Planning on converting a T5 for a slightly longer Euro trip this year (3 months +!)

Struggling a bit to think of a clever way to get a decent length bed (6ft2) enough space for 3 bikes (road,enduro,29HT) storage space for all the crap and ancillaries and hopefully a fridge.

Base vehicle is a relatively new Kombi and the plan is to sell it when I get back without losing any money hopefully so it needs to be done decently but not too bike specific. Originally I was thinking insulated and carpet, bed down the side you’d normally have the kitchen units in and bikes rolled in next to it. That’s a bit basic though…

Can anybody inspire me with some good ideas? Ideally bikes would go in wheels on – but I was thinking about some kind of 2/3rd height rear garage and a pull out bed above that which gives lots of bed space and a front seating area but not a lot of headroom in bed. Might have to give in and pop top it but I was hoping to keep it a bit stealthier than that if poss.

*watches thread with interest*

I’m not sure you’ll get all that in a SWB footprint that easily (I have a california). If it was a pop top cali beach with roof bed you could do it that way and stick in a fridge and sink etc. Gear downstairs, sleep upstairs. We can do that in the Cali if we take the bench out.

Hammock?

not too bike specific

some kind of 2/3rd height rear garage ….. not a lot of headroom in bed

these are quite at odds.

if your going to get rid fairly soon you need to make comprimises for your (unusual) requirements.

Ideally bikes would go in wheels on

don’t worry so much about this would be my suggestion.

what about false floor with storage for frames wheels. bed on top and room for one whole bike. strapped to the wall?

Not so sure of the T5 dimensions, but how about 1/2 height garage 4 or 5 feet deep, and then a fold down section to extend the bed to over 6 foot.

Fold down section would go down over your sideways kitchen/fridge unit and use swivelling front seats to face your kitchen. No bench seats. When the bed flap is up it would act as your splashback to keep your bedding away from sink/hob.

Still think you’d struggle to keep the wheels on though. In my much larger camper, I lay my bikes under the fixed bed in bike bags and this leaves room for BBQ/ramps etc (And after this 3rd refit, the fresh water tank)

what about false floor with storage for frames wheels. bed on top and room for one whole bike. strapped to the wall?

That I hadn’t thought of could be a very good idea.. would only be using 1 at a time for a week or so, plus it would mean any thieving scrote didn’t find all 3 on show.

LWB T5 owner here. They’re not really big enough to be a proper camper and a proper bike van at the same time.

We’re constantly juggling 2 or more bikes, camping gear, muddy clothes, cooking equipment etc. Tried a few different furniture layouts. Putting bikes in with the wheels on takes up loads of space. It’s more of a tent on wheels really. The shuffling stuff around and rearranging stuff gets old really quick on a long trip especially when the weather turns against you and everything is minging.

Soon as my missus gets a car I’m getting a much bigger van.

I have that in a swb transit.

6ft by 4bed. makes up bench seat for three with table. Underseat storage area boxed in. 1 cupboard for pots, pans etc. Twin gas hob and grill, sink with water pump. Gas bottle store and electric hook up.

Insulated, carpeted and area for electric cool box.

Transit is a little wider than transporter so bikes fit across van with front wheel removed In a seperate area at rear.

Its tight but works

Another van conversion thread to fill my head full of ideas I can’t afford!

Have you got any pictures of yours Hopk1ns?

Sell the T5 for very little loss now then buy a transit or other LWB van (width of the transit is much more useful) and use that 🙂 You might need to buy some random lifestyle accessories to make up for the lack of a VW badge though….

Will do photos next. we have a daughter now so have just converted a medium wheelbase one with extra bed.

SWB transit will be up for sale.

How much are you looking for?

We have gone for the Caravelle seat and rail system in our SWB T5.
It’s not cheap but gives pretty much what you have asked for.

The seats fold flat into a kingsize bed, plenty of storage under the bed when flat. Seat slide a long way forward when in the seating position so give you loads of room for bikes and kit.

Admittedly we use a driveaway awning as well but we are a family of 5.

Before you throw loads of cash at an expensive fridge you might want to consider a 12v plug in one (we have a halfords one from when they were on offer), that’s what we have used and it’s been fine, even to the point it freezes milk! We have a hook-up cable we use at campsites and a 240v to 12v adaptor to run the fridge while not driving.

Can’t post pics from work but can send some if you DM me.

