Show me what ya got, sleeping, biking, cooking, storing etc

All but a dream at the moment, if everything goes to plan I’ll be buying a van in the summer.

I need a large van with long overhand, rwd, and modernish, which only leaves me with the Iveco Daily LWB and the Transit Jumbo. Daily is a bit OTT so that leaves me with the Jumbo.

It’ll be used for biking holidays, towing a horse trailer and as a day van whilst away at horse events, where the shower will come in very handy.

That layout is actually based on the Iveco, so I’ve lost 0.5m off the length since deciding on the Jumbo, so I’ve lost a bit of length off the kitchen and the wheel arch now protrudes into the garage. Garage is sized to take two bikes in large bike bags (we’ve got some DHB bags and they should go in easy.

Done on Google Sketchup BTW.

Standard westfalia style fit out, although this is an aftermarket conversion by a chap in somerset who did an amazing high quality job for it’s original owner.

From left to right along the driver’s side there’s a sink above a fridge, twin hob above two cupboards, a draw and a narrower cupboard which Ive now fitted with a Eberspacher diesel heater for 4 season camping. Electics control on the side of the large cupboard then two smaller cupboards one of which is the gas store – both sited over the water tank with pump.

Folding padded bench at the back which combines with the rock and roll seat to make a double bed downstairs (R&R seat has storage inside and there’s storage space under the rear bench too). Another double bed in the roof. 110 Ah Lesiure battery underneath driver’s seat and removeable table that mounts in front of the becnch stored behind driver’s seat. Passengers seat on 360 swivel. 4x bike Fiamma rack on the back which we use to carry Stoner Jrs. buggy and our 2 bikes

What a shame the cookbros site is not up any more. His ‘Casa Azul’ was an amazing camper http://www.cookbros.com/Casa-Azul.html

I have always thought UniCats were insprational. Don’t look at the prices though!: Unicat

Fear not, the Wayback Machine has it

http://web.archive.org/web/20080123172628/http://www.cookbros.com/Casa-Azul.html

How much is a full conversion?

depends on how far you go.
Pop up roof?
Extra windows?
Heaters?

tot it up here fro DIY costs
http://www.conceptmulti-car.co.uk/documentManagement/Price%20Lists/vwt4_diy_price_lists07.pdf

http://www.conceptmulti-car.co.uk/php/documents.php

for one a bit like mine, £9,800
http://www.conceptmulti-car.co.uk/php/infoPage.php?page=9
see bottom of page

I like stoner’s. I want to try fitting my own out though. That’ll go well. I still don;t know what van to buy although the Transit jumbo is high on the list as is a T4.

keep an eye on eBay for conversion kits. Much cheaper, but they only include the internals, not windows or pop roof.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-CAMPER-VAN-T4-CONVERSION-INCLUDING-FURNITURE-KIT-ETC_W0QQitemZ260186959376QQihZ016QQcategoryZ76066QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-T4-SWB-FURNITURE-KIT-volkswagen-camper-motorhome_W0QQitemZ140286303299QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories?hash=item140286303299&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-T4-T5-CAMPER-VAN-DELUXE-INTERIOR-FURNITURE-KIT-C_W0QQitemZ260290209370QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories?hash=item260290209370&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Stoner, would it be comfy in your van for 2 adults and 2 kids (small size at the mo’ – growing daily!).

ta

acjim – plenty of room for 2+2.

However:

Stoner Jr (2yrs) currently sleeps sideways across the rear padded bench behind the double seat. We sleep in the roof. This is good in that we can have the lid up in the evening while cooking etc, but it means he’s got a ringside seat if he doesnt fancy going to sleep.

During the evening his car seat sits in the driver’s seat.

When he’s older (Reimo say not before 3yrs old) he will go in the roof which means that we would have to stopp around during the evening, but not worry about him peering over the back seat all night. It wouldnt be too difficult to rig up a safety cargo net in the roof hatch though if I wanted to put him up there already.

If there were 2x Stoner Jrs, then both would go in the roof as there isnt room for both of them along the back seat sideways. A second child seat would be a bit of a pain, but would probably fit in the driver’s cabin somewhere.

In my mind I would fit out a LWB version with 2x bunkbeds along the full width of the back door instead (i.e. going behind the side cupboards for extra leg room)

Cool, we did a two week (too short!) camper van trip around NZ in one of these:

Maui 4 Berth

acjim jnr (was 18mths at the time) slept in the bed above the cab – cargo net prevented any freefalls but he didn’t want to go to sleep until we did, peeping out of the side windows was probably the best part of the trip for him!

That kind of camper is great but too big / costly for what I’d want in the UK.

http://www.vwcampersales.com/volkswagen-camper-van-stock-list/56/

Take a look here thats my van other people may copy Westfalia but they are not the same there are hundereds of layouts on the type 2/3/4 forums

Oooh bloody hell started making me look again now.

Used to have a home converted VW LT back in the day, moved on to a readymade AutoSleeper on a Talbot Express. Have recently been hankering after van life again. Three kids so need either a huge van, or a van with tent/awning extension, but seen some nice ideas here.
Elite

This is my T4, Unfortunately having to sell it though.

Matt, that’s the coolest van I have seen yet…

Bloody hell, that’s nicer than the kitchen in my house. 😯

And you can play chess on it as well!

cheers guys, it’s for sale if you want it, or know of anyone. £5k and it’s yours 🙂

Hmmmm shiney pvc wipe clean 😈

Handy that for getting….. erm mud off.

Engine, mileage?

1.9td 107,000 starts and runs great, CD player, 3 owners, dead economical the perfect camper 🙂

My van in working mode, for roadtrips I take the seats out and just “rough” it on the floor.
Not quite in the league of all these nice conversions, but it does me – when with the family we just use the space to throw a large tent, e-z-up, chairs, etc in and camp it.

aviemoron what van is it vw lwb ? looks handy with those extra seats.

Aye lord it’s the 4motion one, which I need for work.