New Way Van Life, San Diego CA

I loved theses guys. They installed an AC unit on my Ford Transit for me! They worked hard so it would be ready in time for my trip! Harrison even returned a text at 10pm on a Sunday night when I had a question! They are my new go to Van guys!

It is Labor Day 2023 and coming up on 3 years since New Way Van Life installed their custom build in my empty Sprinter van.
I am currently camping on the Clearwater River in Idaho fishing for steelhead & salmon. I have been safe, dry, warm and comfortable off grid. At my age these are very important and New Way Van Life delivered them as promised AND under budget!

Almost exactly one year ago, I was about ½ way through a 120m SUP trip when I had an epiphany. Why wasn’t I off the grid out paddling, backpacking and snowboarding more often? OK there is that pesky work thing, but more importantly, it was often because there were too many obstacles in planning, prepping and executing trips. How to eliminate those obstacles? Buy a Van, that’s always packed up and ready to go!

After looking on-line, and all over the West Coast for a used vehicle, I got very frustrated. Even if money was no object, most of the builds were either poorly executed, missing key features, or had things in the wrong place that could not be moved. I was interested in a 4-season vehicle that I could sleep in in sub-zero temps – something it appeared only the Canadian builders could do. I had no confidence in the wide variety of construction, techniques and expertise. Plus they were mostly made with cheap plastic and laminate, or very heavy (solid wood) materials.

One day, I came across New Way Vanlife’s website. The images of the wood interiors reminded me of the wooden sailboats I grew up on. This van looked very different than anything I’d seen because everything can be moved around on the frame. I reached out, we came up with a plan, and now I have a beautiful van I’m very pleased with.

The guys at New Way were willing to collaborate with me on non-toxic, sustainable materials, and were open to new ideas. We set up a regular Friday afternoon meeting, that I really looked forward to at the end of a hard work week. The team proved to be hard working, skilled craftsman with a good attention to detail. Just the fact that every detail is fully engineered and produced on a CNC with CAD files is head and shoulders above most of the builders. I can be very particular about what I want, and that was never a problem. The one suggestion I’d make to anyone in the market is, don’t trust amateurs, go with pros, you will not regret it.

Just started building out my adventure van and I'm super happy with the team here. I was able to be involved in the process while trusting them to take the initiative to get it done right.

We opted for a fixed rear bed because sleep is one of the most important things for me. I also wanted a floor that was easy to manage because I'm an all season camper.

The fact that the floor was precision cut with their cnc is such an epic move. It's flawless!

Can't wait to have them build the rest of it out when I return from my trip. I'd for sure suggest talking to the team here to outfit your adventure vehicle. They're all easy to talk to and very innovative.

Thanks again!

We had a problem with our solar system on our van, and Taylor was able to diagnose inside before us and get back on the road thank you highly recommend

I came to these guys with a custom project for my 4th gen 4runner. I really appreciate that they can consider the details to increase the stability as well leave me lots of storage space for my off road gear. Compared with the expensive and heavy bedding and drawer system, I am more into my current set up since it can give me enough cargo space and flexibility. Thanks!

The team at New Way are genuine folks and very accommodating! They truly want to give you the best experience when building out a van and making sure you have everything you could need on the road. Their products are super high quality and they work quickly. I highly recommend them if you’re looking to get into van life!