How to Easily Turn Your Minivan into a Minivan Camper!
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Myself & two kids spent an entire summer camping in my minivan!
When I first decided I would be camping in a minivan, I found very few resources to help me. This guide will walk you through the best minivan camping accessories, gear to stealth minivan camp, and even a few minivan camping hacks. You do not need any gear from a minivan camper conversion company because this is a no build minivan camper!
Last summer we spent over 25 days camping in our minivan and it was amazing. Back then I couldn’t find anyone who had successfully camped in a minivan, so I had to get creative. Through real life trial and error, I have found the best minivan camping gear and the quickest and easiest way to convert our minivan from a day driver to an RV in under 20 minutes.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to turn a minivan into a camper, you’re in the right place! Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
What Type of Van We Have
We drive a Chrysler Pacifica. I chose this van because all of the rear seats fold into the floor of the van without having to take them out of the van. This means we can have the van as our day driver on our trip and then easily fold the seats into the floor to give us an open space to sleep. I knew I wanted a simple minivan camper and not a permanent minivan conversion camper. I also knew I wanted a no build minivan camper because I didn’t have the time to do a custom build out.
The space in the back of the van is perfect for one adult and 2 kids. You could get away with 2 adults or 2 adults and one kid. On one camping trip, we did fit 2 adults and 2 children in the van to watch a Harry Potter movie, but my husband actually slept in a tent. It wouldn’t have been comfortable sleeping with all 4 of us. Our kids are ages 4 and 6.
The Seats fold nicely into the floor so I can put a camp mattress directly on the floor for us to sleep. No raised floor is needed.
Minivan to Camper Trasition
Both Kids were in their sleeping bags ready to watch Harry Potter -
One thing that was very important to me is an easy and fairly quick transition from driver to camper. Since I did a lot of solo mom camping with the kids, I didn’t want a long process to set up the minivan camper. The entire process took me less than 20 minutes on the first camping day and probably less than 15 minutes on a repeat camping night. I would like to note that I typically traveled with my rear bench seat folded into the floor already. I only have 2 kids, so I only needed 2 rear seats.
Here is a general outline of my set up process:
Fold up the HiFold Booster seats
Open & unpack the floor storage areas
Fold rear bucket seats into Floor
Inflate the Camping mattress
Make the Bed
Install Window Coverings
Set up our campsite
Here is a General Outline of how I went from camper to driver:
Deflate Mattress and roll it back with bedding
Pull both rear bucket seats up from floor
Install HiFold booster seats
Remove Window Coverings
Pack up campsite into van
Load kids and go!
10 Must Haves For a Minivan Camper
Our Jackery charging an ipad, my camera, and our fans while we built a campfire.
Let’s get to what you’re here for; What do you need to turn your minivan into a comfortable minvan camper? This is a list of 10 things you must have to create a functional camper inside your minivan without actually building or altering anything. All of the things listed will help you stealth minivan camp - meaning you can park anywhere and no one will know you’re asleep in there!
1) A Water source: I use a 5-gallon water jug with a battery powered pump. This has proved to be priceless while we are camping or exploring the National Parks. We always have access to clean drinking water!
2) An external power source: We own a Goal Zero and a Jackery 500. These are both powerful portable power stations that can charge electronics, power your air pump, and even provide light with their built in flashlights. These are a must because you won’t want your van running all night. Both the Goal Zero and the Jackery have solar panels to recharge or you can use the cigarette lighter charger to charge them while you drive. This leaves you with plenty of power when you need it at night. Our Jakery can charge my phone and iPads all night and last for several days on one charge.
3) A Camping Pad: Depending on if you’re sleeping with one person or multiple people in the van will determine which kind of camping pad you like. We absolutely love our Exped Duo camp pad. We use a very small pump to inflate it each night and in the morning we open the valve and roll the pad back. This pad is extra durable and is made for any weather. We’ve minivan camped in snow and summer heat. We comfortably camp with 1 adult and 2 children on the pad, but it is made for 2 adults. (The Exped is pretty pricey, so check out this similar Hikenture pad which is more budget friendly) If you are camping in a minivan by yourself, check out the single INVOKER camping pad that is made of memory foam and packs away tiny!
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
Here you can see how thin the camp mattress is, but it’s very comfortable. The window coverings are installed on every window!
