For several decades, those wanting to create lasting memories without blowing a gazillion dollars have piled into vans and crisscrossed the globe. The modern camper van is an achievement of engineering, too, as manufacturers have been able to fit what are more or less studio apartments into vans. But here’s the thing: These vans often cost more than a house. It’s hard enough to afford a house these days, so doubling that spend on a camper van is too big an ask for a lot of would-be customers.
I have found what could be the answer. The Ford Transit Connect DLM Mini T Campervan is one of the cheapest new camper vans in America. It drives like a car and fits in a regular garage. You could even park it in your HOA-ruled neighborhood and nobody would care.
The pandemic changed how countless Americans view recreation. With resorts closed and cruises a danger to health, many Americans rediscovered the outdoors. The camper van became such a huge craze that even automakers like Ford got into the camper van game with the Transit Trail. Sadly, that van is dead now, but the Class B segment remains strong. These are the smallest class of motorhome that your money can buy, yet they often cost much more than substantially larger units. I’ve written about camper vans that cost more than $300,000. My brother just signed for a mortgage on a really nice multi-story house for that price. It’s hard to picture spending the same on a van. Even “cheap” vans like the Thor Freedom are still over $80,000 and that’s if you force yourself to drive a Ram ProMaster.
That’s why the Mini-T Campervan by DLM Distribution seems like a good idea. You can get one of these Transit Connects complete as a camper van for the rock-bottom price of $55,500. That’s a shockingly low price in the RV world. You’ll spend more than that on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter before you add a single thing into it. Yet, there’s a huge catch here.
Wait, From Who?
The Mini-T Campervan is the work of a small business in Lake Crystal, Minnesota. DLM Distribution has been around since 2006 and its whole deal is building and selling cheap camper vans. This is a company that’s so small that you won’t find it at a major RV show. Instead, the company advertises on places like Craigslist.
DLM Distribution’s founders Dave and Cindy Mellon give us a little about their story:
Our genesis was fueled by our personal passion for camping and traversing the spectacular landscapes of National Parks across our great nation.
Our guiding vision is simple yet profound – to craft memories, joy, and boundless opportunities for adventure. We endeavor to accomplish this by providing you with our ingeniously crafted, cost-effective, and easy-to-navigate Ford Transit Connect Mini-T campervans, and Chrysler Pacifica AWD Campervans (AWD All-Wheel-Drive Camper Vans) designed to fit snugly into your garage, ready for the next spontaneous journey.
Our team is veteran and woman-owned with a combined blend of industry-certified professionals, holding Master Certifications (ASE) in light and heavy-duty automotive and trucking, as well as FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) licenses. Our collective expertise spans the automotive industry, trucking industry, and the technical and electrical facets of aircraft production, including the construction of light aircraft. With this wealth of knowledge, we introduce a level of reliability, proven systems, and worry-free solutions to the Campervan RV market that remains unparalleled.
The Mellons say their camper vans excel in being vehicles that can be both campers and daily drivers. A van from DLM is the ultimate in stealth camping. The company works hard to ensure that the vehicle has no real outside indicators that the person is driving a camper van. Basing these builds on tiny vans like the Ford Transit Connect also means that you get a camper van that easily fits into a standard garage and has driving dynamics closer to a car or crossover than a big work vehicle. DLM sees its vehicles hitting up grocery stores just as easily as they could be used for a cross-country road trip.
The Mini-T Campervan
DLM Distribution’s main product is the Mini-T Campervan. The Mellons have been building these for several years, first on the Ford Transit Connect and now on the Chrysler Pacifica minivan. The Transit died after the 2023 model year, Yet, DLM still has a handful of new 2023 Transit Connect builds for sale, sitting and waiting to start their adventures.
If you were to go with one of these and not the more expensive Pacifica builds, you’ll get one of the coolest small work vans to be sold in modern times. DLM’s Transit Connect builds usually start with a higher-end model like the XLT Premium. These are pretty nice vans with adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, a lane-keeping assist function, blind spot monitoring, and dual-zone climate control. You also get leather power seating, alloy wheels, and a snazzy color, all of which help take the Transit Connect away from its working roots.
