Slim Chance is the latest concept from Outside Van. The adventure van was designed in partnership with pro kiteboarder Ewan Jaspan and kitesurfing gear company Naish USA. The concept van is Outside’s first based on the latest Sprinter chassis and is loaded with handy gear and features.
A slim chance is a kiteboarding trick. Like you’d expect from the name, it’s not an easy one. The trick involves an inverted front roll with a backside 360, and we wiped out just typing that. Unlike its namesake, this van promises to make life outdoors easier. Outside calls it an authentic and premium windsports van.
AWD Sprinter Van Gets Agile Offroad
Based in Portland, Ore., Outside Van has been building vans for adventure lifestyles for 15 years. The company builds more than 100 vans every year, and it wanted to both test and show off the latest Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van with its new AWD chassis.
Benz’s AWD system and 2.0L turbodiesel get the van moving and keep it going with maximum traction. But, Outside Van went to the team at Agile Offroad to make it even better.
The Slim Chance van gets an Agile Off Road RIP (Ride Improvement Package) kit. The kit isn’t specifically a lift, though it will raise your van slightly. It is meant to give your van a better ride. Especially when off-road and loaded.
The kit comes with custom rear springs and front coilover suspension. Fox 2.0 front shocks and 2.5 rear shocks damp the up-and-down motion of the van.
Agile’s No Rub fenders fitted at the front and rear give clearance for the new tire and wheel package. The 17-inch Rhino Atlas wheels that wear BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires are designed to help you drive over punishing and slick surfaces. Outside Van’s own front bumper has driving and fog lights and incorporates a skid plate.
Outside Van Shower
One of the coolest features on this van is the enclosed outdoor shower. Outside Van took a Pakmule hitch platform and then added a wooden floor platform. The floor is great for washing gear and rinsing your feet, but it also forms the base of the new shower.
A metal frame locks into place and keeps the rear doors from swinging. The frame also keeps the shower curtain in place giving you privacy while outside. Plug the shower head into the rear mixing valve and you’re good to get clean after a day of getting dirty.
Power Tools
Because kiteboarding equipment takes a lot of assembly (and disassembly) work, Outside Van added power tools. A Milwaukee Packout rack mounted at the back comes with mounts for battery charging, impact drivers, and cordless screwdrivers.
Those chargers sit right in front of the main batteries. The van has a 960 Ah lithium-ion setup that can charge from the extra alternator or from the 140W solar panel mounted on the roof.
Big Kitchen & Loads of Storage
A split galley crosses both sides of the 144-inch van’s cabin, and the counter can fold across for more space. It has an induction cooktop, and the fridge is easy to reach from inside or out.
There are storage compartments almost everywhere and a gear glider that pulls out of the rear. Any flat vertical surfaces that aren’t already cabinets are probably showing off a MOLLE grid for even more attachment points.
Storage outside starts with an Owl Vans Sherpa rack with bike holder and an Outside Van rear tire carrier. A Yakima Skybox rooftop box holds more gear on top, and there’s a ladder to help you climb up.
Outside Van ‘Slim Chance’ Sleeps Big
When you finally get tired, an Outside Van Murphy bed folds down in the rear. The bed is full-width and has punch-outs in the walls to allow for sideways sleeping.
Slim Chance has too many details to cover everything, so if you want more, then watch the video up top.
Buy Your Own Slim Chance
And if you really like it, Outside Vans is putting this one up for sale. It has a little over 6,000 miles on it and will run you $308,000. The odds are it will go quickly, but Outside can build you a pretty cool new van of your own as well.
