Van Manual
We hope this section gives you all the guidance you need to smoothly operate our camper vans without any issues. We walk through each bullet during handover.
Driving
Vehicle height: With the roof rack, the van measures 9’ 8’’ in height. That means that you will not be able to go through most drive throughs or tight overpasses, so please always be mindful about height!
Fuel: Fuelling up is easy, the tank cap is on the driver side, right behind the driver door. Open the door, open the little cover and unscrew the cap. Diesel only please!
The vehicle also requires DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid). You will see an indicator bar in the front screen, indicating DEF levels. You only need to replenish DEF every few thousand miles and we always top off before you pick up, so it is unlikely that you will have to refill this while you are on your trip.
Tire pressure: You should not have to worry about tire pressure, we check it before each rental but just in case, keep the front tires at 52psi, the rear tires at 70psi.
Maximum speed: Please do not exceed 80 MPH at any time. It is for your own safety.
4x4: One of the major appeals of a smaller, more agile camper van (compared to a large class A, class B RV) is the ability to drive on well maintained dirt roads in the wilderness. Camping on BLM lands is 100% legal. However, please know that your Outdoorsy Insurance Plan does not cover any damages that happen off-road.
Tips to drive safely on well maintained dirt roads:Drive slowly <35 mph to avoid unexpected pot holes and turns and pay attention at all times.
Turn on the vehicle’s 4x4 by stopping the vehicle, switching to ‘N’ or ‘P’ and pushing the button to the right of the steering wheel showing a drive train. A red light will indicate 4x4 is active and will improve traction on uneven, steep roads.
If you drive through sand, snow or uneven terrain, switch from 4x4 high range to low range by stopping the vehicle, switching to ‘N’ or ‘P’ and pushing the button showing a vehicle on an upward incline. Low range indicator text will appear in the driver panel and you will notice slower but more powerful/higher torque acceleration of the vehicle. This reduces tire spin and maximizes traction and stability.
DO NOT exceed 25mph in 4x4 low range (if you can drive that fast, you should turn off 4x4 low). To turn off 4x4 low range, bring the vehicle to a stop, switch to ‘N’ or ‘P’ and press the low range button again. Driver panel text should indicate that ‘Low range is off’.
Turn off 4x4 when you get back to the regular road surface by bringing the vehicle to a stop, switching to ‘N’ or ‘P’ and pressing the 4x4 button (drive train icon).
Center console controls: The various Mercedes vehicle controls/buttons are pretty straightforward and we will go over them in our hand over, incl cruise control, audio, climate control, etc. Feel free to use the Mercedes navigation system. You can also plug in your phone and connect it through Google play. That way, you have access to your google map/spotify etc.
Front seats: You can adjust both driver and passenger seats to your needs and swivel them.
Indoor / Systems
Cab storage: The large shelf above the driver/passenger seats holds the induction stove top, cleaning supplies, a mini-library, 2 ipad mounts and a first aid / survival kit.
Fan/Air circulation: The overhead fan can be controlled manually or via remote (black, mounted to the right of the sliding door). We typically operate the fan on ‘air out’ to reduce condensation and stuffiness in the van. Also experiment with opening the sliding windows in the center and rear of the van on both sides to create air flow.
Electrical system/control: The van is equipped with an auxiliary 210Ah Li-Ion battery pack which powers the lights (~4A), fridge (~2A), vent and heater fans (~3A), microwave (~40A), induction stove top (~40A) and anything plugged into the 12V or 110V inverted outlets. The battery is charged via solar panels on the roof, the car engine / alternator and via shore power (ie hooking the van up to an outlet). Normal day to day use (ie lights, cooking, charging phones, etc) does not deplete the battery beyond what gets replenished via solar/driving but be mindful of longer usage of the heavy Amp devices (esp. microwave, stove top and portable shower heater).
A control panel in the galley kitchen will show you current battery charge levels and voltage. If the voltage drops below 13V it is time to turn on the engine and/or move to a sunny spot).
Also bear in mind that the car’s native electrical system (ie all the USB-C outlets in the front cab) are separate from the auxiliary battery system, ie those native ones only have power if the engine is on.Lighting: There are lighting controls for the overhead lights and kitchen lights on the black control panel. The overhead lights can also be controlled from a switch to the right of the sliding side door and a small control panel on the driver side of the upper bed.
Tables: Each van has 2 Lagun tables which can be mounted to the left of the galley (ie in front of the bench), to the right of the galley (ie between driver/passenger seat) or extending outside the open side door (via removable mount). When not in use, the 2 tables can be stored between the galley and the driver’s seat. Please make sure it is secured safely whilst driving.
