Family Camper Van: The Best Layouts for Family Adventures

If you’re on the lookout for a family camper van, you might be confused about which layout to choose. Although the prospect of van life with kids is exciting, you want to make sure everyone has enough room to enjoy life on the road.

Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve found 10 awesome camper van layouts for family adventures. Whether you’re looking to buy a Class B van or build out your own, you’ll find plenty of inspiration below!

10 Family Camper Van Layouts We Love

Winnebago Solis

• Price: From $152,169
• Sleeps: 4

Built on a Ram ProMaster chassis, the Winnebago Solis is one of the best Class B camper vans we’ve seen. Not only that, this is a true family adventure van.

There are two floor plans available, both of which include a wet bath and a wonderful pop-top sleeping area. However, the more expensive 59PX is slightly longer and comes with a gas generator.

As you’d expect from Winnebago, the Solis features tons of clever design features. Up front, the two passenger seats become part of a dinette area with the addition of a removable pedestal table. The cab chairs swivel round to complete this nifty dining zone.

In the rear, there’s a cool Murphy bed system with a neat movable table. Alternatively, you can opt for a convertible sofa bed. Best of all, this family camper van has an easy-to-use pop top with a super comfy van mattress. There’s no doubt kids will absolutely love hanging out and sleeping up there!

Pleasure-Way Tofino

• Price: $94,250
• Sleeps: 4

If you’re looking for a compact, minimalistic family camper van, the Pleasure-Way Tofino might be the way to go. Built on the ultra-reliable Ram ProMaster 1500 chassis, the Tofino will go just about anywhere. Plus, this family van has been incredibly well-designed.

Just because the Tofino is compact doesn’t mean you’ll sacrifice comfort and amenities. The bright and spacious interior is based around a convertible sofa bed in the rear and swiveling cab chairs.

The sofa has passenger seatbelts and converts to a super-comfortable Queen size bed. During the day, you can set up the large table for dining or working, and there’s still room to access the well-appointed kitchen area.

The Tofino has a manual pop-top roof, which not only provides more standing room in the van but also houses a huge bed. The cozy overhead bunk is accessed via a retractable ladder and features USB charging ports, LED lighting, and zippered vents.

Storyteller Overland

• Price: From $171,429
• Sleeps: 3

We absolutely love Storyteller Overland vans here at the Wayward Home. Sure, these rugged adventure vans are pricey, but we think they represent really good value for money. While we don’t want to take sides in the Storyteller Overland vs Revel debate, the Storyteller Overland MODE vans might be a better bet for family trips.

For starters, MODE vans have been designed with flexibility in mind and just about every component is modular. That means you can adjust the interior to your specific needs as a family. Moreover, the Storyteller Overland ‘s drop-down Halo shower system means there isn’t a permanent bathroom eating into your living space.

Speaking of space, the MODE vans have tons of it for storage, including a huge gear garage in the rear. That means adventure enthusiasts will be able to bring all their gear along for the ride.

Ideal for smaller families, Storyteller Overland MODE vans comfortably sleep three people. Aside from a large Murphy bed at the rear, the GrooveLounge seat converts to a cozy single bed.

Airstream Atlas

• Price: Starting at $289,911
• Sleeps: 3

The Airstream Atlas isn’t for everyone. Still, if your dream family camper van has you living the life of luxury on the open road, the Atlas might be worth checking out. If you can afford the substantial price tag that is!

This Mercedes Sprinter camper van has it all — from a hideaway smart TV to a high-end kitchen with a freezer and a convection microwave. Heck, the Atlas even boasts a residential three-piece bathroom with a luxury walk-in shower and stainless steel fixtures!

However, it’s the powered slide-out that makes this one of the best camper van layouts we’ve seen. A slide-out on a Class B camper van isn’t something you see very often, and provides a ton of extra living space. Plus, there’s a huge Murphy bed in there.

As for extra bed space, Airstream offers an optional bed system that transforms the cockpit into a cozy sleeping nook for kids. You might only get one kid in there comfortably, so this camper is probably best for smaller families.

Coachmen Galleria

• Price: $251,210
• Sleeps: 3

The Coachmen Galleria is another luxury Class B camper van that’ll have you exploring the great outdoors in style.

Available in a number of different floor plans, the Galleria has been built on the Mercedes Sprinter 3500 extended chassis. That means there’s a ton of living space inside this van and plenty of room for families to stretch out.

As you’d expect, this camper van is very well-appointed. There’s a beautiful kitchen galley with a fridge/freezer, a generous wet bath, and plush sofas to hang out on.

Depending on which floor plan you choose, the sofa can be configured in different ways. However, the best layout for families has a semi-fixed bed at the rear and a pull-out jump seat toward the front. This converts to a sleeping sofa that’d be ideal for a small child.

Outside Van Karlsbad-Van

• Price: Conversions starting at $50,000
• Sleeps: 3+

Based in Portland, Oregon, Outside Van specializes in gorgeous custom conversions for 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter vans. Essentially, the company can bring to life just about any camper van layout you can imagine.

Alternatively, you can browse the website for inspiration from previous Outside Van conversions. Karlsbad-Van is an awesome example of what this conversion company can do.

Built on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 170, this conversion makes great use of the van’s interior space. The small kitchen area has everything you need, including an induction stovetop and an overhead microwave. There’s also tons of overhead storage as well as a gear garage under the fixed bed at the rear.

We love the dinette benches, one of which has a retractable table attached. Best of all, there’s a hidden panel that transforms the benches into an additional sleeping platform. Simple, elegant, and classy, the Karlsbad-Van conversion is an adventure vehicle for the whole family to enjoy.

