The "Mini Bungalow" Is a Deluxe Tiny Home on Wheels Fit for Off-Grid Adventures

Meet Sara and Alex James, a couple whose work I've previously featured here on autoevolution. They own Custom Crafted Vans, a Boise, Idaho-based company specializing in building luxury camper vans.

Custom Crafted Vans offers multiple floorplans that can be customized based on the customer's wants and needs. Recently, they introduced the "Mini Bungalow," a refreshing layout designed to fully utilize the compact interior space of 144" wheelbase Sprinter vans.

The conversion I'm discussing today, which is the company's 34th project, is based on a 2023 AWD Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a 144" wheelbase. As usual, I'll begin the tour with the vehicle's exterior.

This rig is finished in Mercedes-Benz's striking Brilliant Blue paint paired with lower plastic panels and a front bumper sprayed with black truck bed liner. The roof is also covered with a blue truck bed liner. Furthermore, Custom Crafted Vans installed an Aluminess Weekender roof rack, which holds a Fiamma F45s manual awning, two 100 W solar panels, and a WeBoost.

You'll notice running boards on both sides of the vehicle, as well as bunk windows. Furthermore, on the passenger side, the company installed an Aluminess ladder.

The blue exterior theme continues on the inside, with mint blue cabinetry blended with white walls and white upper cabinets. What's more, you'll discover an open layout, meaning the driver's cabin isn't separated from the living space by a wall.

The front of the van is designed as a seating area. The driver's and passenger's seats can be swiveled to face the living space. Moreover, a large swivel table can be positioned to be within reach of the two front seats. Dead ahead of the entrance, you'll find another seating spot in the form of a sizeable bench.

Regarding storage, you can use the entire space underneath the bench, two overhead cabinets above it, and a spacious headliner shelf in the driver's cabin. The overhead cabinets continue on the passenger side till the interior's rear, with two additional cabinets above the bed.

Next, we have the kitchen, which, as Sara described, is "small but mighty." It features a Maxxair ceiling fan, a deep sink integrated into a white Corian countertop, an 85-liter Isotherm fridge/freezer with a tiny countertop above it, a cabinet underneath the sink, and three drawers.

The cabinet above the fridge/freezer houses this rig's control panel comprising a Cerbo GX display and three switches.

Finally, we have the bedroom, which boasts a modular platform. It's made up of three pieces, allowing you to completely remove them should you need to store bulky items at the rear.

The bed is positioned slightly higher up to leave room for a garage underneath, which is accessible from both inside and outside the rig. The garage's middle part is where you'll be holding your stuff since the sides are occupied by boxes housing the utility systems.

Custom Crafted Vans not only made this tiny home on wheels comfortable and good-looking, but it also made sure it's suitable for off-grid adventures. And they achieved this by equipping it with proper utility systems.

The power system sits on the right side of the garage. Its highlights are 540 Ah BattleBorn batteries, a 3,000 W inverter/charger, two DC-DC chargers, and a charge controller connected to the 200 W solar panels on the roof. Of course, like most off-grid-capable camper vans, this system can be charged via solar power, while driving through the alternator, and via a shore power plug-in. Moreover, you can control everything electrical-related through a smartphone app.

The plumbing system on this camper van is pretty good, too. It consists of a 33-gallon (125-liter) freshwater tank, a 2.5-gallon (9-liter) heater, and an outdoor shower. What's more, all the water you use in this rig ends up in an under-mounted 11-gallon (42-liter) greywater tank.

Regarding heating and cooling, this mobile home is equipped with a 12 V Espar diesel heater and a 12 V Dometic RTX 2000 A/C above the bedroom.

All in all, this is a fantastic tiny home on wheels packed with numerous creature comforts. Of course, when you get all these premium features, you should expect to pay a premium price.

Custom Crafted Vans didn't share a quote for this custom build, but we know that the company's full custom van conversions are priced starting at $100,000 (€92,637). You can find out more about this specific camper van on the manufacturer's website.

It takes about three to five months for Custom Crafted Vans to complete a project, and the company is currently booking its next custom projects for spring next year.