The Van Lifestylist
Roadloft Conversion Kits:
The Kit I've Lived In for Three Years.
Roadloft Conversion Kits — The Complete Guide from a Full-Time Owner
Roadloft makes removable, non-permanent camper conversion kits for minivans, SUVs, and pickup trucks. The modular kits are precision-cut for your exact year, make, and model, and they install without any construction experience. I've lived in mine full time since September 2023, in a 2006 Toyota Sienna. Like many of you, I started van life facing a wall of contradictory, confusing information, and the conversion decision was the most overwhelming piece of it. This page pulls it all together: how the kits work, what installation is really like, and what three years of full-time use has taught me.
Why I Chose a Removable Kit
Over a Custom Build
When I launched full-time van life, I didn't have the budget, the tools, or the desire to build out a van from scratch — and I didn't want to destroy a perfectly good vehicle to make it livable. A kit that installs with a screwdriver and removes the same way keeps every option open. And options are what keep you on the road.
- No Construction. Period.
No drilling, no wiring, no cutting into your van. The kit arrives precision-cut for your vehicle and assembles easily with only a screwdriver.
- Your Investment Moves With You
Roadloft builds kits by year, make, and model, so when your vehicle changes, the system changes with you. My needs today aren't my needs forever, and this is the rare purchase that plans for that.
- Your Van Stays a Van
If you sell the vehicle, the kit comes out and your minivan goes back to being a minivan — full resale value, no explaining holes in the floor to a buyer.
The Installation
Thirty Minutes. One Screwdriver.
A 2006 Toyota Sienna.
This is my actual van — before and after the Roadloft minivan kit went in.
The installation was simple. I unpacked everything, laid it out, read every instruction, and had the kit installed in about half an hour. My only tool was a screwdriver.
Full disclosure: I'm a methodical, read-every-step person, so some of that half hour was me double-checking. A less careful person could likely do it faster — though I wouldn't recommend being a less careful person.
You may notice Roadloft advertises a 5-minute installation — and that's true, too. The thirty minutes is your one-time initial assembly. Once the kit has been assembled, it can be removed or reinstalled in as little as five minutes. Camper on Monday, minivan on Friday, camper again for the weekend.
The kit fit my Sienna precisely, which is not a small thing when the vehicle was nearly twenty years old at install time. That's the year/make/model ordering system doing its job.
Order the kit for the vehicle you own, not the vehicle you're shopping for. The kits are vehicle-specific, and "close enough" is not a phrase you want anywhere near the platform you sleep on.
My very first YouTube video — recorded the day I installed the kit.
The Lineup
Kits for Minivans, SUVs & Pickup Trucks
Every kit is modular, built to your vehicle's year, make, and model. Minivan kits come in Solo or Duo configurations; pickup kits come in Mid-Size or Full-Size.
Roadloft Minivan Kits
The Full Home Base
Solo & Duo Options
Current pricing on Roadloft's site
- Bed platform, storage bench & table system
- Precision-cut for your exact van
- Fit my 2006 Sienna perfectly
- Room for a collapsible toilet
- Lightweight, waterproof marine-grade wood
Roadloft SUV & Hatchback Kits
The Lowest-Cost Door In
Most Affordable Kit
Current pricing on Roadloft's site
- Same removable, no-construction approach
- Real, engineered sleeping platform
- Test the lifestyle in the vehicle you own
- Far beyond plywood-and-prayers DIY setups
Roadloft Pickup Truck Kits
The Truck Bed Transformed
Mid-Size & Full-Size
Current pricing on Roadloft's site
- Same year/make/model precision fit
- Turns a truck bed with a cap into a genuine camping setup
- Organized storage throughout
Roadloft sets pricing and runs seasonal sales throughout the year — check their site for current prices before you order.
Choosing
Which Roadloft Kit Should You Choose?
The kit you want follows the vehicle you own — Roadloft builds by year, make, and model, so the vehicle decides most of it for you. But if you're still choosing a vehicle, here's how I'd think about it after three years on the road:
- Choose a minivan kit if you want a full-time home base.It's the most complete setup — bed platform, storage bench, and table system. Solo works for one person like me; Duo suits couples. This is the kit I live in.
- Choose an SUV or hatchback kit to spend the least getting in.It's the lowest-cost door into real van life, with an engineered sleeping platform instead of a plywood-and-prayers DIY job. A smart way to test the lifestyle in a vehicle you may already own.
- Choose a pickup truck kit if you already drive a truck.Mid-size or full-size, it turns a truck bed with a cap into an organized camping setup without touching the cab.
Not sure which vehicle-and-kit pairing fits your budget and travel style? That's exactly the kind of decision I work through on a Compass Call.
Three Years In
What Living With a Roadloft Kit Is Actually Like
Marketing tells you what a kit does. Three years tells you what it's like. A few things I've learned:
- The marine-grade wood matters more than I believed.I dismissed the lightweight, waterproof wood while researching — I wasn't planning to get water on my furniture. Then I moved in. I spill water constantly. The wood shrugs off every bit of it.
- Two ways into every storage space.I can reach the bench and under-bed storage without opening the van doors. When you'd rather not advertise that a woman is living in her vehicle, that's a safety feature disguised as a convenience feature.
- Room for a toilet was my deal breaker.Space for a collapsible toilet was a requirement, not a preference — and the layout accommodates one. If you're a woman evaluating kits, make this a requirement too.