Power comes from a 2.0-liter four good for 162 HP and 144 lb-ft of twist backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission. By all accounts, a mini Transit should be a perfectly fine camper and daily driver. These vans also get decent fuel economy for what they are with an EPA rating of 24 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. It’s a shame the Transit Connect is gone because it was a great little vehicle.
DLM’s conversions are refreshingly simple. The Mellons slide a futon into the van, which takes up most of the room. Behind that bed is a thin shelving unit holding a microwave, a sink with running water, and a 25L refrigerator. Directly next to your compact kitchen area is a TV/DVD combo unit. DLM says you’ll use the area under the bed for storage and for some additional good news, that’s where you’ll find a cassette toilet.
Additional features of a DLM Mini-T include two house batteries, discrete solar panels, USB ports, a roof fan, and a shore power plug. You also get a trailer hitch good for towing up to 2,000 pounds.
What I love about this is that all of the parts are easily accessed and wouldn’t require an engineering degree to repair. There’s very little to break in this van and if you are unlucky, I bet even a novice wrencher could figure out how to fix things.
I also love how stealthy these vans are. One of DLM’s biggest advertised selling points is that you can park these pretty much anywhere, including an HOA neighborhood, without getting any negative attention. To any outsiders, you just have a regular van. Being able to fit said van in a garage is another huge plus. RV manufacturers throughout history have attempted to market their rigs as multi-purpose daily drivers and the Mini-T might be the apex of that idea.
DLM says you get all of this for a price as low as just $55,500, which is practically a steal in the camper-van marketplace. If you’re looking for a more dedicated camper van, these appear to be one of the cheapest ones you can buy new.
I have a bit of a problem with these vans, however. If you ignore the price for a moment, you’ll realize that you’re paying a lot of money for relatively little content. As I noted before, the Transit Connect has been dead for a couple of years and examples on the used market are becoming very affordable.
If you go to a site like Autotrader and sort by mileage, you’ll find Transit Connects with basically no miles on their odometers for around $30,000 less than a DLM Mini-T Campervan. For example, here’s a 2023 Ford Transit Connect XLT with only 980 miles for $27,995. And here’s a slightly older 2020 model with just 2,295 miles for an even cheaper $23,900.
I will also note that while most Mini-Ts still have just delivery miles on them, some aren’t built on the freshest Transit Connects. For example, the one being sold for $55,500 has 6,738 miles on the odometer. At least you do get whatever’s remaining of the factory warranty and DLM warranties its conversion for a year.
So, the big question then becomes whether or not DLM’s conversion work is worth around $30,000, and I don’t think it is. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to shove a futon, basic shelves, a powered cooler, and a residential microwave into the back of a van. The heaviest costs here are probably cutting the hole for the roof fan and adding the twin battery bank. I bet a DIYer could do all of that for $5,000 or so.
The Chrysler Pacifica-based version above is a little better. A Pacifica starts at $42,450 and the DLM versions cost $65,000 and up. The gap there is smaller, but the build isn’t meaningfully different.
So, that leaves me with a bit of a convoluted conclusion. The DLM Distribution Mini-T Campervan is a great idea. It’s a tiny fuel-efficient van that you can use as your daily driver and as your camper. It’s also so stealthy that you wouldn’t be getting unwanted attention. You get all of that for a price that’s cheaper than any other pre-built camper van. That’s awesome! On the other hand, if you have any sort of DIY skills, you can easily come out on top just by making one of these vans yourself.
At the very least, I’m immensely happy that there are firms trying to cater to the lower end of the market. Not everyone has the cash to spend $300,000 or even $150,000 on a van. RVing should be for everyone of all budgets, so I’d love to see even more of this.
Update: A reader has tipped us off to an even cheaper camper van. That’s going to be a story for a different day.
