By Jack Roadie | The Drift Most people begin with the visible choices—layout, finishes, the feel of the interior. And they should. A Drifter campervan is meant to be beautiful. But beauty isn’t the finish line—it’s the starting point. What protects that beauty over years of real use is what lies beneath it: the systems plan, service access, fastening methods, and tolerances—details you rarely notice until something rattles, leaks, or fails. That’s why we built Drifter Coachcr

By Sunny lane | From the Drifter Workshop I spent a morning in the Drifter workshop last month, and I'll be honest—I wasn't there to talk about warranties. I was there to watch a build come together. To see the wiring run clean through labeled channels. To watch a cabinet get test-fit, adjusted, and test-fit again. To hear a master builder explain why a particular fastener matters more than the one that looks the same but isn't. And somewhere in that conversation, warranty ca

By Sable Rhodes- The Drift If you’ve financed a car, truck, or traditional RV before, financing a custom campervan  can feel unfamiliar. Owners often ask why banks and credit unions can’t simply offer a standard RV loan—and the answer comes down to how custom vehicles are valued. This article explains why financing a custom campervan is different, how systems like NADA affect lending, and what realistic financing paths look like Luxury custom campervans. Why Custom Campervans

By Paul Domish | The Drift “What’s better for a campervan — Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter?” If you spend any time researching the Ford Transit vs Sprinter camper van  debate online, you’ll see that question everywhere — in forums comment sections, and builder walkthroughs. After reading builder blogs, owner reviews, and spec sheets, a familiar pattern usually emerges: The Sprinter  is often viewed as the premium, diesel touring platform with strong resale value. The Trans

By Paul Domish – The Drift | For those who see life as an adventure in motion Some people take vacations to unwind. Others take journeys to transform. At Drifter, I’ve met people who don’t just dream of adventure — they design their lives around it. More and more, I’m watching future owners use a luxury custom campervan  as a way to explore where they might live next — not by reading reviews or scrolling real-estate sites, but by living the experience firsthand. They wake up

By Paul Domish | Drifter Vans We See It All the Time Someone decides to sell their house to live in a van  and step into a new kind of freedom — a custom-built campervan designed to take them wherever they want to go. It’s bold. It’s exciting. It’s life-changing. But there’s always that awkward middle part — the “where do I live while my van is being built?” phase. It’s a common challenge in the house to vanlife transition . If you’re like some of our clients at Drifter Vans,

Written by Sunny Lane, When Tess started travel nursing in 2015, the adventure was real. New cities, new hospitals, new mountain ranges to explore on her days off. But behind the highlight reel, something important was missing. “Every three to six months I packed up and moved into yet another apartment,” she says. “Furnished with other people’s things, filled with memories that weren’t mine. I loved the adventure of travel nursing, but deep down, I never felt like I had a tru

Transform your adventure dreams into reality with professionally built custom camper vans designed for your unique lifestyle. Based in Detroit, Drifter Vans delivers some of the best custom van conversions in the industry, combining comfort, durability, and off-grid capability with meticulous craftsmanship.

By Sunny Lane | The Drift – Tales from the Road When solo female vanlife traveler Susan Lebold lost her husband to brain cancer in 2018, the life she knew fell away. In just a few short years, she had also said goodbye to her father and mother, and her son had grown and moved on into his own independent life. With the people she loved most now gone, Susan found herself standing at a crossroads—not just of grief, but of identity. "I didn't know how to live as a single, unattac

By Sunny Lane | The Drift – Tales from the Road For Debra Fleeger, healing doesn’t live in one place. It resonates. It travels. It echoes...

By Sunny Lane, for The Drift Not every journey starts with a dramatic leap. Some begin with a slow realization, a whispered idea that keeps circling back until it becomes something real. For Mallory and Matt , that moment happened in 2020. The world was shifting. Their jobs went fully remote. And instead of staying in place, they chose to go—all in. “We figured, if we could work from anywhere,” Mallory said, “why not actually go anywhere?” A Life Built on the Road What began

By Sable Rhodes, for Drifter Vans Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Campervan Interior Design Process Before the first cabinet is built or fabric chosen, the journey of creating a beautiful campervan begins with something deeper—a conversation. For this piece, I spoke with Stephanie , one of our interior designers here at Drifter Vans. She walked me through the thoughtful, personalized process we use to design campervan interiors that are not only beautiful, but functional, durab

Written by Paul Domish | The Drift There’s a moment in nearly every consultation where I can feel the question coming. It doesn’t come fast, or loud, or skeptical. It comes slowly—like a breath held in. A hesitation between someone’s dream and their doubt. “I love your work... but I’m just not sure. You’re so far away.” And I understand. We’ve been taught that trust grows in proximity. That to feel seen, we have to be standing in the same room. That if you can’t shake someone

A New Chapter, Born in Silence She never came into the shop. We spoke over Zoom. A few phone calls. Some late-night emails. She was from a different state—miles away—but her story reached me loud and clear. Thirty years of marriage. Three grown kids. And then, just silence. Not peace. Silence that echoes. That kind of silence. She didn’t say it in so many words, but you could feel the truth between the lines. She had spent most of her life with someone, but not always as  som

Jack Roadie, Chief of Stuff You Actually Need. Why Rear Door Storage Matters in Vanlife Builds There’s a dirty little secret in van building: no matter how clever your layout is, there’s always a few inches of real estate going to waste. One of the worst offenders? The rear door panels . For years, the guys in the shop (and plenty of clients) tried everything—nets, hooks, bungee hacks, even those stretchy hammock things from Amazon. They all worked… sort of. But none of it fe

Written by Tessa Wilde What Full-Time Vanlifers Should Know About Residency, Taxes, and Staying Connected There’s a question nearly every full-time van-lifer asks themselves—sometimes before the first mile, sometimes after their fifth state line: Where do I legally live now? Even if your heart lives on the road, your license, insurance, taxes, and mail still need a legal home base. At Drifter Vans, we’ve walked through this with dozens of clients who’ve left their traditional

Thinking about hitting the road in your dream van but torn between a custom conversion and a pre-manufactured RV? In this post, Kim breaks down the pros and cons—from price and timeline to quality and customization. If you're after a build that feels truly like home and reflects your lifestyle down to the last detail, custom might be your answer. At Driftervans, no two vans are the same—just like no two adventures are.

What if vanlife wasn’t about escape—but about coming home differently? More and more retirees are choosing campervans not to travel far, but to stay close. Whether it’s visiting family without being a burden or showing up for life’s big (and small) moments, a custom van offers freedom, comfort, and connection. At Drifter Vans, we design “rolling guest rooms” that help you be present—on your own terms.

A portable composting toilet is a game-changer for van life—clean, eco-friendly, and off-grid ready. It’s low-maintenance, odor-resistant, and eliminates the need for black tanks or public restrooms. For those seeking freedom, privacy, and practicality on the road, it’s one of the smartest upgrades you can make.

A custom camper van is more than a vehicle—it’s an investment in freedom, comfort, and how you live. Built around your needs and style, every detail is purposeful. Unlike off-the-shelf options, a custom build offers true functionality, lasting quality, and the freedom to roam—your way.