Vandoit in the Press
The all-new Ford Transit Trail interior upfit, as seen in recent months, will officially be a new model for Vandoit, upfitter. Name: Moov
Blue Springs MO 02/21/2023 Blue Springs based Vandoit, a multipurpose, modular van upfitter, officially announced that the company will be
manufacturing a new model based on the all-new Transit Trail and the new model will be named Moov.
On November 3rd, 2022, Ford released the Transit Trail: a new extra durable and customizable Transit model that is ready for adventure. This model is equipped with all things adventurous, bold and comfortable. As said by Ford, “Transit Trail Van makes the best blank canvas for customers with an itch for DIY and for up-fitters” like Vandoit, who are so proud to have collaborated with Ford on this release of the Trail in November for the first interior upfit.
The First Trail Collaboration
Jared McCauslin, CEO of Vandoit commented “Many who have read the various reports on the new Transit Trail along with the Vandoit collaboration with Ford on the interior upfit and seen the pictures of our interior upfit have asked if we are going to build that version of interior we see in the pictures, and I am excited to state we certainly are. There is so much to be excited about…for example Ford states that the Transit Trail includes an overall 3.5-inch overall ride height increase. We have always wanted to offer a Transit factory lift and the Transit Trail allows this to be a reality. Also, Vandoit was looking for the right opportunity to build on a cargo van and these are just two of the many exciting benefits found with the Trail as our foundation” McCauslin stated.
The Ford-Vandoit Dynamic
We at Vandoit work with Ford to create custom Class B camper vans for many reasons, but our collaboration stems most from common roots. Here you find two companies that care for their customers and will create, add, and upgrade their products for the greater good of those customers, which doesn’t come without listening. From the beginnings of Ford with plans to “create a motorcar for the greater multitude.” (Henry Ford) to the creation of a van designed to enable all outdoor enthusiasts’ lifestyles, Ford’s mission has remained the same: “To help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.” Vandoit fits in similarly with the origin story of Woodrow Kline, someone passionate about RVs and conversion
vans and turned it into the business we know today. Together, we learn what you need and what you want in your van in order to work, travel, and play in places you may have not otherwise gone.
Scratching That Itch
The DIY itch is real. Vandoit is no stranger to this rash of creativity that must be tended to with customization and accomplishment. Believe it or not, the Vandoit up-fit is the perfect match to the DIYer because:
- Between Ford and Vandoit, we’ve done the hard, scary, time-consuming stuff for you. The Vandoit build process is an assembly line of professionals who have done this hundreds of times.
- Modularity is our middle name. Your desire to shuffle things around and get that true “do-it-yourself” accomplishment, will be met easily.
- Your van is custom to you. We now give you three model choices: the classic LIV and DO, and now the Transit Trail up fit, which we are calling the Moov.
The Vandoit Up Fit
When pursuing an adventure vehicle that makes your adventure easy, you must think about space. Mapping out what can fit and what does not, can be stressful and time consuming. This is where Vandoit modules save the day! We give you durable and multipurpose modules so that you can have the setup that makes the most sense for you. Each Vandoit consists of a T-track skeleton, allowing for our modules– made of marine-grade materials– to easily be removed, rearranged, and repurposed. This variety can be shown in our kitchen pod, which contains a pop-up leaf that can serve as a cutting board, table, desk space, or can be folded down for maximum walking/seating room in the van. There are many storage options available within our
modules as well. The Transit Trail has introduced to us a model to round out our trio: The Moov. This will be the recognizable left to right bed with airplane-style shelves above. As seen in the Transit Trail upfit, overhead shelf storage can run the length of the chassis and can be a great resource for keeping your things easy to access. This upfit also utilized underbed pull-out drawers for quick reach from the back doors.
