Best Window Setup....is?

Hi Sprinter World!

I am getting ready to put some windows in my 2014 144 WB cargo van and am having trouble deciding where to place them and what types to use. I plan to eventually use the van for camping.

I bet there are some great opinions about this - so before I start cutting I want to know I have made the best decision on where to put them and styles to use. What ya all think?

thanks bob

You're going to get lots of opinions on this...here's my .02 worth:
I believe the fewer windows, the better. Yes, seeing outside is good but a window is also a magnifying glass in the summer and a heat loss in the winter. Yes, you can use insulating covers but then you have to store them while not in use. That being said, my plan is to put in a big one on the driver's side just behind the driver's seat and a 36"x10" on both sides in the rear. All three windows will be able to open for ventilation.

Good Luck!

I have been satisfied with a stock window in the slider door and the windows in the back doors. The slider window is IMO essential for safety when driving.

I have a floor to ceiling cabinet behind the driver for the shower and the refrigerator so a window there would be blocked. The rear two side window locations are blocked by the fold down bed platforms. Sink counter is at the sliding door so a window there is nice.

So bottom line is the number of windows may be determined by how you will build the conversion.

Check out
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35250
It has worked out well for me. The cabinet counter and bed platform is at the bottom of the rear window. Adds about 5 inches of sleeping space. Less weight and more insulation compared to the full size window and eliminates the need to block or protect the lower part of a large window if cabinets are in front of it.
Ron

Do the sliding door. Wait on the rest until you know what your build is going to look like. I thought I would put in rear but too much money. I have tall cabinets on driver side and low on the passenger. Thus no windows on Driver.. full windows on passenger.

Well. Depends on your layout. I have a tvent behind driver and standard crew on passenger side. Decided against ventilation window when an up fitter showed me how easy it was to pull the vent up, stick your hand through the screen, unlock the sliding glass door and steal everything in the van. That sufficiently freaked me out, so I sold the other tvent window I bought for the Passenger side.

The term "best" is relative to layout and application - good idea not to try to re invent the wheel. We borrowed lot's of ideas from different builds like the feeding station, sound deadening, electrical set up and so on. Good to ask questions and do your research. That's how you'll get what you want. Only uncharted path we took was the sleeping arraignment. I wanted the ability to convert to sleep two when need and still be able to use the back doors when it the single sleeper position. Solution - folding bed that runs along the drivers side.

We started with a cargo 144 with the intentions to create a moto hauler camper (sounds a little like your objective) - bike on the outside and people on the inside. Dry camper, insulated cooler box and a big jug of H20, camp stove, auxiliary battery and inverter for the morning coffee. It had three important features right from the factory- drivers comfort package, hitch and back door windows. We added vent windows and a rear fan. The kind of windows that open on the bottom. A must have in our opinion. At night run the fan sucking air out at 40% off the aux battery with minimal draw. Id consider the forward side to be the standard location for single side window addition. Some add both but not our deal.



And a quick video tour.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5fZ-OCLWXc&index=16&list=UUeQFwsgIwjpDm0ltv_bXF0A

Does a window on the slider - behind the passenger - make a significant difference in safety?

Mendobob said:

Does a window on the slider - behind the passenger - make a significant difference in safety?

Click to expand...

Yes big time. You can't see anything coming from your right if you are angled.

Agree with ktm805, slider door window is really helpful when even slightly angled, has saved me several times.

Wanderweg said:

it is easy to pull the window vent up, stick your hand through the screen, unlock the sliding glass door and steal everything in the van. .

Click to expand...

Has anyone else had this concern or experience this situation with venting window on slider?

Mendobob said:

Has anyone else had this concern or experience this situation with venting window on slider?

Click to expand...

I have worried about it.

Some / many Sprinter RV's have windows all around I guess just because it looks better.