These Gorgeous VanPackers Kits Turn Your Minivan into a Camper for Under $5k

The Conversion Kit For Dodge Grand Caravan by VANPACKERS is a versatile and practical camper kit that turns your minivan into a camper. It includes a double bed, a small living room and a rear kitchen.

The clever modular design allows you to maximize the interior space available in a smaller vehicle. The best bit? It comes pre-assembled: you won’t even need to put a screwdriver to use!

Could this be the cheapest no-build minivan conversion kit on the market?

The VANPACKERS Minivan Camper Kit

The rear of the Vanpackers conversion kit showing the pull out kitchen area — Image courtesy of VANPACKERS

The whole kit for a Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country is built out of durable 15mm birch varnished plywood. The unit is sturdy and good-looking but only weighs 220 lbs. The kit divides your minivan into two areas: a living room, which turns into a bedroom, and a rear kitchen.

The living room features two benches with storage underneath. These are made up of a total of four wooden boxes, which can be stacked upon each other at the back, if you need to pull out the second row of rear seats.

Interior storage boxes in the Vanpackers minivan kit — Image courtesy of VANPACKERS

There’s also a movable table, which is stored next to the benches when not in use. We love it. It’s such a simple idea that adds a lot of versatility to your camping experience.

You can place it in three different positions inside the van or you can take it outside. Inside, it can be set up as a floating table in the middle of the benches and on the left or right hand side of the rear bench. If you attach it to its second base, you can also use it outside as a camping table or as an extension to your kitchen.

When you camp out of a minivan, you try to spend as much time as possible outdoors. But it’s nice to have the option to use the table inside on those cold or rainy days. That’s why we like this feature so much.

bed and indoor table in a vanpackers conversion kit for a minivan — Image courtesy of VANPACKERS

At night, you can set up a single or double bed. Simply place a wooden panel, or two, between the benches. The full double bed measures 70in x 48in, but you can create more space for the feet by moving the front seats forward. This allows people over 6ft tall to sleep in the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country.

If you’re traveling solo, leave one of the boxes that make up the front bench at home to create extra space.

The kit comes with a custom high-density 3in mattress that’s divided into three pieces. The mattress covers are easily removable so you can wash them, which is handy.

At the back, there’s a slide-out kitchen with three drawers – one for the cooking stove, one for the retractable sink and countertop, and one for the (included) 5 gal water tank. All drawers have a break, so they can’t move while you use them. Behind the cooking stove there’s space to store two 1 lbs propane canisters. Underneath it, there’s also a hole that can fit a 5 lbs propane bottle for longer trips.

This must be one of the most practical slide-out kitchens we’ve ever seen. You can access the sink, worktop, hob and cooler at the same time. If you don’t need to use a drawer, you can close it in seconds to create more space. The drawers make the kitchen easy to use and keep organized.

Under the kitchen, there are cut outs which allow you to access the bottom of the trunk if you’ve removed the third row of rear seats. This is the perfect space to store camping chairs and other bulky gear.

slide out kitchen in the Vanpackers camper kit — Image courtesy of VANPACKERS

The whole kit is low enough, even with the benches stacked at the back, to provide an unobstructed rear view at all times. This is huge. You don’t realize how annoying it is to drive a car without a full rear view until you try it!

The kit is compatible with both Stow n’ Go and NON Stow n’ Go Dodge Grand Caravan and a Chrysler Town & Country produced after 2008.

Installation, Options and Delivery for the Vanpackers Kit

But let’s get to the best thing about the VANPACKERS’s minivan conversion kit.

Installation takes only 5 minutes and doesn’t require assembly. That’s right – it comes pre-assembled on a palette, ready to slide into your minivan. You won’t even need to use a screwdriver – just pop the different parts in and drive off.

The one downside of this arrangement is that the kit is fairly bulky, so you’ll need a big space to store it when you remove it from your minivan.

Need some extra comforts? You can add the following options:

A custom box in which to store a 10L portable toilet
A 30 or 40L compressor cooler
A propane stove
A propane flexible hose
A second table stand
Mosquito screens
Side window sun shades
Weathertech curtains.

VANPACKERS is based in Montreal, Canada, but delivers across the US.

Interior seating area and table in a Vanpackers kit — Image courtesy of VANPACKERS

Can you think of a no-build conversion kit that’s as clever as this one? We’re struggling to! And it costs under $5,000! Sure, you could simply sleep on a blow-up mattress and pop some storage boxes in the back of your minivan. But it certainly won’t be as comfy.

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