The Transit Trail Van ‘Makes Your Adventure Easy’
Vandoit has always been dedicated to making adventure easy. This can mean a lot of things to every individual, but to start, the “scary stuff” is taken care of. As a one-stop shop for campervans, we take care of production that can be dangerous, stressful, and more expensive to the DIYer. One of these most stressful but necessary features we cover–a rooftop vent fan–will be offered in Ford’s new Transit Trail, keeping anyone who is nervous about taking a saw to the roof of their brand-new van from doing so. Other new and improved features on the Transit Trail chassis to enhance overall driving experience include the aerodynamic rocker-style side steps, all wheel drive on a 2.75” track width increase, and all-terrain tires will get you where you want to go in essentially any condition you are willing. To further help equip your van for all your needs the van will include Navico Group’s new Fathom e-power system, an integrated lithium-ion auxiliary power management system.
Ford: 3000 Ford dealers ‘down by the river’ or Near the Trail
Transit Trail… the name describes what the van is all about! TRAIL; an exciting version of the Transit van. The Transit Trail is created with the idea and capability of being at a trail in the middle of nowhere or down by the river! With 3000 Ford dealers, there will be a dealer near THAT trail head in the middle of nowhere. That is over 10 times more service locations than its closest competitor, which are located only in largely populated areas.
There’s No Place Like Home / Moov
The Transit is built in Kansas City MO, just a few minutes from the Vandoit van factory. Recently, Vandoit modified Its logo to include green Midwest style mountains with a cow on top in order to give homage to the green hills and Ozark Mountains of the Midwest, the home of the Transit Trail and the new Moov. “We have a model LIV, a model DO, both single word actions and we felt Moov. would fit the theme, in light of our other models and the cow” stated McCauslin. “We are very excited to work with all our fellow adventurers who will soon be in their own Transit Trail Van and hopefully many of them are a LIV a DO or a Moov!” As of January 27th, 2023, Vandoit is officially taking orders for the Transit Trail Van to get you Moov-ing!
VanDOit ‘Moov’ Builds on Adventure-Ready Ford Transit Trail
VanDOit’s one-stop-shop model for custom campervans started with two base models that carried purpose-driven one-word names: the LIV and the DO.
What’s next? Fittingly, the Moov.
Vandoit Moov Camper Highlights the Ford Transit Trail's Outlanding Capabilities
Ford Pro unveiled the 2023 Transit Trail Van recently with factory upgrades that make it a perfect base for an overland camper. And now, Blue Springs, Missouri-based Vandoit, a professional van conversion company, has introduced a new model based on that chassis to make it easy for vanlifers to get the camper that best suits their needs, without all the hassle of DIY.
Vandoit MOOV camper van builds on the new AWD Ford Transit Trail
If you hadn’t seen it, Ford introduced the Transit Trail recently, with factory upgrades that give it a more off-pavement capable spec that seems purpose-built for the Vanlife crowd. And, now, Vandoit is offering a new model on that chassis, giving you overland-ready option without having to modify the suspension or upsize the tires yourself.
Vandoit MOOV Camper Van builds on the new AWD Ford Transit Trail
If you haven’t seen it, Ford recently introduced the Transit Trail, with factory upgrades giving it a more off-pavement-capable spec that seems built specifically for the vanlife crowd. And now Vandoit offers a new model on this chassis that gives you an overland ready option without having to change the suspension or increase the size of the tires themselves.
60+ Camper Van Conversion Companies
Want to live in a van down by the river? Ford has a new vehicle for that
If you’re not already familiar with Vandoit, it’s a professional van conversion company that specializes in a T-track skeleton and marine-grade modules that fit into popular vans and allow a customizable, modular rig set-up.
The Top 4 Best Camper Van Conversion Companies
Vandoit is a Missouri-based camper van conversion company that does things a little differently. These modular-style vans aren’t the wood-based campers you’ve seen in many Instagram photos, but they are still just as functional and even more durable than most wooden-based builds.
Vandoit's LIV Package Exposes Your Van's Most Extreme and Modular Abilities
Vandoit Adventure Vans releases new logo paying homage to its roots.
