Fulltime Planning

When I realized that I could retire earlier than I had expected, the most significant thing holding me back was the lack of a plan. I knew that simply staying home and puttering around the house could easily become a lonely, drab existence. Past notions of touring in a motorhome now seemed within my grasp - but what kind?

Some requirements came quickly to mind. I wanted something I could tour in for long, potentially indefinite, periods of time. I wanted something that wouldn't bankrupt me with fuel costs. And I wanted something that wouldn't be a lumbering roadblock with an ever-lengthening line of impatient drivers behind me. Nor did I want to be towing a trailer. When I pulled over to grab a soda or use the facilities, I wanted to be able to walk back without going outside.

With the help of Google, I began bouncing around the websites of the well-known ( and some less well-known ) manufacturers of motorhomes: Winnebago, Coachmen, Airstream, etc. In future posts, l'll look back at some of these options and describe both their strengths and their deficiencies for my needs, but for now, I'm anxious to present the option I've ultimately chosen.

I've decided to go with a company called Sportsmobile. Though they're not the best known, they've been around for a long time and they specialize in converting consumer and small commercial vans. Two features they offer really grabbed my attention: their conversions based on the Mercedes diesel Sprinter van routinely get 20 mpg ( testimony from owners, not inflated claims ), and they let you fully design the interior of your van. I've always been something of a frustrated architect, so getting to design my very own space was an appealing challenge.

First of all, if you're a little fuzzy on what a Sprinter looks like, here's a picture:

There are several variations on the Sprinter design, but this is the closest I could find to what I'll have, including the size, the 2014 model year, the full-length windows, and the silver paint. It is 22' 8" long and has 6' 3" of headroom inside. The space behind the driver's seat is about 16' long and 6' wide, so that's the blank canvas I had to work with. Below are a series of renderings of the interior I've drawn in SketchUp. [Just a quick note on SketchUp: It is a free program that can be downloaded from the web. I learned to use it for this project and found it to be very easy yet powerful. If you've ever wanted to get started in 3D drawing, I highly recommend it. ]

The seats at the right are the driver's and passenger's seats, which can be swiveled around to face the living space. Immediately behind them is a small table that can be collapsed and stowed. Behind the table is a couch ( actually, a Dinette in Sportsmobile parlance ) that can fold out into a bed. On the near side is the entry step and beside it, a cabinet with a stovetop and a sink. Yes, there are a lot of storage baskets, but this is more-or-less just a study of what's possible; I won't necessarily install them all.

Looking from above, in the middle are the 7 cu.ft. refrigerator and the convection microwave. Across from them is a closet space with rods for hanging clothes. To its right are the shower stall and toilet. The large maroon rectangle is the bed that I'll use.

Looking now from the back of the van, the bed is on the right and the toilet and shower are on the left. A curtain has been pulled around the shower stall. There is generous storage space ( about 40 cu.ft ) below the platform bed. The blue box in that space is the water tank which holds 20 gallons - enough for at least a week of wilderness camping.

This final view from the front includes the exterior walls and the ceiling. A concern with such a compact design is feeling "closed-in", but I'm convinced that all the windows will keep that from happening.

I wanted to keep this initial tour quick and simple. In future posts I'll go into the details and rationale for my plan.