- 2 days ago
Two nearly identical Mercedes Sprinter camper vans reveal just how differently one floor plan can serve life on the road. Patrick tours Brooklyn Campervans’ Elevate builds: a clean white-and-oak production van with a 15kWh EcoFlow power system, lift bed, rooftop deck, Starlink and a massive Pelican-case gear garage instead of an indoor shower; and a colorful New Mexico-inspired adventure van with handmade tiles, a full indoor shower and off-road upgrades.
Both custom Class B RVs share an AWD Sprinter chassis and showcase smart storage, flexible sleeping space and serious power, while their owners’ needs shape every detail. Explore this camper van walkthrough for ideas on van life layouts, off-grid RV systems, adventure van conversions and custom Sprinter builds.
Both custom Class B RVs share an AWD Sprinter chassis and showcase smart storage, flexible sleeping space and serious power, while their owners’ needs shape every detail. Explore this camper van walkthrough for ideas on van life layouts, off-grid RV systems, adventure van conversions and custom Sprinter builds.
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TravelTranscript
00:00This is Patrick with New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel, back up here in Brooklyn, New York at Brooklyn Camper
00:05Vans.
00:06Today, I met up with Oliver. Oliver's going to give us a tour of two camper vans.
00:10They're both the Elevate floor plan, but they have different characteristics.
00:14He's going to give us a full tour of both of them, inside and out, so join us.
00:18Hey Patrick, thank you for coming back to Brooklyn.
00:21Right behind me, we have two really, really cool vans.
00:24So they're the exact same layout. We call it the Elevate layout.
00:26So you have the bed in the front, galley in the middle, and then the shower in the back.
00:31And these are two totally different setups, which is really nice to actually see how many different combinations you can
00:37create in a van.
00:38So this one right behind me, it's a solo traveler.
00:40It's going to be hitting the road, really New Mexico theme.
00:43And then the other one is actually a small production company, which will be on the road.
00:48And it needs, you know, has different needs than a typical RV or, you know, camper van on the road.
00:53So this is a little bit more set up without a shower in the back.
00:56It has a lot of storage.
00:57And then, you know, cleaner lines, subtle design choices.
01:02The other one is bald, colorful, happy, hitting the road vibe.
01:06But let's jump into this one where we have right behind us.
01:10So it's like both of them are based on the Mercedes Sprinter Dually 3500 heavy-duty chassis.
01:15So a couple of upgrades on the outside in this specific version is our typical Unaka roof rack on top.
01:23And then the lights in the front, those are diodynamic.
01:27We still have this really beautiful partnership with Unaka that creates those custom wind fairing in the front.
01:33And then the vehicle is really cool, dark gray for Mercedes.
01:36And then we kept everything else pretty subtle because the client can always upgrade things later, like to make it
01:44even more off-road capable.
01:46Typical step-up board.
01:47This is a real truck or AMP step-up.
01:49We love it.
01:50It's just so rugged and it works all the time.
01:52So that's a big plus for us.
01:55Big picture in the van is the theme is white and wood.
01:59So a lot of different texture for the white and then warm tones, you get it from the leather and
02:04the oak throughout the van.
02:06But step inside and I'll give you a little tour.
02:08So this is called the Elevate Layout.
02:10So you have the lounge in the front.
02:13The bed is actually on a lift that comes down.
02:16These are the Happy Jack lifts.
02:17And then straight galley divided, of course.
02:20It's a split galley.
02:21And then all the way in the back, this is actually configured with a massive storage space.
02:26The L shape of this lounge is kind of perfect because you can have a bunch of friends or you
02:31can actually work a lot on the road.
02:33So this is a beautiful setup for two people to work at the same time.
02:36All these vans are set up with starting.
02:38So it's a full production company on the road.
02:41And then the beauty of this space is you still have a beautiful walkthrough.
02:46So you never feel like you're cooked up in one spot.
02:49So if you have the back door open, somebody can unload and load gear while the crew in the front
02:53is actually running a meetings or just relaxing.
02:55Now that you get the gist of why the vans are used and how they're used, let me go a
02:59little bit more in detail.
03:00So most of these items come standard with the Elevate Layout.