I did a pretty nice and versatile buildout in my Sienna for around $1500 (not including the van price) including bed platform, mattress, fridge, power center, porta potty, running water, fans, etc.
Nobody mentioned it, but with the seats out my Transit Connect easily swallows a normal sized (BMW R65 or F800S) motorcycle with enough space left to sleep alongside. As for the conversion, a better value is to make some window covers out of reflex insulation and add a cooler, portable battery, porta potty, etc. to taste. That way I can haul stuff during the week, camp during the weekend, and transport the occasional passengers.
I have a 2020 transit connect that I built out similarly to this one. Not as nicely executed. But we’ve put 28,000 car camping miles on it and 80,000 total in 4 years.
Every summer we’ve driven from the east coast to Colorado in 30 hours and then camped all over the west.
The thing is honestly a blast and works almost as well as an old ranger as my daily driver and chore truck.
I average 27mpg which beats my old diesel vanagon’s 20mpg.
HOA ?
Don’t live in a place where an HOA is in effect.
Then you need only concern yourself with rules and laws that actually make sense.
I struggle to connect what seems like a big celebration at the beginning of the post that’s basically all wow, what a great camper van and look how cheap it is to the end of the party where all of a sudden realization hits that maybe it’s not such a great deal after all except that it’s perhaps cheaper than other overpriced garbage out there.
To wit: “I bet a DIYer could do all of that for $5,000 or so.” – If a DIYer could do a one-off for $5k or so, then someone with a setup and doing it over and over again easily has that cost whittled down to half that. In other words, the $25-30k upcharge is just a ripoff and shouldn’t be remotely celebrated or publicized.
Nobody with $55k of play money to spend on this is going to spend $55k on this. They’ll either be smart and realize the value of their money and buy a used TC to start and homebrew something similar for a few thousand (saving half their money) or just use the $55k as a stepping stone to afford something that’s even more of a waste of money…
PS I also am having trouble seeing what’s conceptually so bad about a RAM ProMaster van (not the City, the van)? Very low load floor as compared to something like a full size Transit or the dinosaur Savana, a generally reliable engine that’s built in the millions and returns reasonable fuel economy, a relatively modern design, easy standing room for those of us over 5 feet tall, and a square shape perfect for building out a “mobile room” to live in. Did you perchance have a bad experience in one, I don’t think the negativity is the first time I’ve read that here?
My conclusion comes back to what I said in the beginning. Do I think it’s a good deal? No. Am I very happy that there are at least cheaper options? Yes! 🙂
The ProMaster is a great van in concept. It has driving dynamics closer to a crossover than a work van. It has that nice load floor. And yep, that engine is pretty reliable. In practice, at least in the car circles I’m in, the rest of it doesn’t live up to the promise. One Oppositelock user reported his sliding door falling off more than once.
A number of readers here have expressed their preference for Mercedes-Benz Sprinters or other platforms like the Ford Transit. That said, if you can find a good one, I do think a ProMaster is a fine pick. It just wouldn’t be my first choice.
I still don’t see the value. It looks like alot of self converted vans but a lot of those are better thought out and cost less. Some of those box truck stealth campers are really nice and maybe more stealthy just not in a HOA.
My problem as I think about it is the power setup. There’s a Microwave and a TV and I assume a minifridge in there. What’s providing power for this?
I think they should run Ipads, a propane or sterno fired camping stove and a 12V minifridge. Add battery powered lights as required and you have removed the entire need to figure out how to do 120V with a generator or an expensive battery pack system.
Not only would this be cheaper, but there would be a lot of space freed up.
It has 2 extra 12V lead acid AGM batteries providing power. These are charged from either the solar panel on the roof, external shore power, or the alternator. The fridge is a 12V Dometic that draws very little power. The microwave is powered by a 2000 watt inverter that you only turn on to run the microwave.
