Toyota Sienna
The daily driver that camps. Hybrid, AWD, garageable with a pop-top.
Why This Platform
The Sienna is the only minivan GTRV converts, and it fills a role that none of the full-size vans can. It's a daily driver. You take the kids to school in it. You run errands. You park it in your garage. And when Friday comes, you pop the top and you're camping.
That's a fundamentally different proposition than a Transit or a Sprinter. Those are dedicated vehicles. You build your life around them. The Sienna is the other way around. It fits into the life you already have.
Every current Sienna comes with a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive. Fuel economy is in the mid-30s. You're not making compromises to own it during the week so you can use it on the weekend.
The tradeoff is space. A Sienna is not a full-size van. You won't have a standing-height kitchen or a permanent bathroom. The interior is smaller, the layout options are more constrained, and everything needs to earn its place. But for the way most people actually camp (weekends, road trips, sleeping two), the Sienna gives you what you need without the size, the fuel cost, or the parking headaches of a bigger vehicle.
If you're weighing the Sienna against a larger van, the question isn't which one is better. It's how you plan to use it. People who want a vehicle that's a camper first and a daily driver second tend to be happier with a Transit or Sprinter. People who want a daily driver that also camps tend to be happier with the Sienna. (If you're still comparing platforms, Which Camper Van Is Right for You? walks through the tradeoffs in more detail.)
What We Build on It
There are two main paths for a Sienna conversion.
Pop-top only
You bring your existing Sienna, and we install the pop-top. This gives you standing height when the top is raised, sleeping space in the pop-top area, and keeps the rest of the van's interior as-is. Some owners do their own interior work after the pop-top is installed. Others keep it simple and use the van with just the added headroom and sleeping space. This is the entry point for a lot of Sienna owners.
Weekender
Build
Pop-top plus a minimal interior package: sleeping platform, storage, and seating. The Sienna's size means the layout is tighter than what you'd get in a full-size van. Every inch matters, and that's where the custom approach pays off. A kit designed for a generic use case won't fit your specific needs the way a layout built around your life will. (The 80/20 Rule of Van Design gets into why this matters.)
We can also add electrical and a small cabinet to the Weekender package if your setup calls for it. There's no Westy-style full conversion on the Sienna. The platform doesn't have the space for it, and we'd rather build something that works well in the space it has than try to force a full kitchen and electrical system into a minivan.
Specs That Matter
Spec
Detail
Approximately 74 inches (just over 6 feet), depending on trim and model year.
Height with pop-top closed
With the pop-top closed, the Sienna generally fits through a standard 7-foot (84-inch) garage door. Please measure your specific garage before committing to this as a deciding factor.
Garage clearance
Five (three in the back seat, two up front)
Seating capacity (Weekender)
Ready to talk about a Sienna build?
Whether you already own a Sienna or you're thinking about buying one, we can walk you through the options. Joseph can answer your questions about pop-top-only installations, full builds, or anything in between.
Call us at (888) 332-9602 or send us a message.
Not sure where to start? Our Start Here guide takes about three minutes and helps us understand what you're looking for.
Get in Touch | (888) 332-9602
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FAQs
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With the pop-top closed, the Sienna generally fits through a standard 7-foot (84-inch) residential garage door. It's one of the reasons the Sienna is popular with people who want a camper van that lives in their garage during the week.
That said, garage dimensions vary. Measure the clearance at the lowest point of your door opening and let us know. We can confirm whether it will work.
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We install pop-tops on 2011 and newer Siennas. Earlier model years have a different roof profile that doesn't fit our current pop-top design.
If you're not sure whether your Sienna is a fit, give Joseph a call at 888-332-9602 or send us a message.We can usually tell you pretty quickly.
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A pop-top-only installation adds the roof mechanism, giving you standing height when raised and sleeping space up top. The rest of the van stays as-is. A Weekender build includes the pop-top plus an interior package: sleeping platform, storage, and seating. You can also add electrical and a small cabinet if your setup calls for it.
Some people start with just the pop-top and come back for interior work later. Others do the Weekender from the start. It depends on how you plan to use it and what your budget looks like.