Rigs We Dig: 1996 Toyota HiAce JDM

October 14, 2024 2 min read

Japanese-built vans are having themselves a day, and what's not to love? Four-wheel drive, efficient mileage, and ample space (not to mention a rad, right-hand drive setup), these vehicles are practically begging to be adventure rigs. Passenger Clothing felt it when they built out their 1996 Toyota HiAce JDM this year, but now they're spreading the love, offering up their rig in a once-in-a-lifetime giveaway that runs until October 27. Need a little more info? Check out the latest HEST Rigs We Dig and get your entry in today!

Your Name: Passenger Clothing

Location:Portland, OR

Make & Model: 1996 Toyota HiAce JDM

Nickname:Little Spruce

Bed Dimensions: 94" long, 55" wide, and 24" high

HEST products: HEST Dually Roof Top Tent (RTT)

Is this your daily driver or getaway car?

Van life is woven into the DNA of Passenger Clothing. The brand was born with our co-founders Rich and Alexa Sutcliffe driving their beater RV around Vancouver Island, the Coast Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest. So Little Spruce is an homage to our founding. We built her to bring to Descend On in August, and then she’s been out with a couple of our Passenger ambassadors up on the slopes of Mt. Hood, down to the Oregon Coast, and up into the North Cascades.

Now we’re trying to find the next Roamer to continue her adventures, so we’re giving her away. Enter the giveaway now through October 27th for your chance to own Little Spruce!

What do you like most about your rig?

What we love most about Little Spruce is the vintage vibes and stories to be told of a 1996 Toyota JDM van. So at Passenger, we’ve got a soft spot for vintage rigs; real road experience, soul, style and plenty of stories still in the tank. Call us sentimental, but we believe in buying things we love and using them until they can’t be used any more. Repairing, reworking, and passing things on, that's what we're all about.

On your average weekend adventure, what is the gear set up you bring with you? How did you integrate gear storage needs into your rig set up?

We like to keep it simple: some Dometic camp chairs and a table, and a few Passenger blankets to cozy up when the temperature drops. Everything else is built in thanks to the bonkers rad build out from Greyson at Wabi Works up in Bellingham, Washington. Massive multiple slide out drawers and platforms out the back with a built-in kitchen, Jetboil Genesis, Dometic water system, cutting board and storage, storage, storage.

Coolest place you’ve taken your rig to?

Kicking it with the amazing humans at Descend over Labor Day Weekend was all time.

Any projects in the pipeline to get your rig even more adventure ready?

Time will tell. We love a good project.

Biggest challenge in your build out?

Finding the right van to start with. Once we had that, it was relatively smooth sailing.

Tips for others looking to do the same to their vehicle?

1. Enter to win Little Spruce (see link above).

2. If you don’t, find a rig and go talk to Greyson at Wabi Works.

https://hest.com/pages/camp-and-travel-pillows

Want to submit your rig for our blog? Email us at info@hest.com to get started!

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