Nomad Vanz is a custom outfitter based in North Vancouver, Canada. Specializing only in the Mercedes Sprinter and Metris vans, they offer a huge amount of customization for your cycling, skiing, camping, and earth-roaming adventures. They have different upgrade levels from $50,000 to $150,000 or more – depending on what you want and how long you’ll be off-the-grid.
For this installment of #Vanlife, we interviewed Reuben Wertz from Nomad Vanz. While they are far from cheap, Nomad offers some really detailed and customized options for your van conversion. Want to camp? Mountain bike? Ski? All-of-the-above… for six months straight? Go for it. They have both 2wd and 4wd options, and can accommodate up to four bikes inside (plus the obvious option for a hitch rack to greatly expand that capacity).
BIKERUMOR: How long has your company been in business converting vans into campers and Adventure Vans?
NOMAD VANZ: The first van was converted over 10 years ago.
BIKERUMOR: What makes a Nomad Vanz van unique from others on the market?
NOMAD: Industry-leading design and innovation.
BIKERUMOR: Which types of vans or other vehicles do you convert?
NOMAD: We only convert the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter / Metris.
BIKERUMOR: What are two or three of your most popular INTERIOR upgrades?
NOMAD: 1) Maximum use of space with all the creature comforts, 2) modern and bright colored aesthetics that are durable and easy to keep clean, and 3) a roomy interior feel.
Nomad Vanz has bridged technologies found in the marine industry and used them in van builds – from fasteners to LED light fixtures, to lithium battery builds, to water filtration and heating / electrical systems.
BIKERUMOR: What are two or three of your most popular EXTERIOR upgrades?
NOMAD: The Nomad Vanz “Oasis” [which features] the Talking Head Tire Carrier, the “Mother Ship” 175 litre fresh water tank, and the Rain Closet indoor/outdoor shower. [We also have a] partnership with ROAMBUILT exterior accessories, and a partnership with Agile Off Road RIP Suspension kit upgrades.
BIKERUMOR: When it comes to bikes, what’s the best way you’ve found to get them inside the van? How many can you typically fit inside?
NOMAD: The Nomad Vanz gear garage fits four bikes in-between the wheel arches using our Nomad Vanz Fork Kits.
BIKERUMOR: What are two or three pieces of advice you give potential customers when they’re trying to figure out what features they need?
NOMAD: The #1 thing is to check out our Discover Page to see all of the different features.
BIKERUMOR: What’s the most basic package you offer? How much does that cost?
NOMAD: For full custom conversions, we offer two levels of builds: The Canuck Build and then our Premium Nomad Vanz Signature Builds. The Canuck Build starts at $65K USD (without the van).
BIKERUMOR: What’s the most outrageous build you’ve done and how much did that cost?
NOMAD: The Nomad Vanz Premium Builds for the 144 and 170-inch wheelbase begin at $120,000 USD. We do not detail what client projects cost. Our personal showcase van called “Out Of The Blue” has been used to feature industry leading design and innovations. Many of [that particular van’s] features are a first in the van building industry in North America. A 170″ Premium build like the OOTB would start at $150K USD [plus the van].
BIKERUMOR: Do you do much custom work? Or do you sell mostly stock packages?
NOMAD: We are a 100% custom van outfitter.
BIKERUMOR: Can someone bring their used van in for an upfit? Or do you prefer to work exclusively on new vans?
NOMAD: Although we prefer to work on a Sprinter fresh from the dealer, we also work on used Sprinters.
