VAN TOUR! Ford Transit Connect Tiny Camper for TWO People
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- We designed and converted our 2010 Ford Transit Connect cargo van into a camper that sleeps two people. It's one of the smallest cargo vans on the market and typically converted by solo travelers but after some clever engineering we were able to fit a full size bed within the cargo space. This video walks through how the layout of our van functions, plus some of our favorite features like how we utilize solar energy, all the way down to the small and mighty tools we rely on like magnets and bungee chords!
Link to our exterior tour (installation & review): • TINY VAN! Exterior Ins...
Link to our build time lapse: • DIY Tiny Van Build - F...
Link to our cost breakdown: • How Much Did Our Van C...
Leave a comment, especially if you have any questions about our van conversion! We relied heavily on other CZcams videos to approach our build confidently and we hope to give back to the community of potential van-dwellers by sharing our experience.
If you'd like to see more videos about our van and our travels, make sure you Subscribe to the channel. If there is a particular part of the van tour you are interested in, I've marked out skip ahead timing below. Thank you for watching our Van Tour featuring our Ford Transit Connect Tiny Camper for TWO People!
P.S. You can also watch us build the van here: • DIY Tiny Van Build - F...
Skip Ahead:
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - Interior View
0:46 - Bed Structure
1:34 - Curtains
3:02 - Sliding Door Paneling
3:28 - Cabinets
3:42 - Lighting & Lampshades
4:17 - Interior Paneling
4:48 - Back Doors
5:15 - Sliding Drawers
5:33 - Kitchen
6:38 - Back Drawer Handles
7:00 - Yeti Cooler Storage
7:15 - Solar Generator
7:37 - Under Bed Storage - chairs, kitchen storage, etc.
8:15 - Easy Roof Access
8:34 - More Storage
8:48 - Solar Panel
9:39 - Llamas
9:49 - Credits
Products you might have seen in our van listed below:
Exterior:
Maxxair MaxxFan Ventillation Fan with White Lid and Manual Opening Keypad Control - amzn.to/2OFYmD3
ROLA 59504 V-Tex Rooftop Cargo Basket - amzn.to/34hF6Cu
Cargo Net with Hooks - amzn.to/2XIzZIZ
ARB Retractable Awning - amzn.to/35wqFe4
Door Step: amzn.to/3c2UQwG
Interior:
Baja Seat Covers with Separate Headrest Cover - amzn.to/2rpR3Hu
Windshield Sun Shade - Ford Transit Connect - amzn.to/2XGPWPO
Yeti Cooler - amzn.to/2rhzKbL
Memory Foam Pillows - amzn.to/2s8KSbi
Cabinet Magnets by Master Magnetics - amzn.to/35ueI8t
Solar Power:
Solar Panel - amzn.to/2sdWvOm
Portable Lithium Solar Generator - amzn.to/2QQcTPd
Solar Torch - amzn.to/2OfCgrT
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you!
Thank you!
Laura
Music: czcams.com/users/audiolibrarymusic (attribution not required) - Jak na to + styl
Van owner for 3 years now and I am amazed at how much you were able to fit in your van. Great build and thanks for sharing!!
Thank you, we appreciate it!
It's amazing you two have that much equipment organized into that little van!
Great job.
That is a compliment! I think we amazed ourselves too. Very rewarding to see it come together.
Just when I thought i couldn't anything new - you pull out that 'door step'. Genius product! Thanks.
Yes! Thanks for the comment!
The doorstep that she put right beside the big wooden construction you can step on? Yeah, very smart
@@herrmuslingYou mean the 'bed frame'? lol It's too far in.
Perhaps if you are 80y old and 300 pounds.
LOVE your guys design! I my girlfriend and I have a connect conversion as well and this has given me some good ideas to modify ours with. Thank you! 😊
Thanks Joshua! We are happy you found our video useful! We watched a lot of youtube videos to inspire us during our build!
I was so excited to see that little door step, I have a carrier on top of my mini van but have trouble reaching everything in it so I tie twine around each bin to pull it to where I can reach it. I think you have made my van life so much easier. I really liked your setup, I've had my minivan for over a decade, the inside has been redone so many times but you can always learn something new by watching others conversions. thank you- stay safe.
Thanks Yora Sum Bodie. Very nice compliment. We love hearing that we made someones life easier. We owe a lot of saved build hours to van life youtubers. Be well!
I'm very impressed, I have seen probably 20-25 of these smaller size van builds and this is the first one I think I would fit in to sleep.