03:06Separation wall, it's a really nice way to just keep the noise and the heat out.
03:10But also you have a full pass-through that you move the cushions and you can go all the way
03:14into your cab without having to walk inside.
03:17All throughout, this is solid oak.
03:19We made some improvement from the first generation.
03:21This is a great grab handle that you can go inside the van without holding onto cushions and things.
03:27There is really nice lighting throughout the oak.
03:31Let me turn them on so you can actually see them.
03:33Ta-da!
03:33And everything is dimmable.
03:36So you have tons of different lighting setup.
03:39The walls, if you're familiar with our builds, the client chose the Lime Wash.
03:43So Lime Wash is a really natural, low VOC, lime-based paint that has a lot of texture.
03:50So it creates this layering in the same color but creating throughout textures.
03:55We choose for the client these fake leather or vegan leather cushions.
04:00Perfect because they have a puppy and it's kind of nice.
04:02You just wiped him.
04:04The hair doesn't get stuck.
04:05Throughout the cab, you have tons of storage underneath every bench.
04:09In this specific bench is actually the battery compartment.
04:13So this compartment is actually a 15 kilowatt EcoFlow system.
04:18This is a new 5 kilovolts system and it's just a beast.
04:22So you can be on the road as much as you want.
04:25Paired with a full walkable solar panel.
04:28Deck on top.
04:30The other bench is full storage.
04:32So we actually split it so it's easier to access.
04:37You have full storage on these.
04:39And those gray slats, that's actually the way that you make this lower lounge into a secondary bed.
04:45So all the cushions go down.
04:47Also each and every one has a self-closing.
04:51Yeah, so this actually becomes another bed.
04:53So this entire layout can sleep up to four people.
04:57Two up top.
04:58You can lock this bed manually to a specific height.
05:01So, you know, you don't crush your friends on anything.
05:03And then the table goes in the middle.
05:05And then we have two slat compartments that gaps the whole bed.
05:09And then the other big bench under here.
05:12Let me just move it.
05:14And this is basically your water system.
05:17So 40 gallons of water tank with pressurizer and water pump, of course.
05:22These tanks are really cool because you can actually open them and fully wash them and rinse them.
05:26And then on the other side, you can actually see the Webasto air vent.
05:31This is an EVO 40.
05:33So it's rated up to 14,000 feet of altitude.
05:36So you're never stuck at a lower altitude.
05:39And then, yeah, coming in the back, I'll show you a little bit of the split galley.
05:42We love this layout.
05:43So full room, full head height.
05:46It's kind of nice.
05:47They have a split galley.
05:48This client actually decided to have full counter, no stove.
05:51They're going to have a little portable stove to put on top.
05:53And then on the other side, you have the wet side.
05:55So full basin sink and then black faucet.
06:00All the features are black and white also in the back.
06:03And then tons of storage.
06:05So a couple of things, if you see, we never have protruding handles because we like how clean the lines
06:10are.
06:10And you don't get stuck in anything.
06:13And then tons of storage.
06:15All while retaining your soft closing.
06:17And the trick is because all the camera tree is equipped with magnetic, well, they're actually electric magnetic latches that
06:24lock all the camera tree as soon as you turn on the vehicle.
06:28And then, you know, you have a big spice rack or trash can rack.
06:32Tons of storage out here still.
06:35And then hot water heater.
06:37This is a 2.5 gallon Bosch hot water heater tank here.
06:40That heats the water pretty much in 15 minutes.
06:44And then up top, you still have more storage.
06:47So upper cabinets.
06:48This is a secondary fuse box because these vans have so many accessories.
06:52And then this is actually your water management system.
06:55So you can open and close the gray water so you don't have to crawl under the van.
06:59And then you can activate the gray heat on the tanks.
07:02And then on the other side, we have the microwave.
07:07We made a little custom board for the production company.
07:10And then this is the microwave that gets the most likes and comments on YouTube.
07:15And a couple more things in this area.
07:18If you can see throughout the van, you have tons of vents.
07:21One, two, three.
07:23And there's another one in the rear part of the vehicle.
07:25The reason is this van has undermount AC.
07:29And it's, think about it as a central AC.
