Aaron's Minimalist Mercedes Plumbing Van

Expanding Cargo Space

Aaron's Mercedes van is a passenger model, so he stripped the plastic trim and panels in the cargo area to get more space for plumbing tool storage.

The van's racking is DIY wood and made to accommodate various organizers for fittings and other inventory. A slab of wood functions as a mini work table on the passenger side. Some plumbers like to carry their cases of fittings to the job site, but he prefers to simply grab the fittings he's likely to need for each job.

The minimal inventory on the van reduces weight and stuff that needs to be moved to find other things.

Simple Plumber Organization

There are no Packouts, stacked cases, or boxes to search through. Aaron uses a few open bins for small parts and fittings. He also has some interesting vertical organizers that take up the vertical ends of shelves and some empty horizontal spaces. These organizers are clear and easy to grab from an open door.

With the van's simple, highly visible organization, checking stock can be done at a glance. This is ideal for a low-inventory setup where you may restock from a storage location at the end of the day.

Long Item Storage

At the side cargo doors, Aaron keeps a length of large diameter pipe which spans the van from side to side. It holds short sections of material, like tube and pipe. He can't fit full lengths of material, but short chunks work for him. Other long tools like his level and drain rods also go here.

What About Ladders?

There is no roof rack on this van, which keeps it stealthy and hard to identify as a trades work van. But Aaron needs a ladder regularly, so he has a telescoping ladder that compresses to a very compact size behind the second row of seats.