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Looking at weekly statistics, my article on the 2022 Toyota Sienna Woodland van is the most popular one. Ram Promaster City cargo van was manufactured in Turkey and assembled stateside. Ram doesn’t have the same reliability ratings as the Japanese manufactured Toyota. However, for all you Toyota camper enthusiasts, know that removing the middle seats on the 2021 & newer Sienna is going to leave dual tracks and a sliding mechanism for each seat!
In the above photo, see that sliding bar inside both tracks? All you can do is move it forward or back as far as it will go. Any homemade bed will have to be designed around these sliding obstacles if both seats are temporarily removed to sleep inside the Sienna van! Full-time van lifers have complained about crawling underneath their Siennas to permanently remove these sliding mechanisms. For many families, that’s a big problem. Not to mention where to store the middle seats when not in use? Are you listening Toyota? Make a cargo version of the Sienna! Or at least make the middle seats latch & remove easily without anything left on top of the tracks! Stop ignoring your Van Life customers & camping demographic!
For a more permanent solution, you will need to have the tracks removed and a floor installed before adding a bed. However, I have a better suggestion. It will cost you $12K US dollars plus 8.5% California sales tax (not included). It solves 2 adult sleeping needs. Your kid(s) or pets take up less room and can sleep in the rear of the Sienna after the middle seats are removed or pushed to the front as far as they can go behind the front seats.
GTRV in Sebastopol California will install a manual pop-top that contains a 36” wide by 71” long bed with a removable foam mattress (bunk). The $12K cost includes matching the pop top paint color to the factory exterior color. A custom or metallic color match will cost more. GTRV currently has a six month wait time. It will cost $2000 USD extra (yikes!) if GTRV installers have to remove a sunroof. It takes a few weeks to install a pop-top bed with metal roof cutting involved. Afterwards, all you need is a cooler, portable propane stove and gear to go camping. This sleeping solution is perfect for a small family, a couple, or solo driver who likes weekend camping but needs a people hauler or extra cargo room most of the time. Just as I predicted last year when 87 octane gas was $4.50+ gallon in California…as gasoline prices rise, so does the popularity of mini and micro van camping!
Micro Van Life 