These guys seemed to be putting out a quality product, but their source vehicle (RAM ProMaster City) went away . . . https://www.cascadecampers.com/campervans-for-sale
When I was a kid, we set up a big 12×12 screenhouse over a picnic table for cooking/eating (propane 2 burners). Sleeping in a 9×12 tent or (luxury!) wooden cabin. Shared shower/bath house. All hauled in a Fox body Fairmont or later LTD wagon. I was in high school when dad bought the used ’85 Colony Park.
HOAs are awful. That is all.
The only thing I can see useful in this would be in a HOA. Since it doesn’t have a crapper, you have to do business somewhere and there are always people in the HOA that deserve their own little write up.
“oh, my fence is the wrong shade of brown? Let’s see what brown can do for you right by your award winning flower bushes Karen!”
Specifically bought no HOA subdivision. Sadly, my partner would be the HOA Karen. “Our neighbor is cutting down tress.” “Our neighbor built a big garage.” My response – “So? They have authority over their property. Same as I do mine. No laws are broken so you have no say.”
Too funny, it’s always the way. I’m sure there is someone in a HOA somewhere thanking you for keeping the HOA Karen away. Houses without HOA typically are valued for more people are on to their nonsense.
Ohh – she’d run for HOA board Czar and all challengers would have “unfortunate” accidents. Better just me dealing with it.
You want the freedom to do what you want with your property, your neighbors must be accorded the same. Period. Else move.
I had only a few “hard nos” when it came to buying our house, and “No HOA” was top of the list.
Same. For me, it’s my buddy. An 85 lb 3/4 black lab 1/4 pit. HOAs seem to be formed to make sure he can’t spend time with his bestest friends in the whole wide world and it depresses him.
Now if they were written to ban that evil Pekinese we had years ago… I might be for them. But that dog didn’t need an HOA, but an exorcism.
Mini-T Camper Van Beethoven is the obvious band to be listening to while driving one of these.
You could take the skinheads bowling in it!
So way back when, I took the seats out of our minivan, stuffed a queen sized air mattress back there and inflated it.
I’m not sure how this thing is much different. Took the seats out, put in a futon and built some shelving in the back.
We made it through 28 states over the course of 6 or 7 summers like this, but it was the 80’s so it was an Econoline Conversion van and a foam rubber mattress laid over top of out suitcases and gear. Coleman cooler stuck up in between the 2 front seats for easy picnic access at rest stops. Once we got to whatever campground we were staying in for the night, my Parents slept in a pup tent, my Sister and I slept in the back of the van. We had camp gear, a hibachi, and primitive sites. Got to see Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Torch Lake, the worlds largest Uniroyal and a big ball ‘o twine
Honestly sounds like a great childhood – see my comment above.
Those were the good times, looking back.
The main advantage I see of the Transit Connect is the boxier interior area. It’s a little taller than the typical minivan, and at least appears to sit lower. It may be an illusion, but accounts for something.
Otherwise, unless you really don’t want the extra foot of length or half foot of width, and/or your driving leans more city, you’re probably better off going for something like the Pacifica. The V6 is going to make it much nicer to live with especially kitted out, and highway mileage is likely going to be about the same. Doesn’t seem like used Connects go for that much less than the Pacifica, if it can apply to used ones there too. Or DIY it on on the make/model of your choice.
Why does almost every camper, of every size, have to come with a TV and microwave?! Almost all of them also come with huge rooftop AC units, too. Most of the campers require a shore-power connection to run any of that stuff, and driving them on gravel roads is enough to rattle the RV-spec equipment into nonfunctional status in short order.
Those bits appear to be a pair of features a lot of people like and are cheap to add. Just waltz down to the local wally world, pick both up, and toss them into the back of a van! But I’m with you, I’ve never watched TV in a camper before. I mean, that’s not why I’m parked at a state park!
The TV is for when it’s night and you’re not tired enough to fall asleep, but can’t see nature’s beauty without a flashlight and/or your legs are worn out anyway. So, you sit on the bed and watch a comfort movie to end the day.
