We tested our winter adventure van at -30C in Banff

We took this Ford Transit out on a wintery weekend in Banff, Alberta.

Living in Canada we spend a decent amount of time outside in the cold. And so, when building vans, we really need them to be able to stand up to any temperatures and conditions the Great White North can throw at them. After all, when you’re camping out at -30 C or colder, to get those first powder runs or catch that morning sunrise, you want to be sure you’re going to have a warm and cozy nights sleep before that. And that you’re going to feel secure driving your home along some slick winter roads.

For us, building a winter camping machine begins with the van itself. We build the majority of our full van conversions in Ford Transits, and we like to begin with AWD and winter tires, with an upgraded 3.5 later eco boost engine, to be fully confident about the van’s winter driving abilities.

On the inside, our 3 layer insulation system provides sound deadening, vapour barrier and thermal insulation. Our insulated floor kit uses high density EPS foam with a R6.3 rating. Heating wise in this van we included both underfloor heating through an in floor radiant heating loop, powered by an Espar hydronic furnace located under the van. We had a massive battery bank in this van, (7.5Kwh Lifepo4 Lithium Batteries, 400w Solar an all in one inverter charger and Victron 30A Battery-Battery Charger) full cooking facilities, a cozy fixed queen bed, a hot water shower and lots of winter accessories. All this to say, we were hopeful this van was going to keep us very warm and cozy indeed. But we wanted to test this out properly so we hit the road.

Our route took us out from Whistler one chilly (Whistler chilly; about -5C) morning and we headed up through the Duffey Lake Road, through Kamloops and Salmon Arm, all the way to Revelstoke, where we stayed overnight at a convenient roadside truck stop. The temperatures hadn’t dropped that much and we enjoyed dinner and movie in the van before a great nights sleep. Woken just once or twice by the trucks pulling up outside.

Cooking up some dinner in the van.

The next morning we ventured on to Banff where we would be staying for the next few nights. In the winter, the easiest place to stay in Banff is the Tunnel Mountain Village II campground. Free camping is not permitted within the national park, and this campground is such a convenient option, located close to the town of Banff and an easy drive from many attractions.

Cozy evenings staying at Tunnel Mountain in Banff.

Over the next few days we spent time enjoying the winter activities around the Banff area. We hiked up Sulphur Mountain, relaxed at Banff Upper Hot Springs and tested the Albertan powder with some tree runs at Sunshine Village and Lake Lousie. The temperatures dropped to -30 C over the weekend, and while there was definitely more to think about than on a summer road trip (mostly maintaining the heating at a steady level so that the water tanks and drains didn’t freeze, and the batteries didn’t get too cold and could charge). The underfloor heating system made it really easy to do this as all those components remained actively heated.

And yes, we also tested the winter roads. There were several big snowstorms over the weekend and some very wintery conditions. But the van held up well, taking the heavy snow in its stride. The only mark we came away with was a chip in the windscreen from the grit churned up by an overtaking car.

And inside the van, we remained warm and cozy throughout the trip. With all of our snowboarding gear, we really felt the need for some wet gear storage and mats to leave our boots on, something we’ll definitely incorporate into a future build.

But overall, we found the van a perfect winter road trip vehicle. Coming home to a warm shower and a cup of hot tea at the end of a day of riding was amazing. Especially when our home was parked right at the bottom of the ski out. And being able to make a pit stop at your van for a warm lunch then heading out for the afternoon really can’t be beat.

Now we’re feeling confident in taking these kind of winter trips, we’re seeing a lot more of them in our future. We’d love to take one of our vans out on an epic ski roadtrip, maybe through BC’s powder highway, or down to some of the resorts in the states. Watch this space!