Beluga · Sprinter 170

The Story

The owners gave us a list of places this van had to feel at home: the parking lot at the bottom of a ski hill, a family driveway across the country, and the end of a mountain bike trail in the Pacific Northwest. That is a tall order for one vehicle, so we started with a 2023 Sprinter 170 with all-wheel drive and built Beluga to keep up with all of it.

Power was the backbone of the brief. Beluga charges three ways: 30 amp shore power, 350 watts of solar with MPPT control plus additional hood-mounted panels, and a Wake Speed 280XP secondary alternator that tops up the 600Ah lithium bank while you drive. A Victron 3000 watt pure sine inverter and full digital monitoring run the house. For the cold months, a Bison 2000 diesel air heater warms the cabin, the 15-gallon grey tank is insulated and heated so the plumbing keeps working when the weather does not cooperate, and an Isotemp Spa water heater keeps hot water on tap for the 24 by 42 inch wet bath and its Nebia shower system.

Inside, walnut countertops sit on laminated three-quarter inch Baltic birch cabinetry with a Rubio Monocoat finish, and the galley runs an induction cooktop, an Isotherm 85 fridge and freezer, a microwave, and a Lagun table that swings into place wherever you need more counter. Zoned LED puck lights with under-cabinet and toe-kick lighting handle the evenings. Outside is a full kit: Owl Vans rear tire carrier, Van Compass suspension and leveling kit, Flatline Van Co roof rack, Flarespace flares so the bed sleeps sideways, Baja Designs lighting, Backland Expedition rock sliders, Starlink internet, and paint-matched Rock-Liner to shrug off the gravel.