4) Window Coverings: Window coverings are an absolute necessity when minivan camping. These provide insulation and privacy. It took me several weeks of web sleuthing to find affordable custom window coverings for a Chrysler Pacifica, but I found them!! Weather Tech makes a full set for a reasonable price. They also make them for other van brands like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. I personally like to put window shades on with the black side facing out and the silver facing in. This makes it brighter in the van and more stealth for anyone trying to look into the car.
**You can also find these kind of window coverings for other vans like the Ford Transit Connect, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Kia Sedona!
I love my weather tech window coverings. They give us total privacy while minivan camping.
5) Roof Top Storage: I don’t think we could have camped this way for so long without our roof top cargo storage box. We have the basic SportsRack Vista XL from Amazon and love it. We’ve driven over 25,000 miles with this thing at all speeds and weather. It keeps water out and your gear safe! It’s so light I can install it and take it off by myself. To give you an idea of how much this holds, we brought scooters, 4 camp chairs, our awning, food, all the bedding, all of our homeschool supplies, helmets, the window coverings, a toilet, all of our food, a 5-gallon water jug, and luggage for 4 months (3 seasons). The SportsRack Vista’s capacity is incredible and I like to store the HiFold Booster Seats up there at night when we aren’t using them. You have so much more storage space with this!
Dry Camping at Needles Outpost in Canyonlands National Park - our roof top cargo is priceless
6) A Flushable Toilet: You read that right. We camp with a flushable toilet in our minivan. We use the Thetford Porta Potti 135. It is the perfect size to fit in the van. Both my children and I use this toilet constantly on our road trips. My kids rarely go into gas stations to pee, they usually just use our toilet. When we are camping in the minivan, we put the Porta Potti toward the back of the van so if anyone needs to go at night, we don’t have to leave the minivan. The toilet has a fresh water holding tank and a black water tank that holds 2 gallons of waste. It’s so small, I can dump it into any toilet! I was willing to forgo the privacy in order to have a minivan camper with bathroom!
Click here to check out my shoppable list of Must Haves for a Minivan Camper!
While we drive, the Thetford Porta Potti sits between the kid’s seats, but it could easily go in the far back if you don’t want it there. Scroll up on the blog to see the toilet in the van with the bed set up
7) Food Storage: I have tried many ways to store food in the van. The absolute best way we’ve found to organize and store food while traveling and camping in the minivan is a 3 drawer storage. This helped me store the food in a more organize and space saving way. I use a plastic 3 drawer system. At the beginning of our multi-month trip, I only had one of these storage units, but bought a second one for the clothing we used on the road. It helped keep the kids clothes and my clothes easily accessible on the road.
8) Rechargeable Fans: If you’re camping in the summer months, you absolutely want to have fans that can run all night long. I use these fans and hang them on a bungee cord that goes from handle to handle in the van. These fans have hooks built in to make them easy to hang too. They also have multiple levels of flow and a built in flashlight. Another great asset that goes along with good air flow are window screens! I have these screens to go over the front windows if it’s too hot inside the van at night.
These little fans will run all night and help keep the airflow moving inside the car.
9) A Really Good Chuck Box: A Chuck Box is a portable camp kitchen. I found the best way to store all of my cooking tools was by using this crafting box. I store my skillet and pot in the bottom with a few spoons and a cutting board. The top is for utensils, seasonings, and smaller stuff. I recommend a craft box to anyone trying to organize their kitchen ware in their minivan camper. I also keep a Coleman camp stove with us. It folds up small and has two burners for cooking.
10) A portable vacuum: When you’re switching from a driving van to a minivan camper, the floor and seats can get messy! We use a small car vacuum that can plug into the van to keep the space as clean and neat as possible. It doesn’t take up much room but is way easier than finding a car wash.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A MORE EXTENSIVE LIST OF ESSENTIALS FOR A NO BUILD MINIVAN CAMPER
I carry a tiny little skillet and a pot so I can make multiple things at once like I would at home.
Check Out My Suggestions on the Best camping Gear
When you’re planning your minivan camping conversion, keep it as simple as possible. We felt so comfortable in our set up without ever building anything. We had running water, cooking supplies, a flushable toilet, and a really comfy bed.
my kids and i at delicate arch on our 4 month long minivan camper trip
I hope my minivan camper ideas inspire you to take a minimalistic approach to your minivan and create some amazing memories quite literally in your very own back seat! As you turn minivan into camper, let me know what worked for you or if you have any other ideas for creating the perfect conversion minivan!
Before you head out to start your van conversion, check out my guide to 100+ road trip snacks and How to Tent Camp with Toddlers.
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