Hi guys,

Is a SWB Transporter big enough to sleep 2 while having 2 bikes inside? What’s the best configuration that also allows you to sit and make dinner (poss w bikes outside)? I was thinking low sleeping platform across most of width with bikes down side; full width low platform at back and bikes behind seats w front wheels off; or high full width with bikes under. All poss with rotating seats.

Obviously a LWB would be better but I have to park on street and also they are harder to get hold of.

Cheers

as a short wheelbase T5 owner, id say no.

Currently looking for a T5 bike rack that isn’t stupid money to get bikes on the back.

I think one time before when someone asked this the consensus was no, not really. One person did put the bikes in the front of the vehicle over the drivers and passengers seats to have a bed in the back but I can’t remember the workings of it.

Absolutely; we had a converted T5 sob as a stealth bike camper for years. I partitioned off a space at the back of the van so there was a separate bike garage; two bikes fitted with wheels off back to back, the garage was less than two feet deep. Shelf about 18″ of the ground that the bikes sat on and two storage boxes underneath.

Then in the main cabin had a full length bed down one side that acted as a sofa during the day/evening and then pulls out to make a full width double bed.

I upgraded a few years ago to a Cali Beach; really miss the old van. Should have some pics somewhere.

Get a Renault Traffic or the Vaughan equivalent as you can sleep across the width of the van rather than the length of the van so you then have space for bikes (or cooking). Sleeps up to 6′ 1″ tall persons with comfort.

LWB is what you need. Mine sleeps two plus three DH bikes inside. I also park on street – no problem. Lochussie – message me if you want to buy mine.

Wow, thanks for the quick replies. Bikes outside not keen on at all due to security. Bikes in front seats seems desperate. Creating separate rear garage not going to work as I want to chuck kayaks in fairly often. Traffic seems same size as Transporter. Does anyone think any of my config options will work? Obv it is not going to be spacious but I want a decent nights sleep.

It’s doable, but tight. Take into account that you’ll not always want to sit outside even in summer.

I’ve a LWB with a pop-top and find it easier to have the bikes on a rack and a decent lock.

This topic has been covered a fair bit….

Most recent and addressing your question…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/been-a-while-since-we-had-a-vw-t5-thread

My layout half way down the page…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/just-back-from-hiring-a-vw-california-i-think-we-missed-the-point

You might do it with a high level pull out bed that you fit the bikes in underneath. Wouldn’t leave much head room in the bed though.

A bench/store down one side away from the side door would give you storage.

The van is as an alternative to a car and tent. I am thinking of it as a tent on wheels rather than a mobile home or even camper van. Obv when without bikes it becomes better, or just on day trips.

Mwb sprinter/crafter. Not too bad to park (park mine on street as a daily driver) good turning circle – rwd really helps with this as does a rear view camera. I have a 1 metre high by 1 metre deep bike garage full width with bed over the top and plenty of space still to carry sofas etc over the top. Can’t see a transporter being very nice to sit and cook in with 2 people and 2 bikes, if it’s just a tent on wheels then fair enough but going a slight bit bigger does make a big difference and open up more possibilities, I don’t think my van is any less convenient to use than my old transporter now I am used to it and it’s cheaper and less cliche than the transporter too.

We are currently converting a LWB, using an Amdro Angel and creating a garage at the back for the bikes. There’s a lot of space in the garage but I’m 100% certain we couldn’t achieve this with a SWB. LWB no bother for parking and we live in the middle of a city.

Possible in a ‘long’ vito, bikes like this, and full size double bed between bikes and front seats.

A SWB transporter is a little shorter (150mm maybe), but also a little narrower.

Watching with interest…be interested in seeing those pics if you can get them lunar

A LWB Transporter is only 400mm or something longer than a SWB. Makes absolutely no difference to driving or parking but it’s a substantial extra amount of interior space.

I’ve tried a few different layouts but never built anything permanent. They’re not big enough to do a proper conversion and still keep bikes inside so when my Mrs. gets a car I want something much bigger.

A double airbed or small mattress fits in between the rear wheel arches and the bikes with the front wheels off fit up against the front seats. I also had a half bulkhead between the wheel arches which gives you an enormous boot space and room enough for a camp bed in front of it. I’ve just ripped it all out really to try something else.

Do Transporters ever have pop tops (like our Bongo) so that you can sleep above the bikes?