Sportsmobile RB 150M

• Price: From $100,000
• Sleeps: 4

Sportsmobile has been in business since 1961, so they really know what they’re doing! The company offers a wide range of conversion services, and there’s really no limit to what they’ll do.

Aside from all the custom options, Sportsmobile also offers a bunch of standard conversion plans for Sprinters, Ford Transits, ProMasters, and more.

The RB 150M plan is just ideal for families with two kids. Built on a low roof 4×4 Sprinter, there’s a wonderful pop-top roof that can be elevated at the touch of a button. This provides loads of interior height and also functions as a sleeping area with a full size bed.

Incidentally, the upstairs bed attaches to the ceiling when not in use, which is a really nice touch.

In the main living area there’s a large couch with three seatbelts. The couch quickly converts to a comfy bed, and there’s a ton of storage space underneath. Overall, we’d say the entire family will be comfortable in this awesome Sportsmobile conversion. Plus, there’s plenty of room for all the gear you’ll need for van life.

ModVans CV1/M

• Price: Call for info
• Sleeps: 4

It’s no secret that the Ford Transit makes an ideal van life rig. California-based ModVans specializes in converting Transits into absolutely superb adventure vehicles for those with children in tow.

The ModVans CV1/M conversion is based on a mid-roof Ford Transit, and features a pop-top that raises straight up rather than on a slant. That means you’ll have plenty of standing room across the length of the van. Inside, there’s a simple kitchen, toilet, and comfortable seating.

Downstairs, there’s a convertible sofa bed, table, and swivel chairs. Up in the pop-top, there’s a huge bed platform that’ll comfortably sleep two adults. What’s notable about this campervan is the high quality and durability of all the components.

What’s really cool about ModVans conversions is that they’re fully modular. That makes it easy to convert the van back into a hauling vehicle when. you aren’t out on family camping adventures.

Muse & Co.

• Price: Call for info
• Sleeps: 4

Based in Oakland, California, Muse & Co. specializes in absolutely breathtaking Mercedes Sprinter conversions. The Company has three main models to choose from, but we feel like the Endeavor is their best camper for families.

Built on the Sprinter 170, the Endeavor conversion can seat up to five people and will sleep four people comfortably. The interior is warm and inviting, and the design makes great use of the space.

To the rear there’s a fixed Queen size bed, and the three passenger seats at the front convert to a wonderful bed for two kids. There’s loads of overhead storage running the length of the van, plus a huge gear gauge under the main bed. We particularly love the neat little kitchen galley, which has a fridge/freezer and an optional stove package.

All in all, this is one of the best and most beautiful conversions we’ve seen for family van life adventures.

Off Highway Vans High Plains Drifter

• Price: Conversion from $98,500
• Sleeps: 3+

We were blown away when we first saw this amazing van conversion. Seriously, how did they design an interior with so many seating and sleeping options and still manage to fit a shower in there?!

Off Highway Vans (OHV) offers three conversion packages, but the High Plains Drifter is best-suited to van life families.

Available for the Sprinter 170 or Ford Transit 148 Extended, this conversion is fully modular, giving you loads of configuration options. There’s a huge bed platform in the rear, as well as side-facing bench seats that convert to extra sleeping areas. Not only that, there’s another bench toward the front of the van.

Unsurprisingly, there are loads of storage drawers and cabinets, as well as more storage in the gear garage at the rear. Plus, all the components are durable and rugged, so you won’t have to worry about the kids breaking anything! As we already mentioned, there’s even a shower in this van, so keeping the whole family clean won’t be an issue. Really, do camper vans get any better than this?

Choosing a Family Camper Van: What To Consider

There’s no doubt that traveling in a camper van with your whole family can be extremely rewarding. Just imagine how enriching it’ll be for your kids to experience life on the road!

Whether you imagine touring America’s national parks or getting away from it all and boondocking in nature, a family campervan trip can be amazing. Still, before you dive into van life with your family, there are a few things to consider. After all, you want things to go smoothly, right?

How Big Is Your Family?

It might seem obvious, but your choice of camper van layout will have to depend on the number of people involved. While it might be tempting to imagine you can muddle through with one big bed, it’s better that everyone has their own place to sleep. This becomes increasingly important if you plan on living in the van long-term.

You should also make sure there are enough seatbelts for everyone who’ll be traveling. Not only is this a safety issue, it’s also against the law for people to travel in a vehicle without a safety belt.

Where Will You Be Traveling?

This is quite an important question, because it’ll affect the type of van you should get. Essentially, those pop-tops aren’t going to seem like such a good idea when the weather turns cold. On the flip side, if you’ll be spending most of your time in warmer places, kids sleeping in pop-tops won’t be a problem.

What Gear Do You Need To Bring?

One of the best things about van life with kids is being able to indulge in outdoor activities. For the most part, that means you’ll need to bring gear along, whether it be paddle boards, bikes, or hiking gear. With that in mind, your family camper van should have plenty of storage space for all that stuff.

Will You Need a Bathroom?

This really comes down to comfort levels and where you’ll be camping. While older kids might not mind using the bathroom outside at night, smaller children will appreciate having a van life toilet. On the other hand, if you plan on staying at campsites with facilities, you probably won’t need a van shower or toilet.

Conclusion on Family Camper Vans

As we’ve seen, there are tons of options when it comes to family camper vans. Deciding on the best layout for you really comes down to the size of your crew and your budget.

Of course, if you’re embarking on a DIY van build, adding bunk beds is always an option. Another way to go might be to bring a tent along for the kids to sleep in.

Either way, taking kids out on the road will be an education for everyone involved. Plus, you’re guaranteed to make memories that’ll last a lifetime!