I tried. I promise I did. I tried to stay away from the Mercedes Sprinter. We’re not going to be full-timers. It seemed silly to spend all that money. (Even if I did dream of owning a Sprinter van one day . . .) So we looked at what options the Ford Transit chassis offered in the pre-built camper van space. Spoiler alert: Not many!
- Thor seems to have a few options available on the Transit chassis, but none of the dealerships nearby had any on their lots – even if they were Thor authorized dealers.
- Ford sells the Transit Trail, which is the conversion-ready camper van. Not quite what we hoped to be able to find.
- Storyteller Overland used the Ford Transit chassis in its MODE LT model. Notice the use of the past tense. Although available through 2023, the 2024 MODES are all on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. Storyteller explained that it paused the MODE LT until it could “guarantee consistent features & specs on the Transit platform.”
Giving in
Realizing that there were so few Ford Transits being used in the pre-built camper van space, we decided we had to move on. Having seemingly also eliminated the ProMaster chassis, that really left us to explore Sprinters generally. Perhaps that was a foregone conclusion (as those closest to me have suggested), but we did give it a go in looking at the other options.
Exploring Sprinters
Sprinters are the opposite end of the spectrum from the Ford Transit in availability of pre-built camper vans. There are so many options. Some of those we researched included the following:
- Storyteller Overland
- Winnebago (namely the Revel 44E)
- Pleasure-Way
- Thor Motorcoach
- Airstream (namely, the Interstate 19X)
The key for us was to focus on the 144″ WB, which would keep the exterior length to just about 20 feet, rather than the longer 170″ WB. That, of course, further limited our available options. We did a lot of online research, which included visiting manufacturer websites, searching the web for blogs, reddit posts, and YouTube videos and reviews. We also looked at nearby RV dealerships to see who had what on the lot. The top 3 contenders were:
- Storyteller Overland Classic MODE
We were drawn to the open floor plan, interior design appearance, and extensive modular options to fit any need. The roof rack, which can be used as a rooftop deck, is a nice bonus feature, and we were impressed by the very engaged and active community of STO owners. - Airstream Interstate 19X
Reputation of the Airstream brand alone was enough to entice us to look into this option. Often synonymous with the gorgeous metal trailers, Airstream also sells “touring coaches.” The Interstate 19X is Airstream’s nod to the adventure van community. It has a quasi-open floor plan, a generous rear seating area that converts to a bed, and some unique color pops with red trim throughout the cabin and storage space. - Winnebago Revel 44E
Similar to the Airstream, the primary attraction to the Revel was the brand association. Winnebago has been around seemingly forever and is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. There is comfort in that. Having also been impressed with what Winnebago did in the Solis Pocket, we thought there could be something worth pursuing here. Although the floor plan doesn’t appear to offer as much openness as we would like, it also didn’t seem too tight. It also offers a spacious garage with a hidden bed (that comes from the ceiling rather than folding from/to the sides).
It seemed as though we were sold on the Sprinter. Now it was time to see these in person and really start to narrow things down.
platoaddict's pursuits 