Hi, I’m just about to buy a T5 LWB and get it converted to a camper van. We would like to store 2 bikes inside for security and wondered if any STWer’s have made a compartment at the back of the van. This would be a separate boarded space for putting the bikes sideways and storing kit. Is there enough room?
Any ideas, anyone done it?
Thanks for ay advice.

Amdro Conversions

These look like great conversions, maybe get some ideas with the storage at the back.

I have a bigger van and have put a partition across the van 100cm in from the rear doors. This is split 60:40 into a bog/storage area and bike area. You remove the front wheel, then stand the bikes in on their rear wheel and strap the bars to the wall either side. But it wouldn’t work in a low roofed van. It can be a bit of a faff loading them in. I originally wanted a compartment big enough for the bikes with wheels on, but once you work out the size needed it takes up a silly amount of room.

If I were to do a refit, I would create a fixed double bed at the rear, designed so you can slide two DHB bike bags under the bed from the rear doors. The half of the bed closest to the rear doors would hinge up to create a larger/higher boot when needed. You might be able to use this idea if you create your own bed using the rock-and-roll hinges as well, as the 3rd section nearest the doors often folds up any way doesn’t it?

Rich, spooky, thanks for that. We had considered putting the bikes in bags and sliding them under the bed. We’ll have to find a converter with some imagination. The other half is worried about putting them on the outside because of their value.

Yeh we didn’t want them on the outside, its bad enough leaving the vana in a forest car park, let along with the bikes on when you want to pop into the caff or supermarket.

Just beware, the bags become quite bulky if you use them like us, we just take the wheels off, the saddle/pedals etc make them quite lumpy so if you seriously think about this option, make sure the bed is high enough!

Yeah, totally agree with you. Thanks for taking the time to post.

You want an LT or Crafter or Sprinter if you want space for an internal bike storage area. T5s are not big vans.

T5s are not big vans.
I would concur that you would be pushed for space in regular T5 as you can’t fit a bike sideways in one at the back without removing both wheels which jn the end all adds up in space; or do you have the long wheel base version? In which case it could just work.

as you can’t fit a bike sideways in one at the back without removing both wheels

beg to differ, you can remove just the front and a bike easily fits sidways. i’ve got a swb t5 and when i head off with the bike it gets strapped directly behind the front seats. there’s about a 1ft gap before my units begin so very neat.

with a lwb i probably would’nt box a compartment in. just go a swb conversion and get a space saving rr bed (jt metaltech are excellent) then the extra space behind the seat to the rear door will be more than adequate.

for what its worth i bought my units from convertyourvan in sheffied, same estate as jt, and would use them again.

Don’t know if this helps but I can fit a bike in the middle bit (slidey door bit) across the width without removing wheels – can’t try the back s it’s fitted out with a dog cage.

Gratuitous pic

beg to differ, you can remove just the front and a bike easily fits sidways. i’ve got a swb t5 and when i head off with the bike it gets strapped directly behind the front seats. there’s about a 1ft gap before my units begin so very neat.

Ah possibly because mine is a Multivan so there is also a lot of extra gubbins at the back before the start of the wheel arches.

have you seen actionvan?

I’ve got a t5 with a bed (narrow single folds out to full size double)

I think you might struggle a bit, but i think it can be done.

you probably want to look at a van with the units across the back of the seats/ corner unit rather than along the side in the more common california layout.

EDIT: we had 2 bikes front wheels off – across the doors and two of us sleeping in the van over the weekend. the bikes took up most of the height of the doors though. HTH.

My sister-in-law’s converting an LWB T5 at the moment. They’ve got a Reimo rear seat/bad on tracks in the floor. Slides forwards for travelling and leaves room behind for fully-built bikes stood up lengthwise. They have to come out to put the seat into bed mode, but for stopovers they’ve got a poptop with a roof bed in it (they’re only small 😉 ).

Give tim @ GTcampers a call he did one last year for a friend sounds exactly what you describe.

I had a lwb t5 high roof with a full width bed about 800mm from the floor in the back. This meant I could put 2 bikes on their side underneath. When the van wasn’t in camping mode I could remove the Mattress & fold the bed up. This meant t could store 2 bikes stood up fully built or even an mx bike.
Send me an email & I will send you some pics of the conversion.

Thanks for all your suggestions. The van will be a LWB.
If anyone else has got any suggestions for any creative people who convert VW’s that would be brilliant.
We are eventually going to go off to europe for a while so we’ve got to get this right.

