This Camper Van Is an Engineering Masterpiece With a Genius, One-of-a-Kind Design

After writing about hundreds of camper vans, trust me when I say I'm not easily impressed. But this camper van blew me away, and I think it will do the same for you.

Meet Lex and his self-converted tiny home on wheels, based on a Ram ProMaster 1500 with a 136" wheelbase. It's challenging to make the interior livable when dealing with much larger rigs, so imagine what it's like to work with a living space this compact. Nevertheless, Lex came up with an extremely impressive setup. By the way, this rig is designed to accommodate two people, as Lex travels together with his wife.

There's not much to talk about regarding the vehicle's exterior. It's finished in white with black trim, and the only element that might give away its "camper DNA" is a bunk window at the rear, meaning it can definitely be used to stealth camp. Moreover, if you climb on top of the van, you'll find 800 W solar panels.

So far, it's a standard camper van build. But the real magical part of this rig is its interior. The first things that will catch your eye are the walls, which are finished with a sponge-pattern paint - Lex chose it since you can't see any scratches you make on it, which inevitably happen. Various wood accents and a vinyl-tiled floor complete the look.

You'll also notice an open layout, meaning the driver's cabin isn't separated from the rest of the interior. Some van dwellers separate these two areas to make the living space feel more like a home, but it doesn't make sense to do it in a van this small.

At first glance, it might seem like this is a simple DIY interior. But bear with me to see all the clever features Lex installed. Let me start from the front – the driver's cabin doubles as a seating area, as its two seats can be swiveled, and there's a Lagun table behind the passenger seat.

Dead ahead of the entrance, you'll discover a storage area. Specifically, Lex fitted an overhead shelf and small counter integrating three drawers, a flip-up table, and a cabinet hiding this camper's toilet. It's a simple toilet made from a bucket with a plastic bag and a regular toilet seat above.

Lex created a footrest behind the driver's seat. It houses an Espar diesel heater he had from a previous van build.

But since his vehicle runs off gas and he didn't want to get a new heater, his solution (at the suggestion of the heater's manufacturer) was to run it off kerosene, which can significantly reduce long-term maintenance costs. The heater is connected to a three-gallon (11-liter) tank located behind the counter.

Next, we have the bedroom, which is comprised of two bunk beds. Lex chose this setup so that he and his wife could get out of bed during the night without bothering each other.

But here's the genius part about the bedroom – the top bunk is mounted to the wall and can be flipped up to create more space if Lex wants to haul more cargo. In addition, the bunk can also be flipped down - together with the lower bunk, they make a couch, with the top bunk serving as a backrest. It's a clever and space-saving solution.

On the opposite side, Lex devised a kitchen. It features a deep sink, a spacious countertop that can be extended via a flip-up table, a large fridge/freezer box, a single-burner induction stove, and a multi-functional Cuisinart Griddler. For storage, Lex utilizes a wall-mounted storage bag, a long overhead shelf, and multiple drawers.

I never go into detail regarding how the people I write about cook since they mostly use stovetops, ovens, microwaves, and the usual amenities you find in homes. But I just have to mention Lex's unconventional way of cooking.

Lex vacuum-seals all the food in bags and then uses the Griddler to cook it by setting it to the same temperature as boiling water. Amazingly, with this setup, Lex can carry food for two people for two months. Moreover, he also does sous-vide in a thermal container heated by an immersion heater.

There's never enough storage space in a camper van. And in a small van, it's even more important to use every inch available. So, Lex installed toe-kicks and three drawers under the lower bunk bed, as well as a compartment that houses the rig's batteries.

This mobile home's electrical system is very capable. Its highlights are a 1,500 W inverter, an MPPT charge controller connected to the 800 W solar panels on the roof, a DC-DC charger allowing the batteries to charge via the vehicle's alternator, and 540 Ah batteries. What's more, Lex saved a lot of money by setting the batteries up himself instead of purchasing pre-packaged ones, such as those from Victron or BattleBorn.

All the cabinets inside this rig have a cross-dowel construction. Long story short, a cross-dowel is a type of fastener used to join two pieces of wood, creating an extremely strong joint. Moreover, it makes it really easy for Lex to quickly take the cabinets apart if needed.

Lex made his camper van four-season-ready by using three layers of insulation. Specifically, he added two layers of Thinsulate separated by Low-E reflective insulation. For the floor, he used half-inch plywood set on top of a commercial bed rug, which was laser-cut to cover the grooves of the van's original floor perfectly.

All in all, I'm in awe of what Lex has managed to create all by himself. He surely must have an engineering background, as well as a lot of talent.

Despite its size, his tiny home on wheels is filled with useful features. It might not look as good as other fancier builds, but considering its creator's fine craftmanship, this rig will probably outlive them.