Very well thought out and organized
Definitely a thumbs up 👍
Great build! Cant wait to see where y’all go! Hope you have a great time on the trip!
Amazing use of space! That door step is brillant! Thanks for sharing!
AMAZING JOB! Thanks for sharing it
Great setting for the places with a warm climate and friendly people around.
Hello and God bless you two 💓
You have great organizing skills, and are very practical in prioritising your essentials. Safe travels. Thank you for sharing your ideas in converting your van.
Thank you Guadalupe! We are happy you enjoyed it!
Love your vid! Like the time you take and the clear explaination. Smart set-up.
Thank you for the kind words Marco!
Your design has give me new inspiration. Thanks so much. I love that you live out of your van and not in it. I think I can live with your design, we will mostly be weekend or weekly travelers. I just am concerned that I won't have a place to sit and read if the weather is bad - but I guess I can sit in the front seats. Well done, thanks for sharing your thought out plan with us!
Thank you for your comment! We absolutely "live out of it" and not "in it"! There have been a few rainy days where we had to find things to do inside (museums, shopping, movies) because staying in the van all day is not what she's built for. A few days of inconvenience are okay with us because we have been able to see so much and sleep for free all over the country!
Thank you, be well!
Thanks so much for sharing! I just got a 2020 Ford Connect Cargo with this idea. I've been searching, reading and designing ... You guys gave me bunch of hints 👍
Love to hear it! Thank you!
Very nice job. Good luck on your travels.
I love your van. It's such a nice compact size, and yet you've crammed so much in there.
Wonderful space 👍 Looking forward to following along on your journey.
Thank you! Looking forward to sharing!
If you need more storage you can extend the shelf above the passenger area so it goes all the way back to where your curtain is. I haven't needed to do that yet in mine but I've seen videos showing how others have done it. It looks like it adds a lot of storage. I have a transit connect with solar system, fridge, diesel heater, table, etc in it and still have a little extra room. However, all of my trips are just me living back there. Amazing how you found room for 2 in one of these once you factor in clothes, food, etc. And I'm definitely not able to fit a full size bed in mine with all the other stuff I have...lol. It sleeps one comfortably though.
Thanks for sharing that tip! We actually thought about doing that! Erik made the point that if the back of the van is tight quarters he'd prefer that open feeling and headspace in the front while driving. Kind of like a Frank Lloyd Wright's design of contraction and expansion!
Nice job you guys! Got some great ideas from your build.
Love it...you have put so much thought into every detail
Big brain big thoughts! Subscribing hoping you'll bake up some content!
A lot of great ideas. Thanks for sharing. So neat and organized!!
Appreciate that thank you
Well done……luv my TC mini too, 4yrs still building, travel weekly
I ve been watching thousand of camper van video but with your i still learn so much mire tips. Thanks I suscribe🤩😍
Very cool!
That's the perfect size van. Great job. It turned out well!
It really is. Very easy to get around large cities and drives really nice on the open road! Thank you for the kind words!
@@LauraConnected absolutely. I'm buying one, used of course in June and doing what you did. Can't wait. I really can't. God bless and take care 👍🤟✝️
Amazing!
Beautifully done, keep up the good work
Thank you James!
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!!
Very Informative and educational. Keep making those videos, people like me need to learn more of what you already know. Thanks.
You love magnets in your Connect as much as I do. That MaxxFan must feel great in hot weather. Happy travels.
Thank you the magnets are so easy! The MaxxFan works great! We hope we can get some good use out of it this Summer!
very practcal & simplified
Awesome job guys! Good use of a tiny space!
Thanks!
wow really great build! lovely van and amazing use or space
Thank you Bianca! It was rewarding to see the space come together!
Good job on your conversion! And your spirit makes me smile
Thank you Josilyn! What a compliment!
Very well thought out and built. I have a 2011 connect and I think I'll attempt to copy some of your ideas
Copy away! Make sure to share your progress! Thanks for watching.
Nice happy free couple! Beautiful van. Like the mahogany inserts. Simple to do and gives the van some style.
Thank you very much friend - subscribe for more happy free videos!
Love the finished van.............................Happy Trails
Glad you enjoyed! Cheers!
That door step was new to me, and genius.
Nice tour, very nice build.
Great, glad you liked it!
You guys did such a great job on that van
I think you guys have done an amazing, thoughtful build! We’re suppose to be living out of them anyway. I really like a few of the features: the drawers are fantastic! And that little step thing is perfect! Hope you have links. Congrats on a wonderful build that isn’t cookie cutter! Bravo!
So kind! We are like 30% cookie cutter!
Love it!
