The waiting game is this fun little competition . . . you’re about to drop a ton of money to buy a new camper van, so why not look for more ways to spend money on modifications, upgrades, and gear; all while reasonableness is trying to fight her way back into your checkbook.
The compromise
In the internal conversation of don’t buy things you aren’t sure you need versus the “man, that’s cool; take my money!” we reached a compromise: make a list of all the things that we might want or need but wait to buy them until we see if we actually need them. Spoiler alert: this approach has mostly worked.
When evaluating whether to get the Classic or Mystic/Stealth MODE, we understood that the convention wisdom was to go with the Classic and spend our money on the mods we wanted rather than on the those Storyteller Overland decided that we wanted. It seemed logical and prudent. The only reason we chose the Stealth was because we knew we would want the extra battery capacity, and the upgrade cost basically negated the price difference. Plus, how cool is the Stealth?
As we’ve been investigating camper vans, we’ve come across a handful of vendors that have some really cool options that appear to be of extremely high quality. Our top picks – vendors that we keep visiting time and again – include the following:
Canyon Adventure Vans
We constantly find ourselves amazed with the products that these guys offer, and people can’t seem to stop talking about the quality of these items either. Some items seem like absolute necessities while others are impressive in their conception and execution but also a bit excessive. I will add that their products are not inexpensive. Below are some of their accessories/mods that caught our attention.
[Key: ★-Take my money! ✔️-Interesting, very interesting 💲-You gotta see this]
★Hide-A-Way Outdoor Shower Curtain: We like the idea of being able to quickly rinse off using the outdoor shower – rather than having to use the indoor one. CAV made the shower curtain functional and convenient. It is easy to install, stores on the inside of the rear door, and includes privacy panels for the gaps in the rear door by the hinges when the doors are ajar. ($299 as of May 2024.)
★Console Table Bracket: The Storyteller comes with a Lagun table mounted behind the driver seat along the side wall. When in motion or otherwise not being used, the table is disassembled and stored securely between the FlexSpace and the GrooveLounge. Unfortunately, in order to be able to lower the GrooveLounge, the table cannot be mounted. CAV addressed this issue by creating a bracket with a Lagun mount that attaches to the back of the driver seat. Not only does the location permit the GrooveLounge to be lowered while the table is in place, the driver seat can still swivel. Brilliant! ($274 as of May 2024.)
★Skinny 2.0 Folding Table: To go hand-in-hand with the new mount point, this table is narrow enough to fit in between the driver and passenger seats and then open to provide a full table surface while in place. It can also be used at the GrooveLounge. I like the built-in cup holders and the ability to use it in many more applications than the stock table. ($399 as of May 2024.)
✔️Bamboo Sink Cover – STO: The Storyteller comes with a tempered glass sink cover. This bamboo one uses the same hardware and also doubles as a cutting board, with any juices flowing to the sink below. Clever – and also removes the glass factor. IFYKYK. ($125 as of May 2024.)
✔️Cab Headliner Shelf for 2019+ Mercedes Sprinter Vans – SMALL VERSION RAISED: The Storyteller does not come with a shelf above the driver and passenger seats like many other Sprinters do. CAV easily solves that problem with this shelf that does not require any drilling to install. Interesting way to add storage without compromising space. ($399 as of May 2024.)
✔️CLIMA-SHADE™ Insulated Cab Shelf Cover: To go with the headliner shelf (above), CAV also makes a zippered cover. Perhaps it helps with insulation, but to us, it looks more like a good way to secure gear in that space. ($199 as of May 2024.)
✔️CLIMA-SHADE™ Showtime Curtain: The Storyteller comes with window covers for each of the van’s windows. We have heard that it can be time-consuming and inconvenient to have to put up the front windshield, driver, and passenger covers. But this curtain (which requires the headliner shelf for installation) makes it easy because it moves along a track and ties back when not in use. It also means that ‘re on the fence on this one. The convenience of it seems great, but we’re also wondering just how cumbersome the stock window covers are. ($795 as of May 2024.)
💲Upper Deck Seating System – UDSS: We don’t know whether to laugh or be impressed. CAV came up with a seating module for the roof! Complete with mounted chairs and an umbrella (which also has a small solar panel to power the integrated LED lights). Wow. ($3,995 as of May 2024.)
💲Sunset Lounge System – SLS: This is another one that just causes us to shake our heads. Cool in concept? Absolutely. Necessary? Most definitely not. Turns the garage area into a lounge space and, when paired with CAV’s slide out deck (another $2,300), can be slid out the back of the van to let you lounge outdoors. ($4,495 as of May 2024.)
💲Garage Storage System – GSS: CAV has designed a modular storage solution for the Storyteller garage. Need more seating space? Covered. What about additional cabinets or storage? They’ve got you. Want to remove your upper cabinets but still use them? Yep, this works for that too. It’s actually quite impressive and can basically be designed to fit any need that you have. Prices vary depending on components selected, but as evidenced by other options available, these will set you back. For us, they’re in the “good to know” category, but we have no idea how we’ll be using that space (probably will be the hangout for the dogs), so we’ll just drool and move on.