Kansas City, MO Release Date: March 1, 2022
Vandoit, an adventure campervan company, today announced a rework of their existing logo paying homage to their roots and the birthplace of Vandoit, the Midwest. Today they are launching: a reworked logo (below)
A year and a half ago, Vandoit took steps to develop their brand beyond what it was and create a new logo and branding that would aspire to meet the amazing quality of their products as well as the company.
Jared McCauslin, Vandoit’s CEO said when asked of the logo rework “Over the past year and a half the current Vandoit logo, as well as many things, have helped us solidify ourselves as a staple within the Adventure Marketplace. Our branding has been incredible and has served us extremely well, however, over the past couple months our founder Brent Kline and I have been wrestling with the idea that something about our logo was missing. That missing piece was that there was a lack of “us” in it. By us, I mean the Midwest. Our roots. This great place we get to call home.”
“Our current logo offers a beautiful sunrise colored sky that was inspired by 70’s conversion vans, and we all get to admire those skies in the real world every morning and every evening, but it lacks what perhaps is the most beautiful part of the Midwest – the green hills” continued McCauslin.
McCauslin added “To us, this won’t just be a color adjustment. It will be our way of symbolically telling people, we are from the Midwest and proud of it. The Midwest has and will always represent kindness, honesty, hard work, respect and loyalty, and Vandoit mirrors those sentiments. It’s time we pay respect to those attributes and our oftentimes under-appreciated stomping grounds.”
McCauslin continued, “While making these changes we decided to add a little humor to our new logo, so we decided to add a cow in the sun because a lot of us grew up surrounded by cows and we love cows. The cow may stay in the logo for a while, or it might be fun to switch out the animal from time to time, we’ll see”, McCauslin said with a smile.
As of today, Vandoit is officially changing their logo to pay homage to their Midwestern roots by changing the hills and mountains in their logo to green and adding a cow in the sun.
Gear Junkie
A custom GearJunkie van has been years in dreaming. Then, in 2020, we put our plans down in one place and contacted Vandoit to bring our adventure dream vehicle to life.
Pull into a popular trailhead or a ski-resort parking lot on any given weekend and you’re bound to see the silhouette of a tall-roof van. Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, Nissan NV, Ford Transit: These oversize models now dominate the adventure market, from weekend warriors to van-lifers who exist fully on the road.
Salvation Army
Due to a generous $70,000 grant from the Ford Motor Company, deeply discounted outfitting by Vandoit Adventure Vans, in-kind equipment donations and private funding, the newest fleet vehicle in the Kansas and Western Missouri Division is ready to assist The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) unit. This group of volunteer amateur radio operators provides emergency communications between Salvation Army posts, and if necessary, can pass messages regarding health and welfare to the public.
Bike Rumor
VanDOit’s original home base gave the room to get their custom camper van business off the ground. But with demand soaring and their modular, production-line approach giving them the ability to make a lot of vans comparatively quickly, they needed more space.
So they moved just down the road into a massive new warehouse, which gives them all the space they need to take a stock Ford Transit passenger van and convert it into a VanLife-ready adventure van…all under one roof!
WRBC 3 News
“Lindsey and I, through some of the trials and tribulations of last year, researched getting a van for ourselves. And it grew into something where we thought we could offer a unique way to explore Chattanooga. And for Chattanoogans to explore other places.”
The vans are built on a Ford chassis. These Vandoit adventure camper vans are easier to navigate through both wilderness and urban environments than most traditional recreational vehicles.
Fox 4 News
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — After moving into four new facilities in each of the last four years, it’s safe to say the men and women at Vandoit in Blue Springs have been very busy recently.
“RV-ing is, as you’ve read, it’s the biggest it’s ever been and it keeps going up,” said Jared McCauslin, the company’s cofounder. “And the piece of it that we are is the van life piece.”
Vandoit takes Ford Transit vans from the nearby Claycomo plant and custom retrofits the vans to cater to the rapidly growing adventure van industry.
