In just one year, founders Ben Gleason and Jason Gilbreath have grown Vanna Adventure Vans from a two-man start-up to a company with a staff of nine that’s currently booking orders into 2023. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

One year ago, Vanna Adventure Vans was little more than a promising notion tossed about by a pair of young fans of adventure travel. But now, as founders Ben Gleason and Jason Gilbraith celebrate the first anniversary of their fledgling van conversion enterprise with an open house Friday, Feb. 18, it’s clear that the two young entrepreneurs were onto something big – one that’s only begun getting up to speed.

Vanna Vans converts 19-, 23- and 26-foot passenger vans into one-of-a-kind tiny houses on wheels. Their top-of-the-line camper conversions combine the livability of recreational vehicles with the familiar driving and ultimate parking convenience of a passenger van. Each is entirely original in its fittings, determined by the customer’s personal preferences, as per the two men’s motto: “You dream it. We build it.”

Every conversion that Ben and Jason’s young company completes has another secret power: It is painstakingly equipped for living off the grid. Complete with kitchenette, seating area, bathroom and queen-sized bed, it carries its own power system, with solar panels a popular option. “The beauty of it is that you can go anywhere. You can stop overnight in any park or a parking lot or even the middle of the wilderness, and you absolutely don’t need hook-ups,” says Jason, who pioneered the concept for himself several years ago as a traveling videographer and photographer creating marketing materials for high-end Rocky Mountain resorts.

“The world’s your living room, and you can always wake up in a room with a view. If you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else tomorrow night.”

Ben and Jason, both fans of adventure travel, met at the Kite Crossing Festival at Lake Mille Lacs two years ago. While most participants shivered in the minus 20 weather, Ben observed that Jason was enjoying a comfortable 72 degrees in the extravagantly well-insulated van he’d outfitted himself. When they met again rock-climbing the next year, they hatched the idea for a company unlike any other in the Upper Midwest – one that would take a high-roof Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit van, strip it to its bones and rebuild it in the exact configuration of other travelers’ dreams.

“We couldn’t have done this a few years ago,” Ben points out. “Technology has really advanced and made this possible.”

Vanna Vans offers a range of price options for their conversions, running from $30,000 to $150,000 or more, depending on customers’ tastes and requirements. Most include the high-end technology that’s almost standard for their projects. One is the Victron energy system, built in the Netherlands, using lithium ion batteries storing power generated by the engine or, most often, 200 to 300 watts of solar on the top. “Most vans have 150 amps. For living off the grid, we can house 900,” Ben says. They estimate the vans can operate off the grid for several weeks under normal conditions, though hot temperatures that keep the air conditioner running use up the stored energy more quickly.

Another is the Eberspaecher hydronic water system for instant hot water. Their adoption of the German equipment is so unusual that the manufacturer has sent reps to review their operation three times in the past 12 months.

During the past 12 months, Jason and Ben’s firm has set up an efficient worksite in Moorhead’s older industrial park at 1710 26th St. S., quickly expanding from one bay to three, permitting them to work on three or four simultaneous projects. Each takes three to four months to complete, from insulating it and installing custom-built cabinetry to finishing the interior. They and their staff – now including seven employees besides themselves – turned out nine completed vans in 2021. They’ve already taken on as many orders as they can handle in 2022; if you bring in a new project today, the earliest it can be booked is 2023.

Customers are expected to provide their own vans when Vanna signs on for a project. Most bring new ones, though Ben says they have also worked their magic on a few older vehicles.

It’s a pricey undertaking, though far less than any manufactured recreational vehicles. It also sounds like more fun. Starting with the new owner’s list of the amenities they have in mind, creative director Josh Dean creates a computer-generated simulation of what the project will look like. Customers tour it along with the team over the internet, tweaking the design as necessary until it matches their personal vision. Only then does the wiring, insulation and carpentry begin to take shape.

Jason and Ben originally expected their customers to be most interested in living aboard during hunting and fishing trips. That’s not quite how it has worked out. “What most of them want the vans for is to travel and explore. Some live in them when they travel for work,” Ben says.

They have learned more about what van fans have in mind not only through sales, but through year-round rentals of fully converted vans. Customers have the option of having Vanna rent out their vehicles when they’re not using them themselves. “It’s kind of like an Airborne on wheels. It’s a good way for owners to cover their own cost,” Ben points out. When Vanna began booking Jason’s own van a year ago, every free date was reserved within six weeks. This year, with two of their conversions available for rent, it looks even hotter. (Rentals are $280 per night, with discounts for longer bookings.)

One of Vanna’s most intriguing projects of 2022 goes beyond the tiny-house concept to something altogether new – an equally self-sufficient van fitted up as a mobile wellness clinic. Their first, on order by Life Care Medical Center of Roseau, will enable a three-person medical staff to bring their entire medical office to underserved areas. “We expect a lot of interest among medical and behavioral health providers,” Ben predicts. The van, like their campers, will operate entirely off the grid and boast a polished modern interior finish.

For the time being, Jason is living on dry land, so to speak, occupying what he describes as “a very small rental” while waiting for the crew to complete his next van, intended to double as a showroom model. “I’m concentrating on not acquiring more stuff,” he promises. “I want to be ready to move into Van Home 2.0.”