Hi, I’m Danielle with All Terrain Family, and we came out to the Black Rock Desert to show you our new van.
We got a van because we really enjoy camping and the outdoors. And many times we’re traveling during the shoulder season, which can be really nice because there are fewer people and, uh, the temperatures are not as hot as during the summertime, but the weather is also unpredictable. And we really wanted to have the ability to be comfortable and warm and out of the wind and the weather when we were out camping.
Alright, this is a mouthful. This is a 2021 Ford Transit Crew Van. It’s all-wheel drive and has the EcoBoost engine with a 10-speed transmission. It’s a 148-inch wheelbase, and this is the long version, not the extended version. And it has a medium-height roof.
We chose the Ford Transit because we were looking for a van that was economical. The Ford has a lot of great safety features in it. We chose the Crew Van because it has enough seats so that we can safely transport our entire family in the van. We chose the 148-inch wheelbase because the 130-inch wheelbase was just too short for a family of four.
And we didn’t want the extended option on the van because it’s just too big. So I guess it’s a Goldilocks story, right? Like the 148-inch wheelbase, long version was just right for us. All-wheel drive was something that was really important to us. We do not intend to make this van into a rock crawler, but it needs to be capable on dirt roads and be able to handle weather conditions, mud, snow, and rain.
All-wheel drive was definitely something at the top of the list of options.
So again, with the Goldilocks situation, we didn’t want a low roof. A high roof would be nice, but the medium roof had enough headroom, and it was available. So this van was kind of a unicorn, and we were actually really lucky to find it. The crew vans have been discontinued by Ford, and they’re no longer taking orders for them.
So the crew van carries five people again, and it also has these great safety features for the second row of seats. It actually has side-curtain airbags. But in addition to that, this van had all sorts of extras and upgrades. Part of it was this adventure prep package, and it had wiring harnesses for building out a camper van.
It has an extended-range gas tank. It’s got two batteries under the front driver’s seat, and it has fancy stuff in it, too, like motorized seats and heated seats, and it’s got an upgraded stereo. It has the blackout wheels and the blackout front grill. So again, it was fully loaded, this van, um, and it only had 28,000 miles on it, so it was really incredible that we were able to find it.
So, we’ve only had the van for a couple of weeks, and we were really excited to come out on our first trip. We came out to the Black Rock Desert and it’s the full moon, and we needed a way to sleep in the van. So, Mike came up with this idea.
Basically, I just set up two cots in the back of the van. It’s not perfect, but they still let us store things underneath them, and they provide a double bed inside the van. The kids slept in the Roo-Top Tent on the trailer and provided feedback from there.
-M
It’s modular. It’s minimalist, uh, it’s lightweight, there’s tons of storage, and, uh, it’s actually really comfortable. Van life. Back in my day, they used to call it car camping.
Alright, seriously, though, we have some big plans for this van and some cool ideas on how to turn this into a really great adventure rig for our family. Thanks for joining us.
Happy Trails.
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