So to start a quick bit about me, i am 23 and have owned this van since i was 20. I brought it with the sole intentions of making it into a camper van for me and my girlfriend. We both race XC here in the UK at a reasonably high level (well we try). Outside of racing we love travelling, walking and just being outside!

Its took us 3 years to get the van to its current state and a lot of thought has gone into making the space we have useable yet affordable. We also wanted to be able to pack the van with in a few minutes so that getting away at weekend was easy and stress free.

We also wanted the space to be tidy and neat so that we could pull up at any point lay the bed out and call it a night, as well as being able to jump in the back and dry of and get changed with out things being in the way.

The van has blown all of our expectations away and i honestly can’t believe there isn’t more of these vans converted, i am 5’11 and can stand in the back and pay down full stretched out. She isn’t face to drive (1.8 Diesel) but isn’t terrible on fuel. In 3 years of driving there has been no issues other than general wear and tear (touch wood). There has however been plenty of dirty looks from Caravan club members, Posh camper van owners and more often than not the VW snob crowd. However me and my girlfriend love “Dora The Explora (Citroen) Dispatch. So here is some photos and bits about the van.

58 plate Long wheel base/ High top Citroen Dispatch. However small enough to fit in Sainsburys car parking bays!

Two sliding doors either side but we usually only use this one as there is more room to step in.

Separated rear boot area, this may look small but it swallows a lot of stuff!

So fully packed we have two Cannondale FSI bikes, 1 x Spare wheel set, Tool box, Dirt worker, pump, cleaning bucket, walking boots x 2, cycling shoes x 2 , Helmets x 2, Dirty washing and a spare external leisure battery for running awning lights and 12v cool box.

Back inside we put in a large top cupboards, this may look small but its actually massive. I decided this would be the best use of space as other wise it would just be cold air. This now accommodates our two large boxes of cooking utensils, 2 x camping stoves and usually all of the other required items, we usually struggle to fill it.

Above the drivers cab is another large shelf, this takes the two camp chairs, a random bowl for cleaning and the very much needed paper towels and toilet rolls!

Both sides then has some small shelfs, this idea was taken from growing up holidaying in our caravan. In here we store some of our favourite games and then toiletries and the other side a collection of other more than likely never used items…

We use under the Rock and roll beds to store other items whilst travelling, for example we have here 2 fold out tables that we use for the kitchen when the vans awning is out.

Most importantly there is a large box that lives under the bed for food and lots of it!! There is then room along side this for one of our kit bags.

When the bed is folder up we are left with these rather comfortable chairs, they do have seat belts but we havant and wouldn’t drive with any one sitting there. Bed was supplied by Streamline campers. Streamline where great to work with and the bed is fantastically made.

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Pull the latch and the chair fold into a lovely bed, i am 5’11 and can sleep on this fully stretched out. We have a mattress topper, bed cover and a duvet that then goes onto this which added together makes a bed as comfortable as the one i have at home. All of this is stored behind the chairs out of sight.

We purposely wanted the extra room along one side of the bed so for 24 hour races we could get in and out whilst the other still slept. It also means you can get in and make the bed then get unchanged and get into bed.

Last year me and my friend set about fitting this diesel night heater, we didn’t really now what to do when we started and come the end we weren’t much the wiser but it works a treat and has since been checked and given the thumbs up!! Winner. This then has a thermostat on the van wall that we can set a preferred temperature which the heater then regulates.

The van has given us some lovely holidays that with out it we certainly wouldnt be able to afford. So far this summer we have enjoyed 32 nights away. This has mostly been around the country for racing but also for 2 holidays. We have stayed in beautiful campsites, camping fields at race venues, service stations, car parks and the odd cheeky wild quite spot
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Bontrager 24/12 last year, we where this year but it didn’t look so sunny. The tent attached to the van is a Kyham that takes minutes to erect and allows us to lay out a kitchen.