07:31So you have tons of ducts all throughout the vans.
07:34And that's really important because it has a lot of power.
07:36And it can cool down the van really quickly.
07:38And it moves a lot of the air.
07:40And then speaking about AC, climatization is really important for us.
07:44So this top part of the control system is the climate.
07:47So you have the air-sea conditioning, you know, control panels.
07:52This is your typical Webasto controller.
07:56All throughout the bottom is the control system from the EcoFlow.
07:58So, you know, 15 kilowatt battery.
08:01You still have two days left with 60% battery.
08:04And then all the bottom is the monitor for the CCTV system.
08:08Welcome to New York City.
08:09Graffiti is everywhere.
08:10And, you know, it's kind of nice to have it here because the van goes up and down.
08:15And the controller is still accessible whether the van is up or down.
08:18And then let's talk about a couple more things.
08:21Fridge to keep the clients happy.
08:24More storage on top so it's like full, almost like pantry style.
08:28And then we maximize each and every space in Max and Krooney.
08:33And down here you still have more storage because you have the big wheel well on the back.
08:37But you still want to manage to, you know, storage things.
08:41And then back here, let me jump off.
08:44This is all storage out here.
08:47So, the client didn't want to shower.
08:49So, what we did, we basically create a full rack system for their Pelican cases.
08:56A couple of things to make it even more functional.
08:58So, we create a little separation wall.
09:01So, when they put benches, you have a little clip here that you can clip so it doesn't move.
09:07And then, you know, big cases don't slide in the living space.
09:11And then, also, the big part of it is the fact that you have all these L-Track latches all
09:19throughout.
09:19So, it was like, if you start stacking a lot of Pelican cases or big boxes, you can always strap
09:23them down.
09:25Toilet.
09:26This time, we went with a wrap-on.
09:28So, Japanese company.
09:29Everybody knows that Japanese knows how to make toilets.
09:32So, super cute, super portable.
09:34You slip it.
09:38And it opens up.
09:38And so, this still is a dry flush toilet.
09:41But the cool thing about this toilet is that it's single-use.
09:44So, you do your business.
09:47Seal it.
09:48It seals properly, like with heat.
09:50And then, your surprise will come out of the bottom.
09:53And then, you throw it away.
09:54So, you don't have to wait, actually, 20 uses for this one.
09:57So, you know, there's tons of way to go about toilets.
10:02And each and every toilet is good for a specific client.
10:05So, we thought that this was perfect.
10:07And then, a couple of things on the side.
10:09So, this compartment is actually the outdoor shower.
10:12So, they still have a hookup of hot and cold water for the outside.
10:17So, they can rinse their dog or take a shower on the outside.
10:21And then, all throughout the rear doors, we went with van-equipped storage system.
10:27Because we wanted to maximize the storage in the back.
10:29So, it's really cool.
10:29You have pockets everywhere on the top.
10:32Compartments at the bottom.
10:32Same on the other one.
10:33And then, here, you have another separated compartment storage, of course.
10:39And that's all the ducting of the under-manned AC.
10:42And then, up top, that's the evaporator.
10:44So, it's all controlled there.
10:47And then, of course, you have independent lighting in the garage.
10:50And then, a couple of things throughout the van.
10:53You see that there's a maxer fan in the back.
10:55You'll see when the bed goes down, there's another nice surprise on the other side.
10:58But, yeah, you still have ventilation going in and out.
11:02And then, yeah.
11:03So, because it's an elevated layout, gray water is actually under-mounted where the spare tire goes.
11:10And so, the spare tire gets re-installed on the outside.
11:14And this vehicle has a ladder because, you'll see, it has a really cool roof deck up top with walkable
11:20solar panels.
11:21All throughout the van, you can still see the CCTV cameras.
11:26So, all four corners.
11:27And then, as you can see from the inside, we add windows.
11:30So, CRL Lawrence vented windows.
11:33These are perfect for, you know, when it rains.
11:35And then, shore power on the outside, 30 amp.
11:39And, you know, it charges the van pretty quickly.
11:41Let me pull the bed down.
11:43And I can show you, basically, how it goes.
11:54All right.
11:55So, you control it from under here.
