We have officially installed our first set of mods to the Sprinter. We installed a set of Aluminess nerf bars to make it easier to get in and out given the height of these vans. The fit and finish is great and the design is certainly well thought out. They are made out of aluminum so they are light but they also do flex a bit. So these are really only built to act as side steps….not rock sliders.
If you need true protection for your van from rocks you should pick something else. They simply bolt on with good hardware but they will not stand up to major abuse. For 99% of the van owners out there that is not a problem, especially if you have a 170 or 170 ext Sprinter as you wouldn’t be doing real 4 wheeling in these long wheelbase (top heavy) rigs. If you are just doing fire roads and light 4x4ing I think the Aluminess nerf bars are great and they do make it much easier for the wife and kids to get in and out.
We also installed a full set of Adventure Van Company window covers. These things are amazing. They are insulated, have magnets built-in for a clean attachment to the van, and the fit and finish is excellent. We also bought the ties so we can roll some of them up as needed. They are expensive but they are worth it if you are looking for a perfect fit blackout insulated window covering system. The ties are nice but often come down since they are also simple magnets. In my opinion the ties should come included given the price of this set.
We also picked up a Yeti Goal Zero Power Station 1000. We will ultimately have a robust power setup but if you need something turnkey in a simple package and very portable the Yeti Goal Zero Power Stations are AMAZING. I have heard of other van projects that skip all the complex power setups and simply go with one of these (usually the 1400 or 3000 version). These can be charged with 120, 12, or solar. They handle all the complex switching and optimizations and have multiple outputs. These can even be hooked up to your house with optional power tanks so it can power 4 circuits of your house during blackouts. I could talk for an hour about how great this product is but frankly there is plenty of videos and write-ups about these so simply do a search. We will likely still put this in the van to have truly portable power outside of the van as needed.
We also got a Thetford Porta Potti 365 for our first road trip from CA to UT to CO and back. But let’s face it, you likely don’t want to hear about our Porta Potti so I will skip the review.
We have placed orders on LOTS of other parts and mods which will be installed in late July and into August so be on the look out for more updates.