In the 1970s, vans experienced a creative renaissance, becoming mobile homes for rebellious hippies and displaying all manner of artwork on their large body panels. Interest in van life waned for a while, but the past few years have seen something of a comeback as automakers breath new life into a stale segment. This extends past your traditional cargo vans as campers and tiny home enthusiasts look for new ways to live on, or off, the road.

Optima Batteries noticed the growing popularity of vans in 2015, commissioning a unique off-road camper based around the tried-and-true Ford Econoline vans. In the video above, Optima’s Cam Douglass, Optima’s Director of Product Development and Marketing, takes us behind the why and how of this off-road van, and you may find yourself soon trolling Craigslist for a van project of your own.

Bought in Wisconsin but built in Fletcher, North Carolina, Optima’s off-road Econoline was sent to U-Joint Off-Road, where the Econoline went from airport shuttle to off-road monster. You can read a long and exhaustive list of modifications here, and among the highlights are front and rear springs from Atlas Suspension, a complete axle assembly from Dynatec, Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires, Aluminess roof and tool racks, and Fox Racing shocks and remote reservoirs.

For all the effort that went into bringing the Econoline up to snuff for off-roading, even more, sweat was spent in converting the bare interior into a habitable living quarters. Although the pop-up top may remind some of classic Volkswagen hippie vans, the spacious interior offers amenities that the hippies could never have dreamed of. This includes a fridge, microwave, and a convertible interior that provides ample storage, sitting and sleeping space in a surprisingly roomy living quarters.

Just as at home on the showroom floor as the Mojave desert, Optima’s take on the revived van craze shows just how much potential resides in these boxy machines.