Galley sink: The van is equipped with a small sink which is fed from a 15 gallon fresh water tank. Make sure to turn on the water pump on the control panel at the front of the galley kitchen. The water drains into a 5 gallon grey water tank with an overflow valve. To avoid grey water draining on your campsite, make sure to dump/drain regularly while on the road. No food/oil or any other beverages down the drain please! Grey water only!
Cooking: The van comes equipped with full kitchenware in the upper cabinets (plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, pots/pans, bottle/can opener, fresh coffee press, etc).
To cook inside, plug in the induction stove top into the outlet to the left of the galley (make sure to turn on the inverter on the black control panel) and place it on the Lagun table mounted to the left of the galley. Induction requires special cookware, so please only use the red cookware provided in the overhead cabinets. NO frying in the van please! Use our outdoor 2-burner gas grill instead.
To operate the microwave, turn on the inverter on the black control panel.
The temperature of the fridge can be adjusted via a small dial inside.Heater: The heater runs off of the car’s diesel supply, you must have at least ¼ in the tank for it to operate and it consumes ~0.5 gal per night. Control the heater from the black control panel, you can turn it on/off and set the temperature and run time. If the car is parked at an incline, it is possible that the diesel intake for the heater runs dry and it fails to heat, so try to park on a flat surface if you need to run the heat at night.
Night time lower bed conversion: We love everything about our vans… except the bed conversion :). It is the best system we have found to safely seat and sleep 5+ passengers but it is a little cumbersome, especially the first time you do it. Below are detailed step-by-step instructions to minimize the frustration. We have also color coded some of the levers/segments to make it easier:
Unplug everything from the outlets to the left of the galley.
Remove everything from the bench.
Pull bench forward by lifting the long horizontal lever underneath.
Lift headrest up about 2 inches where pins will lock, push little release buttons to unlock pins to release headrest completely.
Slowly pull out seat belts to lay headrest onto bench
Slowly remove seat belts over the side of the headrest and allow to completely retract. If seat belts were already on the lower level, ignore this step.
Lay headrest on top bed temporarily.
Pull the green release lever on the passenger side of the bench and lift up the front segment to upright position, ie the bench seat with green tape on holding strap.
Pull the red release lever and push down the mid segment (bench back rest with red tape on holding strap) to horizontal position. Make sure the seat belt buckles are flat against the cushion.
Find the long strap on the left side of the rear segment (blue tape), hold it and pull the blue release lever to lower the rear segment to a horizontal position. Make sure that you remove the folding tables from the rear storage area first!
Push back the entire bench using the horizontal lever underneath.
Pull the green release lever and lower the front segment down to a horizontal position.
Even out all segments using the respective release levers to ensure a flat surface.
There are 2 options for storing the headrest.
Extend lower bed: If you want to extend the lower bed towards the back, place the headrest in the cargo area on top of the rear fender boxes (red lids). Make sure the pins face to the front and to the bottom of the vehicle.
Store headrest in the front cab: Find and fully loosen the mounting straps in the front cab (mounted O-rings on the ceiling in the front cab). Strap around the headrest and tighten to suspend the headrest.
Move the memory foam topper to the right position and pull the fitted sheet over the lower bed cushion edges and corners for a snug fit.
Move sleeping bags/pillows, etc from top to bottom bed.
Morning bed conversion:
Flatten and zip up the top bed.
Clear bottom bed.
Untuck fitted sheet from bed cushions only (leave sheet on foam topper).
Fold or roll up the foam mattress to tug in later.
If the headrest is located on the rear fender boxes, temporarily place it on the top bed.
Pull up the rear segment using the blue release lever and long blue strap. The topper goes between the rear and the mid segment.
Pull up the mid segment using the red release lever and short red strap. Be careful not to step on black surface underneath the mid segment.
Place the headrest on the front segment with pins facing backward, individual headrests facing down.
Slowly feed seatbelts around the side of the headrest or leave on the lower level.
Slowly lift the headrest and feed pins into appropriate slots.
Pull seat belt buckles up and temporarily flip to the side to avoid burying them under the front segment (bench seat). The center seat buckle needs to be held up while flipping the front segment back into position.
Pull up the front segment (bench seat) using the green release lever and short green strap.
Lower headrest all the way down
Angle mid section (back rest) all the way back (using red release lever).
Privacy/insulation shades: When you are not by yourself in the wild or if it is cold at night, you may want to cover the windows with our black privacy/insulation shades.
You will find the insulation shades in the cargo area underneath the upper bed (in a cargo net). You can pull them out from the back (cargo area) or from the front area as soon as you convert the back bench to a bed.