I went to the motor home show at Birmingham last weekend and had a look round the conversions from these folks.

Home

I spent ages talking to a guy called Nigel who does the actual work on their vans who just so happened to be a mad-keen mountain biker though I’ve got no idea if he’s on here or not.

They do a range of vans, but they’ll do whatever you want, and he’d done a lot of stuff to his own van to make it “bike friendly”.

They’re a Reimo partner and seem to have a good reputation from what I’ve read, though I’ve not used them.

Things I’ve decided as a result of my chat with him and having a good look over their and other convertors vans there were:

I want the heater & leisure battery
I’m not bothered about cooking facilities in there (though some of the Reimo units are incredibly compact (though pricey!)
A pop-top will make a lot of difference to how we use the van – it just felt so much better to be able to stand up inside.
A roof bed in the pop top will let me store the bikes in the van overnight if I need to ( and we’re not using the bed on the rear seats).

Can’t see why you’d box off the rear, you’re just limiting the flexibility of the van.

To keep the van flexible, I’d only install the rear seats on runners (Caravelle / Reimo etc) so again you can change the config easily. The downside is they’re expensive again.

At the moment I’m stuck between getting a Caravelle I like and converting to a Reimo poptop later or I’m thinking about one of the new California “beach” models.

These are basically a pop top Caravelle SE. They aren’t cheap, but if you can live without the internal furniture and just want flexible seating and sleeping they seem like a good option. Downside is they have just launched and on a 16 week delivery.

if you’re not using the front of the van when ‘parked’, could you chuck the bikes in there, then move them to the back when you’re driving? We did similar in a t2 with some surfboards when I was in Auz (boards are still surprisingly bulky, especially in a tiny vehicle like a t2).

does anyone do conversions where the front seats spin/turn into beds/whatever? I always think they’re kinda ‘lost space’ on conversions..

16 week delivery

You wish, I ordered a new Caravelle on the 2nd May and have been just been told it has been moved back to build week 47 (last week in Novemeber). Mine then needs a lift adding and have been told to allow another 10 weeks. I hate these VW Transporter threads as they really upset me 🙁

I’ve got a SWB T5 with an Amdro conversion and spent 5 months over the summer going round Europe in it. The boot compartment held two bikes (roadies admittedly) and their wheels, four spare tyres, four deck chairs, a big bag of bike stuff, an awning for the van, plus coats and other general cack. Plus, none of it had to come out when daytime van was turned into night time van. Fantastic kit, can’t rate highly enough.

The Amdro LWB conversion gives you a MASSIVE bootspace

does anyone do conversions where the front seats spin/turn into beds/whatever?

Rotating front seats are pretty much standard issue.

Rib (scopema) do some single folding seats that utilise the driver and pasenger seat but they don’t look very comfy as they have lots of seams and knee bolsters to contend with.

Yeh spinning front seats are common and can be done in almost any van, about £150-250 per swivel. But its pretty rare to see them incorporated into a bed as they are the wrong shape/height.

I really wanted to replace my double front passenger seat (in an Iveco) with a double seat where the backrest could fold forwards to reverse the seat direction (like they use to do on trams) so instead of spinning a single seat, you just flop the backrest forwards and suddenly you have a rear facing seat, and the bottom 1/3 of a bed.

Problem is sorting the belts so they are not integral to the seat, and making the seat comfy for a 10hr drive to Scotland. Even with a £400 saving from not needing two swivels and £150 from not buying a single passenger seat, I think I’d be a fair bit more money to get a seat welded up and workable, so I just decided not to carry a 3rd person anymore 🙁

buy LWB van.
fit standard interior conversion from SWB van.
that will leave you approx 40cm deep boot full width & height behind rockNroll bed.
put up a plywood partition here.
you will only need to drop front wheel out and turn bars, easily get 2 bikes in + biking kit. couple of bungy cords around bikes to some anchor points on the partition and bikes are secure. add a ground anchor equiv to floorpan in the boot and you can even lock em up.
go for solid tailgate and your sorted.
build it yourself.. DIY is cheaper and of better quality than the majority of so called PRO conversions out their.

interesting posts thanks. i want to buy a second hand camper/surf bus that is small enough to be cheap and quick but big enough to fit at least two mtbs. i had wanted a t4 but sounds like may be difficult to get one already fitted out for bikes. can anyone suggest other camper types perfect for mtb weekends away?