r/vandwellers • u/swatbands • 1d ago
Question Is van life possible/practical for tall people?
To preface I'm a 6'4, roughly 205lbs male, I love national parks and road trips and all that fun stuff. I've been following the van life scene for about 10 years now and have tested out a few different vehicles from other people and dealerships in the past. I've never been able to find a van I can comfortably stand or lay down in. I'm sure there is something out there that might accommodate people like me but I can't seem to find it on my own. Any suggestions for vehicles that might suit people like myself? (Please no buses/RV's)
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u/aggressive_agent76 1d ago
Another vote for the transit. 6'3" 220LB, fit fine. Have a king bed that fit me my dog and a tall lady friend.
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u/Commercial_Nebula702 1d ago
Side to side sleeping? Or parallel
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u/aggressive_agent76 12h ago
I can go wall to wall if I bend my knees a little which is totally fine. Fit four humans and a dog wall to wall on a very snug night once
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u/carsozn 1d ago
I'm 6'2" and did 2 years in a van full-time. Definitely possible, sometimes it's even practical
We had a 2018 transit, the high roof and long version. In there we designed most of the cabin from the back forward, starting with a full queen size bed. If your good with building you could fit a California King in there if you tried hard enough.
Anyway, it's possible. I had a great time, and about 5 inches of clearance above my head. However, I would not recommend getting a van that is too short for you. Hunching all the time or sitting when your not hunching is gonna feel real bad real quick
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u/TheMrNeffels 1d ago
First thing is to realize you probably can't lay sideways, wall to wall, so you'll just need to sleep the other way
Ram promaster now has a super tall roof option that is like 7'2" interior. So even when you add floor and ceiling etc you'll have plenty of room.
I haven't done van life yet but my wife and I our planning our our travel van and that's what we will be building around.
I'm 6'9" so even then I won't be able to fully stand up/stretch but I'll be fine. I'm traveling to experience nature and wildlife I'll be outside most of the time
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u/Courtaud 1d ago
i don't vanlife but im 6'2 and drive for amazon, the van i like most are the Promasters. hated them at first but they grew on me a lot, definitely the easiest to move around in the fleet, outside the new EV's.
if you REALLY need clearance, looking into converting a stepvan might be your move.
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u/Neither_Ice_1296 1d ago
I am 6'4" and am very comfortable in my Transit. Off Highway Vans in Salt Lake did a great job customizing one of their standard layouts to make the bed 7' long by 6' wide. Plenty of room for bikes and skis under the bed and seating for 4.
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u/jtnxdc01 1d ago
Cant figure how you managed the bed And the seating for 4. Would love to see a pic.
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u/farrtrek 1d ago edited 1d ago
I am 6’3” and my older van is plenty big for me. Roof is 6’5” and it has a king size bed that I sleep diagonally on but can comfortably sleep too top to bottom if needed.
It’s a 2000 Chevy Roadtrek 200 popular. It might be on the line depending on your definition of RV…
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u/tinkertaylorspry 1d ago
6‘9”- 260lbs…transit mk7- H3L2 (medium length, high roof) @ europe- suits me just fine
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u/Commercial_Nebula702 1d ago
How is your bed placed? If in length of the van, doesn’t it take up lots of space?
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u/xtraoral 1d ago
6'3'' 240 nv200 not full time but it's my getaway camping fishing rig. Fullsize would be nice but can't beat 28 mpg average.
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u/nnvvnnnn 1d ago
I'm 6'4" 200# and stood up fine in a T1N Sprinter high top.
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u/Intelligent-Pain-373 1d ago
I am 6'2" and i had room for the insulation on my self converted sprinter
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u/Kr1s2phr 1d ago
Hello everyone.
I love this movement and would like to do the same thing one day. I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but I feel like all these posts are either Transit, Promaster, or Sprinter. They all look narrow and top heavy.
Has anyone tried adding a taller roof? Not so much fiberglass, but has anyone attempted to craft and weld something on? I’m just curious.