Hows about…. 3 horizontal stacked drawers, accessed via rear doors, which would store the bikes flat on their sides. Would mean removing pedals and loosening stems but how much work is that really in the grand scheme of things. The whole “chest of drawers, if made to take the biggest bike, wheels on, diagonally, could be only 2.5-3 foot high and would be ideal as a base for a large rear bed. It would in fact be relatively compact leaving plenty of room up front for fridge sink etc and a table that could be dropped to give extra length to the bed.

How are your carpentry skills?

Exploria do what they call a Kombi bed, which is a steel frame that bolts to the 4 rear tiedown points & pulls out over the folded down/forward rear seats. Giving a nice big sleeping area & loads of space unerneath.

http://www.exploria-online.co.uk/kombi-beds.aspx

Exploria do what they call a Kombi bed, which is a steel frame that bolts to the 4 rear tiedown points & pulls out over the folded down/forward rear seats. Giving a nice big sleeping area & loads of space unerneath.

http://www.exploria-online.co.uk/kombi-beds.aspx

Found that after the ideas above, looks about perfect for the job. Not cheap though 🙁

No, but you will probably get £400 on ebay when you are done.

If it’s just for a one off trip and not the long term, why not sell the T5 and buy a LWB, hi top traffic/transit/etc with the required space?

There was a MX race van on ebay last week that had a huge garrage, double bed over it, a single quarter berth (or whatever the caravan name is, on a boat it’s a quarter berth) recesed into the garrage, and a seating area that converted to another double. Had 200,000 miles on it, but was only £2k.

I’m planning on converting an Iveco later on this year and have thought very carefully about the internal layout. Obviously, the Iveco has much more internal space than a T5 but I’m going to be creative with the bed/garage area to allow a huge living/dining space.
Two main ideas that I’m working on:

1. As we are dealing with bikes, not MXers, why put the bed above the garage?
2. Why do you need a full width bed? 4ft will do nicely for camping.

Depending on your available internal van length, put the 4ft x 6ft6ins bed in longitudinally against the offside. Just high enough to clear the wheel arches. Head end right up behind driver’s seat. Build a ‘garage’ using the rear unused end of the van, right up and over the end of the bed. Build a platform over the bed (remember, only your legs are going this end!), maybe sloping the deck as it gets further up the van. You’ll end up with enough room to stand at the back of the van, and a ‘workbench’ to place the bike/s on. I would think at least two bikes with wheels off and stored sideways.
Now the living/sleeping area: The wall of the ‘garage’ will come up to around the line where the side door starts. It will start at the ceiling approx. where your waist is and slope down towards your feet. Make the bed folding so that the front end of the bed folds onto the bottom of the bed and leaves a seat type platform sticking out to use as a sofa.
The kitchen can be built into a movable trolley unit which will store down the side of the van (see the ones that come with some Mazda Bongos)
It’s difficult to explain without pictures but I think my basic design will scale to smaller vans. In a full size Iveco it will allow huge living space and a proper bathroom!

I’ll just leave this here:

The upper bikes are kids’ ones, but the space is big enough for adult ones. If you take a pedal off you can put three bikes in the lower space. Obviously it’s a bigger van (XLWB Ducato) but it’s the height and width that counts for the bikes — if there’s only one of you there’d be plenty of room in a shorter, handier one.

T5 is tricky for your needs. I think the bikes are going to have to go flat under the bed somehow.

You could just admit you got a van too small and get one of these…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/buVFxe]IMG_7588[/url] by Mike Smith 79, on Flickr
Very rough and ready but that was 4-6 bikes plus kit and some room to hide from the weather.
I just spent the week in one of these
[url=https://flic.kr/p/s8bFSb]And the adventures begin[/url] by Mike Smith 79, on Flickr
It’s not that spacious….
[url=https://flic.kr/p/saFwQi]Ready[/url] by Mike Smith 79, on Flickr

Deveron, opportunity to plug my forum… ivecoforums.com 🙂

I have a MWB Iveco, 5’10” sideways bed across the rear with garage for three bikes under (wheels off but that’s only as the bed supports are spaced to allow it to hinge up vertically.

I’ve recently noticed that some of the MWB Iveco minibuses have a support cut out, the rear window runs all the way from the sliding door back to the rear of the van. I reckon if you cut out this support (I think its there just to stiffen the panel rather than add any real strength) on both sides, you’ll be able to use some thinner insulation in this area and get a 6′ + sideways bed with a standard mattress across the van. I didn’t realise this so my half of the bed is longer where I used the reveal between the supports, would be much tidier if the whole bed was this length.