Making Money and Traveling
Vandoit isn’t what you might think of when you’re thinking of van conversion companies. And that might be a good thing! Instead of building permanent, fixed van-builds, they build modular campervans. So what is a modular campervan? Modular vans are totally customizable. You can move around the interior components as you need to. Vandoit really set themselves apart from just about any van building company out there. They are passionate about what they are building and about passing savings on to customers. Their vans are truly built to be lived in.
Bike Rumor
“Vandoit has come on the #vanlife scene hard and fast over the past couple years, offering a modular custom camper van built on the Ford Transit. They’re offering great prices, reasonable turnaround times, and a platform that can be upgraded easily by simply adding and subtracting the modules. Part of their secret is building on vans they own, pulling them out of their sister company’s corporate leasing fleet while they’re still low mileage.”
Adventure Van Company Launches New Social Impact Initiative along with Rebrand as Company Experiences Major Growth
Kansas City, MO, October 30, 2020
Vandoit, an adventure campervan company, announces a rebrand to broaden their reach and further position themselves as an outdoor adventure company with a mission to change lives.
Today they launch:
● 1-for-1 Social Initiative- BUY A VAN. GIVE A BIKE.
● New logo/design
● New website
● “The Adventur’r,” an adventure-based newsletter
Due to their modular design, efficient building systems, and extreme attention to quality and details, Vandoit grew explosively to become one of America’s largest adventure vanc ompanies. Since Vandoit’s conception three years ago, the company has experienced over 300% YOY growth. A key reason for their success was because of their unique take on what a campervan should be.
“When Vandoit first started, everyone in the market was building what you would consider a traditional campervan; a lot of wood inside, cute, homey, however, not at all functional for the adventurer. We focused on three things, versatility, quality, and durability,” said CEO Brent Kline
He also added, “We want the adventurers who use our vans to be able to reconfigure and restructure their vans to suit their current adventure. Many people refer to our vans as the Swiss Army Knife of vans, and we like that comparison.”
New Logo and Design
The most noticeable change will be the Vandoit logo, which retains the retro 70’s vibe. “One thing we made sure to keep was our 70s look. Our first logo was very hippy-inspired, which was awesome, and we loved that look,” said Kline. “Our new look and font is still very 70’s and stays true to our roots and foundations; it’s just not as hippy and more legible on the vans.”
Social Initiative
Giving back has been a pillar of Vandoit’s culture, which is why Vandoit is becoming a social enterprise. Vandoit has a new look but also a new mission. The company is partnering with World Bicycle Relief to create a sustainable 1-for-1 model, where they will donate one heavy-duty bicycle for every van sold.
“World Bicycle Relief helps to bring sustainable transportation to villages, primarily in Africa, allowing more to access education, healthcare, and work. They have developed an efficient, innovative, and scalable model to empower students, health workers, and entrepreneurs in developing regions with truly life-changing mobility,” said Jared McCauslin, COO.
“These bikes change and save people’s lives. When companies look to get involved with a social cause, they must evaluate the actual impact. That is why we had yet to officially partner with a company because we hadn’t found one that showed enough feasible and sustainable effects,” added McCauslin.
McCauslin continued, “for example, when a bike is donated, 88% more patients are cared for by healthcare workers, students’ grades increase by 59%, and income for a family increases by 23%. When we heard about World Bicycle relief and the real impact
they make, right away, we knew this was something we needed to be a part of.”
“At World Bicycle Relief, we are committed to helping people conquer the challenge of distance, achieve independence and thrive. Vandoit shares these core values with us and puts them into practice. We are proud to partner with them to build awareness, reach diverse audiences, and bring those values to bear in changing thousands of lives through mobility and the Power of Bicycles,” added Colin Taylor, Director of Partnerships at World Bicycle Relief.
Website
With the new logo and design, Vandoit also launches a new website redesigned from top to bottom. Vandoit crafted the new look to enhance the user experience and improve functionality.
