V&M Van Life

Once upon a time, a mechanic suggested that his wife’s tiny living dreams could be met inside a Sprinter Van. The Canadian Camper Van community inspired that couple to found Ray Outfitted and #vanlife allowed them to spend two years traveling coast to coast in Canada, building their Canadian Camper Van and Mobile Upfit company. As of June 2020 Raynor Vickers and Madison McNair (V&M) operate a purpose built van build shop centrally located in Ontario.

Scroll on to see the van Ray outfitted for his wife. use the links below to learn more about Ray Outfitted, the company:

NOTE: Below documents the first layout of our personal van. It has been renovated to include a couch, heated floors, off grid 12V air conditioning and an espresso machine. Video above gives a quick tour.

Our Chosen Van: 2017 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 170WB Full Height

Our Personal Interior Priorities: No propane or additional fuel sources, fixed queen bed, desktop workstation, ample storage, ability to carry bicycles & winter gear.

Our Personal Exterior Priorities: Tiltable Solar Array, Ability to Carry Adventure Bike and/or tow.

DIY Camper Layout

Van Life Safety - It is essential to remember at the end of the day, these are vehicles. Household standards do not apply particularly in electrical, water and some of the fundamentals behind insulation. Upfits needs to be removable, repairable and all contents must be secured in case of accidents.

Canadian Winter Van Life - Canadian vanlifers know it’s very difficult to escape all cold weather. Unlike our Southern Friends and the Land Down Under - Canadians have to prepare for freezing temperatures. Insulation, heat sources, placement of water tanks and batteries — all need special consideration thanks to the climate of Canada. Solar panels do less work in our Northern region but tilt and movable panels can provide some compensation if desired or required. Vanlife Ontario - Coast to coast in Canada, there are different climates that come with their own challenges and benefits. van life in Ontario, in our personal experience, is the most demanding. From the arctic cold, wind chill, and wide spread winter closures to the high humidity heat and tourism boom of the summer - we find Ontario has tested our camper the most. West Coast and Atlantic Canada Vanlife brings a unique challenge when you reach the wet and rainy coastal region where it can rain for weeks on end. We hurricane tested our van in Cape Breton summer 2019 with Hurricane Dorian.

• V&M’s Canadian Four Season Van Build - ORIGINAL - Van Renovated Summer 2021

  • Two Swivel Seats

  • Full queen size, fixed bed

  • Full length closet

  • Heating & Cooling:

    • Espar D2 Diesel heater

    • 2 MaxxAir Fans, 3 internal fans

  • "Garage":

    • 30 gallon RV water tank with an added 3 gallon 12V hot water tank

    • Two mountain bikes on custom slide out drawer

    • Tool drawer for van maintenance

    • House electrical setup

  • Kitchen is all electric

    • Induction cooktop

    • Instant Pot

    • Electric toaster, kettle and milk frother/steamer

    • Chest style slide out fridge

    • 12V 3 gallon hot water tank

  • Home Office / Workstation:

    • Ultra Wide Screen monitor on pivot mount

    • Liquid cooled desktop computer

    • WeBoost to improve cellphone reception

    • WiFi Antenna to increase WiFi connectivity range

  • Composting Toilet

    • Installed on slide out tracks, stores under platform bed

  • Electrical System:

    • 960 Watt Assisted Lift, Tiltable Solar Array

    • Started with three 200ah AGM batteries, replaced with 700ah of lithium after 14 months

    • 70amp MPPT charge controller

    • 3000w Pure Sine Inverter/Charger

    • Battery to Battery Charger replaced with lithium alternator relay

    • Electronic charging drawer for personal devices

    • Added Victron Battery Monitor after 14 months

Where’s your windows?! We didn’t add windows to our Sprinter for several reasons but it’s personal preference. In our first two years on the road, one time we seriously considered adding a bunk window in the bed area - Madison was recovering from abdominal surgery and confined to bed for a few long days. The benefits of not having any windows ultimately continues to outweigh the benefits of having windows for us but that isn’t the case for everyone.

Sprinter Camper Van Conversion in Canada
Ray Outfitted