The van is a heavily modified Mercedes Sprinter by Iglhaut
https://expeditionportal.com/is-iglhaut-the-ultimate-off-road-sprinter/
it has permanent four wheel drive, transfer box (high and low ratio) and 3 sets of diff locks (front, center, rear) for when things get tough. We have solar panels trickle charging both sets of batteries and providing 240v through an inverter, a hydraulic winch and a snorkel fitted with a sand filter, which also allows the engine to breath in deep water. The chassis is modified with up rated suspension, torsion bars and sump and engine guards.
Inside we have two fridges one with freezer, cooker, proper flushing loo and shower and a double bed. Its fairly tight inside being a standard medium wheelbase but with the two front seats turning round and a collapsible table the space is very functional.
Thanks to Mark Millard at Millard Camper conversions in Frome who did all the work with his two sons. A perfectionist, and of course to the team at AJ Reynolds Truck Services in Frome
Hi,
Thank’s to have sharing your trip. i’m jalous.
I’m a french guy (56) living in Paris who travel all over the world by myself since 1969 mainly with motorcycle.
My plan was to prepare a Defender with rv comfort but noway, there is not enough place for a one year trip. I just come back from a 4 weeks in Namibia (Wonderfull) so I had the idea of a 4*4 Sprinter.
My question why did you choose a Mercedes Sprinter by Iglhaut instead the 4 X4 option in the Mercedes catalog ? Did you change something to the preparation after this 10 months experience ?
Best regards
Philippe
Hello!
I love your van! is there any web with more photos ? bed, bathroom …
which is interior height?
Best regards!
your van looks great, something like i have in mind. If I may what kind of milage do you get with this & roughly what does something like this cost?
Thank you
George
Congratulations, I love your van. but how much does it cost a van like that?
From Barcelona, good travel.
really enjoyed reading your blog,do you have any plans on selling the vehicle?
hi we are looking to get a spare wheel carrier on the back of our sprinter,
how is yours attached to the hinges
cheers
david
how did the iglhaut perform through africa. I have a 316 iglhaut camper as well in the UK. I took mine back for a bit of an overhaul to marktbreit last year and blimey they are so so expensive
Hi was thinking of building one in the uk and just wondered where you got the snorkel from or can you buy them off the shelf?
Regards
Dean
Just discovered you. I live in Memphis, Tennessee. Would love to tag along, but generally don’t subscribe to blogs – do you also post via facebook?
Hi there!
Great blog! And nice photos.. Makes me very keen to pack it up in London and get on the road!
I’m actually planning my own over landing trip with a Sprinter. And I’m interested to find out a bit about a few things.. If you’ll let me pick your brain please!
How did you find dealing with Iglhaut Allraat? And why did you choose them instead of Oberaigner? How much did it cost?
Who did your interior fit and rough cost?
Did you buy a new or second hand sprinter? Any problems?
Sorry for all the questions, thanks very much for any information you could pass on.
Regards,
Kingsley
I love the van, I found your website while researching 4×4 Sprinters as I plan to follow in your footsteps when I retire in 4 years.
I have one question, did you need all the work that Iglhaut did? Could you have done the same trip with a standard 4×4 version?
Cheers
Colin
Great plan and great van!!!
A few questions about your van
– what size tire and wheel do you use?
– Did you have to trim or modify the wheel well opening to fit larger tires?
– Did you regear the van to accommodate for the larger tire?
Thank you
Happy travels
James from California!!!
keep living the good life 🙂
Great story, your van looks great can you please tell me which wheels and from what truck they are from. what size tires do you run?
Thank you
Ward
The Van Plan
ooo i pressed a button incorrectly try again ///I like it im at this stage now having converted my VW T5 4motion and not really discovering the overland scene until half way through and then going to Bad Kissinger ALLRAD Messe I have come to the conclusion I am driving a babys toy for the ideas of a big trip , 4 days in Bad and it blows ya socks off ..the house isnt up for sale yet
I came across you guys as Im looking into a Sprinter emails exchanges to Oberaigner
following Bad Kiss with various options and quotes
Iglhaut are next on my list
Have you had any problems associated with gearing or drive shaft problems.
Its good to see such a van going the distance
Saw this Mercedes Iglhaut allrad 319cdi on the ferry Oanes-Lauvik i county of Rogaland in south-west Norway. Would have been just perfect travelling around and be more or less 100% free from expensive camping places.
What is the price? Any delivered in Norway?
(the website is a bit out of date)
I have been researching the best van to convert for travel. For the last 5 years Iv’e had a VW T5 4 Motion with a Seikel upgrade (belly panels, shocks and and extra 2″ of clearance). It’s been fantastic, but it’s too small for a big trip for which I am planning. I am thinking Mercedes as they are the world over?
I see they do a 311 4×4 which is apps 3″ higher than std, which does not have fixed 4×4, good for economy
I am only just realising where the hell you’ve been, and still going by the look of it.
I will check out your trip in more detail and write more later
cheers for now
Tony G
Hello i am jurgen, live in Holland and just bought an Iglhaut (2hand) in germany. I love youre stories. I was wondering if the van is really that good. I need to repair the driveline because it is noisy. I was looking for this type of car because you can stand up straight and it is l2 so a bit longer than standard. I am now starting to convert it as an camper. Because it was an laboratory it has allready a lot of features (diesel heating, converter 800 watt, all kind of switches for lighting and 220 plugins) it is an 311 cdi.