So whats next? I would like to replace the front double passenger chair with a single and then make both drivers and passenger chairs swivel into the van, this would open the van up a little more and make the van feel even bigger. However one issue i have had with this van is there is no online help or parts to convert it. I have only seen one other converted van of this model online so things can often be hard work.

I would then like a roll out side awning fitted to the van, this would be very useful for single one night stop overs where its pointless to erect the Khyam for such a short time.

You will notice there is no windows and there is good reasons for this. Mainly my girlfriend likes sleeping in absolute darkness and hates sleeping when it is light. secondly it makes the van safer as people can’t look in and lastly it means we can park up any where and not be moaned at for sleeping in the van…stealthy!!

So thats your lot. Off to Alpkit this weekend for the last weekend of my off season then the hard work for 2016 racing begins.

Hope you like Dora as this post has been a lot of effort.

Bloody brilliant. Ace effort. Stick some pegs on the boot wall to hang some stuff (frames or wheels) up off the deck for more space

That’s very cool. Great job!

Thumbs up from me. Excellent use of space! 8)

That’s a great and really well thought out conversion! Love it.

And I’m one of the VW crowd (albeit a sub £5k T4 with 215k on the clock!)

Thanks for sharing

That is awesome. I wish I had something like that for me and the boys.

Very nicely done indeed! I like it.

Very nice. Do you use it as your daily motor too?

Nothing against the VW crowd (many good friends have them). however have found “some” owners to be a little narrow minded in the alternative vans on the market.

Jaylittle- Well yes its my only vehicle however i prefer to cycle or walk so where possible i leave the van at home. Not because its hard work to drive just because i prefer the ride!! Only thing to remember with this van is that it won’t fit in hight restricted car parks.

Nice conversion!

We’ve done 7 years / 70,000 miles with a Dispatch Combi (L1H1) and been pretty happy with it. 6 people and 6 bikes inside no problem. Some of the trim is actually tougher and less flimsy than the T5 we have at work (heresy to suggest this on stw).

Which engine is it? I was pretty sure they only did 1.6 and 2.0 (and only 2.0 in L2H2). Our 90hp 1.6 is nice enough to drive but definitely not fast 🙂

Can you not fit a shelf under the bikes to make better use of space? We have one in our “boot” so floor can be filled with heavy boxes, camp gear etc. This is an old photo – shelf now has racks for 4 adult size bikes.

That’s really good OP and mick_r nice touch with the shelf.

I assume (op) it’s still classified as a van for speed limits and insurance purposes as no fixed cooker etc?

Did you get on ok with insurance with those kinds of half camper/half day van type modifications?

I bloody love that!! Good work sir 🙂

That’s great, well done mate.

nice! a cheeky tip for swivel seats is to look for a vw sharan/ford galaxy/seat alhambra on gumtree etc that is being broken for parts. the fronts swivel. bolt straight into sprinters/lt35 but im sure you could make it work. last pair i got were £50. keep existing seatbelts and clips and as with the night heater get someone to check your work

After Jonah’s post, I presume you could get someone to weld in some frames or mounting points that would match the runners/bolt configurations of the Citroen but there’s probably some DVLA/VOSA standards to meet for that.

Yes I do need to look at fitting a lower shelf to the rear boot however have hesitated as currently my road bik fits in with both wheels fitted. This is pretty handy. Also with a shelf I think my longer travel 29 full subs might be tight to get in. I am going to look into it this winter none the less.

Insurance have been happy so far, few questions about the heater but as there is no gas or cookers it’s just a posh day van.

Sorry and it is the 1.6 engine. Not quick but I’m not after quick…I brought a van after all. Sits at 70 mph at 3000 revs quite happily. Could lose that with a chip too but that could be more hassle than it’s worth.

It’s good to hear all your ideas!

Looks brilliant. Out of curiosity, why wouldn’t you use the fold down seats with a passenger?

