The short answer
Ask any van kit builder six questions: what exactly is the substrate, where is each component manufactured, what is engineered versus purchased off a shelf, is it marine or RV grade, what happens when one part breaks, and what does the complete spec include. An honest builder answers all six without flinching. We will.
Two kits can photograph identically and be completely different objects. Here is how to find out which one you are looking at, using questions any honest builder will happily answer.
1. Ask what the substrate is — specifically
Not “premium plywood.” You want a species, a grade, and a ply count.
Void-free Baltic birch with many thin cross-laminated plies behaves very differently from big-box sanded ply with voids in the core, even though a finished cabinet face looks the same in a photo. The voids are invisible until you route an edge or drive a screw into one.
Ours: precision-cut Baltic birch, CNC-milled in Boulder.
2. Ask where each component is manufactured
Not where the company is headquartered — where the parts are actually made. Plenty of kits are assembled domestically from components sourced abroad, which is perfectly legal and sometimes perfectly fine. You just deserve to know, because it determines lead times and whether a replacement exists in five years.
Ask specifically about: cabinetry, water tanks, electrical components, hardware, and windows.
3. Look for hardware-store part numbers
Pull up the product photos and zoom in on the fittings, latches, hinges, and plumbing. If you recognise them from the aisle at your local big-box store, that is not automatically bad — commodity parts are cheap and replaceable, which is a genuine virtue.
But you should be paying commodity prices for them, not custom-fabrication prices. The question to ask: what in this kit is engineered, and what is purchased?
4. Ask whether it is marine or RV grade
RV-market components are built to a price for trailers that get used a few weekends a year. Marine components are built for constant vibration and moisture — much closer to what a van actually experiences.
Our fridge and freezer are marine grade for exactly that reason.
5. Ask what happens when something breaks
- Can you replace one component, or is it a sealed assembly?
- Is there a documented part number?
- Will the company still have the file in eight years?
This is the question that separates a kit from a purchase. More on why in what years of building vans taught us about what actually fails.
6. Compare the whole spec, not the headline price
Line up what is actually included. A cheaper kit missing a heater, a fan, and a water system is not cheaper.
We publish ours openly — and we will point out where competitors include something we do not, like an induction cooktop. You can see that comparison in lowest price, most storage, highest quality.
Just ask us
Call 720-282-5075 or come by the Boulder showroom at 1901 Central Avenue. We will answer all six questions about our own kits without flinching, and we would encourage you to ask anyone else the same.
Frequently asked questions
What plywood should a van kit use?
Void-free Baltic birch is the standard, because its many thin cross-laminated plies give it dimensional stability and excellent screw retention. Big-box sanded plywood with voids in the core looks identical on a finished face but behaves very differently under road vibration.
Does it matter where van kit parts are made?
Yes, for two practical reasons: lead times, and whether a replacement part still exists in five or ten years. Ask where components are manufactured rather than where the company is headquartered.
What should I ask before buying a camper van kit?
What the substrate is by species, grade, and ply count; where each component is made; what is engineered versus purchased; whether components are marine or RV grade; what happens when a single part fails; and what the complete spec includes rather than the headline price.
Where are Timber kits made?
Boulder, Colorado, at 1901 Central Avenue — panels, cabinetry, galleys, water tanks, and structural assemblies are CNC-milled in house.