What kind of engine do you have? I am planning to cook on LPG, and all the rest on solar like the fridge. Maybe you have some things that i miss. Hope to hear from you
Kind regards jurge
I’m late to reading your blog. I’m intrigued by your plan and journey. How andextraordinary. I’m planning my own sprinter build thoroughly like your layout. Would you conside adding more breadth to The Van section for us dreamers?
Thanks in advance and best wishes to you.
Gary Nach, San Diego, CA, US OF
Hi,
I love your blog and your van. Thanks very much for taking the time to post about your adventure.
My wife and I are planning a similar trip, but starting down here in Australia.
I don’t suppose thay you have any interest in selling your van?
Matt
Any further van planning in the offing?.How about up to Sudan (most overland blogs say the Eithiopians are a bunch of A.O.’s)…accross to Saudi then through to Iran on a ferry.Hang a right to Pakistan…India Burma..Singapore…..on second thoughts visit National Parks in southern Africa and enjoy yourself!.
Regards Ted
Would love a snorkel like that for my T1N.
Source?
Thanks,
John
Hello to you both,
I stumbled across your website/blog whilst researching to acquire a Sprinter 4×4 high top just like yours. I’m having real difficulty sourcing one.
I would love to know all about your decision making process that lead you to a sprinter, how acquired it and how you went about upgrading and converting it.
I really admire the way you’ve embraced the overland life and look forward to doing the same.
If you could find the time to reply I’d really appreciate it. In the mean time I’ll continue getting inspiration from your site.
Kind regards, Tim
PS I’ll be at the Overland adventure show in Sept looking around if you’re there.
Hi. Congrats on your very nice van!!! Could you please let me know where I can get the air intake snorkel from? I need to install snorkels on several Sprinters.
Thank you vey much.
Best,
Guido
Hi,
I’ve just stumbled across your website, love it!
I’m very interested in your sprinter, we’re planning on converting a 4×4 sprinter for overland trips next year. I’m struggling to find any English speaking sites with info on them though.
I’m guessing we will go for a pre 2006 tn1 version due to them being less complex than the newer ones
I see yours is a iglaut conversion. Are all pre 2006 ones a conversion or are some factory mb ones?
Do you have any technical info on them?
The conversion will be pretty basic. Permanent double bed, small kitchen unit/freezer and shower/toilet.
We have a mb G Wagen so I’m reasonably knowledgeable about mb and 4×4 stuff but sprinters are still a bit of a mystery. We had planned on using the g wagen but we both fancy a little more room.
Thanks,
Russ
very lovely
I have a 2005 MB sprinter 316cdi James cook Westfalia . 4×4 by Oberaigner and lifted by Iglhaut. Currently it’s in Ulaanbaatar. I like the snorkel and the winch. Can you tell me where you purchased it ? I might want to do the same
I am very interested in converting a 4×4 Sprinter for my pending retirement adventure Van. Yours looks about perfect and I’m interested in your sources for the upgrades. Loo, cooker, freezers etc.
Kind Regards,
Colin Fraser
Hey Lucy, hey Rory,
your blog is awesome! Really inspiring and wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing that with the world!
I write you, because my girlfriend an I have similar traveling plans and are on the verge of buying almost the exact same car like you guys.
(http://suchen.mobile.de/wohnwagen-inserat/mercedes-benz-sprinter-iglhaut-koblenz/229108280.html?origin=PARK)
So I wanted to ask you, if you were happy with your van and what were your major reasons to go on such a long trip with a rather unusual offroadcar.
Maybe you have some tips for us, when we go take a look at the car.
Thank you so much in advance!
Beste regards
Simon and Emi
Hello,
Awesome blog and, of course, really awesome van. I’m looking at something similar, although it’s an LT 35 converted by Iglhaut, and currently front and rear diff lockers haven’t been installed.
Do you know much about the LT 35 conversions by Iglhaut? It’s a 1999. As I understand it, it used a Land Cruiser transfer case (which locks in the low setting) and G-class differentials (from a w463). Do you know much about the suspension upgrade Iglhaut did to these vans?
Finally, do you have any experience shipping your van? I’m hoping to ship mine back from Europe to Canada (where I’m from), and the only option to the west coast is via container ship (RoRo only goes to the east coast of Canada). I’m hoping to fit the van in a 40’HC container, but the door opening is still only about 100 inches. I’ve heard of people having “shipping wheels” fabricated that have the same bolt pattern but are just a little larger than the front discs. Do you know anything about that?
Sorry for the long message, and thanks in advance for reading it. And keep up the work on your awesome blog. It’s a super fun read!
Best,
Wes from Vancouver, Canada.
Hi guys great site – I’ve loved reading through your posts, I wondered if you could help I too am planning an overland trip and like you have the 4×4 sprinter – I was wondering if you could tell me where the bull bar was from and what size wheels and tyres you use? Thanks in advance pete
Hello! Love your van! Could you post pictures of your shower and flushing toilet? Thank you very much!
T Brown
Superb vehicle that you have.Do you live in it?
Hi,
After 6 months on the road in South America with the three kids and the Defender 110 we are ready to start with our back garden, Europe.
But we learned as well that camping in a tent in harsh environment is not always a pleasure. Thus we are looking at a (affordable) van. I think a T1 Mercedes will be the perfect base. I do like like the one yours is equipped. What has been done to it? You state yours is somewhat small, thus if I take the long wheelbase longest van and try to fit the five of us….we manage you recon?
Thanks for your reply and hope to meet once on the road
Jan
I have a 2004 and want a 4×4 conversion… only 2 people i know do this in the states… white feather and sprinter store. they both want an ungodly amount of $25k. is this really what you did or did you get an “overseas model”?
Lance
I’m curious to know where you got the front push bar for your blue sprinter van.