A Conversion Van Hears the Call of the Wild

A Conversion Van Hears the Call of the Wild

How a Ford Econoline was made into a perfect home for a couple who really knows how to get away

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Bob and Lindsay Cox, with their two dogs and their ‘Big Easy’ van—a 2001 Ford Econoline converted into an adventure vehicle by a company called Sportsmobile—photographed near their home in Bellingham, Wash. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

The van has everything needed for an adventure: fold out beds, solar panels, a furnace, a sink with constant hot water, dual-burner stove, shower and toilet, plus hitches for toys, from four bikes up front to a boat in back. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

‘My favorite thing about the van is that my wife Lindsay loves it,’ says Mr. Cox. ‘Which means I get to play, all the time.’ He bought the van used in 2010 for about $65,000. According to Sportsmobile’s website, a new Ford van conversion would cost roughly $72,000, about $40,000 of that being the conversion itself. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

The van sleeps four comfortably. The Coxes use a top bunk, while their two dogs—Colby (pictured here) and Captain—use the bottom. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

Notice the sign on the refrigerator: ‘Bend Beer Is Better.’ Bend, Ore., is a frequent stop for the Coxes on their adventures. The van’s 7.3-liter turbodiesel engine gets about 18-20 mpg on the highway, according to Mr. Cox. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

This view of the van shows the rack up front for four bikes, the pop top which allows the Coxes to walk around comfortably inside, and fog lights, which can come in handy camping in far off spots. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

A winch mounted on the van’s nose—operated by a switch from the driver’s seat—can yank 12,000-pounds. The van’s wheels can be quickly set up for extra traction in snow, mud, or on the beach. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

‘Some trips are a week and a half,’ says Mr. Cox, ‘while others are just for one night. We can find a river, cook some dinner, and go home the next day.’ The van has traveled roughly 100,000 miles in its lifetime, half of that during Cox family road trips. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

The Coxes keep extra containers of water, diesel and gas mounted on the back of the van. Notice the sticker in the window: the familiar Marine Corps logo. Mr. Cox is a Marine Corps Cobra helicopter pilot. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

‘I think of the van as a self-contained party entity,’ says Mr. Cox. Jordan Stead for The Wall Street Journal …

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Bob Cox, a Marine Corps helicopter pilot from Bellingham, Wash., on his “Big Easy” Sportsmobile, as told to A.J. Baime.

My favorite thing about our Big Easy van is that my wife, Lindsay, loves it. Which means I get to play, all the time. The van is a two-wheel drive 2001 Ford Econoline that’s been converted into a four-wheel drive adventure vehicle by a company called Sportsmobile. I bought it in 2010, used and already converted. It can take us where others can’t go. All we have to do is pack some clothes, stop at the store for food, and we’re gone.

The van has two solar panels that charge the electronics: a big refrigerator, fans, lights, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. There’s a dual-burner propane stove and a furnace that we can set just like in a house. We have a portable toilet, a sink with constant hot water (water runs through a heat exchanger through the diesel engine) and a shower (we open the van’s rear doors, hang a shower curtain, and have a hot shower, anywhere we feel like it).

The roof pops up so we can walk around inside, and two foldout beds sleep four. Our dogs, Colby and Captain, get the bottom bunk, and my wife and I take the top. An awning folds out so we can cook outside even if it’s raining, and various storage compartments convert into tables. And the wheels can be easily configured for extra traction in mud, snow, or on the beach, by deflating the tires and locking the rear differential.

The Big Easy carries our toys, too. Up front there’s a winch that can pull 12,000 pounds, and a rack for four bikes. In back, a hitch pulls our boat. We have an air compressor to blow up beach toys and mountain-bike tires. There’s even a hidden safe in the van, where we put our valuables when we’re off playing.

We’ve taken the van through Utah and Colorado, deep into Canada, down the Pacific Coast Highway, and to the most southeastern point in Texas, where I blew up the engine and had to have it replaced. I think of the van as a self-contained party entity. And my wife is pregnant, so soon we’ll have another one along for the ride.

—Contact A.J. Baime at Facebook.com/ajbaime.