11:57The bed has a full stop.
11:59So, you don't have to worry about crushing anything.
12:02Just make sure that you don't have friends underneath it.
12:05And then, this is the beauty of this layout.
12:09You have, we call it RV queen size.
12:12So, it's actually 80 in length by 60 in width.
12:16And it's just so nice because it's a full bed.
12:19And up top, you have a massive skylight.
12:22So, let me grab the ladder that is actually in the back.
12:24And it makes it super easy to go up top.
12:32So, we have a little handy ladder.
12:34So, you go right here, you go right here, and you go up top on your bed.
12:40And then, this is amazing.
12:42So, this is a skylight, of course.
12:44But we do, actually, skylight with boat hatches.
12:48So, this is actually a full three-quarter inch polycarbonate.
12:52You can actually walk on top of it.
12:53And instead of being swing out, these are slide.
12:56So, they disappear.
12:58And it gives you a full clean view of the sky.
13:01And at the same time, if you want to go to bed, you can put a full blind or bug
13:07screens.
13:08And then, up top is, let me get rid of my shoes.
13:14Hello.
13:16You can actually go up top here.
13:17You can do the Madonna shot.
13:20I'll take you out for a spin.
13:21So, you can see there's a lot of stuff on top.
13:24There is, like, three walkable solar panels.
13:26These are military-grade.
13:27And you have starting on top and, as well, the skylight.
13:32I'm going to give you back to Patrick.
13:34And then, let's talk about a couple more storage units.
13:37So, you can put all your blankets and storage up here.
13:40On the side, you have lighting capabilities.
13:43So, maybe it's a little harder to see.
13:44But there is, actually, a really nice mood lighting on the top.
13:48And it's all dimmable.
13:49So, you can actually go to bed and not be blinded by your light.
13:53You have your own USB chargers out here.
13:56And a couple more cool things.
13:59The whole van has two projector screens that can be mounted.
14:03One here in the bedroom.
14:05And then, there's another one in the living room.
14:07Okay.
14:07So, let me put this bed back up in driving mode.
14:11And then, I'm going to show you a couple more accessories from the outside.
14:13And then, we'll go to the other van.
14:14And I'll show you how different the other van is.
14:20Well, the cool things about this layout is the bed goes all the way.
14:23We tucked it all the way up, you know, as high as possible.
14:26So, you still have, you know, 5'7 as height.
14:29And then, just, you know, it creates the full lounge again.
14:32But let me show you a couple more things on the outside.
14:34So, we love being outdoor.
14:37So, this is like a full, extendable table.
14:39This is your best friend when you're cooking or grilling or just even chilling with your friends.
14:43And then, there's the other projector up here.
14:46So, these are all removable.
14:48So, this is set up to show from the outside.
14:50But you can always take them off.
14:53And then, actually, you either flip it or put it back here.
14:57So, you can actually make another big movie night.
15:03If I can actually hang it.
15:05There you go.
15:07And this is like a full screen.
15:08You can have all your friends and just watch a movie.
15:10But let me show you the other van.
15:11So, let's see if you can tell any difference.
15:15So, this van, first of all, the color choices was really fun.
15:20The client was really inspired by New Mexico and traveling.
15:22So, we just went for it.
15:25So, really cute peach color.
15:28It's like a little pink.
15:30It creates this beautiful hue inside the van.
15:33And then, look at these upholstery.
15:35So, they're full like Navajo style.
15:37New Mexico.
15:39Tons of names for this fabric.
15:41But really cool.
15:42Even if they're woven, they're still like super durable.
15:46And then, of course, custom made.
15:47So, same layout but it feels like a totally different van.
15:50So, split galley in the middle.
15:52In the back.
15:52She went with like marble looking counters.
15:55Of course, the stove is implanted in this van.
15:58And then, a couple of really cool things.
16:00We love when we match the grain.
16:05So, it's a continuation of all the grain.
16:07And then, it creates, you know, more storage space.
16:09She has a stainless steel sink, stainless steel faucet.
16:13You'll see in the back she has a full shower.
16:15But you can kind of see the similarity and the differences.
16:18She went with really, really cool handmade tiles.
