We’re continuing to share the conversion of our 2010 Ford Transit Connect into a camper van. In this installment, we’re detailing the design and execution of our “Storage” components in the camper van retrofit.

If you missed it, you can check out all our van life posts here, including the electrical system and powered amenities we added.

✅ If you’re short on time, you can jump to the materials and products we used to complete Dolly’s conversion, check out the full list here.

✅ Ready to DIY a camper van conversion of your own, just like Dolly? Click here to purchase our custom Ford Transit Connect Camper Van Conversion Build & Electrical Plans.

For van storage, there are two obvious components: Interior and Exterior.

Exterior Storage

For exterior storage, we chose a roof rack system with hard shell box. There are a ton of exterior options on the market, but the van was purchased with an existing Thule rack installed, so we were able to, fairly easily, retrofit a less expensive Thule alternative.

For an exterior storage box, we selected the SportRack Horizon Cargo Box. Mainly, this exterior storage space will be used for bulkier gear like camp chairs, extra linens and overflow personal items.

Van Conversion Interior Storage

On the inside of the van, John really showed off his woodworking skills!

First, he constructed a base out of Birch plywood. As we had no intention of painting the wood (only sealing with polyurethane), birch was chosen specifically for its beautiful color and grain.

The base, which is the underlying structure of the bed platform and drawers, was constructed outside of the van and slide into place.

The base structure includes five storage zones: Passenger A (accessible from the left sliding door), Passenger B (accessible from the right sliding door), shoe/toiletry/firewood cubbie (accessible on both sides), side cubbies next to the mattress and three drawers at the rear of the van for kitchen storage.

We were able to maximize the kitchen storage by making these drawer slides very long, which utilizes all of the otherwise “lost” space under the mattress platform. We’ve included the drawer slide lengths and sources below.

Van Conversion Drawer Slides

For the drawers, John used heavy duty drawer slides.

• Clothing drawers he used these 22” slides which are sold in a pack of 5

• Kitchen drawers he used these 40” slides with 150lb load capacity

• Fridge drawer he used these 28” slides

With the under-structure in place, the mattress base was added on top. In order to accommodate a nearly queen sized mattress in our camper van conversion, a hinged extension was added which folds when not in use.

With the extension down, the mattress can be rolled out into “sleep mode” and while the extension is stored, the seats can move back into “drive mode”. We’ll share more details about this in our next post about Comfort.

With all of the base structure complete, John made custom cubbies on both sides of the mattress area, to be used as personal storage while inside the van. These are so handy when the van is in “sleep mode” and are perfect for items you’d usually have bedside like a book or water bottle.

Every inch of storage space counts in van life and here is one of my favorite details: a shoe cubbie! We lined this small space, behind the seats, with rubber mats and created the perfect spot for dirty hiking boots and sneakers. Alternatively, this space worked well for toiletries and firewood while we were moving between campsites.

So, do you think you’d have enough space for all your stuff inside the van?

Stay tuned for our next Van Life post, all about the comfort amenities we added during the retrofit!

In the meantime, you can checkout all the sourced materials for Dolly’s retrofit here.

✅ Ready to DIY a camper van conversion of your own, just like Dolly’s? Click here to purchase our custom Ford Transit Connect Camper Van Conversion Build & Electrical Plans.