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Owning a Sprinter van might be an effective way to discover the world, however customizing it to your liking can take it to the following stage when it comes to consolation and space for storing.
When I used to be designing my third Sprinter, I knew I needed to maximise my gear storage, whereas making my spare tire extra accessible.
This is the place Owl Vans got here in – providing modern and modern van equipment for Sprinter van house owners seeking to improve their van life expertise. From useful add-ons equivalent to roof racks and out of doors storage to ladders and extra, Owl Vans can assist rework your Sprinter van into a personalised journey automobile.
With a deal with sturdiness, light-weight design, and performance, Owl Vans has grow to be a trusted Sprinter van equipment model, and also you’ve probably noticed their gear on vans at trailhead parking heaps. In 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 individual 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 actually love and suppose you’ll too.
Owl Vans Ladder + Tire Carrier
On Sprinter vans, the spare tire is usually carried beneath the van which is a really inconvenient place to have it in case you have been to get a flat tire on an uneven dust street or muddy street.
Instead of getting to precariously crawl beneath your van, Owl Vans Ladder + Tire Carrier means that you can retailer your spare on the again door of your van, offering straightforward and speedy entry. Having your spare mounted on the again additionally means that you can carry a full-size spare tire, which is very essential in case you plan to do any off-roading in your van.
The tire is located low sufficient that a mean peak particular person like myself (I’m 5’5″) ought to be capable of get it off the again of the van with none points. You can even add a Rotopax diesel canister to the skin of the spare tire if you wish to carry additional gas. With the spare tire mounted, this provides 16″ to the again of the van, so it doesn’t add important size to your van. With the spare tire being extra simply accessible, I like to recommend throwing a lock on the rack to forestall anybody from stealing your spare tire.
The Owl Vans Sprinter spare tire rack is mixed with a ladder that gives roof entry. This means you don’t have to decide on between a ladder or a spare tire in your again door. It’s product of bendable aluminum alloy which is stronger and extra light-weight than different van ladders in the marketplace.
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The first ladder peg is a little bit onerous to succeed in from the bottom in case 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’re shorter or who’ve quick legs may need a little bit hassle with this although.
When I first tried climbing up the ladder, I felt like I wanted to be a little bit extra cautious than a typical 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 capable of climb up there 25 weeks pregnant, no drawback 🙂
If you wish to see the ladder in motion, take a look at this video I posted on Instagram.
B2 Carrier and Mini Sherpa
When I used to be designing my third Sprinter Van, I needed a storage field to hold gear that doesn’t have to 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 provider opens with the again doorways so that you by no means must swing the provider out of the best way first. It makes accessing issues at the back of the van very straightforward.
B2 Carrier
I selected the B2 Bike Carrier which is a light-weight, modular provider you can mount quite a lot of Owl Vans equipment to. I’ve paired mine with the Mini Sherpa Plate and the Medium Expedition Box. Made with TIG welded aluminum, this provider is sturdy and very sturdy.
The important function of the B2 is the flexibility to mount bikes, together with e-bikes, on the again of your van. With a complete weight capability of 150 kilos, this is among 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.
In the picture under, the bike rack can be mounted on high 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 means that you can select how excessive you wish to mount your bikes. You can mount them low on the B2 for simple entry or greater so you may pair it with a storage field.
Since I used to be pregnant after we received this van, we haven’t used the B2 to mount our e-mountain bikes but. I’ll say I’m a little bit hesitant to journey long-term with our e-bikes on the skin of the van since I’m afraid they may get stolen or broken from climate or extreme mud. When we do resolve to mount the bikes on the again of the van, I’ll most likely wish to throw some kind of cowl on them to guard from the weather and ensure the bikes have been insured. For weekend journeys or for transporting bikes to and from trailheads, I feel the Owl Vans B2 is an incredible answer.
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 dust and street particles. This is very helpful for these of you who’ve Flares in your Sprinter Van and sleep sideways. For this model of van flooring plan, skis are sometimes to lengthy to suit beneath the mattress, making the Owl Vans ski locker a superb answer.
One different factor to concentrate on with the B2 is that it might intrude with the backup digicam sensor. We 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 received’t be carrying bikes in your Owl Vans B2, you should utilize the Owl Vans Mini-Sherpa modular mounting plate to mount quite a lot of gear like a DMOS Shovel, a Rotopax for additional gas, MaxTrax restoration boards, or no matter else you wish to carry.
Do take into account that the spacing of the holes on the Mini-Sherpa are uniform, so relying on what you wish to mount, you might have to drill a gap or two in your Mini-Sherpa. We discovered that to be the case after we went to mount a Rotopax and the spacing on the Mini-Sherpa didn’t match up with the spacing of our Rotopax mount. Unfortunately, winter (and our child) arrived earlier than we had an opportunity to drill holes to mount our Rotopax or some other equipment, but it surely’s on our to-do checklist earlier than we hit the street this summer time.
If you don’t plan to hold heavy e-bikes and the concept of drilling holes in your model new gear is intimidating, you may contemplate the Owl Vans Sherpa Cargo System as an alternative of the B2/Mini-Sherpa. The Sherpa Cargo System has extra flexibility in-built because of quite a lot of spacing of the mounting holes. The draw back, nevertheless is that the entire weight capability of the Sherpa Cargo Carrier is 100 kilos, so 50 kilos lower than the B2 Carrier.
Medium Expedition Box
On the underside of our B2 provider, we’ve the Owl Vans Medium Expedition Box which – just 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 product of a particular gauge of aluminum and has TIG welded seams, permitting the field to be each ultra-rugged and light-weight. It can maintain as much as 60 kilos of substances and might be mounted to both the Sherpa Cargo Carrier or the B2 Carrier that we’ve. If you need extra space for storing, there’s a big dimension field obtainable.
The field comes with a lock and key so you may 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 check right here in Utah this winter the place we’ve had a ton of snow.
Overall this field has proved to be tremendous helpful and simply the precise dimension for carrying the gear I discussed.
Other Popular Owl Vans Accessories
In addition to the Owl Vans equipment I’ve, Owl additionally manufactures quite a lot of different overlanding gear to get your Sprinter van equipment dialed. Here’s just a few extra of their hottest objects they both manufacture or promote:
Note: The Spare Tire Ladder combo rack and the B2 require 180-degree hinges, which your van could or could not include them. You should buy 180-degree hinges from Owl Vans or out of your native Mercedes vendor.
How To Install Owl Vans Accessories
All of my equipment have been put in by my customized van builder, Outside Van.
If you propose to self-install, Owl Vans has step-by-step video directions for all of their gear.
If you’d desire to have your equipment professionally put in, take a look at this checklist of licensed Owl Vans set up facilities.
If you’ve any questions on Owl Vans merchandise, take a look at their complete FAQ part.
I hope this Owl Vans assessment helps you select the perfect Sprinter van equipment on your journey rig. If you’ve any questions on these merchandise, please go away a remark under.
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