One of the more major decisions you can make for your offroad camper van build is whether to add rear windows to your van, or not. This not only changes the aesthetic of your build, but can take up valuable storage space, something that's already at a premium when you're building out your custom camper van.
We'll be taking a look at the pros, cons, benefits and drawbacks of both adding (and removing) the rear windows from your offroad van build.
What Our Van Builders Say About Rear Windows
At first, it might seem like a no-brainer to add rear windows to your camper van conversion. More natural light and extra visibility, right? In a standard vehicle, this choice may be a bit more obvious, but when it comes to your van build, there are some major factors that should influence your choice and that can have major impact on your van's future functionality.
The Benefits of Removing Camper Van Rear Windows
1) Insulation
Windows are one of the major weak spots when it comes to keeping your converted van temperature controlled. Removing these rear windows allows us to fully insulate your rear doors (using up to our tri-layer Thinsulate) which will help keep your van warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. This means less wear and tear on your van's HVAC systems for the same results.
2) Privacy + Sleeping
Without rear windows, your sleeping area stays much darker, much later in the day; save the sunrise sessions for the alarm clock. This lack of windows also improves your privacy so instead of hanging 4 window shades, crawling all around the van, you only have to cover two small, sliding windows to enter full stealth mode. Now when you're pulled into a parking spot, the whole neighborhood can't see inside your van.
3) Storage
The largest advantage, in our opinion is the storage space that is gained both on the interior and exterior of your camper van when you forego rear windows. Keeping the rear doors solid panels opens up a world of storage solutions that would be unavailable with rear windows. Options like interior shelves, exterior molle panel storage, bike racks, boxes, and more that can make organizing your gear much less of a hassle.
The Benefits of Adding Rear Windows
Now that we've discussed the benefits of removing the rear windows from your offroad camper van build, let's take a look at some of the advantages to adding rear windows to your van build.
1) Natural Lighting
Adding rear windows to your offroad van build lets in much more natural light during the day and can make the space seem much more open and inviting. It really brings the outside in.
2) Driving Visibility
With rear windows, you get a much more expected driving experience where mirrors and rear windows are very standard. However, depending on how you set up your van's interior and store your gear, this visibility may not improve at all even with the added windows.
The Best of Both Worlds: It's Possible
After reading about the pros and cons of both rear windows and their removal, you may be, like many van owners, conflicted. What if you want the natural light but still want the storage? And what if you want the best 4-season van but don't want to give up your visibility?
How Do I Prioritize Visibility?
To give you back your visibility, without compromising on storage, the Off Highway Van team ensures our base vans are specced properly from the Mercedes Benz factory. We order each Off Highway Van from the factory standard with digital rear view mirrors, 360 cameras, and sonar sensors installed. So, if visibility is a concern, we've got you covered whether you choose rear windows or not.
What About Natural Light?
If you're concerned about the natural light / outside in feel you lose from a lack of rear windows, we've also come up with a solution. When you build with Off Highway Van, instead of getting your natural light from windows that are taking up valuable storage space, just add a skylight! Our 3' x 5' camper van skylight lets all the natural light you desire in without compromising on your interior or exterior storage or functionality.
How the Off Highway Van Experts Would Build
If the team at Off Highway Van had to build their own camper van, they'd choose to forego the rear windows for improved insulation, storage, and privacy. We feel these benefits much outweigh the drawbacks especially when paired with Mercedes' digital rear view mirror, 360 cams, and sensors. This not only improves your van's temperature control, it opens up a world of storage possibilities where space is at an extreme premium.
And natural light? That's old news. We especially love adding skylights to our vans to improve natural lighting without having to remove your storage functionality or give up your privacy and insulation.
If you're ready to start your Off Highway Van build (with or without rear windows), our expert van builders can help you start your dream van build today!
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