How to build a van for Kids (And Actually Enjoy It)
Most "VanLife" family content is a lie.
You know the photos: perfectly clean children reading books in white linen beds, bathed in golden hour light. The reality? Mud. Spilled juice boxes. Wet dogs. Heat exhaustion. And the constant, gnawing anxiety of highway safety.
You don't need packing tips. You need a rig built to survive the chaos.
At Forged Vans, we don’t build RVs; we build expedition tools. When you add kids to the equation, the engineering requirements don't just double—they change entirely. Here is how we engineer the El Cap to solve the actual stressors of family travel: Safety, Sleep, and Dirt.
1. SAFETY IS NOT OPTIONAL (THE CHASSIS CONNECTION)
The dark secret of the RV industry is how rear seats are installed. Often, they are bolted to plywood subfloors. In a collision, plywood shears.
We don't bolt seats to wood. We use DOT-approved seating secured directly to chassis-integrated L-Track. This connects the passenger restraint system to the steel frame of the vehicle.
If it isn’t safe enough for the highway, it doesn’t go in the van. This isn't just a "camper seat"; it is an automotive-grade safety system designed to protect your most precious cargo.
2. THE "SLEEP SANITY" EQUATION
In a standard van build, when the kids go to sleep, the parents are held hostage in the dark. If you turn on a light, you wake the toddler. If you make noise, you wake the baby.
We solve this with Zoned Living.
The Hardware: We install a multi-zone lighting system (Front, Rear, Garage, Exterior). You can dim the sleeping area to 0% while keeping the front lounge lit for dinner or work.
The Layout: The El Cap’s modular garage allows for a "Kid Crib" or “Kid Bed” area beneath the main bed. It acts as a visual and auditory partition, giving kids a secure "cave" while parents reclaim the living space.
3. CLIMATE CONTROL IS A SAFETY FEATURE
Adults can tough out a hot night. Children cannot. Kids don't regulate body temperature efficiently; a hot van prevents naps, and a cold van means no sleep for anyone.
We install the Nomadic X2 AC to combat summer heat and Hydronic Heating for alpine starts. This isn't "glamping." This is ensuring your 2-year-old can safely nap in the Utah desert so you can actually enjoy the evening campfire.
4. THE "HOSE-OUT" STANDARD (DIRT MANAGEMENT)
Van interiors usually consist of cheap vinyl or residential carpet. One spilled juice box creates permanent mold. One muddy boot ruins the aesthetic.
We engineer the El Cap for abuse using two critical defenses:
2Tec2 Flooring: This is a high-tech woven vinyl that looks like a textile but cleans like industrial PVC. It captures dust so it doesn't float in the air, but you can scrub it aggressively.
The External Rinse Station: We install an outdoor shower and bike rinse station plumbed directly to the instant hot water system.
The Protocol: You rinse the mud off the kids and the bikes outside before they ever touch the interior. Stop hovering over your family with a towel. Let them get dirty. The system can handle it.
5. RESOURCE ANXIETY (WATER & POWER)
Running out of water or power with a family isn't an "adventure"; it's a crisis. You cannot tell a hungry infant to wait because the generator is out of gas.
We over-engineer the essentials to eliminate anxiety:
Power: We spec a 640Ah Lithium bank. This allows you to run the induction cooktop, warm baby bottles, and charge iPads simultaneously without ever plugging in. Crucially, it is silent. No generator noise to wake the baby.
Water: A 33-Gallon internal, insulated tank. This provides ample capacity for drinking, cooking, and those crucial exterior rinse-offs.
6. GEAR SEPARATION (THE GARAGE)
"Gear Tetris" is the enemy of speed. If you have to trip over bikes to get to the fridge, you will hate your trip.
The El Cap features a 500lb Pullout Drawer in the garage. This physically separates the "dirty" zone (gear, wet waders, crash pads) from the "clean" zone (living area). The garage swallows the chaos so your living room remains a living room.
7. THE "REAL MEAL" STANDARD (NUTRITION)
Most van kitchenettes are glorified camp stoves. They can boil water, but they can't prep a meal for four people. When you can't cook real food, you rely on gas station snacks, leading to sugar crashes and meltdowns.
We install a 110L Dometic Fridge/Freezer —enough capacity for days of fresh groceries, not just a six-pack. We pair it with a Dual Induction Cooktop.
The Engineering Benefit: Induction means no open propane flames near grabby hands, and zero moisture condensation inside the van (a common issue with propane cooking).
8. THE "SILENT RIDE" (DRIVER SANITY)
A rattling van combined with screaming kids is a recipe for sensory overload. "Road noise" is often just code for "poor build quality."
We adhere to the "Silent Ride" Standard.
Sound Deadening: We apply Kilmat to the chassis to dampen vibration.
Insulation: We stuff cavities with Havelock Wool, which absorbs sound frequencies.
Fasteners: We use mechanical fasteners for our cabinetry, not staples and glue.
The result? The van doesn't squeak over washboards. It feels solid and quiet, reducing driver fatigue so you arrive at camp energized, not frayed.
THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IS SANITY
You can try to "make do" with a mass-produced RV. You can buy the cheaper rig with the stapled cabinetry and the loud generator. But you will pay for it in other ways: in frustration, in fatigue, and in the moments you missed because you were fixing a latch or yelling over road noise.
We build the El Cap because we know that with kids, the margin for error is slim. When the van works—when the heat holds, the seats are safe, and the gear is stowed—you stop managing the vehicle and start parenting in the wild.
We do not build RVs; we build expedition tools. And for a family, the most important tool you have is your patience. This van is engineered to protect it.
