Camping with the Nissan NV 3500 - Rear Cargo Storage System

Do you have the Nissan NV 3500? This video will show you how we modified the rear cargo area to create some usable storage for our camping adventures. If I can do this then YOU can do it. I used very simple power tools and I do not have any special craftsman skills. The only fancy thing you'll see is the ARB fridge slide that I purchased and then installed.
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[@isaacg3232]

This is the only video I've been able to find on the Nissan NV camping. Thanks for posting. I'm debating purchasing one for road trips and to haul a travel trailer.

[@HuffsHaven]

Thanks for your comment Issac G 32. We like our NV3500 for hauling around the crew and for camping. I feel that you get a lot for your $$ with this vehicle, but it is still really a cargo van with nice seats and some carpet on the floor. We experience some wind noise and the suspension is pretty stiff. For the price = good value. Can't really compare though to a decked out Quad Cab 3/4 ton truck or Suburban / Yukon XL. The build quality on these would be a higher quality and it would show in the price. I definitely recommend the NV if you need to haul a big group AND tow a trailer. The passenger room inside is amazing! I believe that it would pull a travel trailer with no trouble at all. Depending on the weight of your TT, don't skip on the hitch sway bar / stabilizer. If you have pulled a TT before you know what I mean. Nothing worse than to have your TT get pushed around by wind and other vehicle while rolling down the highway. Happy camping!

[@rxd5]

Very Nice!

[@HuffsHaven]

Thanks, rxd5!

[@JCHoopsalot]

Huffs - That is a great set up! Like you we have four kids and an NV. What sleeping arrangements do you use? How many can sleep in your trailer? A roof top pod sure adds a lot of space. We had to use one with our pre-NV mini-van. How is it attached? Happy trails!

[@HuffsHaven]

Thanks, Jeff! When the whole family goes camping my wife and I sleep in the Little Guy Silver Shadow and the kids sleep in backpacking tents...the girls in one and the boys in another. We kept all of our camping gear and soft duffle bags in the Thule box on top of the NV. This allowed us to keep the inside of the van mostly clutter free. I got the cross bars from Vantech. www.vantech.us/Nissan-NV-Cargo-Van_c75.htm I looked lots online and this was the only plug & play solution for the NV 3500 that I was able to find. The top of the NV is already tapped to accept the mounting brackets from Vantech. Happy camping!

[@HuffsHaven]

The NV3500 has been a great "on road" camping van for road trips and state/national parks. My wife and I sleep in the teardrop trailer... which is a Slilver Shadow 5 x 10 by Little Guy. It weighs less than 1,000 pounds loaded up with our sleeping gear, clothes and cooking gear. We took out the 12V fridge that came with the trailer because we already had the ARB fridge that we keep in the back of the van. The kids sleep in two backpacking type tents. The girls share one and the boys share the other. We have the Thule cargo box top. I found the bars at VanTech US www.vantech.us/Nissan-NV-Cargo-Van_c75.htm but I'm not seeing the exact model on their site tonight. The best part is that the van top is already drilled / tapped for accept the bar mounting hardware. I had to modify the box slightly in order to span the spread of the bars, but no big problem. We carried a 4 foot step ladder in order to be able to reach the cargo box. Also, be careful in drive thrus, parking garages, etc. Happy camping!

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

hi great video! how do u keep or monitor your little frige from draining your chassis battery since it is wired direct? thank you!

[@HuffsHaven]

The ARB Fridge has a super low power draw and it has an integrated battery protection system built in. There are three settings (H-M-L) that causes the fridge to shut off if the main battery voltage gets below a certain level. We are normally driving around at least once a day, so this keeps the battery charged. This fall I had the fridge loaded into my 1998 Jeep XJ when we attended the Overland Expo East. The jeep sat for three days without being started and the fridge was powered up the entire time. The jeep started at the ended of our trip, but I do carry a portable jump box just in case we are in an isolated area with no one around to offer a jump. We've been extremely happy with the ARB fridge system! Happy camping!

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

Huffs Haven, that sounds like a great refrigerator to have. Do you recommend the Nissan NV ? I am looking for one with a high roof, an NV 3500.

[@HuffsHaven]

The NV3500 works well for travel. We put the Thule cargo box on the top so the high roof would not be an option for us. We have to use a small step ladder even with the standard roof. I feel that the NV is a good bang for the buck. There is a lot of plastic inside and it rides like a cargo van, but so far it's been super reliable. Have fun exploring!

[@thehomeplatespecial597]

Huffs Haven thank you!!

[@slackerprince1]

You mentioned that the ride in the van isn't that great. Do you think a change of tires and shocks would improve the ride? Can you detail how it drives, a little? Just wondering if it's stiff, how the turning radius is, noise level in the cabin, etc. I would really appreciate any details. Thanks!

[@HuffsHaven]

The ride is not horrible... for a cargo van. We tolerate it because of the space and the overall value of the price for what you get. There is lots of plastic inside, so we've noticed some squeaks over the almost two years / 25k miles that we've had it. The seats and the view from the cockpit are awesome and my teenaged kids have loads of room compared to the other brands of vans in this class. The turning radius is really pretty good. The cabin noise for day to day driving is decent, but not much insulation above your head so a heavy rain is very loud. I think that bigger wheels/tires and upgraded shocks would help the ride considerably. Overall though, I'd recommend this van to large families and/or families who want to travel together.

[@kyguyinohio]

How has the reliability been? What have you had to replace on it? What is gas mileage average? Thank you for your time. Joseph

[@HuffsHaven]

Joseph, Thanks for your comment. We now have about 16,000 miles on the van and have only done the routine maintenance of oil changes and tire rotation. When we are not traveling the van either sits in the driveway or acts as a taxi for our kids and their friends. Don't know about mileage around town, but I got about 12 - 15 on our trip West towing the teardrop trailer. The mileage is not good, but I didn't expect that it would be. Good van for a large family and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a tow vehicle and wants an alternative to a full sized pickup truck.

[@HuffsHaven]

We've only had to do the recommended oil/filter changes and tire rotation. We normally do not buy new vehicles so the limited maintenance on this has been nice. Our dealer gave us $9.99 oil changes for life, so it's been very cheap to maintain.

[@jeffthompson8663]

How much did yours cost? What dealership?

[@jbkelton]

We have 116k miles and we have had not major problems. The bigest issue we had was the rear evaporator blower failed and we had to have the evaporator cleaned.

[@carpenterfamily6198]

I've been looking at the NV high top vans for a conversion that I'd like to do . . . but not sure I can live with that poor gas mileage. They are awesome otherwise.

[@izzimichaels2892]

just so you know, we use ours to pull a trailer, van fully loaded (heavy) 10' trailer fully loaded (even heavier) we got a little over 15 mpg.