That makes me wonder if I’ll be into TVs more as I get older. 🙂
I also will say, some movies just hit different when you’re camping. Something about being removed from the rest of the world in a little trailer or RV makes the movie-watching experience 10 times cozier and more comfortable, despite the fact that sitting in a cramped RV should be objectively less comfortable than your actual home.
I would so ditch the Microwave and tv for an Espresso machine. We are going to look at a Ford Transit Low roof 350, with a modest camping build out. I don’t want a shittonne of built ins that will undoubtedly look passe in another 24 months. Platform bed with pullouts under for whatever is needed, hook the Joolca ensuite on the side for a shower or a poop and never go anywhere near an HOA unless forced at gunpoint. PS the cost accountant In me just vomits at the rigs that cost greater than 50,000 $$’s. I mean that is 250 days in a nice hotel. (exclusions given for van life folks)
When I was growing up a camper conversion meant getting a cap put on your truck. We called them campers but they were just caps. Then you slept in the truck bed. I don’t recall any tv’s or microwaves, or AC or heat. Hell, we didn’t even have AC at home.
Right camping under the stars and rain with a see through plastic tarp between two trees..
FWIW, the Ursa Minor roof may well still be cheap enough you could add a few of the extras to fully camper-van it (plus, keep a functional rear seat).
I’d have been very tempted by one if the Transit Connect had even slightly more adequate power.
My buddy had a small Ford Transit Connect when he worked at a brewery. I loved the practicality of that little van and always wanted one. Naturally, Ford discontinued it and now only sells the big ones here in Canada.
I’m surprised there aren’t more RVs like this in the spirit of Westfalia.
I lament the loss of the GTRV in Canada, though it appears they still do work in California. https://gtrv.com/models/
If they could retrofit older vans, like I’ve seen in Japan and Korea, everyone with a minivan could potentially have a 4-person RV for a reasonable price.
An HOA would notice the sink and fine you anyways.
There’s no shitter on board. So, they will notice you crapping behind the mandated bushes.
Spending $65k on a “stealth” camper so the woman who stares at my house through binoculars all day won’t issue me a financial penalty for having interests.
FYI: we paid 19K for our van with 12 miles on it back in 2020.. todays prices?.. sky rocketed. Last offer we got from a local Ford dealership was 35K.. Not selling our puppy, got too much wrapped up in it and we’re still not done, camber plates, trans mount engine mount and new front leveling stiffer springs have to be installed before April then we’re hitting the track for a few test runs.
I have been looking for a Transit Connect like this in the UK, it gives me inspiration but would want access to everything from inside in our ‘beautiful’ British weather.
Here we have it with a 1.5L diesel and 6 speed manual gearbox, I used to drive the van version for quick deliveries for work and they are a fun drive on the twisty Country roads
I would have rather had the diesel in our US van.. but wasn’t available. Either way, I’m please with the overall performance of our 2020 running on the eFuels.
I got into watching the exploits of UK Narrowboats during lockdown. I don’t like the idea of RVing, but for some reason or another, narrowboats seem to call to me.
But I know me. “Are we there yet?” is an every 30 second cry in mine mind at 70 mph, I can’t imagine how bad it would be at 3.
Another Cruising the Cut fan?
I was basically ignorant of the UK canal system and narrowboats before our visit there. Stayed one night in in a former toll house, but arrived after dark. We were taken by surprise in the morning as colorful narrowboats went by. It was so novel and exciting to us that we went out and helped operate the locks.
I’ve seen several. I’m currently working through the one from years ago with two aging actors. It’s sad because the man passed away recently and his wife was already struggling with memory loss 10 years ago.
I started with the grumpy dude (Countryhousegent) trying to get his life back together. Then I got into the couple of dudes where one struggled with mental illiness and were silly as hell at times (can’t remember their names).
The only one I didn’t like was a Reporter that would do 2 hour long specials on the accounting of running a narrowboat.
I would like to try a narrow boat holiday but it is chuffing expensive! And yes I guess you have to get in a different mindset, knowing you can probably walk further each day. Thankfully we have a great canal network in the UK that has been looked after. I started walking over this and got disco legs after 20 yards..