My layout and detailed dimensions are on Google Sketchup, the last model is very similar to what I have now. https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=e312c8336b9caadeeae1e97096c79089

This isn’t really relevant to the OP but, having been watching various people on Youtube who full time in campers etc, I came across this couple. And I like the simple and spacious layout too…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEFlVkw4MmE[/video]

On my Youtube tour I’ve now found OSV Vans, nice idea that may help the OP. They have side rails along the van at waist height with a fill in section across the sliding door. Three panels sit on the rails and can be stacked or slid back and forth which means the bed can easily be built over the top of the garage, or slid forwards over the kitchen unit to make a taller space for a built up bike at the back. Could perhaps even move right forwards so when the front seats are swivelled, the bed would extend into the cab without any fiddly hinge mechanisms.

In the larger vans OSV are doing, it means the bed can be moved forward so dirt bikes can be carried at the back.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1omBpuHti4[/video]

I have a LWB T5 converted by Vanguard last summer. I can fit 3 bikes in the rear garage area and sleep 2 in the main cabin. I’ve been away in it loads and it works brilliantly.

[/url]10482259_803087259709766_1457728124307911684_o by rob.young7, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]10515135_803087199709772_5369865793889490900_o by rob.young7, on Flickr[/img]

Love those cupboards youngrob, do you know what wood they used for the conversion? Is it an iron on type edging around the doors/table?

Cheers Spooky, It was 18mm ply for the rear garage, it’s covered in the same Altro flooring that’s in the main part of the van. As for the cupboards and worktop/table they ordered it in like that but I’m sure it’s also ply covered in foil but I can’t remember what the colour is called.

Youngrob how deep is that garage to get 3 bikes in? I’m assuming they’re front wheels off and sideways, are 3 sets of modern wide bars going to go in? Got any pics of it loaded?
Cheers 🙂

VW Caddy and a tent. Bikes and camping gear in the van, sleep outside.

nick, I have to take both wheels off and turn the bars so they’re parallel with the rear of the van. It was the compromise that I had to make to have a T5. The rear garage is 700mm deep but there is more space than that with the shape of the doors. My mate has a similar garage on a hight roof transit and he can get his bike in without taking either wheel off.

This photo shows 2 bike in the rear. You can see that there’s still a bit of space.

[/url]10551649_833540953331063_7869445183355990694_o by rob.young7, on Flickr[/img]

I’m more impressed that it hovers….

Heh 😀

Is there a possibility that Robs set up would fit into the SWB if you customised a rock and roll bed so it extended over a swivelled double passenger seat? It does look like the best use of space in a small van.

Chap I ride with has made what you ask for work in a SWB T5 but it’s a van not a combi. False floor full length of the van 400mm high. 2 coffin drawers open out the back for all kit and living stuff, can put s burner on here for cooking if needed. space at the front accessed via the sliding door. Bikes hung from the sides and bed on the false floor. It’s all made of plywood and not screwed to the van so easily removed.

I converted a LWB Vivaro which isnt actually much bigger than the SWB van. I used a side sliding bed as I didnt want to have to take the wheels off the bike to travel when I had a van! The seat on the right slides out to a double bed or can be used a single bed on its own. It also lifts up for storage underneath it.

I have a bed arrangement in the back of my LWB T5 Kombi. Probably not exactly what is required but it might provide some ideas/inspiration.

The bed is made from two removable full width panels at the front, which store behind the second row seats, and two fold up panels at the rear. All supported on metal frame with removable cross bars.

When bed is out of the way have pretty much full load space.

In a LWB that means bike will fit easily lengthways. This is how I use the van on day to day basis for rides etc.

A good full size bed when made up.

This comes slightly over the folded second row of seats. This should work in a SWB too covering more of the seats, although would require some front legs for the bed.

Plenty of space under the made up bed.

You can see where the van has a second set of seat mounts in the floor, these aren’t for a thrid row as they are too close to the second row. They allow the second row to be fitted further back. In this position they fit fully under the bed, giving more space between bed and front seats. Also with the two front bed panels stacked on top of the rear bed section the second row seats can be upright and give a nice ‘lounge’ area with the two front seats swiveled round (sorry no pics of van in this configuration).

Spooky, the setup would fit in a SWB van but when the RnR bed is down, it would be tight up against the front seats. We measured ours so that we can still open the fridge when the bed is down (for beer and wine 😀 ), if that wasn’t such a big deal then it should fit. I have to say that Vanguard Conversions made the whole process amazingly easy and quick.

paddyb – having a LWB Trafic I’d love to see your Vivaro. I think you need to host the photo somewhere other than dropbox or make it public. Cheers.

Sorry didnt realise other people couldnt see my pic!