I've been reviewing minivan camper conversion videos on YT for a few months now, especially the Toyota Sienna. Many start off with the sofa-bed conversion designs -- but after a while most eventually abandon the idea of sofa-bed designs because as you well pointed out -- people go camping to be outdoors, and not sit cooped up on a mini sofa inside a minivan or waste time having to set up their beds everyday. Hopefully more people take will note and focus on a high quality bed system design and forget about wasting time, energy, and money on sofa-bed conversion designs. The portable gazebo tents like your Clam Quick tent are an excellent replacement for mini sofas inside minivans (I got myself a Gazelle hexagon gazebo tent). Thanks for updating the ever perfection of your camping rig.
Your channel and ingenuity are unmatched. With my own 2022 Sienna Platinum I'm wondering when you're going to start selling these camping conversion kits to the public? 😂😂
Thank you for watching and your kind comments! I have considered making conversion kits for sale based on my design. After careful consideration, however, I decided not to pursue this idea. The DIY type owners of new Siennas should be able to build their conversions based on my videos showing the structure and parts in detail and my explanations. The kits would have required quite a bit of assembly, some mechanical inclination and standards tools. Many customers would find such assembly difficult and would be frustrated and dissatisfied with the product and me as a seller. Cheers!
For us the Sienna is a great day camper. I liked your bathroom in the back idea so much I have a set up for our car only because around this part of California public restrooms can be either dirty or just closed. Now we can stay out at the beach or the mountains or shopping a lot longer. I know people say we have no bathrooms because of the homeless and stuff but bathrooms are expensive upkeep even for schools so it's more about the money I guess. Then you have two bathrooms men and women so double the coast. I do understand. This idea is actually useful outside of just camping. 😃
Thanks for the update, Tellvia. I have you to thank for the Iceco refrigerator, the 8020 set up in the rear, and the pullout Iceco shelf. I used your ideas to set up the rear of my 2022 Sienna, along with the 1500W Jackery. I set up a solo camper van with a sink, bed and microwave and I hope to have a van build video up sometime this Summer. The biggest hassle with the inverter is remembering to turn the inverter ON in the dash every single time I get back in the car for a drive. So easy to forget hitting that button. Such a bummer to arrive at a camp site and the Jackery is completely dead because I forgot to hit that stupid button. It would be nice if Toyota had an option by which you could set the inverter to automatically come on as soon as you start the van.
Amazing, well thought out video . Oh yea reason I'm here is I was contemplating something similar if I purchase a Toyota Sienna. Currently I do not have any vehicle or home as I recently just lost everything including my home from 2 consecutive hurricanes hitting the Florida Gulf coast. I would have to do something more simple as I would not have any tools. Thankyou .
your setup is so good, and you just keep making it better. super impressive. everytime I watch your videos, I try and figure out which bay area tech company youre a VP at, and how awesome itd be to have you as my boss. but what would be more awesome, is having a sienna hybrid setup like yours.
Thanks for a good layout decsion making. I work as a carpenter and deciding on type of truck or van for a home and the other one for remodeling work. Keep up the good work.
@@mariacruz-tx5mk Hi Maria, thank you for your comment. Here is link to my video where I show the places we visited this year - th-cam.com/video/o0HaZRf--OU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=x4FH6zKynjyqEjOp. Happy travels!
Tellvia, awesome design and execution of the design. I noticed the absence of the microwave and platform behind for your dehydrated foods storage. Has that design been abandoned for some reason? Please keep up the elegant design approach Sir!
Hi Phil, thank you for watching! The microwave idea was intriguing, but for our camping needs it was not very useful for a couple of reasons: first, it was too small and not powerful enough to heat our breakfast food quickly. Boiling water in our 1200W electric kettle or on propane stove is much faster; and, I needed an extra space in the utility area to reorient the port-a-putty as shown in the most recent video. We don’t miss the microwave and are happy with the current design, at least for now 😁. Cheers!
@@johnpauly5524 The microwaves the size that fits in the Sienna are only ~700W max power. Unfortunately we found that it is not fast enough to heat food for two people. Also, the rotating platter in the microwave needs to be secured every time before we drive or it creates horrendous rattle. Removing the microwave allowed me to reconfigure the 3rd row seats area for more space. Our 1200W electric kettle and a gas stove for cooking outside works great for us. Cheers!
Thank you for watching! Here is a link to our Clam Camper on Amazon - CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sky Camper 11.5’ x 11.5’ Pop-Up Outdoor Gazebo Instant Screen Tent 6-Sided Canopy Shelter w/Ground Stakes & Carry Bag, Brown - amzn.to/3wR9ebq. Cheers!
thank you again. i agree with your way of thinking. i wonder how much it will cost to have someone build this kit. one question, i see that you carry several things on your bed when not sleeping/driving. what do you do with them if you need to do stealth parking/sleeping and need to sleep? thank you.