“The Adventur’r” Newsletter
Vandoit is also launching an adventure news-based newsletter. The Adventur’r is going to bring adventure-based information/entertainment straight to the subscriber’s inbox. “The Adventur’r” will be a great way of us expanding our reach beyond vans and vanthusiasts. We will pack a ton of value, not just for the vanlife crowd but also for other outdoor enthusiasts. We will share adventure tips, stories, and pertinent articles. We are stoked about this and the new demographics it will bring into the Vandoit family,” said McCauslin.
Trail & Summit
“When it comes to #vanlife, it is important to know that not all vans are created equally. Some vans are simply roomier and shaped more appropriately for human habitation. They offer greater reliability, more comfortable seating and have been thoughtfully built to allow potential modifications.One vehicle that ticks all the right boxes is the best-selling Ford Transit Van, and year after year it just keeps on getting better and better. Now in 2020, Ford are offering the Transit in All-Wheel-Drive; meaning further improved handling and capability.”
Business Insider
“This RV is made to order. It’s perfect for the ultimate adventurer. This RV is called vandoit. Vandoit can fit any adventurer’s needs. Here’s what’s inside. The gear slide can be used to store bikes or equipment. The kitchen pod has running water, an electric stove, and plenty of storage. It can be used in or outside the van. T-tracks are what make the van modular. You can set up cabinets, cargo nets, and more. Options also include a hydraulic lift bed, a TV, a portable toilet, and a fridge.”
Go Van
“When I found out my girlfriend tested positive for COVID-19, we knew she’d need the house to herself to quarantine,” said van owner and part-time van lifer Marshall Mosher.
Marshall is part of the growing van life travel community boasting a whopping 6.9 million tags on Instagram. It’s likely you have seen or heard the tale of #vanlife at some point.
FormaCar
“This RV is made to order. It’s perfect for the ultimate adventurer. This RV is called vandoit. Vandoit can fit any adventurer’s needs. Here’s what’s inside. The gear slide can be used to store bikes or equipment. The kitchen pod has running water, an electric stove, and plenty of storage. It can be used in or outside the van. T-tracks are what make the van modular. You can set up cabinets, cargo nets, and more. Options also include a hydraulic lift bed, a TV, a portable toilet, and a fridge.”
Ford Authority
“The company says that the emphasis for the multipurpose van is functionality for adventuring, campaign, hauling passengers, and more. The van has a modular design that allows it to be tweaked to whatever you are doing. The Ford Transit camper van has an off-grid solar system on the roof and perpetual hot water. It features a removable kitchen pod, removable cabinets, and a dry-flush toilet.”
Vestigo
“Since Brent was a kid, he remembers helping his dad with the family company, Kline Motor, where modifications to Vans and RV’s have always been a part of the family trade. While Kline Van has up-fitted passenger vans for companies for years, Brent started vandoit to meet the demand of the adventure van lifestyle and movement that’s taken off in the past few years.”
Gear Junkie
The entire system was anchored to the vandoit internal skeleton via the two J-hooks, but it can also be attached to the factory passenger seat anchors. Once I set component locations, installation or removal took less than 5 minutes.
The listed setup allowed me to carry any combination of two dirt bikes or adventure bikes, or any motorcycle plus my mountain bike. But either passenger seats or my kitchen pod had to be removed.
Mind's Eye Design
Exploring the world in comfort and with relative ease is an option with these off-road camper vans and expedition vehicles. But there are those of us who want to go wherever the wheels can take us, making our dreams of adventure a reality. Hang on and sit back while we bring you ten of the most rugged off-road camper vans and expedition vehicles.
WATCH VIDEO
wedu
“A two-wheel or four-wheel drive adventure-ready van built for cyclists, vandoit is easy to live in at races or on vacations. It’s tall enough to stand up inside, with an adjustable lifted queen-sized bed over a slide that holds four bikes and an integrated bike stand. A mini air compressor, hot shower/bike wash and modular kitchen unit with sink, stove and storage turn the customized hi-top Ford Transit into a house on wheels.”