16:23Has a backsplash on both sides.
16:24It creates this like nice, you know, friendly, comfortable and welcome space.
16:30You know, bed is, of course, up top.
16:33Same concept.
16:34Has the skylight.
16:35This one has no rooftop.
16:36But it has full solar panels.
16:39So, the entire roof is actually covering solar panels.
16:41They're around 750 watts.
16:43And then, you know, darker stainless steel collar handles and all of it.
16:48Same concept.
16:49They have the same latchable electromagnetic latches.
16:54So, all these things come standard with the Elevate layout.
16:58You know, same storage units all throughout.
17:02Same Bosch heater in the back.
17:04Same storage.
17:06And then, a couple of things where I am.
17:09It's actually the full shower.
17:12This is the coolest part of this layout.
17:14It's a massive shower.
17:16So, we custom made the, of course, the shower pan.
17:20You can choose all the tiles and everything else.
17:22And then, you have the curtain.
17:23If you actually want privacy or if you're in a beautiful spot in the desert,
17:27you can just like keep the doors open.
17:28Shower handle is right here.
17:30It's actually long enough.
17:33You can rinse outside as well.
17:34So, if you have a dog, it's kind of nice.
17:36You can wash their paws.
17:38And then, the space has the toilet also.
17:42So, stainless steel door.
17:45And it has, whoop, thank you, Patrick.
17:49This has the LaVeo toilet.
17:52So, dry flush.
17:54Brand new, of course.
17:56Same concept as the other one, except this one, you have 20 uses.
17:59And then, once you're done, you just throw it away.
18:04But this is kind of nice.
18:05You tuck away your toilet.
18:05You have tons of storage on the side so you can put extra cartridges, toilet paper, and everything.
18:10And then, you close it.
18:11And you give the keys only to your friends.
18:14Don't let anybody else use it.
18:15And then, you know, different layout, but you still have tons of storage.
18:20So, we decided to create the storage up top here.
18:22So, we brought the evaporator from the under-mount I see down here.
18:26And then, we wrapped everything in this really durable vinyl wrapping lamination.
18:33And then, a couple of more details.
18:35This is oak throughout the van.
18:37And, of course, solid oak in the back as the end of the shower.
18:41Subtle but beautiful little trims all throughout.
18:44Now, curtains, same storage in the back because, you know, you kind of want to maximize all the storage.
18:50And then, original Mercedes step up.
18:52But this van has a lot of off-road capability.
18:54So, first thing, it has an ARB air compressor system in the front.
18:59So, you have a connector in the back and in the front so you can air up and air down
19:03before you go to the beach.
19:05Full, double bike, one-up system.
19:08So, this is really cool because it's actually vertical.
19:10So, it's so much easier to load your bike.
19:12You will grab your bike, pull it up, and close it.
19:16And then, molly panel behind.
19:18This is the owl panel.
19:19So, you can always remove these two bikes and make it a ski rack or maybe put a box.
19:24You can put so many different accessories.
19:27Maxtrax with magnetic mounts.
19:29If you're in New York City, of course, you will put them a little higher.
19:32You don't want to leave them that lower.
19:34This is actually the first van with these really cool new Rhino.
19:39They call them Dually.
19:41Kind of a funny name, but Dually wheels.
19:44They are fully outfitted with KO3 tires.
19:48And the really cool thing about these, even if they're aftermarket wheels, they are all independent.
19:52So, you can actually swap the front to the back and the spare tire still works everywhere.
19:57We added a window in both vehicles.
20:00We put AMA windows.
20:02They're just great.
20:03It creates more ventilations.
20:04And then, step up.
20:06This is the real truck.
20:07AMP, electric.
20:08Goes up and down.
20:09And then, a couple of more off-road parts.
20:12Of course, the KO3 lights up top.
20:14The typical diode dynamic.
20:16And then, up here, you actually have the front air chuck for the air compressor system.
20:21So, it's really cool.
20:22You have a command center in the dashboard where you can control everything.
20:26Lights, air compressor, and different things.
20:29So, this is pretty much it.
20:30I mean, this is a really cool opportunity to see two vans that are exactly the same layout,
20:35but they feel incredibly different.
