Brett Wilhelm, photographer and filmmaker, lives in Boulder, Colorado, a little town you may have heard of, apparently it’s kinda outdoorsy, and he drives what must be in competition for “Best Vehicle in Boulder,” an imported Toyota TownAce van. You may know these vans by their hilariously boring North American market name, the Toyota Van. Come on. In England, these things were marketed as Toyota Space Cruisers. We got “Toyota Van”?
Anyway, Wilhelm’s is largely stock because Toyota used to make simple, sturdy, efficient vehicles that outdoor people could use right away without modding them into Mad Max-style off-road-eating beasts. We chatted with Wilhelm over email about his delightful little van and the adventures he and his partner Jade get up to in the TownAce.
Oceano Dunes, Pismo Beach, California
What’s the van’s year, make, and model?
My rig is a 1992 Toyota TownAce A’m Craft Camper, a JDM diesel 4×4 pop-top van.
Does the vehicle have a name?
Affectionately named Kumi.
Years owned?
I’ve owned her since October of 2017, so going on 4 years now.
How did you get it?
Growing up in a military family, we were stationed in Japan in early high school and I’d learned to drive there on a van fairly similar to this one, thus there was a lot of nostalgia in purchasing a JDM camper van. I’d been searching for vans for about 18 months already at the time, and had learned of this specific platform at some point in 2016, but there were only a small trickle of them arriving in the country and I was already well down the wait list each time I’d find a listing. I got lucky with this one as the importer was not big in the van space, so I had a chance to fly out and kick the tires before deciding.
Road trip and backcountry skiing in Jackson, WY.
Western states road trip in Kumi.
How much did you pay for it?
We negotiated a price of $16,900, which felt like a good value, given the feature set all on a legendarily reliable Toyota platform.
How did you modify it?
One of the things I really liked about the van was the incredibly efficient and well-appointed use of space in the small platform, it had all the features I wanted pretty much from the factory. The 4×4 camper featured decent insulation, a diesel heater, a full kitchen with hot/cold water, indoor and outdoor showers, space to sleep 4 and a very convenient pop top. While I’ve done some general maintenance over the years, the only real modification from factory was replacing the 25- year-old fridge, adding a solar package, and a minor suspension lift to allow larger US spec flotation tires.
You do the work yourself?
I’ve been learning to do more and more maintenance myself over the years, primarily because I enjoy the process of learning and to increase my self-sustainability should we ever have a big breakdown in a distance place. I leave major engine/transmission maintenance to the pros, but I’ve become pretty handy with the camper components, basic engine upkeep, and most of the driveline work.
Were you coming from another van or adventure vehicle? How does the Toyota van compare?
I’d started overland adventure travel about 10 years prior on a BMW F650 Dakar dual sport motorcycle and really enjoyed that time. Those trips were mostly within a few days ride of home in Colorado and that definitely fueled a stop-and-smell-the-roses approach to travel. Looking ahead, I began craving longer trips, where I could carry more adventure gear and photo equipment, not to mention be a little less concerned with weather and avoid always setting up/breaking down camp. The van answered all of those questions and has been a near perfect combination of adventure vehicle and mobile office. Being self-employed in the outdoor industry, both my girlfriend Jade and I have the great good fortune of mixing a lot of work and play in our outdoor pursuits and the van has made for quite a convenient home base for our travels.
Do you have issues finding parts or a mechanic who can work on that diesel motor? Can’t be a ton of those little Toyota diesels around.
Owning a JDM vehicle can certainly be tricky and while much of my van’s driveline shares common parts with similar model US Toyota vans and pickups of the era, they never brought this same diesel engine here, so those parts usually have to be imported from Japan. Luckily there’s a well developed e-commerce world catering to these needs, so for the cost of FedEx and a few extra days wait, you can usually get things fairly quickly. Staying ahead of preventative maintenance is key, as you’d definitely don’t want a major break down in some wide spot in the road halfway across the West. I located the english language Toyota 2C engine manual and that’s a huge bonus for when I do need work, but in general a 25 year old diesel engine isn’t overly complex and pretty much anyone with a decent amount of diesel experience and the manual has been able to figure things out pretty quickly.
It looks like most of the cool camping innards are stock. If they break can they still be serviced? Those parts have to be impossible to come by, I’d think.
While the form factor of things are often limited by the original molded fiberglass, a lot of the camper elements are US spec or at least common international parts. While outright replacing the 25 year old fridge was a larger endeavor, most of the other elements have been easily serviceable with commonly available parts from US distributors or, in a pinch, international eBay.
Roosevelt National Forest near Boulder, CO.
