Meet Blue…

Blue is a 2015 diesel Ford Transit 250 that has been upfitted into a comfy, roomy camper van to take you on camping adventures across the country or across the world. We’ve spent the last couple of years either working on the upfit or traveling the country in him. Now that he’s done, we’ve come to realize that much of the fun was in the construction, and we’ve decided to find him a new home.

We documented much of his upfit as well as our travels and adventures with him in our blogs and videos. These can be viewed by clicking here or on the ‘Van Life’ tab above. We’ve listed his specs which can be seen below, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ve included about the equivalent of a gigabyte of words with all the uploaded pics. Click on any of the images to view the full size pictures.

Blue is located in Las Vegas if you want to see him in person. And if you have more questions, please contact us at nineofcups1@yahoo.com.

Model

Blue is the mid roof version. We chose this size because, at 6’0”, I can pretty much stand up in him, and the mid roof can fit inside a ship container. This would allow him to be shipped anywhere in the world at a reasonable cost… in case you think you might want to explore Europe, Australia, New Zealand or wherever in your camper.

He also has the small, fuel efficient, yet powerful turbo diesel engine option. If we’re willing to drive between 55-60 MPH on the highway, we get 22-23 MPG, but even at 75-80 MPH and/or in the city, we get 18+ MPG. And the 3.2L diesel engine not only provides great fuel mileage for a van his size, but also has a much longer engine life expectancy than a gas vehicle. In fact, Ford thinks so highly of the reliability of the diesel version that they provide a full 5 year/100,000 mile warranty on the diesel engine.

Price: $45,900

We came to this price based on our online search of other comparable van conversions, the quality of the upfit and the options we installed. When we first contemplated a van conversion, we looked at a lot of completed vans and were usually appalled at how amateurish and shoddy most of them were. We thought we could do a much better job, and we feel we have accomplished that goal. We started out with just the basics, then traveled and camped in Blue as we figured out what we really wanted versus what we thought we wanted. The end result is a camper that fits our needs perfectly.

That said, your requirements may be different than ours, and to that end, Blue’s interior can be modified quite easily. In fact, the entire interior can be removed in just a few hours, making it quite easy to make modifications, if desired.

General Specs:

• VIN: 1FTNR2CV7FKB10653

• Model: 2015 Ford Transit 250

• Body: Mid roof, long wheelbase (148”)

• Exterior Color: Blue Jeans Metallic

• Interior: Pewter Vinyl

• Engine: 3.2L I5 Diesel

• GVWR: 9000#

• Mileage: 64,000

• Transmission: 6 speed Auto Select Shift

General Options:

• 3.31 Limited Slip Axle

• Rear Door Glass

• Exterior Upgrade Package

• Trailer Tow Package

• Trailer Brake Controller

• Trailer Wiring package

• Heated, Powered Mirrors

• Rear Window Defogger

• Cruise Control

• Rear View Camera

Upfit Description - General

The steps in upfitting Blue were, for the most part, described in various blogs and videos. We’ve also uploaded dozens of photos.

• Roof fan: Maxxfan. Installation described here.

• Insulation: Combination of fiberglass and rigid foam applied to entire roof area, sides, doors and area over cab. The details and installation are described here.

• Interior ceiling: 1/4” plywood attached to roof ribs with Rivnuts.

• Interior walls: 1/2” plywood attached to ribs with Rivnuts

• Floors: Layer of sound deadening insulation, plus 1/4” aluminum ribbed sheeting. In living quarters, a layer of waterproof laminate has been installed

• Drawers: Dove-tailed drawers with soft-close, bearing slides. All drawers are fitted with magnetic operated latches. These latches can be enabled or disabled - once enabled, the drawer can only be opened by holding a magnet against the drawer front.

• Cabinets: Oak front cabinets along the sides of the van.

• Fridge//Freezer: Whynter 62 quart dual-zone refrigerator/freezer. Either compartment can be used as either a fridge or freezer and can be independently set anywhere from 50F to -8F. 110VAC or 12VDC. We purchased the extra thermal cover. In Blue, it also serves as the settee.