- I don't use table mode often — but I like having the option.The table comes with the kit, and I expected to use it constantly. I rarely do. When the need arises, though, it's there — an honest report you won't get from a product page.
Function Over Fashion
How I've Adapted My Kit
(The Three-Year Configuration)
There's the way the Roadloft kit is designed to be used, and then there's the way I use it — and the fact that both work is the strongest endorsement I can give a system.
Because I travel solo, I never put the kit in full bed mode. I removed the library unit and moved the bench to the back of the front seats, which opens up the middle of the van. My refrigerator lives in that middle space, where I can reach it easily when I'm being stealthy. And I added one piece of my own: a spacer board, cut to the size of a pillow, that sits between the main unit and the bench. It slides side to side, and when I sleep lengthwise, it's where my feet go.
None of that required tools, modifications, or violating a warranty. The kit is a system of pieces, and pieces can be rearranged. Three years in, my setup fits me the way a good pair of boots does — broken in, adjusted, mine.
Ready to Order
How to Order — and Save $100
- Visit Roadloft's site and select your vehicle type — minivan, SUV, or pickup truck.
- Choose the kit listing that matches your vehicle's exact year, make, and model.
- At checkout, enter coupon code RLVLS for $100 off your kit purchase.
Coupon CodeRLVLS$100 off your kit purchase
As a Roadloft Ambassador, I earn a commission when you order through my link and code — at no extra cost to you. It saves you $100 and supports the free resources on this site. The code applies to kit purchases only.
Questions
Frequently Asked
Quick answers before you order.
Do I need construction experience or special tools to install a Roadloft kit?
No. My initial installation used one screwdriver and took about thirty minutes — and that's a one-time assembly. Once the kit has been assembled, it can be removed or reinstalled in as little as five minutes.
Will the kit fit my exact vehicle?
Kits are built to your vehicle's year, make, and model — that's how you order. If your vehicle isn't in Roadloft's catalog, it isn't supported; don't try to adapt a kit meant for a different vehicle.
Does Roadloft make kits for SUVs and pickup trucks?
Yes. Roadloft builds three kit families: minivan kits in Solo and Duo configurations, SUV and hatchback kits, and pickup truck kits in mid-size and full-size versions. Every kit is modular and ordered by your vehicle's exact year, make, and model. Mine is the minivan kit, living in a 2006 Toyota Sienna.
Which Roadloft kit should I choose?
Start with the vehicle you own — kits are built by year, make, and model, so the vehicle decides most of it. If you're still choosing: the minivan kit is the full-time home base (it's what I live in), the SUV and hatchback kit is the lowest-cost way in, and the pickup truck kit turns a capped truck bed into an organized camping setup.
Can I remove the kit myself later?
Yes. Nothing is drilled, glued, or wired into the vehicle. The kit comes out the same way it went in, and your van returns to being a van.
Is a Roadloft kit cheaper than buying an RV?
By a wide margin. A kit plus a passenger vehicle costs a fraction of a Class B camper van, and the savings continue after purchase day: one vehicle means one registration and one insurance policy, with no specialty RV coverage. Minivans, SUVs, and pickup trucks also get better gas mileage than larger, heavier campervans, so the driving costs less too.
Is there room for a portable toilet?
In my minivan kit, yes — space for my collapsible toilet was a requirement when I chose this system, and the layout accommodates it.
Can one person sleep comfortably without setting up the full bed?
Yes. I travel solo and never use full bed mode — I've reconfigured the pieces for more living space, and I sleep lengthwise with room to spare.
Does the RLVLS code work on accessories?
No — the code applies to kit purchases only, for $100 off. Accessories and the camp kitchen module aren't included, so if you're ordering both, the savings come from the kit.
After the Kit
The Kit Solves the Build.
It Doesn't Solve the Plan.
Choosing a Roadloft kit answers the conversion question. It leaves the bigger ones open. What does life on the road cost month to month, and can your income sustain it? Which state becomes your legal domicile when you no longer have a permanent address, and what does that choice do to your taxes? How does health insurance work on the road, before and after Medicare? As The Van Lifestylist, I'm here to guide you through the logistics. I'm a Federally Credentialed Enrolled Agent (EA), a federally licensed tax professional, and I answer these questions from the driver's seat of my own van.
Know Your Numbers First
Before the kit, before the vehicle, know whether your income can sustain van life. The Van Life Money Calculator™ builds your complete financial foundation on the 3-6-9 Buffer™ system and comes with the EA Insight Training Video and the Buffer breakdown PDF.
Calculate your real monthly van life cost →Plan the Life Around the Van
The Van Life Foundations Manual covers what no product page will: the Digital ICE File, domicile and health insurance strategy, and the decisions that make solo van life sustainable. Printed and 3-hole punched, ready for a binder.
See the Van Life Foundations Manual →Bring Me Your Situation
A Compass Call is one hour on whatever you bring. Any question, any topic, anything on your mind about this life — nothing is off the table. No judgment, real answers.
Book a Compass Call →Three Years. One Screwdriver.
Zero Regrets.
The kit that made my van life possible — and the code that saves you $100 on yours.
Get $100 Off With RLVLS →
Want the day-to-day details? Read my full Roadloft minivan kit review →
Not sure a kit is the right call for your situation? Bring it to a Compass Call →