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct
I suspect that it would also suck. “I just spent a ton of money to have a boat to be away from everyone. Only everyone else had the same idea and the canal is packed to the gills with people that don’t know how to pilot a narrowboat.”
I think to really learn rwhat it is like, you would have to rent a boat for several weeks, maybe even a month and pick a time where the weather isn’t expected to be perfect, so that not every hire boat is trying to be used at the same time.
Besides I’m American. which means I have no time off. I’d run out of vacation hours before I get through the first lock.
Time off in the US isn’t actually as bad as people say. eventually. My company uses Paid Time Off (PTO). New hires get 3 weeks a year, which they can use for sickness or vacations (holidays). Which sucks. But for senior people like me, the PTO is 6 weeks a year. It’s not European levels of time off, but it isn’t bad
yeah. Nope. FYI you can get a freebird camper for about half right now
https://www.caravanoutfitter.com/search/free-bird-edmonds-wa/?cy=98026&mk=1487
Now THAT’s affordable! Going to need to update this piece now and I’ll have to check out those vans. They even come with a portable stove!
Also, there’s the Dodge Carvan ones that are cheap: https://www.lilrv.com/mini-rv-sales
I would get one of those cheap used ones and figure a way to rig up a Murphy bed on one side, some racks and storage and call it a day.
And probably be happier with it. While I have no particular qualms with the setup, it feels like doing it yourself will give you exactly what you want for less money. Personally, I don’t see much need for a TV in a camper like this, for example. With a cassette toilet and no shower, I’m not looking at really living out of it. The TV may not be big, but every little bit of extra storage space helps in these small camper builds.
I don’t see the advantage of a TV when iPads are a thing.
A dedicated screen in a van is not a good use of space. If a van lifer wants a theater experience they can use a mini HDMI projector for the same $$ as an LCD screen that’s much easier to pack and store.
I laughed at the TV/DVD combo. Holy 2002 batman.
Exactly. If you aren’t making a camper large enough to be a proper living space, the TV is a waste of space. (Even then, it is still a waste, but you probably have some space to waste.)
I can see a TV in something like a Pusher RV, but as soon as you start talking Class B, I would rather use that space for something else.
Everywhere I camp there is either a pit toilet, shower/bathroom building, or I walk a shovel and TP bag into the woods. No Need for much else.
Sure, but my point is that this is for camping, not living. Why throw in a TV? I’m not camping to watch a DVD.
In my mind, a camper that someone might be using as a living space for some time could have a TV, but I’m not interested in it for something like this or a little teardrop. There are better uses of space for camping, in my opinion.
Yeah, it’s a no on this one. I like simple and cheap but like you mention, this is too simple and not cheap enough.
I would also have a major concern for buying a “new” vehicle from people who are selling on Craigslist!? So in the event you have an issue with the vehicle portion, who warranties this? Does Dave and Cindy fix a faulty transmission after the dealer says “this is a modified vehicle”?
Although there’s enough room in the back of our 2020 Transit Connect 2.0L XL cargo.. it’s not a camper conversion.. This is our sports car.. Fine tuned 10K suspension, wider wheels & tires with a mild engine tune/upgrade and yes the van fits into our 1940’s row home garage..though we fold the mirrors in just to be safe.
do i need to send you pics for you to write a “proper” article about a sports van..
There’s one small flaw in doing a van conversion like this.. your insurance and DMV would now list your van (passenger wagon or cargo) as a RV which means your insurance rates and plate fees would sky rocket. We’ve been there, because our old insurance company thought it best to list our van as an RV.. we had to prove that it wasn’t..
Now for the 2.0 Ecoboost/manual swap from a Focus ST!
No.. seen it and all of them failed.. research Aaron Vaccar or dotmaster206 both failed, yet The van sold at the carbid site for 28K.. but would never pass emissions and continues to have electrical issues.
We’re pleased with our 2020 2.0L / 8 speed and have been able to tune to 200hp.