Sportsmobile to Sprinter to Transit Trail: Building a Camper Van for Adventure & Hunting

Here’s how Mike Reed created his ideal camper van for hauling dogs and gear, putting in thousands of highway miles at a time, taming unexplored backroads, and serving as a base camp at remote hunting destinations across North America.

He traces his vanlife experiences over the past 15 years as he moved from a Sportsmobile to a Ram ProMaster that was so unreliable he barely mentions it, then to a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Revel he rented, and ultimately to a Ford Transit Trail he built out.

Rather than discussing van life in a romanticized way, Mike looks at the practical realities of using a camper van for hunting and outdoor adventure. He explains the decisions behind his newest van’s layout, and talks about features he likes, things he would change, and how years of experience shaped the philosophy behind his Ford Transit Trail build.