Outdoors

Lava Flow adventure van hauls bikes, sleeps bikers

Lava Flow adventure van hauls bikes, sleeps bikers
Portland's Outside Van shows the newly arrived Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 some love
Portland's Outside Van shows the newly arrived Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 some love
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Tinted driver and passenger windows are part of the package
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Tinted driver and passenger windows are part of the package
The Lava Flow has two LED light bars in front
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The Lava Flow has two LED light bars in front
The Lava Flow will get you there and let you spend the night
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The Lava Flow will get you there and let you spend the night
Portland's Outside Van shows the newly arrived Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 some love
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Portland's Outside Van shows the newly arrived Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 some love
Outside Van's Lava Flow makes the Sprinter 4x4 even more fun
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Outside Van's Lava Flow makes the Sprinter 4x4 even more fun
Included LED load lights help you see inside the load area in the dark
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Included LED load lights help you see inside the load area in the dark
The Lava Flow also includes a snow shield curtain
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The Lava Flow also includes a snow shield curtain
The Lava Flow is designed to haul all kinds of gear - dirt bikes, mountain bikes, paddleboards, etc.
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The Lava Flow is designed to haul all kinds of gear - dirt bikes, mountain bikes, paddleboards, etc.
The Lava Flow has high-density vinyl floor, interweave side and headliner fabric and snap-in curtains
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The Lava Flow has high-density vinyl floor, interweave side and headliner fabric and snap-in curtains
Outside Van Lava Flow
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Outside Van Lava Flow
The Lava Flow has a fold-up platform bed and plenty of storage space
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The Lava Flow has a fold-up platform bed and plenty of storage space
Rear door stuff sacks
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Rear door stuff sacks
Rolling out to adventure...
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Rolling out to adventure...
Outside Van Lava Flow
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Outside Van Lava Flow
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The North American arrival of the Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 has been making an impact on the camper van market with the likes of the Sportsmobile Sprinter 4x4 and Winnebago Era 4x4. Portland-based Outside Van has taken delivery of its first Sprinter 4x4s and has created the Lava Flow, a light camper van with loads of interior space dedicated to hauling sports gear into and out of the wild. It's a van for the full-time adventurer or weekend warrior who doesn't need all the weight and bulk of a fully equipped camper.

Outside Van was founded with the aim of delivering customized vans built to roam on and off the grid in search of surf breaks, fresh powder, and other bits and pieces of Mother Nature's benevolence. The company has a deep list of options and works to detail each project to the customer's every need and whim.

One of Outside's "gear haulers," the new Sprinter 4x4-based Lava Flow exemplifies the company's strategy of building vans that you can drive to work all week and play in all weekend. Similar to vans like the Volkswagen California Beach, the Lava Flow avoids weighing you down with a bunch of fixed furniture and equipment, offering a camper van-light configuration that leaves plenty of space for cargo. It includes just enough standard equipment to make a night of sleep comfortable, without getting into cabin-cramping features like kitchen and bathroom equipment.

The Lava Flow is designed to haul all kinds of gear - dirt bikes, mountain bikes, paddleboards, etc.
The Lava Flow is designed to haul all kinds of gear - dirt bikes, mountain bikes, paddleboards, etc.

The Lava Flow cabin is based on OSV's Basecamp package, which provides a spacious, versatile interior for hauling cargo and spending the night in. It has a removable overhead cabinet, Mac's cargo tie-down track/rings, bike fork mounts, vinyl flooring, and interweave wall panels and headliner. Beyond that, the cabin is quite open, so you can put all those storage and mounting solutions to work on dirt bikes, mountain bikes, surfboards and whatever other gear you want to bring along.

Eventually all that biking, paddling or skiing is going to wear you down, and the Lava Flow's three-panel platform bed folds out and gives two people a place to crash. The insulated interior and 10-speed roof vent keep things comfortable inside, while the tinted windows and snap-on blinds create a dark sleeping cell.

The Lava Flow also includes some serious exterior upgrades, like a ruggedized pre-runner bumper, off-road LED light bars, Cooper Discoverer Maxx tires, a rear ladder and a retractable passenger-side running board. It has cross bars up top for hauling paddleboards and other gear.

The complete Lava Flow conversion starts at US$119,600, including the base Sprinter 4x4. and is available in both Sprinter 4x4 170 and 144 models. Outside says that it can add additional equipment from its options list, including kitchens, solar panels and additional storage solutions.

Rolling out to adventure...
Rolling out to adventure...

Of course, if the Lava Flow isn't to your liking, Outside offers plenty of other van conversions neatly divided in "gear hauler," "people hauler" and "camping van." You can also work with the company to build a custom van up from scratch. Looking through the photos, the options seem almost endless.

You can get a closer look at the individual Lava Flow features in the video below and in our photo gallery.

Source: Outside Van

OSV LAVA FLOW | 4x4 170 2500 Mercedes Benz Sprinter

View gallery - 14 images
4 comments
4 comments
canderso
I was really liking this. Until I saw the price tag. Just do what other MX and flat track guys have been doing and buy a ford econo van and take the seats out. Less than $10k, sometimes $5k if you find a good deal.
martinkopplow
That's exactly what bikers and surfers alike have been building for decades, only this one misses the fold-away stove and solar powered freezer mine has. There's nothing like a tasty meal and a cold beer after a good ride, and ice cubes in your drink on a hot summer's day, of course. Too expensive for what it does.
WilliamShows
How much load it can carry? I also think that the camper van is expensive for what it does. But still I can think of purchasing it. I am a photographer and needs to go different places at any moment as work demands so everytime I have to hire an auto shipping company for hauling my bike to that new location. If this camper van can carry my bike as well as bigger camera equipments than I can think of purchasing it.
KoliHasan
Going for a traditional bed involves extra costs of headboard, footboard, as well as the spring mattress.http://acoolmall.com/bedroom-furniture-cheap-platform-bed-set-with-storage-drawers/