Turn a minivan into a camper in just 15 minutes

By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, Justin Hikes shows us how to turn almost any minivan into a camper in just 15 minutes. Justin’s build requires no custom carpentry and no permanent modifications.

In the video, he converts a Honda Odyssey into a camper, but he says the plan should work with almost any minivan.

He begins by removing the middle seats. He does, however, leave the third row of seats as he likes the versatility of being able to leave one seat up and fold the other down. That upright seat becomes the “living room” and it has storage behind it.

Here’s what Justin used to convert his minivan into a camper:

Be sure to watch the video to see how this all goes together.

#1 Trunk Mate bed platform: Justin did a lot of research before buying this bed platform. He wanted something lightweight, easy to use, sturdy, comfortable, and that folds up and is easy to store. The Trunk Mate checked all the boxes.

Watch the video to see it in action. Justin uses tie-down straps so that he can keep the bed set up during the whole trip. For the mattress, he uses a yoga mat, under a Pilates mat, under a 3-inch memory foam mattress. He stores his luggage in the space between the mattress and the front seats.

#2 Storage items: Four plastic storage bins fit neatly behind the seat and hold lots of gear. A milk crate sits on top of these, secured by bungee cords. A back-of-the-seat organizer hangs over the back of the passenger seat to provide more storage.

#3 Food and water: Justin’s 24-quart cooler fits neatly behind the passenger seat and 4 gallons of drinking water fit in the front passenger seat.

#4 Thule rooftop carrier: This provides TONS of extra storage. Plus, everything that’s stored here does not need to be stored inside the camper.

#5 Trailer hitch cargo carrier: This holds 500 lbs. and adds an additional 16 cubic feet of cargo carrying space.

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