Not another, yet another van conversion thread.

Looking forward to this. Just bought a T6 panel van which I am converting myself.

One thing that didn’t go very well was the awning. On the old van we just screwed three hooks into the gutter rail which while crude worked really well. This van doesn’t have any easy way to screw hooks in so I bought some suction hooks like these and on the driveway they were fairly bomber.

Link as it is too hard to post a picture

However in real life they were useless and kept collapsing.

You can just about see the door midge net.

Anyway despite the issues we all had a great time and Roger seems very happy with his new life.

We are now planning a road riding trip for a week in September so we are keen to push on and get a few more things done. The wish list in vague order is shelves, awning, step, decoration, ceiling, better garage storage, table, additional storage, floor, hob.

Epic location!

We’ve made a couple of upgrades. I’ve put the frame of the shelving in and we have got the cladding ceiling up. We are away again for another week in the alps soon and we aren’t going to have time to get much more done.

We are halfway across France and settling down for our 20th night in the van.

There is still loads to do, but at this point it is warm, dry and snug. This is the van as it currently is.

I forgot to mention the most expensive part of the build so far…

The double passenger seat was replaced with a single, which cost a chuffing fortune as single Renault seats are hard to come by in the UK. Still, it’s brand new, clean and comfortable. We then paid another arm and a leg to fit swivels to them both. But it is a really good use of space and car/van seats are very supportive as they are designed to be sat in for hours on end.

The beer in the fridge is icy cold, my bike is safe and well, my bed for tonight is proper comfy.

Life is good.

Looks like you’re set for another great trip, the ceiling and new step look smart. Any down sides to the bigger van yet? In terms of manoeuvrability on alpine passes or tight campsites? We have a Trafic at the moment and love how it will go anywhere but always lust after these bigger vans for my next build.

Looks amazing! Big envy levels over here.

Interesting that you built a mini garage bulked behind the bed with shelves rather than maximize the inside space as most conversion seem to do, but totally makes sense when you have so much sport kit in there!

Where is the fridge? Will you put in a sink?

Sorry for the delay.
Spacey, there are a few obvious downsides to the bigger van. Parking can be harder to find, especially on-street spaces. However, most towns are littered with big white work vans the same size as Roger so clearly it’s not that big a problem. For the way we use the van it is completely worth it.

You noticed the new step. I have a thing about maps and north Snowdonia is one of our favourite places, it holds a lot of memories for us. I decided to make a table top map of the area, coated in epoxy resin. It worked ok so I thought I would build the step in the same way. I wanted something a bit different to break up the Swedish sauna vibe.

The fridge sits just behind it and is still quite easy to access.

We also bought a Decathlon inflatable awning. It’s ok to put up but a bit of a faff to put away. I had forgotten how hard it is to get a tent completely dry. However for stays of more than a couple of days in bad weather I think it is worth it.

That said we are about to trial a simpler alternative…

And here is the simpler alternative.

It is held on by three hooks which are glued on. The glue looks really ropey in this photo but it honestly isn’t and worked perfectly. It also only takes a few minutes to get all set up. The hooks are unnoticeable unless you look for them.

👍

Love the map work on the step, might have to do that on mine somewhere, maybe cupboard doors. The awning is always a compromise, I glued and screwed a rail on to ours which a tarp can slide on to or the awning (but this only happens once a year at most) – hate the faff of drying wet tent.

I hear you. I’d forgotten what a faff it is. The big awning was only damp from dew and it was still a massive pain to pack away. The little one is much easier to deal with, takes about three minutes to take down and if necessary can be plonked wet into a standard carrier bag and launched in the boot. It still provides useful shelter when going in and out, not to mention somewhere to keep a dryer full of wet shoes and clothing.

New DVLA requirements

The DVLA have issued new guidance to their requirements before they will reclassify a van to a motor caravan.

Table fitted. It’s a Kirivans leg and top but I have epoxyed a North Snowdonia map to the to match the step which I think looks quite good. The leg seems reasonably stable.

Sorry about the photo, the light shining off the top is a bit weird.

I like it

Where did you get the tiny oil-filled rad from? Looks ideal for our van

It’s one of these.
Amazon link

Had it since April 2017 (we used it in the old van) and it’s been fine.

Quick update. Slow progress but we have tidied the garage up a bit and sealed in the floor. The sharp-eyed amongst you might wonder what the box at the back near the fridge is…

It’s only a DEHUMIDIFIER!!!
Yup, we have turned the garage into a drying room and it works a treat. Obviously it is one for hook-up only but at this time of year that isn’t a problem. It kicks out a bit of extra heat too.

It is strapped in, rather than properly fitted, because in an alternative configuration the kayaks will go there and it will move across to the other side.

Just looked at the upload and it is a bit dark so here is another view. I will point out I’m currently building a full battery box and we are going to cover the wheel arches again in something far more durable.

Love a good update, great job with the dehumidifier – so you just bung wet stuff in those wire baskets do you and let it do its work?

Nice work. Looks very practical yet you’ve got some great personalisation details.

Thank you OO.

Spacey, the wire racks are the prime drying spot but the dehumidifier is powerful enough to have an effect over the whole van and quite a noticeable effect on everything in the garage.

I’ve not updated this for 7 months!
We were using Roger quite regularly until lockdown and have now had 41 nights away since we bought him at the end of April last year. Its sad we missed all those weekends in the spring but we did get to move the build forward a bit.
One thing I really wanted to do was a step behind the seats. When the seats were swivelled the drop to the floor was too much to sit comfortably. Putting a step in makes things much nicer and adds storage for a few essentials.
Sadly B&Q ran out of vinyl planks so only the step is cladded. When they get some more in I will do the whole living area and we will finally be rid of the horrible black floor Roger came with.