Each window has a cover, make sure the labels and the OHV icon are facing upward to help identify which shade goes where. The shades either attach with velcro or with magnets. For the front windshield covers, position, then flip down both sun visors to hold the shades in place. If not in use, the shades can be stored below the upper bed in the large cargo net and secured with a carabiner. Some insulation shades are labeled to help find the right spot.
Outdoor / Campsite
Side door: The side door has to be opened/closed manually. It is quite heavy, so smaller kids might have trouble closing it completely as it requires quite an energetic pull.
Entering the van at camp: Our family rule is that no shoes shall pass the threshold of the side door, i.e. strict shoes off policy. We keep the large outdoor mat spread out right in front of the side door and the kids can easily sit on the side door steps when taking off their shoes. This is your trip, so you do you... we have just found that this really helps to keep the inside of the van clean. It gets very messy, very quickly otherwise ;). There is also a shoe rack organizer mounted on the bottom of the back seat.
Roundhouse Tarp: Our Rental includes a Roundhouse Tarp that can be used as an awning attached to the van or standalone to provide more shade at your campsite. You will find the User Manual with instructions of the Roundhouse Tarp in this binder and attached to the tarp.
Water tank: The inlet for the fresh water tank is on the driver side, just attach a hose to fill up the tank. Once the fresh water tank is full, water will drain automatically from an overflow tube close to the water inlet. Make sure to close the fresh water drain valve (blue lever) as well as the grey water drain valve (red lever). Both valves are located under the vehicle on the driver side further towards the rear wheel. The water hose can be found in the cargo area on the passenger side. To dump the grey water, open the grey water drain valve (red lever).
Shore power: If you are at a campground or have access to an outlet overnight, we highly encourage you to plug in the van via shore power inlet on the driver side rear of the vehicle. Use the yellow power cord found in the cargo area on the passenger side.
Rear storage: While space in the interior of the van is limited, there is ample storage space in the rear. We use 4 sturdy totes with yellow lids to store what you may need on the road. The totes are positioned on a solid tray which can be pulled out by pushing down the small red levers on each side of the tray.
Tote ‘Campsite/Outdoor cooking’ (27 gal) contains a dual flame propane cooker, 3 propane canisters, collapsible dish washing tubs, dish washing soap, grilling equipment and 4 thin sleeping bags/blankets which you can use if it gets chilly at the campfire. This tote also contains the yellow power cord for shore power connection and a water hose.
Tote ‘Your stuff’ (27 gal) is empty, so please use it as you see fit.
Tote ‘Food / pantry’ (22 gal) is empty and can be used to store your dry goods/pantry/food items that don’t require refrigeration.
Tote ‘Campsite/Chairs’ (22 gal) contains 6 camp chairs, a tarp, a small hatchet and gloves for firewood, firestarters, a large 8x10 outdoor mat and a small bamboo door/shower mat.
2 folding tables provide a cooking / dining surface at camp.
A blue 5 gallon water canister is a helpful addition to the van’s fresh water tank, especially for outdoor cooking and doing the dishes. We typically set it up on one of the folding tables outside.
Camper leveler: The levelers are located in the rear wheel box on the driver side. Please feel free to use them.
For your safety
Please DO NOT exceed the maximum speed limit of 80 MPH at any time
Please be careful with the rear doors, especially with kids. Due to the mounted spare wheel and carrier, the doors are heavy and can fall shut when the vehicle is parked at an angle or under windy conditions.
Please be careful that no child falls off the top bed when the rear doors are open.
Please be careful on the roof rack. No running, jumping, messing around… it is a deep plunge from up there! Also please don’t step on the solar panels.
A first aid kit and additional bandages are located in the cab storage on the passenger's side
A fire extinguisher and a carbon monoxide detector are located on the bottom back side of the passenger's seat.
A basic tool box can be found in the passenger side, rear wheel box under the red lid. If you run into any significant mechanical problems, please try to contact us first, then ping roadside assistance. If you are out in the wild without cell reception, use your best judgement - you got this :).
In the unlikely event that your car battery is depleted and the car won’t start, you can jumpstart the car battery with the auxiliary battery. To do so, press the switch to the right of the steering wheel labeled ‘Jump’, wait briefly, then attempt to start the car again.
If you happen to get pulled over by police, the vehicle registration is in this folder.
Please respect speed limits and traffic rules. All speeding/parking tickets during the rental time must be paid by the renter.
Do NOT drive our van on the Bonneville Salt Flats, The Burning Man and DO NOT drive across any border line such as to Mexico or Canada.