@@steviewonder275 As with all services 80% of the price is labor and 20% raw materials. The total cost of raw materials for my build was about $1500. That’s why I decided to do this myself. To my knowledge, there are no aftermarket camping kits for Hybrid Sienna yet. Regarding the camping gear we carry on the top of the bed - when we camp at campgrounds we set up the tent and keep the gear boxes inside. When we arrive late in the evening we often store the gear next to the van with a tarp over it in case of rain, and setup camp in the morning. Stealth sleeping in urban areas with all that gear inside would thought, as many towns have regulations about sleeping in a vehicle. If you travel light you can store what you bring on the bed for the night in the front seats area. It is surprising how much staff can be packed there. Alternatively, you can have a ready-bed and all your gear inside in a B-Class van, like a Mercedes Sprinter. There are, however, expensive, no-fun to drive and consume twice as much gas. So, sometimes less is more. Cheers!
Thank you for watching! We love our Hybrid Sienna - the combination of 2 electric motors and 4 cylinder gas engine is perfect for moving this van. I never luck the power off the start at intersections since electric motors give instant torque. We would absolutely buy it again. Cheers!
Wow, that is absolutely fantastic design! I just wanna know one thing how did you keep the airbag light off on the dash when you remove the middle row seats thank you again for all of the helpful videos you produce.
Thank you for watching. For safety and liability reasons I do not provide instructions for this step on TH-cam. I recommend you contact an automotive professional to address the issue.
@@ralam7559 Thank you for watching! Here is the link to the tent - CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sky Camper 11.5’ x 11.5’ Pop-Up Outdoor Gazebo Instant Screen Tent 6-Sided Canopy Shelter w/Ground Stakes & Carry Bag, Brown - amzn.to/3WAafxe
Thank you for watching, Gary! The new toilet uses separating sink from the previous build. The previous design was a bit too large to comfortably fit the feet when siting. I had to turn the siting orientation to sideways to solve this and a 5 gal bucket served as the best solution. Cheers!
I've been reviewing minivan camper conversion videos on YT for a few months now, especially the Toyota Sienna. Many start off with the sofa-bed conversion designs -- but after a while most eventually abandon the idea of sofa-bed designs because as you well pointed out -- people go camping to be outdoors, and not sit cooped up on a mini sofa inside a minivan or waste time having to set up their beds everyday. Hopefully more people take will note and focus on a high quality bed system design and forget about wasting time, energy, and money on sofa-bed conversion designs. The portable gazebo tents like your Clam Quick tent are an excellent replacement for mini sofas inside minivans (I got myself a Gazelle hexagon gazebo tent). Thanks for updating the ever perfection of your camping rig.
Your channel and ingenuity are unmatched. With my own 2022 Sienna Platinum I'm wondering when you're going to start selling these camping conversion kits to the public? 😂😂
Thank you for watching and your kind comments! I have considered making conversion kits for sale based on my design. After careful consideration, however, I decided not to pursue this idea. The DIY type owners of new Siennas should be able to build their conversions based on my videos showing the structure and parts in detail and my explanations. The kits would have required quite a bit of assembly, some mechanical inclination and standards tools. Many customers would find such assembly difficult and would be frustrated and dissatisfied with the product and me as a seller. Cheers!
Dude, your awesome !
I love your videoa. I hope Toyota bring back the removable 2nd row seats capability. I think Toyota lost a lot of customers because of it. 😅
i absolutely hate that feature that i can not remove the seat or lay them down. that is one thing i hate about my sienna. you are correct
For us the Sienna is a great day camper. I liked your bathroom in the back idea so much I have a set up for our car only because around this part of California public restrooms can be either dirty or just closed. Now we can stay out at the beach or the mountains or shopping a lot longer. I know people say we have no bathrooms because of the homeless and stuff but bathrooms are expensive upkeep even for schools so it's more about the money I guess. Then you have two bathrooms men and women so double the coast. I do understand. This idea is actually useful outside of just camping. 😃
Love your work! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for the update, Tellvia. I have you to thank for the Iceco refrigerator, the 8020 set up in the rear, and the pullout Iceco shelf. I used your ideas to set up the rear of my 2022 Sienna, along with the 1500W Jackery. I set up a solo camper van with a sink, bed and microwave and I hope to have a van build video up sometime this Summer. The biggest hassle with the inverter is remembering to turn the inverter ON in the dash every single time I get back in the car for a drive. So easy to forget hitting that button. Such a bummer to arrive at a camp site and the Jackery is completely dead because I forgot to hit that stupid button. It would be nice if Toyota had an option by which you could set the inverter to automatically come on as soon as you start the van.
Amazing, well thought out video . Oh yea reason I'm here is I was contemplating something similar if I purchase a Toyota Sienna. Currently I do not have any vehicle or home as I recently just lost everything including my home from 2 consecutive hurricanes hitting the Florida Gulf coast. I would have to do something more simple as I would not have any tools. Thankyou .
your setup is so good, and you just keep making it better. super impressive.
everytime I watch your videos, I try and figure out which bay area tech company youre a VP at, and how awesome itd be to have you as my boss. but what would be more awesome, is having a sienna hybrid setup like yours.
