Converting a van to fit kids and pets requires much more consideration, and creativity, than a picturesque two-person build. I’ll detail the most important highlights for a bustling young family below.

Finding the Right Conversion Plan

Once we decided to jump headfirst into Van Life, I briefly researched how to Van Life efficiently, and sanely, with kids. There are great resources out there, too many to mention. Also, all manner of glamourous conversions. It is a completely different story to convert a van for kids and pets.

We drew up a floorpan that would provide enough DOT rated seatbelts, human and pet beds, and family kitchen space in a 22′ van. Then we bought the van, and scoured the internet for conversion companies. We couldn’t do it ourself as medical residency was swallowing our every waking free minute. We found Patavans out of Colorado, and I am telling you, finding Pata’s website took determination. To date we had only seen the converters that are functional only. I then realized some conversions are purely functional, and some look like tiny homes. Pata not only rocks both aspects, but creates a unique work of art in the process.

Why Converting a Van is Better than Buying a Class C Van

Well, it’s the cost, to begin with. But to be fair, we didn’t know about the Class C (basically, a RV) vans when we got our Sprinter. We are still happy to have the Sprinter instead. It’s way more stealth, and way more any-season, all-terrain. With kids and pets, you can’t spend days waiting out winter-storm closed mountain passes.

First, the van is stealth. The van fits in any parking spot and doesn’t need hook ups. After throwing window covers up, it’s anyones guess who is in there. On a recent road trip we saw a nice Class C van luxury conversions (like Winnebago, Thor and Leisure Travel Vans). I was reminded multiple times, getting the Class C van with slide outs equals no easy parking, and less likely off-grid. The van is literally in RV mode, no stealth. Don’t get me wrong, I only regretted our decision once.

When we were full-time Van Life for a month in sweltering 100 degree August heat in the Rogue Valley, with 2 kids, 2 cats and 1 German Shepard it got cramped. Our non-slide out 22’ van seemed a claustrophobic. The van a/c was loud, and it was a necessity to run it all day for the kids and pets (and let’s be honest, me more than anyone). I longingly looked at the Class C vans with longing. Seeing recent major price slashes didn’t help, as it made them close to the same expense as buying a 4×4 van shell plus conversion. Class C vans have all the bells and whistles: audio, slide-outs, full plumbing, hook-ups, etc). However, lots of flexibility is lost with those fancy bells and whistles.

The biggest and most important flexibility lost: conquering any terrain. Class C vans are not 4×4. It takes a lot of fun out of Van Life from an adventure standpoint. There is a real reason we love our van on any road, any season, it gets us through. Overall we are very grateful we got the Mercedes Benz high roof, 170 wheel base crew van, 4×4 (around 22’ in length total).

The Right Size Van for Kids and Pets

First, length: 170 inch wheel base (22 foot length) was very intentional. The 170 inch wheel base is called the long-wheel base (LWB). Any shorter, we can’t fit our children. Any longer, you can’t fit into a regular parking space (the rear sticks out too far). The LWB is so versatile, it can pull right into a coffee shop in a crowded city center just as easy as you can pull into a National Park campsite. We chose Mercedes over Dodge and Ford, because of the model with 4×4 and LWB the cost being reasonably close.

The Right Model for Your Adventures

Already said but worth saying it many times over, 4×4 is a must. We are skiers, and hit all the stormy mountain passes. 4×4 has turned out to be a treasure, we recently went to Fern Canyon at Redwood National and State Parks in the van, and would not have been able to without a 4×4 van. Trust me, no Class C luxury van could have passed those streams and rough road. Another example, the Whaleshead Beach parking spot (where 4×4 was recommended) without hesitation. The price of a 4×4 model is worth for backcountry, beach sand, or ski trips adventures.

The High Roof is a Must Have with Kids and Pets

With kids and pets the high roof is an absolute must. What is the difference? Feeling like we are in a tiny home, versus a vehicle. Probably it is equivalent to having 8 foot or or 10 foot ceilings in a home. Plus, the high roof with an always accessible tiny kitchen gives the complete home feel. Another sell for converting a van versus getting a Class C van. In a Class C it’s not as easy to pull up to the ocean, or the top of a mountain, throw open the back doors and take in the sunset view while making a home-cooked meal. In a Class C RV there are no back doors, that stand open to an mythic view, one of our favorite things about our van.