New Atlas
“The masters of modularity at vandoit become the first Americans to offer a camper van on the all-new Transit AWD, adding the LIV van as the second model in their lineup of super-flexible adventure vans. With a full selection of plug-and-play equipment, the LIV can flex between eight-seat, toy-hauling sleeper van and fully equipped multi-bed camper.”
Gear Junkie
“Vandoit of Missouri takes this a step further. It offers a hydraulic lift that can lower and raise this platform in its Go model. This feature frees up the most vertical space when the bed isn’t in use. It also offers a gear slide underneath this bed to easily move the stored gear in and out of the rear of the van.”
Bike Rumor
“Lovin’ the idea of the #Vanlife but not sure where to start? Vandoit walks us through the entire process of building out your own custom camper van. In this episode, we talk about everything from choosing the right size van, gas vs. diesel, DIY vs. pro, how to get an RV loan on a custom van, where you can park and sleep, what options you need, and more. They even tell us what you need to watch out for if you’re buying a used van as the foundation of your own conversion project.”
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Cycling Tips
Motor1
“Ford has an all-wheel-drive Transit for the 2020 model year, and that’s good news for the #vanlife crowd who enjoys straying off the beaten path. Its full-time AWD setup isn’t as robust as a traditional 4WD off-road arrangement, but power to all four wheels should still help the popular full-size van reach new areas. Missouri-based upfit company vandoit already has a build for the all-wheel-drive model called the LIV.”
Gear Patrol
The Drive
OutThere Outdoors
Gear Junkie
Paddling Life
Automobile Magazine
Van Clan
Torque News
“Ford claims that the Ford Transit is the best-selling cargo van in the world and it is encouraging the growth of both the work and recreational side of the cargo vehicles. Just this week, Ford showcased 35 different examples of how the vans can be customized for both work or as recreational vehicles. One company called vandoit specializes in converting the Transit into adventure vans or building them into mobile offices.”
Expedition Portal
Terrain Magazine
The Manual Magazine
The Swiss Army Knife of vans, vandoit might be the most versatile, spacious, and all-around badass travel vehicle we’ve ever seen. Beyond the solar panel roof, removable seats that make room for an inside kitchen, and mounted platform that turns the back into a karaoke stage, vandoit can also seven people and up to five bicycles. That’s right. Most of us can’t do that with two cars, let alone one.
Inside Hook
“The customizability all traces back to vandoit’s unique track design. Basically, an aluminum track system lining the vehicle (usually a Ford Transit) allows for maximum mounting of additional features and amenities.Wanna include up to seven leather seats? But plan on removing a couple next time you and a buddy hit the woods and need a kitchen along for the trip? Done and done. Need to store five bikes? A few surfboards? Create a stage out the back for a gear show or tailgating? Easy peasy.”
Bike Rumor
“When it comes to upfitting cargo vans, there are a ton of options out there, but few are as full service as vandoit. Based out of Lees Summit, MO, just outside of Kansas City, vandoit is conveniently located a short drive from Ford’s Claycomo, MO assembly plant where the Ford Transit is assembled for the U.S. market. For a number of factors, vandoit is currently focused on the Transit for their complete builds and upfits, though they can work on just about anything. What sets vandoit apart from many other builders is that they can sell you the complete van, help you finance it, and even accept your current vehicle as a trade in.”
New Atlas
“Missouri-based vandoit offers some of the most versatile custom vans we’ve seen, using T-track, slide-outs, hydraulic-lift beds and indoor/outdoor kitchen hardware to make for easy transitioning between camping, working, passenger hauling, adventuring and more. Its vans are for those who want to live the van life to the fullest but still need to check in with reality on a regular basis”
Tuning Blog
“The community is happy because Ford is launching an all-wheel drive transit for the 2020 model year. And that’s exactly what the vandoit team based in Missouri (USA) has grabbed and converted into a full-fledged camper.” – translated from German
Trekkin
Vandoit is a Missouri-based camper van conversion company that does things a little differently. These modular-style vans aren’t the wood-based campers you’ve seen in many Instagram photos, but they are still just as functional and even more durable than most wooden-based builds.
