Convert your Minivan into a Mini RV Camper: How to convert a minivan into a comfortable minivan camper motorhome for under $200

A short to the point book, with practical advice and links to everything mentioned. It makes it doable on a budget and has got me itching to try it.

This book does what it says: tells the reader how to convert a minivan into a camper.It's written for readers (like me) who want to travel in a minivan and use it for overnight shelter instead of paying for hotels every night. It's also for someone who enjoys camping; with the listed equipment you can stay in the great outdoors with your sleeping, eating, and other basic requirements provided for.it's not a "how to live full time in a minivan" guide. Just want to say that because I think some reviewers may have expected that. The author does give advice on safely and discreetly parking overnight, which applies to anyone sleeping overnight in a vehicle.I like the level of detail provided, and the specific product information, as well as the helpful photos showing the author's actual work in outfitting his minivan. I've looked at the photos of the fully equipped vehicle ready for use, and can see myself very happily nesting in that for nights on the road.And, for me the sweet part is that none of it requires carpentry, electrical wiring, costly gear, or permanent alterations to the minivan. You can come home, store the camping/travel gear, re-install the back seats - and you have your regular daily driver minivan again. I'll never look at minivans the same way again!EDITED later to add: After I wrote this review I talked to my insurance agent about adding a minivan to my auto policy. I was told that it's less expensive to insure a "regular" minivan, than one that's had permanent modifications installed. The insurance companies are likely to rate the modified vehicle at a higher value (and thus higher premiums). The beauty of this book's approach to equipping the vehicle for camping, is that nothing it recommends is a permanent change or modification or addition to the vehicle.

This book is an excellent choice for a van owner who wishes to take road trips solo. Much detailed information is provided for how to set up the vehicle for extended trips, including provisions for cooking and toilet use. And these suggestions are not costly and are easily reversible, meaning that you can return the van to ordinary passenger use in at most an hour or so. However, a van is crowded accommodation living for two, even for short periods, and the book understandably has less to offer in this circumstance.

I like the common sense suggestions.I recommend this book to anyone who wants to travel on a budget.I chose my review based on my own approach to things, keep it simple.

New to the RVing scene, my solution was to purchase a used diesel truck and new 35-foot travel trailer and burn the roads up in my retirement years. But I discovered that my "Get up and go" dream of traveling wasn't as trouble-free as I pictured. Accidents due to lack of experience in towing; lack of places to camp in a travel trailers in natural areas; and my ever growing desire to boondock led me to start thinking about downsizing my travel needs. I looked at vans, van conversions and kits, and still we were talking about spending between ten and twenty thousand dollars minimum.Then I found this book. The title seemed pretty simplistic and unbelievable, but for the price I decided to give it a read. Boy, does it deliver!The author's logic on purchasing a used minivan to travel is logical: minivans devalue rapidly, and there are many one can purchase for just a few thousand dollars. His "under $200" list of supplies to get is in the back of the book, and is rather bare-bones. The supplies he purchased and recommends probably come closer to $500. Still figuring the cost of supplies along with the minivan is a lot cheaper than high monthly payments on a truck and trailer combo.None of his recommendations involve making permanent changes to the vehicle, nor is their any remodeling or carpentry skills needed. You place your supplies inside, and when you get done with the minivan, simply remove them and sell the vehicle in the same condition you bought it in(although with a few more miles on it).He covers all the important things in this book: where to park, when to park. Toilet facilities. Heating and cooking.This type of camping suited best for solo campers, or couples. It might be viewed as closer to tent camping than RV camping by some, but the fact that you are up off the ground, have heat and air, and can leave in a moment's notice still makes it worlds apart from tent camping.Say one pays $3000 for a minivan and $500 for supplies. You want to go on an extended road trip, one longer than 2 weeks. Let's say you plan to travel about 9000 miles during your trip. At 15 miles a gallon, that's 600 gallons of gas. If gas everywhere was a high price of $4.00 you would spend $2400 on fuel. (Heck, you'd spend more than that staying at hotels). So far It's totaled $5900. My estimate on how much it would cost to take a 30-day road trip with my truck and trailer could easily equal that, and that's not counting the truck and trailer payments, or repair and maintenance on both.This book made such and impression I'm seriously considering this mode of travel for myself.

to the point, value for money