I love it! I just retired and I am ready to travel.
Thanks for a good layout decsion making. I work as a carpenter and deciding on type of truck or van for a home and the other one for remodeling work. Keep up the good work.
Where is it that you go camping very nice on your Toyota Sienna❤😊
@@mariacruz-tx5mk Hi Maria, thank you for your comment. Here is link to my video where I show the places we visited this year - th-cam.com/video/o0HaZRf--OU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=x4FH6zKynjyqEjOp. Happy travels!
Tellvia, awesome design and execution of the design. I noticed the absence of the microwave and platform behind for your dehydrated foods storage. Has that design been abandoned for some reason? Please keep up the elegant design approach Sir!
Hi Phil, thank you for watching! The microwave idea was intriguing, but for our camping needs it was not very useful for a couple of reasons: first, it was too small and not powerful enough to heat our breakfast food quickly. Boiling water in our 1200W electric kettle or on propane stove is much faster; and, I needed an extra space in the utility area to reorient the port-a-putty as shown in the most recent video. We don’t miss the microwave and are happy with the current design, at least for now 😁. Cheers!
@@Tellvia indeed! Good to know. Keep only what is relevant for YOUR needs! 😁
Like watching your videos showing the Sienna…what happened to the microwave and sink you had to the right?
Looked like it would work well…
@@johnpauly5524 The microwaves the size that fits in the Sienna are only ~700W max power. Unfortunately we found that it is not fast enough to heat food for two people. Also, the rotating platter in the microwave needs to be secured every time before we drive or it creates horrendous rattle. Removing the microwave allowed me to reconfigure the 3rd row seats area for more space. Our 1200W electric kettle and a gas stove for cooking outside works great for us. Cheers!
Awesome setup; I agree 100% regarding your setup versus those big(ger) rigs. What is the model of the shelter you set up? Thanks for posting!
Thank you for watching! Here is a link to our Clam Camper on Amazon - CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sky Camper 11.5’ x 11.5’ Pop-Up Outdoor Gazebo Instant Screen Tent 6-Sided Canopy Shelter w/Ground Stakes & Carry Bag, Brown - amzn.to/3wR9ebq. Cheers!
thank you again. i agree with your way of thinking. i wonder how much it will cost to have someone build this kit. one question, i see that you carry several things on your bed when not sleeping/driving. what do you do with them if you need to do stealth parking/sleeping and need to sleep? thank you.
@@steviewonder275 As with all services 80% of the price is labor and 20% raw materials. The total cost of raw materials for my build was about $1500. That’s why I decided to do this myself. To my knowledge, there are no aftermarket camping kits for Hybrid Sienna yet.
Regarding the camping gear we carry on the top of the bed - when we camp at campgrounds we set up the tent and keep the gear boxes inside. When we arrive late in the evening we often store the gear next to the van with a tarp over it in case of rain, and setup camp in the morning. Stealth sleeping in urban areas with all that gear inside would thought, as many towns have regulations about sleeping in a vehicle. If you travel light you can store what you bring on the bed for the night in the front seats area. It is surprising how much staff can be packed there.
Alternatively, you can have a ready-bed and all your gear inside in a B-Class van, like a Mercedes Sprinter. There are, however, expensive, no-fun to drive and consume twice as much gas. So, sometimes less is more. Cheers!
Amazing and well thought out space. Have you found the Sienna 4 cylinder engine adequate for your needs ?
Thank you for watching! We love our Hybrid Sienna - the combination of 2 electric motors and 4 cylinder gas engine is perfect for moving this van. I never luck the power off the start at intersections since electric motors give instant torque. We would absolutely buy it again. Cheers!
Thank you, that’s very helpful.
Wow, that is absolutely fantastic design! I just wanna know one thing how did you keep the airbag light off on the dash when you remove the middle row seats thank you again for all of the helpful videos you produce.
Thank you for watching. For safety and liability reasons I do not provide instructions for this step on TH-cam. I recommend you contact an automotive professional to address the issue.
Where do you find an elasticized, waterproof, protective cover that goes over the entire bed, including the comforter? My dog would like to know.
Here is the link to the cover: amzn.to/40ayzI5 Cheers!
Could you please give a link for tent? Thank you,
@@ralam7559 Thank you for watching! Here is the link to the tent - CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sky Camper 11.5’ x 11.5’ Pop-Up Outdoor Gazebo Instant Screen Tent 6-Sided Canopy Shelter w/Ground Stakes & Carry Bag, Brown - amzn.to/3WAafxe
Hello, are you still using the separator toilet you made? It looks like you have both in this video. Thanks
Thank you for watching, Gary! The new toilet uses separating sink from the previous build. The previous design was a bit too large to comfortably fit the feet when siting. I had to turn the siting orientation to sideways to solve this and a 5 gal bucket served as the best solution. Cheers!