The tiny house trend is sweeping the globe as modern homeowners choose to shun material possessions in favor of mobility and lower living costs. Most of these homes look like miniature versions of the houses you might see on the street — except for this one.
BASF and Hymer recently partnered up to turn a Sprinter van into a tiny home, and the way it turned out will have you signing up to order one of your own.
Based on a Sprinter Van
From the outside, this comfy tiny home looks like every other Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van on the road today. You’ve probably seen one in the last 24 hours, branded as a delivery truck. It even looks like a Sprinter at its core — for a little bit. The doors, headlights and grille are all the same ones you’d find on any one of these vans on a Mercedes lot.
From there, BASF and Hymer moved the windshield forward to create more room within the van. They also reworked the hood, canopy and A-pillar to better accommodate its new life as a tiny home.
The canopy was replaced with an inflatable sleeping roof that makes room for a “second-story” bedroom. It’s tied into the van’s air conditioning system, so depending on the weather outside, the passengers can fill it with heated or cooled air.
The van is equipped with a four-wheel-drive system, so you can enjoy it on or off-road. You don’t have to worry about getting stuck while you seek your perfect camping spot.
Everything Does More Than One Job
If you look inside a standard Sprinter van, you’ll probably find shelves, tool racks or additional seating, depending on what it’s used for. Sprinters are popular for small businesses because of their reliability and versatility. They have more than 560 cubic feet of cargo space and the capability of hauling more than 6,700 pounds. That is what made it ideal for this tiny home project.
The trick with tiny homes is that you have to make the most of your available space. Looking at this Sprinter as it drives down the highway, you wouldn’t think it’s got a lofted bedroom, a kitchen, bathroom with shower, pull-out patio and barbeque grill. There’s also enough storage for your belongings in the steps that lead up to the inflatable sleeping space. The kitchen table folds into the wall, and in the bathroom, you can fold away the sink to give yourself plenty of room to shower.
If you saw this tiny home from the inside first, you’d never guess it was built inside a work van.
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We Want One
While this tiny home is a proof of concept and won’t be something you see on a Mercedes lot, we have one thing to say about this design. If they ever start mass-producing these Sprinter tiny homes, sign us up! We would love to travel the country in something comfortable enough to call home, but small enough that we can pull it into a regular parking space at the grocery store.
About the Author: Scott Huntington is a writer from Harrisburg, PA who covers all things tech and automotive. Check out his site offthethrottle.com or find him on Twitter @SMHuntington.
