodel your Sprinter van into a customized journey automobile.
With a give attention to sturdiness, light-weight design, and performance, Owl Vans has turn into a trusted Sprinter van equipment model, and also you’ve doubtless noticed their gear on vans at trailhead parking tons. On this weblog publish, we’ll dive into the Owl Vans equipment I’ve on my van and the way they’ll elevate and improve your personal camper van’s design.
Owl Vans gifted the gear for my new van. As all the time, all opinions and proposals are my very own, and we solely share merchandise we really love and suppose you’ll too.
Owl Vans Ladder + Tire Provider
On Sprinter vans, the spare tire is usually carried beneath the van which is a really inconvenient place to have it when you had been to get a flat tire on an uneven filth highway or muddy highway.
As a substitute of getting to precariously crawl beneath your van, Owl Vans Ladder + Tire Provider lets you retailer your spare on the again door of your van, offering straightforward and rapid entry. Having your spare mounted on the again additionally lets you carry a full-size spare tire, which is particularly vital when you plan to do any off-roading in your van.
The tire is located low sufficient that a median top particular person like myself (I’m 5’5″) ought to have the ability to get it off the again of the van with none points. You can even add a Rotopax diesel canister to the surface of the spare tire if you wish to carry further gas. With the spare tire mounted, this provides 16″ to the again of the van, so it doesn’t add vital size to your van. With the spare tire being extra simply accessible, I like to recommend throwing a lock on the rack to stop anybody from stealing your spare tire.
The Owl Vans Sprinter spare tire rack is mixed with a ladder that gives roof entry. This implies you don’t have to decide on between a ladder or a spare tire in your again door. It’s manufactured from bendable aluminum alloy which is stronger and extra light-weight than different van ladders in the marketplace.
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The primary ladder peg is somewhat onerous to succeed in from the bottom when you don’t have a rear step, however there are many locations to seize on to hoist your self as much as that first step. People who find themselves shorter or who’ve quick legs may need somewhat bother with this although.
Once I first tried climbing up the ladder, I felt like I wanted to be somewhat extra cautious than a normal ladder because the steps are a lot smaller, however when you get used to it, it’s very straightforward to climb up. I used to be in a position to climb up there 25 weeks pregnant, no drawback 🙂
If you wish to see the ladder in motion, try this video I posted on Instagram.
B2 Provider and Mini Sherpa
Once I was designing my third Sprinter Van, I needed a storage field to hold gear that doesn’t should be contained in the van – ie instruments, our water hose, jumper cables, and so forth. I used to be drawn to Owl Vans Sprinter Van equipment as a result of the Owl Vans service opens with the again doorways so that you by no means must swing the service out of the best way first. It makes accessing issues behind the van very straightforward.
B2 Provider
I selected the B2 Bike Provider which is a light-weight, modular service that you would be able to mount a wide range of Owl Vans equipment to. I’ve paired mine with the Mini Sherpa Plate and the Medium Expedition Field. Made with TIG welded aluminum, this service is sturdy and intensely sturdy.
The principle characteristic of the B2 is the power to mount bikes, together with e-bikes, on the again of your van. With a complete weight capability of 150 kilos, this is without doubt one of the solely racks of the market that may deal with the burden of e-bikes whereas nonetheless permitting you to freely open and shut your again doorways.
Within the photograph under, the bike rack could be mounted on prime of the cylindrical tubes which might match 2 bikes aspect by aspect.
Mounting bikes does require the separate buy of 1up Bike Trays. Being modular, the B2 lets you select how excessive you need to mount your bikes. You may mount them low on the B2 for simple entry or greater so you possibly can pair it with a storage field.
Since I used to be pregnant once we acquired this van, we haven’t used the B2 to mount our e-mountain bikes but. I’ll say I’m somewhat hesitant to journey long-term with our e-bikes on the surface of the van since I’m afraid they’ll get stolen or broken from climate or extreme mud. Once we do determine to mount the bikes on the again of the van, I’ll most likely need to throw some form of cowl on them to guard from the weather and ensure the bikes had been insured. For weekend journeys or for transporting bikes to and from trailheads, I believe the Owl Vans B2 is a tremendous resolution.