Hey! I also have a 2010 FTC XLT but in Dark blue! Bought "dobby" last may and have been working a little here and there. Just added an aluminum unistrut roof rack!. These van's are so much fun!
Love it! Let me know if you have found any ladders for the FTC, we're thinking about getting one for the back doors to access the roof.
@@LauraConnected Yeah I have thought about that myself!
Beautiful build! I have a Ford Transit Connect 2010 too, with 288,000 miles I have done a little travelling with it 😁
Thank you! We are very happy to hear the van has lasted that long! It never too late to travel!
Awesome utilization of every inch!! Hope you guys have tons of adventures....Thank you for sharing. :-)
Thanks Chris. The vans been good to us!
This is great! So compact and cozy 😄
Thank you! :)
Great job ... so practical, organised ... Lol ..! a place for every little thing and everything in it's place ... WELL DONE ... really EXCELLENT
Thank you for the kind comment Lalita! It took a lot of though to figure out how to use this tiny space.
Thank you for sharing so many details about your build out! We bought a FTC yesterday and are now doing loads of research on the best way to build it out so we can hit the road. Five years ago we built out a '99 S10, so this feels like luxury. But now we have a toddler so we'll fill it up quickly I'm sure. I saw that you were originally in Chicago- we're in Indy! If you're ever driving through we'd love to connect. :)
Congratulations on your new van! Let us know if you post any videos about your build, we would love to see what you come up with! We will definitely let you know if we are back in the Midwest! :)
Very nice!
Such a clever use of space!
Thank you! It was a fun challenge!
What an ingenious use of space! so sleek. i appreciate the choice to let the bed take up the whole van instead of trying to cram a sprinter floorplan into a connect.
Thank you! 🙏🏼
Absolutely Genius , love the van very inspiring
Wow, thanks for the love!
Well done! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for watching!
Lilian Tong, wanna build one with me?
magnets, velcro and clips good idea. wise use of space. bravo form France
That's cool guys, you might want to try putting some runners in your side access, so those areas come out to you, would be easier for the cooler etc.
Hope you're having a great adventure 😉
Nice job with the build on your Transit Connect guys! We also travel in a Transit Connect for two + our dog. We are on our third build redesign trying to make it all work. The Transit Connect is a great vehicle and it does get fairly good gas mileage for a van as you know. I'm a new sub to your channel as we Transit Connect DIY conversion owners can really benefit from each other's ideas and designs. Safe travels!
Lot of undeniable truth WannBFree. We love the van, it suits the way we travel perfectly. CZcams is an invaluable source!
Dude this is great for me for a weekend warrior camping love love
Very, very neat and organized...👌👌
Thank you Maria!
Great job! I am looking now, for a similar vehicle. Thanks for the share.
You're welcome! Good luck!
You did a wonderful job. Beautiful.
Thanks for the kind words!
I've never seen any Van build that prioritized the bed like that.. Interesting.. Happy trails..🤠👍
Thank you!
Simple and Nice.... Awesome guys
Thank you Guna. Stay cool! Thanks for watching
beautifull!
Wow, this is soooo amazing! I just bought a 2004 Ford transit connect and you inspire and help me so much right now. This is amazing! 💘
That's wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for letting us know!
I love the doorstep
finally a functional van thats not just bed and kitchen but you could actually work in it
Thanks for the ideas! I've got a tc but it was a wheel delivery van with a cage and it has 280k miles so I'm not going to dump money in but I'm planning on taking it for some mini trips with some temporary stuff in it but I got some good ideas to fit more things..mines all metal so magnets will work great lol
Nice work guys 👊🏻🤠👍🏻
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Greetings from Corpus Christi Texas. Freaking Outstanding video👍👍
Hey, thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
Well done 👍 have a nice journey 👌
Thank you. We have been enjoying the adventure!
Great organisation:)
Thank you Tria!
nice setup
thank you
Wow, amazing!👍👍👍
Thank you Porcul Tau!
@@LauraConnected No problem, great job!
would be good to see some of your trips and adventures..
Excellent!
We appreciate you Karen.
Very cool! Thanks for the animals too. Ah my boots would go outside of van or in a bag! Nice thank you!
Thank Steph! We have a little tote that hangs from the cooler where we though our shoes before getting in!
Cool 😎 U put together a nice home on wheels💪✌️👍
We joke about our home on wheels all the time! The front seats are the living room.
Is a great build very nice and neat all in a good place and very creative . Wood work is awsome ..there isn't anything bad at all .from 1 to 5 stars my self I give you 10 .congratulations and enjoy it ,keep traveling and having fun , I will love to see how you guys will do it in a VW van !!
