“Darth Vander” Is Original Off-Grid Conversion From Freedom Vans - Part Garage

That’s right, the Darth Vander. It must be one of the longest running vans I've come across, and it belongs to none other than the owners of Freedom Vans, a sort of Mom-and-Pop van conversion shop with some mind-blowing work. Just check out the one of their freshest works, the Witch Van.

To get an idea of what it is you’re looking at, the Vander belongs to Tom Doran and Kyleigh Rogers, owners of Freedom Vans. If you want, you could use this van as a sort of example of the genuine humans that run this shop.

Initially, the Vander was Tom Doran’s personal vehicle in which he ended up living out of for several years as his dirt-bike and MTB lifestyle has him on a constant move for the right place and competitions to ride. Thus, the van is designed to accommodate the rider’s lifestyle, and then some.

Built upon a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 170, the motor currently has near 400,000 miles (643,737 kilometers) and is still going strong. During our interview with Tom, he informed us that one of the main reasons as to why he chose this 2WD van version to live out of, was because it helped him limit his need for speed. Overall, the van comes in with a total weight of 8,500 lbs (3,855 kg) with gear, enough to reduce speeding tickets.

Half of the van is a living space, while the other half is a garage with a capacity to hold up to two dirt bikes and gas cans, or just four MTBs. This is made possible by Tom’s idea to switch the loading pattern of the bikes from front in, to rear in. The construction you see above the bike seats is the bedding platform. The rest of the garage space includes sidewall tool racks and a pair of Husky tool drawers integrated into the bedding platform. Top it all off with a hanging shoe organizer that can be used for anything but shoes, and your garage is fully equipped.

The inside of the Vander is something to behold as well. Remember, it’s been a home to Tom for years, so expect to see amenities that have been added due to necessity. Because it used to be a bachelor pad, the interior is one aimed at fitting as many people as possible, up to four can comfortably sleep inside. Using a futon couch, near king size bed, and driver and passenger seat, the Vander can even accommodate a party of eight people sitting around the Xbox and flat screen TV.

The galley includes a 60-inch-wide (152.4-centimeter-wide) console with two-burner propane tops and sink, all with glass covers to maximize countertop usage. The kitchen is also set on the passenger side of the van as to offer easy ventilation and a view while cooking. The fridge/freezer setup offers them enough food and drink for up to four days. Plenty of storage space is available here and under the futon too.

For a bathroom, the Vander includes a  5-gallon (18.9-liter) grey water tank in which the sink empties into. This is also used for toiletries as it is easy to clean and occupies very little space. For showering, the van was initially equipped with a solar water heating system which in time has been replaced with an electric heater and outdoor shower.

To feed power to the van, 600 watts of solar panel is mounted to the roof and routed through an inverter to offer Tom and Kyleigh all the energy they need to survive off-grid. With a 35-gallon (132-liter) freshwater supply, the Vander can support two adults and two dogs for up to a week.

Funny enough this is not the end of the Vander. Currently, the video below was shot as the two were deciding to live out of Sedona, Arizona for a while. Even more, Vander’s future also includes the fifth member to the family, a newborn child. Cue menacing chuckle.

via GIPHY