I don’t actually recall if it was the MODE LT that piqued my interest in Storyteller Overland or if I stumbled upon them in a different way. (Unfortunately, I decided that I should share all the research and rabbit holes of the camper van experience a couple of weeks after we started. So – and probably in everyone’s best interests – not all of the specifics and details of every step are included in this written version of the journey.)
Either way. We did see the MODE LT on Storyteller’s website, loved what we saw, realized it had been discontinued, but decided we had to look into Storyteller a bit more. Storyteller is an upfitter based in Birmingham, AL, where it currently has its headquarters and shop.
The open floor plan
There might only be two of us – and two furbabies – but less than 20 feet exterior space is a small living space – even if it is only for weekend trips and the occasional longer road trip. In our opinion, the best way to feel as though we’re not in a confined space is to have as much openness as possible. The Winnebago Solis Pocket showed us that this was possible, and Storyteller elevates that concept in its own way through a similar technique: eliminating a wet bath and the walls associated with it.
With the rear doors ajar, you can see all the way forward through the front windshield with only the GrooveLounge hiding a bit of the driver’s side. More to come on this though 😉. The adjustable Murphy bed, which folds up along the sides of the van when not in use, also helps to provide that openness.
Modular features
Storyteller may make a pre-built van but has designed its components for so many various uses that it feels more like a custom build because you can really make it your own and have it work for whatever your needs happen to be – even as those needs change from trip-to-trip or even from day-to-day.
From rear to front, here are some of the best modular features we discovered in our research:
Murphy bed aka Dreamweaver™ bed/convertible workspace
We already saw the how open the van is with the bed in the storage position, which leaves plenty of room for gear or access. With both the driver and passenger sides down, the bed – larger than a full and slightly smaller than a queen – appears in all its glory. It is supported by two legs that fold down from the driver side.
The bed is made of four separate mattresses: two smaller bolsters that fit in the flares on either side, and two crib-sized mattresses that constitute the primary bed surface.
With the Flarespace flares, there is enough room to sleep across the width of the van, with the longer space being toward the rear. The downside of this arrangement is when two people occupy the bed, the person in the back will need to climb over or otherwise maneuver around the person in the front in order to get off the bed.
Another potential issue is the clearance between the mattress and the overhead cabinets. Some have expressed frustration with regularly hitting their heads, while others have noted that it makes the space feel somewhat claustrophobic. Fortunately, Storyteller also made the upper cabinets easily removable by the owner. So if the setup doesn’t work for you, there are options.
The bed/garage space can also convert into a table or workspace. By storing the passenger side and removing the driver side mattress, you reveal a supported tabletop (there are some clever ways STO owners have found to store the mattress, including velcroing it (already included) to the passenger side). This large space can be used to work or as a larger table for meals.
To recap, the Storyteller Dreamweaver bed has three different modes:
- Garage mode – bed stored upright, providing significant storage space and complete access to the van.
- Sleep mode – bed down, providing two adults with room to sleep. There is still plenty of garage space to store all of your toys (including bikes!).
- Work mode – driver side down with that mattress stored upright; passenger side up. This allows storage and access on the passenger side with a table on the driver side.
Halo Interior Shower™ system and FlexSpace™ concealed shower pan
Have you wondered about the bathroom? We noted that there is no wet bath but never said anything about no bathroom at all. What about a shower? This is one of the coolest things we have seen in a camper van – who comes up with these things? Storyteller has hidden a shower inside this van – the shower head, curtain, and faucet are all hidden in an upper cabinet.
To fully appreciate how this clever design functions, I encourage you to watch Storyteller’s short YouTube video.
- Remove the pins holding the base of the cabinet
- Unhook the velcro straps holding the curtain
- Grab the metal handle and pull the curtain towards you
- Enter the shower through the magnetic closure in the center of the curtain
- Allow the curtain to dry and reverse the process to put it all back in place.
Where do you stand? The shower pan is hidden in the white box below the shower. This “FlexSpace” can be used for storage when not in use during a shower, including for the provided cassette toilet. When closed, it serves as a step, making accessing the bed easier. In addition, its location allows it to be virtually out of sight when the GrooveLounge is down – as it is low enough to not interfere with the operation of that seat.
GrooveLounge™
To be perfectly honest, I slept on the GrooveLounge at first. When we started looking at the Storyteller and saw the seat and the name, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. In fact, I didn’t understand the hype at all. Then, I happened across a time lapse clip showing the different modes of the GrooveLounge, and I got it. It clicked! Again, who comes up with this stuff?
With the aid of three separate easy to maneuver handles, the GrooveLounge has a bunch of different configurations:
- Drive mode: Side-by-side high back seats for two with shoulder seatbelts.
- Lounge mode: Seating for four – two facing front; two facing the passenger side of the van.
- Sleep mode: Yes, that’s right. The GrooveLounge turns into a twin size bed. Permutations of this mode include slightly elevating either or both sides to provide more of a chaise lounge.
There is also a Lagun table that mounts to the driver side of the van just in front of the GrooveLounge, making a perfect dining area, particularly with the driver seat turned around. And because Storyteller cleverly uses all available space, there’s a safe tucked away under the seat of the GrooveLounge.
Swivel driver and passenger seats
Fairly common in most van conversions, the driver and passenger seats swivel to face the rear. In fact, these swivel seats are factory-installed by Mercedes Benz and come with the Mercedes factory warranty. Relatively simple but another small feature that goes a long way to making the van your own.
Bonus features
Of course, these modular items are just some of the favorite things we identified in our preliminary and deep-dive research on Storyteller MODEs. There is a lot more that makes these vans attractive to us. Some of the bonus items we have noticed that excite us include the following:
- Roof deck – Yes! You can stand, sit, lounge up there. We’ve even seen aftermarket accessories that include umbrellas and fixed seating!
- Awning – I believe it is a Girard awning that has a wind sensor in it where it will automatically retract in windy conditions.
- On-demand hot water – No on-board propane needed. The hot water is on-demand and heated by the diesel fuel tank.
- Outdoor shower (that also provides hot water) – There is an outdoor shower available at the back of the van, and it also serves up heated water!
- Built-in bug screens – Roll down privacy and bug screens for the back doors and slider. Magnetic door allows easy entrance and exit without having to zip and unzip.
- Lithionics battery system – new for 2024! Storyteller switched from Volta to Lithionics. 8.4 kWh in the Classic MODE and 16.8 kWh in the other trim levels.
- Upgraded Mercedes Benz packages – haven’t spent the time to figure out exactly what packages Storyteller orders its vans from MB, but the vehicle comes with heated seats, electronic folding mirrors, adaptive cruise control, 360 degree cameras, navigation, and satellite radio, just to name a few.
Conclusion
We’re obviously quite excited about “our” discovery of Storyteller Overland and think that this might be the van for us. Our local STO dealer happens to have one on the lot for us to see. We’ll make a trip down there – and probably check out some other Class Bs as well just to have a good point of comparison.
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