A couple in their 20s converted 11 camper vans before building their dream one. Take a look inside the $127,000 Ram ProMaster.

13.07.2024 - 16:44 / insider.com / Ram Promaster

Scarlett and Seth Eskelund started their van conversion knowing exactly what they wanted.

There was no debate over adding a pop of color; the couple planned to stick to neutrals. When deciding if it was worth spending the money and time building a shower, the answer was an easy yes. Straight lines and Scandinavian influence were styles the pair had eyed for years, so naturally, they agreed to incorporate those elements in their van.

These quick answers — and the conversion for the van altogether — took a mere six months. But Scarlett, 26, and Seth, 27, told Business Insider that their van was really five years in the making.

Before the build, the couple had spent years converting and selling vans. After a bout of burnout, the pair decided to quit their conversion business and prioritize building a van to travel in.

It's been a year since they completed the build, and they said it's exactly as they dreamed.

"I wouldn't change — down to centimeters — hardly anything," Seth said.

"It works really, really well for us," Scarlett added.

In 2018, Seth and Scarlett felt stuck.

"We were just in an unhappy place in life," Scarlett said. Scarlett had recently graduated from college and entered a field she wasn't passionate about. Meanwhile, Seth was doing freelance videography.

To shake things up, they decided to purchase and convert a van.

The van would allow the pair to avoid rent, freelance, and travel to jobs across the country.

Scarlett said that while a van suited their needs at the time, the goal of exploring was never their driving force for van life.

They spent about a year on their first conversion, and during that time, they fell in love with the process.

Then COVID-19 hit, and Scarlett and Seth saw an opportunity to capitalize on the wave of interest in van life. RV park conglomerates witnessed stocks surge and camper conversion businesses advertised lengthy waitlists, The New York Times reported in 2020.

In response, the pair started their own business converting vans.

It was a success. For the next three years, the pair converted and sold vans for an average price of $85,000. Since 2018, Seth and Scarlett converted 11 vans, including three they lived in; their builds typically took three to six months.

"Eventually, the need to get into a van fell off around 2023 or so," Seth said. "And everything kept getting more and more expensive."

Faced with higher vehicle and material costs, Seth and Scarlett decided to shut down their business.

"We suffered extreme burnout toward the end there, and ultimately, we decided our mental health was worth more than that," Scarlett said.

They both agreed they had enough energy for one more project: a dream van in which they'd live and travel indefinitely.

Scarlett