The American propensity for the preposterously gargantuan should leave no doubt as to why Winnebagos and other Greyhound-bus-sized RVs聽rule the road. Testament to this:聽the聽discontinuation of Volkswagen's聽Eurovan and Westfalia鈥攖wo of the most popular small camper vans ever made.聽

That's where Ian Horgan and his聽聽Dodge聽camper-conversion kits聽come in. Horgan, despite being vice president聽of operations for a company that owns and operates RV parks catering to聽land yachts, is a sleep-under-the-stars camper at heart. The term 鈥渄irtbag鈥 might apply.聽鈥淚鈥檓 an outdoorsy guy,鈥 says Horgan. 鈥淚 hike, I mountain bike, I ski, I climb. I look at 国产吃瓜黑料 Van, Road Trek and Sportsmobile, but they鈥檙e charging six figures for a camper van. I look at the VW Westfalias; they鈥檙e compact, you can drive them around day-to-day, and you can go camping over the weekend, but they break down all the time. When somebody鈥檚 looking to buy a camper van, it鈥檚 either super expensive or super unreliable.鈥

Horgan wanted to make a kit that would let buyers turn a Dodge camper into a full house-on-wheels.聽At first, he set out to build a simple camper van he and his fianc茅 could take on weekend camping trips. The couple were pleased with the design's utility, and quickly realized how desirable a modular conversion kit could be for those of us who are petrified at the very mention of DIY.
Using treated birch wood, heavy-duty five-pound pull strength magnets, some tasteful upholstery (selected by Horgan鈥檚 fianc茅),聽and half a dozen bolts, Horgan created a $4,700 kit聽(excluding delivery) for the 2015/2016 Dodge Ram ProMaster City. All you need is a Phillips head screwdriver and a socket wrench, and you'll聽have the entire kit unpacked and installed within 25 minutes.聽
If you want to give a Wayfarer Van a test run, you can rent one from in Salt Lake City, Utah.