Words: Patric Fransko
We are always on the hunt for new gear for our rigs, so when it was time to take our Sprinter Van to the next level, we wanted to go with reputable products installed by a team of experts.
That being said, we stopped by Owl Offroad in Denver on our way to Overland Expo Mountain West. We wanted to improve the offroad capability and recovery options. As a result, we consulted with Reece at Owl to determine what would be the best options given the budget we had available.
We chose to have an Owl Pismo Sprinter Bumper and their ARB based Level 2 Onboard Air System installed at the Denver location. In addition to selling great products, Owl has company 5 locations that can professionally install any item that they sell.
The Pismo Sprinter Bumper
Having a great bumper for the Sprinter as been a challenge. We wanted something that could house a winch and some lights and be tough enough for any adventures we might undertake. However, many sprinter bumper offerings do not compliment the lines of the van at all. We wanted something that would look great on the vehicle and get the job done in all other ways we had imagined.
We also needed the bumper to house a 12,000 lb pull strength winch and to act as a mount for some driving lights and solid recovery points. After looking at the options, we chose the Owl Offroad Pismo Sprinter Bumper housing a Warn VR EVO 12-S winch.
From Owl’s website:
“The new Owl Pismo bumper is a beautiful evolution of the Sprinter bumper. Compact, clean, and sleek while retaining an aggressive but factory look. Manufactured of rugged steel, this bumper allows the mounting of a 12,000 lbs winch and adds dual recovery points and a hitch mount.
Designed in partnership with one of the industry’s largest bumper manufacturers means you can rest assured the quality and longevity are up to the toughest challenges. This bumper is bulletproof and you know Owl has put it to the test (breaking gear is our pastime!)
Can we also talk about how good it looks? Blending effortlessly into the lines of the Sprinter while adding just the right amount of toughness with a 1.875″ bull bar. The Pismo protrudes only a few inches from the factory plastic bumper which gives it a more subtle look.”
We topped it off with a Factor 55 Ultra Hook in red. This is rated for 16,000 lbs and is the industry’s first winch hook with an integrated shackle pin mount.
The Owl Level 2 Onboard Air System with ARB Compressor
Anyone that has spent time offroading or overlanding knows the importance of airing down your tires for better traction and compliance. Airing down is the easy part. What happens when you are getting back on the road and you need to air back up?
We wanted to have a reliable and efficient way to get the tires back to road pressures without the time involved in doing each tire independently or having to babysit the inflation. That is why we chose the Owl Level 2 Onboard Air System.
This system allows me to air up or down to my pre-selected levels on all 4 tires at one time using a convenient Bluetooth ARB app on my iPhone. Talk about trailside convenience!
This is what the Owl’s website had to say.
“Introducing the Owl Vans Level 2, 4-Tire Air System with Bluetooth control. Air up all four (4) tires at once! The system is based around the industry workhorse, the ARB twin compressor and then coupled with the ARB Pressure Control for Bluetooth control of airing down and up using your Android or Apple device with the ARB Compressor Connect App.
The compressor and pressure control conveniently mounts under the hood on the passenger side and air is distributed to front and rear connection points. This way you never have to open your hood to air up. And Owl Vans took things a step further and moved the compressor air intakes into the air box to isolate the air intakes from hot engine heat.
The provided dual airline sets then connect to your four (4) tires. You can then use the app to control your air down and up! And with the app you can set presets so with the touch of a button you can air down to a preset pressure and air up to preset pressures for your front and rear tires.“
Why we Chose Owl Offroad?
Simply put, great products backed by terrific customer service. We wanted to choose products that would be up to the task when we asked and that would be taken care of should something go wrong. Every time we had a question or wanted to discuss the application, the team at Owl was ready to spend whatever time we needed to ensure the end result was what we wanted.
This may seem like just good business, but having support like that in 2024 is getting harder and harder to find. We plan to continue to modify and upgrade this van and you can be sure that Owl Offroad will be right at the top of the list when it comes time to choose a supplier.
Some additional Pics of This Project