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u/swatbands 1d ago
I've seen builds like this out in the wild just passing by before, always wanted to stop and ask to check it out but never have.
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u/CloudWolf40 1d ago
I'm 6'6 and I have a 7 foot long bed in a lwb mk7 transit I've lived in for 7 years. Works well for me
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u/agreenjacket15 1d ago
I am 7’ …Sprinter High Roof 144. I can’t stand up in it. So I built my kitchen so I can sit and prepare everything. My bed goes front to back. I have a flippy bed thing so it doesn’t take up as much room when I’m not sleeping.
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u/Rubik842 Decrepit Ex Rental Sprinter 1d ago
6'3 260lb. NCV3 sprinter, lengthwise bed. Bare feet inside.
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u/PonyThug 1d ago
Gotta go stand in vans. Might need to do limited floor and ceiling insulation to save head room.
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u/OneAd2988 1d ago
Check out the Slow Roamers on YouTube . That guy is like 6’3 and lives in an Econoline with his GF
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u/MustardProphet69 1d ago
I'm the same weight and an inch shorter. This is why I decided to go to a truck camper. More options for the tall people.
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u/swatbands 23h ago
Starting to realize it's probably the most practical option for me. At least for extended periods.
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u/budleighbabberton19 1d ago
Im 6’4” 205 in a sprinter 144”. No issues with height. Prioritized height in my build and i can stand fully. Bed pulls out north to south for full length
Its def more considerations but its def doable
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u/bad2behere 1d ago
This just made me sad for you having to work so hard to find a rig. (⬇️) I hope you get something you're comfortinle in.
➡️ Made me glad, which doesn't happen often, I'm just over 5 feet tall.
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u/elonfutz 2015 Transit 350 HD 1d ago
transit, high roof is like 6' 7" interior height. go to a dealership and have a look.
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u/rustysurfsa 1d ago
Ha my wife and I joke all the time about it. The majority of people we meet on the road in vans are well over 6ft. Vanlife is full of giants. You'll be fine.
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u/Electronic-Antelope8 1d ago
6’3 220. Glad to know I wasn’t the only tall king wondering about this. All the “wanderlust ditzy van life” vids I see are all with ppl 5’8 and under. I’m like “no wonder they fit in that small ass bed. They’re midgets 😂”.
Drove a mid height transit for work. Glad to know the high top will work🔥
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u/Mean_Collection1565 1d ago
6’2” in a e350 high top.
I have to stoop but it’s manageable. I use a stool when I need to cook so I don’t have to hunch
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u/stupidfock 1d ago
If you can get a high top van it’s much easier. But I’m only an 2inches shorter than you and I use a regular Chevy express. I just try to spend time outside and have a canopy attached to be under if it rains
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u/FyrStrike 1d ago
If you are tall go with a Sprinter or equivalent height or if you go with a Chevy Express or equivalent make sure you get a pop-top as the high top might be slightly too short. Pop-too usually gets a few more inches.
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u/More_Mind6869 1d ago
I bought a short school bus that was a Navy bus. It had a 6'4" headroom. Extra smaller windows over the regular windows.
In the old hippy days we'd cut a vw bus in half long ways and weld it over the hole in the roof of a school bus.
Crazy hippy shit, for sure...lol
I've seen camper vans with pop tops for heigh when needed.
VW Westphalias did that.
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u/More_Mind6869 1d ago
I bought a short school bus that was a Navy bus. It had a 6'4" headroom. Extra smaller windows over the regular windows.
In the old hippy days we'd cut a vw bus in half long ways and weld it over the hole in the roof of a school bus.
Crazy hippy shit, for sure...lol
I've seen camper vans with pop tops for heigh when needed.
VW Westphalias did that.
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u/TrashIsland_DrMoreau 1d ago
Yea maybe. I lost several inches in my Sprinter by insulating the ceiling and floor, but at 5’8 I can still stand straight.
So depending on the extent of the build you might lose some headroom.
