Camper Van Designer
Design your Sprinter or Transit camper van. Free, no signup.
How the van layout designer works
- Pick your chassis. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Ford Transit — short or long wheelbase.
- Choose a layout. Bed orientation, bench seating, galley, and bathroom options.
- Customize features and finishes. Solar, heat, power, shower, cabinetry, materials.
- Get your build quote. See live pricing as you go. Save and share your design.
The only camper van designer built by an actual van builder
Free van design software is everywhere — Vanspace 3D, NOHMA, Coohom — and none of them build vans. Custom van builders are everywhere too — and almost none of them have a real configurator. The Vansmith camper van designer is both: a working layout planner for Sprinter and Transit conversions, and a path to a finished build. When you finalize a design here, the same shop that built it on screen builds it in real life.
What you can design
Chassis & wheelbase
Sprinter 144, Sprinter 170, Transit 148, and Transit 148 EL. 4x4 and AWD options where available.
Bed configurations
East-west, north-south, fixed platform, lift bed, dinette convertible, and bunks for families.
Galley, water & power
Induction or propane galley, fresh and grey tanks, lithium house battery, solar, and shore power.
Bath & shower
Indoor wet bath, outdoor shower, bench shower, and full enclosed shower options on every chassis.
From designer to driveway
- Bespoke design consultation. Free 30-minute call with a senior designer to review your sketch and recommend trade-offs from 500+ completed builds.
- Quote & deposit. Tailored written quote within 5 business days. Deposit reserves your build slot.
- Build, 8-16 weeks. In our Boulder shop. You get progress photos at each phase.
- Delivery & training. A walkthrough of every system before you drive away.
Camper van designer FAQ
Is this camper van designer free?
Yes. The designer is free to use, with no signup or email gate. Build as many designs as you want. You only commit when you decide to ask The Vansmith for a quote.
Do I need an account to save my van design?
No. Each design generates a shareable URL you can bookmark or send. We never gate the tool behind a signup form.
Can The Vansmith actually build the van I design?
Yes — that's the whole point. We're a custom van builder in Boulder, Colorado, building Sprinter and Transit conversions since 2015. Most designs you can configure here are buildable as drawn; a small handful require minor adjustments for structural or weight reasons, which we cover during your design consultation.
How much does a custom camper van conversion cost?
Most full custom builds at The Vansmith run between $90,000 and $220,000 for the conversion (chassis not included), depending on layout, finishes, and systems. The designer surfaces a live estimate as you build, and a final written quote follows the design consultation.
How long does a custom van build take?
Typical builds run 8 to 16 weeks once your build slot opens. Lead time to slot start is currently 3-6 months, depending on the season.
Do you build on Sprinter and Transit?
Yes — both chassis, in short and long wheelbase. The designer lets you compare interior dimensions and layout options across both before you commit. We do not build on RAM ProMaster.
Where are you located, and do you ship nationwide?
The Vansmith is in Boulder, Colorado. We've delivered finished vans to clients in 38 states. Most clients fly into Denver to pick up; we can also coordinate enclosed transport to your driveway.
Can I book a bespoke van design consultation?
Yes. Every Vansmith build starts with a free 30-minute bespoke van design consultation with a senior designer. We review your sketch from the camper van designer, walk through chassis trade-offs, layout, and budget, and email you a tailored written quote within 5 business days. Book a consultation →
A builder's guide to designing your custom camper van
Sprinter vs. Transit: which chassis to design around
The two chassis solve two different problems. Sprinter (Mercedes-Benz) gives you the tallest, longest, most off-road-capable platform — best for full-time vanlife and 4x4 builds, with a higher price of entry. Transit (Ford) is the value play and lighter weight, well-matched to most weekend and adventure-travel builds, with AWD as the off-pavement option. We build on both; the designer lets you flip between them in seconds and see how the same layout fits each. (We don't build on RAM ProMaster — the chassis and aftermarket support don't meet the standard we hold for a Vansmith build.)
Choosing a layout for how you actually travel
Layout follows lifestyle. Two adults full-timing benefit from a fixed east-west bed and a dedicated bench shower. Weekenders gain floor space with a lift bed or convertible dinette. Families with kids work better in a long-wheelbase Sprinter 170 or Transit 148 EL with bunks and a wet bath. Before you commit to finishes, design the layout three different ways in the configurator and walk through each one mentally — morning coffee, packing for a hike, getting in bed wet from the shower, parking in a tight Trader Joe's lot. The right layout reveals itself fast.
The most-requested upgrades in our 2026 builds
Five upgrades are now in roughly 80% of our builds: 600+ Ah of lithium house battery, 400+ W of rooftop solar, induction galley, diesel air heat, and a permanent indoor shower. Five years ago, many of these were special-order; today they're nearly standard. Designing without at least three of the five usually means an upgrade later — and a retrofit costs 2-3x what the same option costs as part of the original build.
Why Boulder is a hub for custom van conversions
Colorado has the highest concentration of full-time vanlifers in the U.S., and Boulder sits at the intersection of mountain access, a strong outdoor industry, and a deep skilled trades network. The Vansmith has built more than 500 vans here since 2015. Local clients can drop in mid-build to walk through their van; out-of-state clients fly into Denver to pick up. Either way, you're getting a build from a shop that lives the use case it builds for.
Ready to build the van you just designed?
Book a free 30-minute bespoke van design consultation. A senior designer will walk through your layout, recommend upgrades from 500+ completed builds, and follow up with a tailored quote.