When switching to winter sports activities, Owl Vans additionally sells a ski locker that mounts to the B2 which helps maintain the within of your van dry whereas defending your skis from filth and highway particles. That is particularly helpful for these of you who’ve Flares in your Sprinter Van and sleep sideways. For this model of van ground plan, skis are sometimes to lengthy to suit beneath the mattress, making the Owl Vans ski locker a superb resolution.
One different factor to concentrate on with the B2 is that it might intrude with the backup digital camera sensor. We now have a 2021 4×4 170″ Sprinter and at any time when we put the van in reverse, it triggers the backup sensor to sound the alarm as if we’re going to again into one thing.
Mini-Sherpa
If you happen to received’t be carrying bikes in your Owl Vans B2, you should use the Owl Vans Mini-Sherpa modular mounting plate to mount a wide range of gear like a DMOS Shovel, a Rotopax for further gas, MaxTrax restoration boards, or no matter else you need to carry.
Do remember that the spacing of the holes on the Mini-Sherpa are uniform, so relying on what you need to mount, you could have to drill a gap or two in your Mini-Sherpa. We discovered that to be the case once we went to mount a Rotopax and the spacing on the Mini-Sherpa didn’t match up with the spacing of our Rotopax mount. Sadly, winter (and our child) arrived earlier than we had an opportunity to drill holes to mount our Rotopax or another equipment, nevertheless it’s on our to-do listing earlier than we hit the highway this summer time.
If you happen to don’t plan to hold heavy e-bikes and the concept of drilling holes in your model new gear is intimidating, you would possibly think about the Owl Vans Sherpa Cargo System as a substitute of the B2/Mini-Sherpa. The Sherpa Cargo System has extra flexibility inbuilt attributable to a wide range of spacing of the mounting holes. The draw back, nevertheless is that the overall weight capability of the Sherpa Cargo Provider is 100 kilos, so 50 kilos lower than the B2 Provider.
Medium Expedition Field
On the underside of our B2 service, we now have the Owl Vans Medium Expedition Field which – much like the ladder + tire combo – provides 15″ inches to the again of the van. I actually love this field because it permits us to retailer issues like our hose, bathe hookup, instruments, jumper cables, and different gear that we actually don’t have to entry from contained in the van.
The field is manufactured from a particular gauge of aluminum and has TIG welded seams, permitting the field to be each ultra-rugged and light-weight. It will possibly maintain as much as 60 kilos of drugs and may be mounted to both the Sherpa Cargo Provider or the B2 Provider that we now have. If you would like extra space for storing, there’s a big dimension field accessible.
The field comes with a lock and key so you possibly can safe no matter is contained in the field with out having to purchase an additional lock. The field is all-weather and has been put to the take a look at right here in Utah this winter the place we’ve had a ton of snow.
Total this field has proved to be tremendous useful and simply the correct dimension for carrying the gear I discussed.
Different Well-liked Owl Vans Equipment
Along with the Owl Vans equipment I’ve, Owl additionally manufactures a wide range of different overlanding gear to get your Sprinter van equipment dialed. Right here’s just a few extra of their hottest gadgets they both manufacture or promote:
Word: The Spare Tire Ladder combo rack and the B2 require 180-degree hinges, which your van could or could not include them. You should purchase 180-degree hinges from Owl Vans or out of your native Mercedes seller.
How To Set up Owl Vans Equipment
All of my equipment had been put in by my customized van builder, Exterior Van.
If you happen to plan to self-install, Owl Vans has step-by-step video directions for all of their gear.
If you happen to’d choose to have your equipment professionally put in, try this listing of licensed Owl Vans set up facilities.
If in case you have any questions on Owl Vans merchandise, try their complete FAQ part.
I hope this Owl Vans assessment helps you select the most effective Sprinter van equipment in your journey rig. If in case you have any questions on these merchandise, please go away a remark under.
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