DOT Approved Seatbelts for Kids

Kids have to forward-facing DOT approved seatbelts, so we opted to keep the factory bench seat. Many converters remove the bench seat to have more creative space, or to replace it with an extra fold-out bed. Honest, I don’t like the space the factory bench seat takes, but it converts into seats for dining space, and has been easy to convert into a suspended bed space, see our double bunk bed post.

Comfortable Sleeping Spaces for Kids and Pets

Sleeping for the pets is very important, arguably more important than the kids. PataVans made a door-side storage cubby that is unintentionally the very perfect cat cubby. It is the kitties exquisite space to sleep and eat safely above and away from our Shepard. For our furry family, a conversion meant to be. As for human sleeping, we love having a permanent full mattress the rear. After a long ride the kids love to get out of their buckles and quickly jump on the bed to play.

We would probably convert it differently if we didn’t have children, though, as real dining space indoors is impossible. The two-person van masters the interchangable sleeping and dining space. For now, our conversion is just what we need.

The Heart of the Van is the Kitchen

So how do we eat our delicious van meals? We had PataVans create a custom table insert between the bench seat and driver and passenger seats. They swivel, creating five seats around a mini table. It looks and works perfectly, and a major added bonus: it is a desk that the girls use for drawing while we are driving.

Most important for van kitchens: water. I will tell you why to not use a jug system (freshwater in jugs underneath sink, the cheapest option) and custom install your own fresh and grey water tank from the very start. We opted to not have a freshwater/grey water tank at first, used a ‘jug system’ and as a family, we regretted it. Jugs filled up in 2 days. It was way too much work for the cost savings. When we knew we were going to Van Life for over a month, we installed a water tank system. We purchased the freshwater tank from Tank-Mart and the grey water tank from Sportsmobile.

We literally parked in the Home Depot parking lot and did the install there, running back into Home Depot a dozen times to get the correct rigged plumbing parts. Needless to say, the Home Depot employees didn’t think we could use household parts for a van, they were wrong. The greywater tank is under the van, the freshwater tank below our sink. We love it, worth every penny.

Comfort Add-Ons are a Must with Kids and Pets

Other add-ons like heating, cooling, solar panels, were a must for us. Our diesel heater is our lifeline in super cold climates like the Cascades or Sierra Nevadas in the depths of winter. Our air conditioner is our lifeline in super hot climates like the Rogue Valley in middle of August. But for everything in-between, our ceiling fan/sliding window ventilation system is by far the most used utility. The fan truly keeps the van cool in under 90 degrees.

And for those that don’t have escapees, just throwing the back doors open and letting breeze in is another great option, again, that you can’t get with a Class C van. (We can’t open the back doors at night to let breeze in because of kids rolling out or pets escaping, in the case of our mischievous boy cat).

Another note, windows. We really thought we would only need or want one small window in the back (aside from the non-opening windows that already pre-existed in the Mercedes Sprinter 170 wheel crew base). We love the small sliding window we have over the kitchen sink. That said, we would have put one in the bed area to have a sliding window to open for fresh night air. Luckily – Van Windows Direct is coming out with a Sprinter van rear window with a slider section in 2020!! We are absolutely purchasing one.

Van Black Out Window Covers for Sleeping Kids

Of great importance, custom window covers. Strawfoot is Santa Cruz-based, where we first started Van Life. So we went local. So glad we did, the custom magnetic insulated window covers are solid. We purchased a full-kit, and it was worth every penny for climate control, black-out sleep, and privacy. The insulated window covers help our diesel heater keep our van super cozy during winter storms in the mountains, the diesel heater doesn’t have to constantly run to keep up. The window covers work the same way in hot summers, it support the ceiling fan system cooling down the van.

I don’t even have to explain the importance of black-out sleep to anyone with young children. I will note that RV parks have very bright lights, so without the window covers it can feel like perpetual dusk. Not the best for restless kids trying to get some shut eye. Hands down, our window covers are essential.

Ski Rack Set-Up

Our full size rear bed having a permanent platform allowed us to create the perfect ski rack for our play skis. It just took metal eyelets, some screws and some cord. It is sure to be used for many years.

Last Patavans did a great job of giving us exactly the type of conversion we needed for a family with pets. Hope it helped give you more ideas to create your own perfect van!