Steve – There is no windows in the back so it wouldn’t be very nice, the chairs and seat belts are all legal however at the back of my head I have that niggle about the extent of their crash testing. I am sure it would be fine, but rather not find out.

” There is no windows in the back so it wouldn’t be very nice,”

The A-team didn’t seem to mind – crack on!!

Looks great mate, good conversion!.

If you don’t intend to use the rear seat as a seat, I’d be tempted to get rid and put in a permanent bed, as you’d get loads of storage space below.

Edit – in the great tradition of STW, didn’t read it properly! Just spotted the part about sneaking in while the other one sleeps!.

Nice setup, and looks well executed. I almost built something similar a number of years ago but then arrival or Jnr90.1 meant plans changed into a much more ‘full on’ conversion that was more family oriented. Now a kombi van with a bed in the back is my half way house.

Fair point about fitting a complete bike without the shelf – we also do that with 1 or 2 bikes (wheels in), but use the fore-aft depth to do it diagonally that way.

We happily manage autobahns etc with the 1.6 – just overtaking that needs careful planning…. The same engine gives 110hp in other models, but looks like they’ve also flattened the torque curve in the Dispatch – I suspect fully laden and towing it would pop the gearbox if they gave it any more power / torque. For light duties I’m sure it could be chipped but we also can’t be bothered. All new model out next year so will be interesting to see what that comes with.

I can tell you’ve really put a lot of thought into the layout – top job. We used to perform seat belt anchorage tests at work and I’d only use a very small number of rock/roll beds with my own kids (which is why we went for a Combi with factory fit seats).

Excellent van OP. Also liking what mick_r has done with his.

Love looking at van threads. One day. Maybe.

Very nice! I am stealing your side shelf idea, was planning on cupboards but that is a bit more streamlined and out of headbutting way and makes it easy to find things, thanks! 😀

Van life is great, isn’t it?!

I am planning on hitting Europe for a couple of months in mine next year, cannot wait!

Sazter – The top cupboard has been brilliant, its actually massive in there too. Slight mistake as I can barely reach the back of the cupboard but it swallows up 4 large “very useful boxes”. If your thinking of doing the same make sure you make it very strong. the weight of all that stuff being elevated and then being bounced about whilst driving can cause some strain. Also ensure you line the base with a non slip surface and fit some thought of light. I have a little LED wired up so it turns on when I open the cupboard door. Else finding things can be challenging!

Brill, thanks! Hope to have a cupboard above the seating area and the shelf idea on the opposite wall with the sliding door, a kind of giant spice rack! I have a roll of non-slip mat that I am going to use for all the shelves, as much to stop rattles as anything. (B&M stores can be useful!)

Lovely job. I’m another one of the VW club (budget T4 job that I’ve had 12 years, now converted to a 4 person high top camper). Re the swivels, you should be able to get a welder to modify a seat base for hardly any money. I fitted saab 9-5 leather seats (one on a swivel) in my van and a local welder modified the base for a few quid. Just make sure the actual swivel unit is TUV approved – some look really flimsy!

Did they ever make a Dispatch with 2 front seats rather than 1+2? If so the mounts for a single will probably be there and you’ll just need a new seat base from the scrappy or something. Shouldn’t be too difficult!

That is bloody ace!

Great job, very nicely done.

Slight mistake as I can barely reach the back of the cupboard but it swallows up 4 large “very useful boxes

Could you not put a door to the cupboard from the boot area so you can access from both sides?

Gary – You are correct, Not considered doing that and probably should, I will put it on the “to do list”.

Great conversion. Job well done!

Fantastic. Lovely work, and inspiring stuff for perhaps one day when my mighty Berlingo gets put to S.L.E.E.P

Top job. Great van.

You will notice there is no windows and there is good reasons for this. Mainly my girlfriend likes sleeping in absolute darkness

Handsome chap are you?
only joking fella, I love this – what a lot of work you must have put into it.