• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Sprinter Vans..how would you deck one out?

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
Now that these are available in 4WD they have become increasingly popular with skiers and outdoor junkies. We all have our different needs for sure, be it more seats or building a bed in the back. But we as the S.S. Pugski gets up in age, going on 10 years and starting to get some electrical gremlins we are looking into the future...we can fit a LOT of demo/test skis in the back of one of these and still have the room and (much better) MPG than the Yukon XL.. Knowing what you know about "Team Pugski", how would you deck one out for us? , I woludn't want more than the 144" wheelbase jsut for day to day driving reasons. Idealy 5 passenger with the option of 7 if seats are removable. A sliding rack system to hold 2-20 pairs of skis, we do not want a roof box, too high and a basic work bench that can swing out of the way when not in use would be nice but not that important. I do not see us ever sleeping in it, so a bed woudn't be used (for that). I would prefer windows on the passenger side at least for driving in traffic, I am old school and do not fully rely on mirrors adn no "detection" systems. Go. Oh and @Dave Petersen will be doing the full wrap.

So, how would you deck one out for you too?
 

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,769
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
I saw a few of them transformed into surf vehicles in California when i lived there and thought that was awesome. A ski vehicle oh yeah.... What's the gas mileage like?
 
Thread Starter
TS
Philpug

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
If Dave is designing the full wrap, THIS is gonna be something to see! :D :popcorn:

I figured he could have fun.

I saw a few of them transformed into surf vehicles in California when i lived there and thought that was awesome. A ski vehicle oh yeah.... What's the gas mileage like?

Low 20's.
 

trailtrimmer

Stuck in the Flatlands
Skier
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Posts
1,110
Location
Michigan
If you do a bed and ski rack, then a high top would be preferable. If they have options for an extra battery, rear outlets, supplemental heating and insulation, it would save you lots of time in customizing.
 

Dwight

Practitioner of skiing, solid and liquid
Admin
Moderator
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Posts
7,441
Location
Central Wisconsin
Instead of bed, make similar to this bed but make it work bench. You could have roll out storage underneath for skis. One side of the van should be a well stocked liquor cabinet too.

 

Tom K.

Skier Ordinaire
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Posts
8,404
We have a 2007 version. First year of the "new" Sprinter. Ours was bought as a "Lifestyle" vehicle (gag) primarily for mountain biking road trips and windsurfing in The Gorge. Recently my wife added "pulling a small horse trailer" to its list of duties. My thoughts.

1. If you want/need 4wd, wait, if you can. The upcoming all-new Sprinter will be engineered for 4wd from the ground up. The current version was most emphatically not, so it had to be lifted significantly, in order to keep front driveshaft angles reasonable. Honestly, ours is already high enough. I wouldn't want to lift it another 3 inches. Side note: as it sits, a regular height Sprinter fits into an 8-foot garage door. By 1/4 inch. Which is nice.

2. We bought the passenger (window) van. The upfitter we were working with at the time recommended this, if we were going to add windows and insulation, and NOT also be adding a lot of things that needed to be secured to the body shell. In his approximate words: "Hey, we're really good, but I'm not going to tell you I'm better at that stuff than Mercedes Benz". This also gave us two seats we never use, which function surprisingly well in their current service as garage "shelving".

3. We installed a simple, lightweight, easily removable three-panel bed in the back. It turns out that we seldom, if ever, sleep in ours, but leaving one or two of the panels in place makes for a nice shelf. By blind, dumb luck, they are just high enough to fit a 29er wheel under, so we have things set up to travel with four bikes backed in, front wheels off, and secured with fork mounts. Bonus: I can sleep solo (crosswise) with just two of the panels installed, which I do a couple of times a year at endurance mtb races.

4. The 144 should be more than enough. That's what we have, and I can easily put two dirt bikes behind the second seat. Three in a pinch. This is great for the occasional overnight dirt bike road trip.

5. If you are going to work with an upfitter, I strongly recommend talking to at least two. Some of these guys are SO creative, and they all have slightly different approaches. We have two amazing ones right here in our tiny little community of Hood River (well, one got too successful, and moved to almost-Portland).

Have fun! I don't think we'll ever sell ours.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,912
Location
Reno
I'm thinking vertical ski racks, a flip down work bench/bar, extra duty alternators to run extra battries to power an inverter, and more. We'll talk when you get back.

Not this.
20170312_130541.jpg
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,912
Location
Behavioral sink
That is SWEET!
Curious--why no bed in it? That seems like it could come in VERY handy, a lot more so than you might think, and I don't think it would add much to the cost.

If the van's a rockin'...

It's not that he doesn't want one, it's that he doesn't want the back to be a simple bedroom with storage in it. So the idea folks are supposed to come up with something that riffs off the 5-7 peeps riding in back, while at the same time leaving room for a drop-down full-size futon frame or comparable.

Or, that's how I read the request. :D

I've no specific ideas as yet - except I would want a) a marine duty electric toilet b) aerogel insulation c) one of those fancy high tech ultrasound washing machines that run on less than a gallon of water per.
 
Last edited:

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,329
Location
The Bull City
We have a 2007 version. First year of the "new" Sprinter. Ours was bought as a "Lifestyle" vehicle (gag) primarily for mountain biking road trips and windsurfing in The Gorge. Recently my wife added "pulling a small horse trailer" to its list of duties. My thoughts.

1. If you want/need 4wd, wait, if you can. The upcoming all-new Sprinter will be engineered for 4wd from the ground up. The current version was most emphatically not, so it had to be lifted significantly, in order to keep front driveshaft angles reasonable. Honestly, ours is already high enough. I wouldn't want to lift it another 3 inches. Side note: as it sits, a regular height Sprinter fits into an 8-foot garage door. By 1/4 inch. Which is nice.

This is probably why the current 4WDs are priced to move. Get the not so great 4WD at a great price or get the great 4WD at a not so great price.

Are you planning on trading in the Yukon on a new 4WD van P&T?
 

DoryBreaux

Not the Pixar Character
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
948
Location
Sleeping in a mop closet
If the van's a rockin'...

"Feel free to come a knockin' because we're probably just rearranging all of our shit for the tenth time this week."

Thats what living in a truck is like.

@Philpug what about a slide out rack system? More expensive but THINK OF HOW RAD THAT SHIT WOULD BE! Pull up to the beach, back doors open up, the racks slide out, and a little "OPEN" flag/sign pops up.
 

SKI-3PO

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
1,655
Location
PA
What happens in the van stays in the van.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Philpug

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
@Philpug what about a slide out rack system? More expensive but THINK OF HOW RAD THAT SHIT WOULD BE! Pull up to the beach, back doors open up, the racks slide out, and a little "OPEN" flag/sign pops up.

A slide out rack would be a must. 8-10 pair on each side would do it...on each slide out rack.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top