20:37And it's really cool how each and every client, you know, maximize the space or make them their own space.
20:43So, thank you, Patrick, for coming out and showing these two beautiful vans.
20:48Yeah.
20:49I hope I'll see you next time, guys.
20:50Awesome to come out.
20:51A beautiful fall day and shoot outside the shop.
20:55Yep.
20:55So, just so the viewers understand what they're saying.
20:59These are both Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 XD chassis, 170-inch wheelbase, four-cylinder, high-output turbo engine,
21:08and they're all-well-drive.
21:10So, they're pretty capable.
21:11And this is the new 2025 chassis.
21:14So, they have this extra camera system here in the front, and that is your active collision avoidance,
21:20which, if you're parking in a tight space, it's going to slam those brakes on it.
21:25New York especially.
21:26And that battery system, are they the same in both?
21:29Yep.
21:30So, they both have 15 kilowatt, both vehicles, so the client decided to just maximize all the batteries.
21:35One big thing that this van has is actually the secondary alternator charging.
21:39So, this has an Arco Zeus controller, an Arco 48-volt secondary alternator,
21:45which charges up to 5,000 kilowatt an hour, well, 5 kilowatt an hour.
21:50So, that's huge.
21:51This charges so fast.
21:52And that's a premium secondary alternator.
21:55I think that one even charges at idle.
21:56Yep, exactly.
21:57Some of the other ones you have to bring up to 2,000 RPM.
21:59So, that's pretty nice.
22:00But without the alternator, without the solar, say you've got a week of rain and you're not driving anywhere,
22:06that battery system, that could support pretty much the whole tire coach.
22:10A hundred percent.
22:10Yep, yep.
22:11You're going to run out of water before you run out of energy in all these vehicles.
22:14Water is always the tough one.
22:15Yep, exactly.
22:16I hope people don't think about that.
22:17They fix on electrical and solar.
22:19Electrical is the easiest one to actually get inside the vans.
22:21And I know these are standard layouts, but they're customized.
22:24Do you have any price ranges that the viewers could get?
22:28You can definitely go on the website because each and every vehicle is so unique to the clients.
22:33So, you can hit up us, info at brooklyncampervans.com.
22:36But also, you can go on the website.
22:38Sometimes, we build these vehicles as spec vehicles.
22:42So, we take the vehicles, build them, do a specific layout.
22:45Usually, they're pretty standard on the call and everything else.
22:48If you're lucky enough, like this client, this was supposed to be a spec vehicles.
22:52But they caught it right on time in the early stages.
22:55So, they made a couple of changes in the layout and then they just snatched it.
22:58So, it was like perfect.
22:59Because this was custom order from Mercedes last year.
23:03So, it takes a little bit to get custom vehicles.
23:04So, it's kind of nice.
23:05If you're in a rush, we have ready-to-go vehicles.
23:08So, this is a vehicle that you guys purchased.
23:09Yep.
23:09This is a vehicle that someone purchased and brought to you.
23:11Exactly.
23:12Yep.
23:12And that was just a month ago.
23:14I was here for your block party.
23:16And these vans were in production.
23:19So, we didn't get to film them then.
23:20I'm glad I was able to get to them.
23:22These are both leaving next week.
23:23Yep.
23:24They are.
23:24I'll put those links in the description so our viewers can click over and check out your
23:28website for the current pricing for a standard build of this and some of your other builds
23:34that you offer.
23:35We do everything.
23:36So, thank you so much for coming.
23:37And then we'll see you next time.
23:39And come to the open houses.
23:40We're always here to build community in Brooklyn.
23:41Now, the open house is a great opportunity for people that are local to this area to come
23:46out and meet like-minded individuals.
23:49You guys have giveaways.
23:50You have food.
23:51You have drinks here.
23:52Yep.
23:52And it's great.
23:53You get to see people from all walks of life that show up.
23:56Some people bring their own camper vans.
23:58Oh, yeah.
23:58And kind of show them and give examples.
24:00But I know you guys do some great things here for the van life community out in the
24:05Northeast.
24:06Well, this is Patrick with New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel.
24:09And I'll see you on the next tour.
24:11See you next time.