• Toilet: Airhead composting toilet. This toilet separates the liquid waste from the solid waste. The liquid waste container needs to be emptied every couple of days, depending on usage while the solid waste needs to be emptied somewhere between once a month and every couple of months - again, depending on usage. We find that we typically urinate in it several times a day, but usually use public facilities for our morning constitutionals. The solids container is sealed and vented to the outside. There’s a small fan that keeps the air moving through the container and to the outside. The result is absolutely no smell. The toilet is inside an enclosure that takes roughly 3.5 seconds to open. Unlike many such enclosures we encountered, ours is quite comfortable to sit on - when one needs to contemplate life or catch up on one’s reading.

  Click on any of the images below to view the full size picture…

Upfit Description - Electrical

I wrote a series of blogs describing the electrical systems of Blue’s upfit. The AC circuitry is described here while the DC circuitry is described here, and the solar panels and charging options are explained here. You can find the details of the upfit in those blogs, but I’ve listed the key specs below:

• House Batteries: 2 - Duracell AGM 100AH

• Inverter 1: Xantrex ProWatt 1000 watt sinewave w/ remote panel controller. This inverter is powered by the engine alternator and provides an optional method of charging the batteries or generating 120VAC using the engine.

• Inverter 2: Magnum 1000 watt sinewave w/ remote panel controller. This inverter is powered from the shore power connector.

• Charger: Magnum 50 amp battery charger. The battery charger can be powered by either inverter.

• Battery Monitor: Magnum battery monitor

• Solar: 2 - 180 watt solar panels. This was more than enough to keep with our daily needs.

• Solar Controller: - Renogy 40 amp MPPT solar charge controller. This is the high efficiency type of solar controller… much more efficient than the less expensive PWM type of charge controller.

• Solar Meter: - Renogy remote tracer meter

• Carbon Monoxide Alarm: First Alert, battery operated

• USB Charging Bay: - We found that with more and more USB devices, everything from tablets and phones to bike lights, razors and personal fans, we needed a dedicated place to charge multiple devices.

Upfit Description - Storage

Based on our old sailing days, we thought we’d like a lot of storage area in Blue. As we traveled about in him, we refined our thoughts on how best to utilize the available space. Here’s how we optimized the area under the bed:

• The areas on the sides were built to carry long skinny things like tents, camp chairs, folding tables, etc.

• Bikes: We wanted to be able to stow our two bikes inside to keep them protected from the elements, but still be able to get them back on the road with minimal fuss. We have to remove the front tire and the seat, but we’ve now got the process down to just a couple of minutes. The tires are stowed in the back window area, and the seats, helmets, locks, hydration packs, etc. are stowed in a bin that resides under the bikes.

• Storage Bins: We have room for four large storage bins. We use one for firewood, one for tools, ropes, bungees, chainsaw and other stuff, one is the pantry for food, and one is used for kitchen utensils, pots, pans, flatware, plates, bowls, etc.

• Pull-Out Tray: To access the bins and bikes, all were mounted on a pull-out tray. The tray can support up to 500 pounds, and the slides use heavy duty ball bearings for a nice smooth operation. The tray slides lock in the closed or fully open positions, and I added a slide bolt that can lock it in place when pulled halfway out.

• Storage Cubbies: There are two cubbies above the storage bins that are sized to hold 2-4 of the bins that are designed to fit under a bed. We keep extra propane canisters, cleaning supplies, off-season clothes, backpacking gear, and a host of other stuff in these bins.

• Camp Stove: We don’t like to cook inside the van, so we use a Coleman camp stove. We use it on a picnic table or our folding table. The storage area has a dedicated spot to stow the stove.

• Tool Bag: I also keep a tool bag handy with everyday tools. I have a spot reserved for it where it is secure, but easy to grab when it’s needed.

General Condition

We’ve taken very good care of Blue. All recommended maintenance has been done. The tires are 40,000 mile tires and have about 17,000 miles on them. The only issue with the body or paint is a small ding on the hood that was caused by a small rock thrown by a pickup while we were driving on a two lane country road in Colorado.

Contact us:

Blue is located in Las Vegas if you want to see him in person. And if you have more questions, please contact us at nineofcups1@yahoo.com.