The company that designed this luxury $290,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter camper van has a 9-month waitlist - see inside the Elevate
Brittany Chang
The Elevate camper van.Outside Van
- Custom camper van maker Outside Van unveiled a 170-inch Mercedes-Benz Sprinter camper that's valued at around $290,000: the Elevate.
- The Elevate has two showers, a kitchen, two beds, a six-person dinette, a lounge area, a toilet, and a robust speaker system.
- The van was purchased by "one of Hollywood's most popular actors" about four days after the company unveiled the build, Outside Van's marketing and creative director Brian Jagodnik told Business Insider in an email interview.
- The custom camper van maker currently has a nine-month waitlist for vans that haven't been produced yet.
- Outside Van's wait time has only been increasing as van life continues to skyrocket in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Jagodnik.
Custom camper van maker Outside Van unveiled the Elevate, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based camper van for about $290,000 that has been purchased by a famous actor.
Like other companies that specialize in road travel, Outside Van has been seeing success during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the company's marketing and creative director Brian Jagodnik, the camper van maker currently has a nine-month waitlist for vans that haven't been produced yet, and this wait time has only been increasing as #VanLife continues to skyrocket in popularity.
As a camper van conversion company, Outside Van isn't alone in this sales boost. Earlier on in the coronavirus pandemic, several camper van makers started seeing an increase in client inquiries and sales as more people started road tripping instead of taking flights and cruises.
Despite Outside Van's growing waitlist, the company - which only creates custom builds - isn't going to amp up staff or production efforts.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
"You're designing a van conversion from scratch and the process shouldn't be rushed," Jagodnik wrote in an email interview with Business Insider. "Since quality is our number one focus, hurrying production or hiring more staff to speed up production isn't in the cards."
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Jagodnik predicts van life will continue its upwards climb in popularity, even after the coronavirus pandemic is over.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
"Demand will continue to rise as adventuring in a van is one's opportunity to simplify, get away, and connect on a personal level with friends and family," Jagodnik wrote.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Besides the general increase in build demands, the company has also noticed other unique trends, specifically with amenity requests.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
For example, over the past year, Outside Van has seen more requests for off-grid capable vans with additional power, solar energy, and secondary alternators.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The Elevate includes all of these highly requested systems with its two 240-amp hour AGM batteries, a 2,000-watt inverter …
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
... a secondary alternator that charges while the van is idling or driving, and 225 watts of solar energy.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
These power systems help supply energy to multiple components of the tiny home on wheels, which sits inside of a 170-inch high roof 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The company went with a 170-inch, four-wheel-drive Sprinter chassis to create a van that could go off-grid in places where drivers are more likely "to get in some sticky situations," according to Jagodnik.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The van's roughly $290,000 price includes the price of the Sprinter chassis.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
According to Jagodnik, the van was purchased by "one of Hollywood's most popular actors" about four days after Outside Van unveiled the build.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Besides hitting the highly requested power amenities, the Elevate served as Outside Van's latest research and design and demo van to test new amenities, according to Jagodnik.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
In total, Elevate was designed in six months and took between four to five months to build.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
According to Jagodnik, the half-year design phase had a longer time frame than usual due to the van's new components and layout.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The new features that were tested in the Elevate include its heated floors, a hinged bed system, a rear ladder for bikes …
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
… a new rear bumper, and a wireless router that can supply service to several devices.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The tiny home on wheels also has a wireless charging area for smartphones.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The company normally builds its demo vans for a target demographic, but this time, Jagodnik says the Elevate can be used by a wide segment of customers due to its flexible layout.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
In terms of the floor plan, the shower and kitchen are at the front of the van, and the dinette and sleeping areas are towards the back.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Starting with the back of the van: the new hinged bed system can sleep two with the help of dual side flares that extend the width of the van.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
This system, accompanied by the convertible dinette bed, allows the van to sleep up to three people.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
When the secondary lower bed is in its dinette seating mode, the space can seat up to six people.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The dinette seating area also has a hidden storage system that tucks away the 2.6-gallon portable toilet, according to Outside Van's YouTube video tour of the Elevate.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Source: YouTube
If there are only two travelers, the third passenger seat can be removed and replaced with an additional lounge seating unit.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Elevate's kitchen setup includes an electric stovetop, a pull-out refrigerator, storage units ...
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
… a sink, and a drawer that holds a separate propane stovetop for outdoor cooking,
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The kitchen also has built-in speakers and a table that can extend outside the van for said outdoor cooking.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Besides the kitchen speakers, the van also has a robust audio system with subwoofers, tweeters, and midrange speakers.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
There's also an interior shower that can be used as an additional storage unit when not in use …
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
… although there are other storage systems throughout the van, including the "stuff sacks" on the rear door, cabinets, and under-bed storage.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
For those who'd rather clean off outside, Outside Van also included an exterior shower.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The showers and kitchen sink source its water from the van's 19-gallon fresh water tank.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
For winter trips, the Elevate has the new heated flooring system and window coverings that help further insulate the tiny home on wheels.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
The exterior of the van has also been upgraded with accessories like a rear step bumper, utility ladders, an awning, a combo roof rack and light bars, and more.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
To improve drive comfort, Outside Van included Agile Off Road's ride improvement package that upgrades the van's suspension.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
Overall, the Elevate camper van is good for both weekenders and longer journeys during coronavirus-related lockdowns, according to Jagodnik.
The Elevate camper van.
Outside Van
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