01:00 01-06-2026

A bamboo lounge on wheels that still wants to crawl over rocks

Summit Vans turned a 2025 Mercedes Sprinter AWD into a bamboo-lined off-road home with a garage for two e-bikes. The Bamboo Basecamp starts at $160,000.

It seems the Australians have set out to prove that a camper can be a designer lounge and a serious expedition rig at the same time. Bamboo Basecamp by Summit Vans is exactly that case. The base — a 2025 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter AWD with a 170-inch wheelbase. Inside — nearly all bamboo. Outside — everything you need to head where the pavement ran out long ago.

The expedition character shows from the first glance. Off-road tires, beefed-up Van Compass Stage 2.3 suspension with adjustable Falcon shocks, reinforced rear end, GVWR raised from 4,100 to 4,430 kg. On the roof — a full rack, a 4-meter Fiamma awning, an LED light bar, a StarLink Mini antenna, a Dometic A/C, a Maxxair fan and four 200-watt solar panels.

The details that give away a builder used to real-world trails are everywhere. At the rear — an integrated spare wheel mount with a Weldbeat ladder. Up front — a Roambuilt bumper with two heavy-duty recovery points. There are side steps, a Mission 4x4 external table, water and electrical hookups. The factory plastics, sills, front bumper and arch flares are coated in truck-bed liner — so the body doesn’t flinch at every rock and branch on the trail.

The Bamboo Basecamp name isn’t a marketing accident. Inside — bamboo cabinetry, a slatted bamboo ceiling with embedded LED strips, a light woven floor and gray walls wrapped in Warwick outdoor fabric. Black hardware and white countertops add contrast, while the open layout, with no bulkhead between cab and living area, makes the space feel visibly lighter.

Behind the sliding door — a wet bath with a mirrored door. Inside, a handheld shower and a Clesana toilet with heat-sealed waste bags. L-Track on the walls holds wet gear, and a lower vent turns the shower stall into a drying chamber. The kitchen is built for life on the road, not photogenic coffee shots. A deep stainless sink, a portable induction cooktop, a fold-down table, a pull-out coffee station, cabinets and drawers.

Opposite it stands a tall column with a 175-liter Thetford fridge, a small freezer, a microwave, shelves, drawers and a wardrobe. The bed is mounted high — and that’s the key design call. Underneath sits a huge garage.

The reinforced slide-out platform fits two full-size e-bikes. Access works from outside and from inside the van. The high bed means a small ladder is needed, but in return you keep the space that campers of this size usually waste.

The power system is no joke either. An 820 Ah battery bank, a 3,000-watt inverter-charger, charging from solar, shore power and a generator, plus DC-DC charging from the engine while driving. The water system has a 90-liter fresh tank, a 45-liter gray tank and an outdoor shower. A Dieselheat DH9 diesel hydronic unit handles cabin and water heating.

This version starts at $160,000, van included. That’s a lot. But against the market for AWD Sprinter expedition builds, where projects routinely climb into six figures, the number doesn’t look quite as crazy.

Bamboo Basecamp isn’t trying to be a glossy social-media camper. Its point is simpler and more honest — get far away, bring the bikes, live off your own power, and don’t treat every day on the road as a compromise.