Overland Gear Guy
Do you like bags? How about custom bags? What about labels for your bags? Overland Gear Guy has all of it – and then some. We found him because we were intrigued by the soft storage that come stock in the Beast MODE (more on this later), and we think it’s courtesy of him. And if you know me at all, you know my affection (okay, obsession) with bags and storage. It’s a dream! Here are some accessories that caught our attention.
[Key: ★-Take my money! ✔️-Interesting, very interesting 💲-You gotta see this]
★Sprinter 3 Seat Organizer – Holds (2) Laptops: Originally, we were scouting the site for the modular storage options, but this seat organizer is 🔥. It looks as though it holds quite a bit, and it does not appear to interfere with the ability to swivel the seat. I also love the fact that you can purchase labels for the pouches. Specifically, this organizer holds 2 laptops in the upper zippered compartment and a large cargo pocket at the bottom. There are a total of 33 pockets! Now, just to decide the color. ($239.99 as of May 2024).
★Sprinter Storage Cubby Pouches – Set – Sprinter Door Cubbies: Have you put stuff in the door only for it to drive you nuts as it rattles around when you drive? These pouches seem like the perfect solution for that first-world problem while also offering the convenience of being able to keep things neat and tidy and organized. Comes as a set of three: two 8″ pouches for the upper cubby and one 16″ pouch for the lower cubby. Both are 3″x4″. Do we buy the same color for these pouches as for the seat organizer or opt for something new? ($79.99 as of May 2024).
✔️Van – Spare Tire Trash Bag: It all started with looking for a place to keep the dog poop when we are in a pack-in/pack-out location as many state and national parks have such areas. It then became a discussion of where to keep our trash (other than perhaps at night in critter/bear country. Enter the outdoor trash bags – most attach over the spare tire or rear ladder, and this one is made to last! ($199.99 as of May 2024).
✔️Sprinter Van Front Driver / Passenger Window Mesh Bug Screen: Airflow in the van will be critically important. We know that there are already plenty of opportunities for that, but these clever little attachments will allow the driver and passenger windows to be down, while protecting against bugs. The camper van we rented in New Zealand had something similar, and they were amazing for making the nights way more comfortable. We still need to evaluate options. This product comes as a set of two, one for each door and magnetically attaches to the outside. ($249.99 as of May 2024).
✔️Mesh Dish Drainer: I’m not actually sure that we will need this or even have a place to keep it, but I like it – at minimum – in concept. We don’t intend to have much dishware, but this could be an interesting way to store it while simultaneously providing an easy way to dry it. Definitely worth considering as we start using the van and decide what we need. ($74.99 as of May 2024 – sale price.)
✔️Sprinter Van Mesh Dog Barrier: One concern we have is preventing the pups from coming up into the driving area. In our daily driver, they’re not permitted to come through the center console area, and the separation between the back seats and the front helps with that. However, there is wide open space in the Sprinter to allow for easy passage back, which means the dogs have easy passage forward. Maybe a small cooler will be the solution, but we also saw this, which looks like it would work well. It also appears that it can be used with the seat organizer. ($169.99 as of May 2024, on sale.)
💲Modeular storage. From what we can tell, it appears that the 2024 Beast soft goods storage is Overland Gear Guy’s custom velcro with the various pouches. In the Beast MODE, there are storage panels on both sides of the garage and both seats. The seat organizer is available on the website. And there is an entire section for the modular gear. That said, nothing for the Storyteller-specific layout . . .yet. (Prices for individual components range from $14.99 to $129.99 as of May 2024.)
Flarespace
More than just flares (allowing you to sleep sideways in your van), Flarespace is Storyteller’s accessory provider (and also carries accessories for other builders and vans). Rumor has it that Flarespace’s customer service is just as good as Storyteller’s.
Here are some accessories that caught our attention.
[Key: ★-Take my money! ✔️-Interesting, very interesting 💲-You gotta see this]
★Tire bucket for nVader rack: The Stealth MODE comes with the Flarespace nVader rack. Although not necessarily something we thought we would purchase, it will be on the van. Apparently, there is the stock MB tire carried under the van, but it is not recommended as a regular replacement tire, and the tires added by Storyteller will not fit in the tire basket. This bucket is made for the nVader rack and is an easy install. Also provides us with an easy solution for the outdoor trash. Bonus! ($299 as of May 2024.)
★Stealth tire and wheel package: Well, to go with the tire basket, you need the spare tire. This full size spare matches the tires added by Storyteller and will allow us to have a 5-tire rotation and a real spare tire that is easily accessible. By buying the package, it has everything that you need, including TPMS sensor, balance, and mounting.
💲Inhabit mats – These are gorgeous, custom fitted mats for the Storyteller floorplan. People swear by them. I’m sure they’re great, but I have a hard time justifying spending that sort of money on a van that is already fairly pricey. These are not sold exclusively by Flarespace, but we first saw them here. ($1,999 as of May 2024.)
We’ve behaved . . .
. . . mostly. As promised, we did not buy any of these accessories . . . yet. Though we do have some plans. We’re also considering whether a fuel tank upgrade and a suspension upgrade will be necessary but want to wait to see how the van drives and what needs we have. That said, we did find a few things we knew that we would need and put in the orders for them. What are those? That’s up next.
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