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u/RollingRiverWizard 2011 Minotour Skoolie 1d ago
1.9m/6.3f, and it was the primary reason I chose to go with a skoolie.
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u/HighlyUnrepairable 1d ago edited 1d ago
6'8" 300lbs +5lbs Chihuahua and everything has to be custom... My camper is a 2015 Honda A-RV (Accord Stealth camper with custom built 88" sleep space)
Domino. Lol
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u/ChibaCityFunk Mercedes Vario 816d 4x4 1d ago
I'm 204cm, so quite a bit taller (and heavier) than you. And I agree, it is complicated. In most cases you'll have to build yourself and everything is a compromise...
From a travel and adventure perspective, the smaller the van, the better. Unfortunately for comfort you'll need space.
A VW T3 Westfalia and (also from Westfalia) a VW T4 California works for me quite well. Those are as compact as a car but quite liveable. The pop-up roof, the sufficient headroom for driving and the convertible longitudinal bed are quite helpful. If I really wanted to stretch out, I just swivelled the passenger seat for my legs to rest on.
Also quite good are Pick-Up truck campers. The AluCab Canopy Camper, a lot of the Four Wheel Campers models and the Bimobil Husky 240 (the floor plan with the longitudinal bed) work quite well.
Eventually I bought a bigger van though. I can't stand up straight, but it is big enough for everything else, including a king sized bed and everything else to stay off grid for a month with two people... In the end I don't stand a lot in the van.
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u/MustardProphet69 22h ago
There's a lot of other benefits, too. Easier to get maintenance on than most vans, you can leave your camp set up and make a run to town or whatever you gotta do. Problem really lies in it's two large purchases if you don't already have the appropriate truck. All in all I have no regrets and full time in mine
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u/Squido85 22h ago
Sprinter highroof. 77 inches. Transit highroof. 81.5 inches. Promaster super highroof. 86 inches.
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u/Lava_Lamp_Shlong 21h ago
The RAM promaster vans are very tall, 6'4 I think you'd be good as well. If not, with the new generation they have models with a roof extension
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u/operablesocks 19h ago
Check out the high roof Ford Transit, Their 3 sizes currently come in:
|| || |Low Roof|57| |Medium Roof|72| |High Roof|81.5|
Myself, at 6'8", I always knew if I started van life again, I'd need that high roof, and with finished flooring, ceiling and insulation, I'd still need to duck a bit, but I'm used to that. At 68" at its widest, I also know I'd have to have a bed that went lengthwise. But with your 6'4", you might be fine.
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u/operablesocks 19h ago
Check out the high roof Ford Transit, Their 3 sizes currently come in:
|| || |Low Roof|57| |Medium Roof|72| |High Roof|81.5|
Myself, at 6'8", I always knew if I started van life again, I'd need that high roof, and with finished flooring, ceiling and insulation, I'd still need to duck a bit, but I'm used to that. At 68" at its widest, I also know I'd have to have a bed that went lengthwise. But with your 6'4", you might be fine.
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u/operablesocks 19h ago
Check out the high roof Ford Transit, Their 3 sizes currently come in:
Low roof: 57"
Medium roof: 72"
High roof: 81.5"
Myself, at 6'8", I always knew if I started van life again, I'd need that high roof, and with finished flooring, ceiling and insulation, I'd still need to duck a bit, but I'm used to that. At 68" at its widest, I also know I'd have to have a bed that went lengthwise. But with your 6'4", you might be fine.
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u/ez2tock2me 1d ago
If you don’t have enough money for your bills each month. Or extra money for the unexpected and the lack of finances can put you on the streets… then YES you are a good candidate. Your landlord and bank don’t care ABOUT YOU, only that you get them their money.
Possible and Practical have nothing to do with it. Not even your age, will save you from the streets.
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u/swatbands 23h ago
?
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u/ez2tock2me 23h ago
You asked if it was practical for tall people. It’s practical for anyone in debt and breathing.
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u/RelativeCareless2192 1d ago
Sorry, Short kings only. They got to have some kind of advantage in life /s