How about this layout

I had one pencilled in if I won the euromillions last week 😐

Do Transporters ever have pop tops (like our Bongo) so that you can sleep above the bikes?

Nope 🙄

[/url]DSC_1117 by sod_the_taxman, on Flickr[/img]

If you wanted a basic conversion I reckon you could do a higher than normal bed across the whole van with the front third of the bed base flipping back on itself to clear the space in front of a small kitchen unit. Seating would be via swivelled front seats, no rear travel seats. You could have a basic seat box under the front third of the bed and if it was removable, this would cater for kayaks.

I’d recommend using load lock rail or similar down each side of the van, and a removable metal bed frame to minimise space lost compared to the usual heavier timbers.

There’s no substitute for space in a van.

A lwb Transit is what I’d want for your purpose. I’ve had a variety of vans including a VW LT35 camper and really there’s no room for humans and bikes in the same space unless you get lwb, or dismantle the bikes.

Get a Renault Traffic or the Vaughan equivalent as you can sleep across the width of the van rather than the length of the van so you then have space for bikes (or cooking). Sleeps up to 6′ 1″ tall persons with comfort.

No it doesn’t. I’ve got one and there is no way you’d get a transverse bed that sleeps someone 6ft in it – I know I’ve tried. Unless you like sleeping in a ball!

I spent the last year or so with similar thoughts to the op. I had an old VW T2 and when I’ve gone away myself I’ve put the bike in the front seat area at night, when there’s 2 of us we’ve had to have the bikes on a rack at the back which I never liked. The thinking was to get a T5 and convert myself based on similar idea to the amdro conversion. Didn’t, in the end I got a mwb movano that had been converted by someone else and I’ve put a roof bike rack up vertical in the back similar to someone on another thread on here. It’s been fantastic, we did 2500 miles around the UK in the summer, it’s a revelation being able to stand up in the van, we can get out of bed and make tea, breakfast, use the toilet, have a shower without having to put the bed away. I think it would be possible in a swb T5 but it would require some clever thinking and always be a compromise. I was going to make a garage at the back that could fold down when not in use, lwb would ultimately make more sense. The movano’s a lot bigger than a T5 but no problem driving or parking, although I have a drive to put it in at home, I’m using it as a daily drive at the moment too.

We’ve got a SWB T5 and as several folk have said it’s fine until you add bikes and try to keep them on the inside. We’ve got a pop-top and are considering removing the bed downstairs to accommodate bikes, replacing it with some sort of lengthways single bed and sleeping up top wth the bikes downstairs.

You can stick bikes across the front seat with the wheels off, but it’s a pain in the butt – ideally you’d stick them in some sort of lightweight bike bag for cleanliness. You can use an awning and sleep in that, but what’s the point of having a van.

I’d go LWB whatever and spec a bike garage at the back, but if you’re prepared to sleep in a pop-top, you could do something around that.

If you swiveled the front seats 180deg, you could have a bed that extended across the seat bases. That would give you the extra length necessary to have bikes across the back.

SWB T4 here with a Kombi sleepover folding bed platform.

We can just about get one bike front wheel out down to the side of the bed. (Its 3/4 width) and one bike under the platform.

Tight but doable. Works ok just for sleeping but we never cook in the van.

Having parked LWB transits on the street it’s not that bad and the extra size is very much worth it along with the height for standing up inside.
Mondeo estate L 4.6m W 2.1 with mirrors
LWB Transporter T5 L 5.3 W 1.96 with mirrors
MWB Transit L 5.23 W 2.4
LWB Transit L 5.6 W 2.4

In the UK some inside space that is just space is a massive plus point, being able to cook something or even just make a brew in the dry is amazing. Not having to unpack things to do that or get changed is a massive bonus – Like doing an evening ride on the way to somewhere and not having to repack everything in the car park.

When I converted the LWB transit I marked out the interior space on the floor and played with what would fit.

No it doesn’t. I’ve got one and there is no way you’d get a transverse bed that sleeps someone 6ft in it – I know I’ve tried. Unless you like sleeping in a ball!

I think it applies to the master/movano (i.e. the big van).

Either that or coachbuilt vans (i.e. motorhomes) are usually 6ft6+. But then you’re getting towards a stealth prison van look! Not that a van parked anywhere nice doesn’t immediately look like you’re camping.