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This would pass as a normal camper van with a hint of luxury (not a motorhome) in Europe; mostly favoured by singles and couples seeking independent adventures. Volkswagen hold sway in Great Britain and on what we call the Continent (overseas) with mostly their converted Transporters (T4, 5 and 6). The general attitude to what’s installed is Thoreauvean – ‘simplify, simplify’ – because space and limited amps (however generated) dictate what’s taken on the trip. Roads in Britain and parts of Europe are narrow; VERY narrow in certain areas, as they are in Japan; hence the width limitation of the van – also, there are limitations (various reasons) on engine size, with 2000 cc. (2 litres) being the norm; engine mapping is widespread and carefully regulated by hefty insurance premiums.
Good to see that America is thinking smaller – it’s the way to go.
Ah, Johnners, you’re generalizing a tad. Well, more than a tad.
The vast majority of Americans are consumers (as are Canadians) They’re not thinking smaller. Even if they can’t afford much, most are big-time wanters of stuff. Maybe even including a gated community to protect all their stuff.
In North America, some people do think smaller, but they are in a minority.
Ya, ya, some followers of Adventure Journal lean to smaller.
I love being in the minority about this topic. I don’t have a camper van/RV/motor home of any type, but if I did, the simpler the better. A friend who has an Airstream introduced me to smaller living, I’ve downsized several times myself (smallest was 214 sf), and have a life project of streamlining my footprint in the world.
I’m 71, and still streamlining; will someday have a small “something” for visiting the grandkids and other family/friends. Small is easier to drive, often is easier to maintain, and moves around flexibly. And small can be finished as luxuriously – or not – as I want.
Though you think of yourself as a minority here, you’re a actually a survivor with years of experience to your credit – ‘lifesense’ I call it; something more valuable than possessions or accumulated wealth. Younger generations will always look to you for the way to go/what to do; when that happens, it’s the greatest feeling. Being a retired teacher helps, sometimes…
I’m a year older than you and I went the way of smaller, basic camper vans forty years ago (all VW Transporters) and have never regretted the many roads taken – but my most glorious memories were found in Ireland (west coast) and the Outer Hebrides. My dictum is: make the best with what you’ve got and push boundaries for special memories. It’s all that’s left, in the end…
Get that camper van now!
There are plenty of new and used small “city” cargo and passenger vans made for the North American market. Add a pop top to get the height you need/want if you can afford or find one. Modular is useful.
Anything else is optional.
Love the camper – key is “insulation” as so many of the new US “Overland” crowd have just sprayed money into what is essentially car camping and bought rooftop tents, etc. designed for desert use in a warm climate. More money than brains (or at least more money than an understanding of physics). Overland Journal is like the Robb Report for wannabees.
This type of small camper will be much more usable than 99% of the macho rigs I have started to see. And the weird mix – I saw a brand-new Volvo XC90 with a rooftop tent. WTF? Surely that is the worst of both worlds? There’s very little real off-road camping in the USA and IIRC you are never more than 40 miles from a paved road in most of the lower 48. The good old US pickup camper shell is obviously the best option in America – you can use it seasonally, it can go pretty much anywhere and you can upgrade the truck if/when required
I note some states are refusing to register odd imports with right hand drive and even pulling existing registrations, so that’s something to be aware of. You’d think with a market the size of the US someone would build a quality local product, but they always seem to be hugely expensive and the companies flame out in a year or two
Some relevant points here; clearly the weather plays an essential part in our enjoyment of immersing our several forms of humankind in all outdoor environments. Which is why camper vans here in Britain have to resist excessive wind and rain successfully – more so as one gravitates to the north and west of these generally drenched and battered islands. Smaller vans, like VW Transporters, Citroens and Fiats use heavyweight, rubberised lift-up roofs with a fibreglass cover – gas struts are needed to assist erection. It doesn’t pay to cut corners – but the weather wins every time. Forget desert conditions and drought here – snow and freezing roads are also rarely encountered, except in the far north east – we blame the Russians for that.
The only rooftop tent I’ve seen on a vehicle here was a converted 110 Defender Land Rover on Harris. The poor couple had to abandon this and sleep in the Rover when a westerly took away the tent to a croft far, far away… I do believe, however, they protect their occupants from snakes and other undesirables.
I forgot to mention in my last post that (apart from my first Camper – a T2 Bay window; called Bulli in Germany) all modern live-in camper vans are diesel powered here; petrol fuel (gas to you) is considered too dangerous where propane stoves are used for cooking internally. I believe a Dutch engineering college has built a solar-powered camper van – good luck with that in the Outer Hebrides and the west of Ireland…
As 2030 approaches, I wonder whether I should invest in another diesel van now before the rush. With Britain’s pathetic national electric plug-in rollout and woeful driving range of electric cars, I fear the electric camper van is still a far-off, unachievable dream to the common man; if he could ever afford one.
Anyone seen a Tesla with a tent on top over there yet?
Check out this setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUxNvabsSX8
For a small pop top camper van currently made in the States, check out Recon Campers: https://www.reconcampers.com/