Thank you very much for your kind comment! 10 out of 5 is amazing :)
Minimalists....As long as you can sleep comfortably it doesn't matter where. Such an inspiring video TY
Thank you David! Glad you found some inspiration! We are still trying to master the minimalists aspects.
Love the van
Thank you
So cramped an on a rainy day safe cooking crazzy
Well done,building my own van to ps love the lama's
Yesss, more love for the llamas! Thank you!
That little Xenon “zoom zoom zoom” was the cutest!
Ah. I subscribed ages ago hoping that eventually you'd do a tour! Lovely van
Yay, thank you!
hey great build. Would love to see some more detailed videos. About to start my peugot partner conversion. I was wondering how the van is with some of the metalwork still exposed? i always assumed that all metal had to be covered up so that condensation doesnt form.
Also wondering how warm it is? i noticed that there isnt an awful lot of insulation compared to alot of builds ive seen online. can you go into further detail on that?
Thanks very much and hope to see more videos soon
Hi, thanks for your feedback, we are working on some more detailed videos! We have not had any issues with condensation! We did not insulate as thoroughly as other people do, primarily to save space in the interior. We decided this would work for us because of our intentions to stay in milder climates. The lowest temps we have slept in the van are about 35 F and the highest temps have been around 75 F. We have slept comfortably on both ends of the spectrum. We do wear an extra layer of clothes when the temperatures are below 40 degrees. Other precautions that we have taken to avoid moisture build up are that we run the fan (typically on extract mode when it's cold) when we are sleeping for air flow. Additionally, to avoid any potential moisture in the van causing mold on our mattress, we have a protective plastic cover around the mattress that acts as a moisture barrier. I hope this answers your question!
really good job i like it thanks wonderful
Thank you!
This is awesome!!! That’s what I think ❤️
Thank you!
HI Guys. I just saw you subscribed to my channel Dan,s Van. Thank you! It's too funny that you saw my video. I am looking for a Ford Transit Connect to convert 2010-2014. Not having much luck. Anyways, I wanted to thank you both! You and your channel have inspired my to convert this van and make my dream come true. Thanks again, Dan
Hi Dan! That makes creating the content worth it! We definitely drew most of inspiration from youtube videos too! Let us know if you have any connect questions! Best of luck finding the perfect van!
Thank you Laura. Thanks for your reply. Stay healthy and safe! Keep on Vanning! 😎✌️
Very nice...uh, sorry got distracted from the Transit tour by the adorable alpacas, er, llamas!
A bed on wheels. That's hella cool guys.
looks like the city express very nice. thanks nky
Thanks Harold. It is a very popular city van.
Great video. I have a Fiat Dobló here and did very similar things, and just got new ideas from you guys. I like how small vans can fit all the essential and still behave like a normal car. Every time I think about getting a bigger van, I ask myself: Do I really need it? And really, right now I don't!
We couldn't agree more! Each setup is different but we love the size of our van for the same reasons! Happy we could spark some ideas!
Nice.
Thanks!
What is the background music? Love it!
Dope van
Thanks!
Happy to see your Connect. I've had my 2011 Connect for 4 years. I have mine set up for just one though. I like how you've done your curtain. I've been struggling with mine. I haven't done anything to the ceiling and headliner. I saw a Connect in a youtube video where they made a table that fir between the back doors, That's my next project. Are you full timers?
A table for the back doors sounds very useful! We are traveling full time, yes!
Would love to know what brand of folding big table? Great job.
Really worth to see ur vedio great love from Jammu Kashmir India 👍🎉🎉
So kind, thank you! Love from California USA!
Wow what Gorgeous hair . Great Ideas , We are getting a Transit connect in a few months , Waiting to pay cash . After a simple conversion we will hit the road . I cant see having a huge vehicle and spending all our money on fuel . our goal is to see places not spend time "glamping" we use our van to get to places and to sleep . we don,t need to be burdened with a monster size camper or trailer . Thanks
That was exactly our feeling as well :) She's mostly a place to store our things and sleep so that we can be outside! Best of luck with your conversion!
👍👍Tidy connect , lot of thought and work put in , mine is usable 06 model and on going project , prefer the smaller stealth vans , hello from N Wales UK👍👍😉
Thank you! Stealth is key. Big fan of North Wales, spent some time in Snowdonia last year...beautiful!
@@LauraConnected💖💖💖 Excellent , I live on doorstep to Snowdonia just below Horseshoe pass💖💖💖
Nice van
Thank you.