Thinking of a mini camper that’s also a daily driver..

So after stuffing the bike in the back of the car (Fiesta mk7.5) for another trip, I’ve started wondering about changing cars. I spotted some lovely looking vans in the car park and was jealous of ease of loading and making a brew at lunch.

The issue is that I need the car as a daily driver on 35 miles of A & B roads, so it needs to be reasonably well handling.

I’ve got a few ideas for cars:

> Berlingo XTR: Van based car, so lots of creature comforts, windows all round, but fully removal seats.

> Berlingo Crew Cab L1/L2: Benefits of still being taxed & insuredas a car (I think?). Big space and dedicated camper conversion with 3 seats in the front & rip the bulkhead & rear seats out.

> Yeti: Car with lots of refinment, windows all round, but fully removal seats.

My idea with the ‘cars’ is to drop in a box when I want to use it as a camper. Two box versions- one for solo + bike inside, the other for bikes on roof rack and 2 people inside ( think homemade Amdro). For day-to-day use I’ll keep 2 seats in the back with a gap for the bike to live for day trips, etc.

The van would be a dedicated conversion but I’m not sure how these are to drive daily with all the camper kit in the back? It must move around and weigh a fair bit I imagine and be noisey. Lack of windows in the back means more expensive to convert too.

Any other cars/vans I’ve missed? If I keep it below £10k, I’ll have £3k for a new bike to put in it 🙂 !

Someone on here had a Berlingo with all kinds of wooden bits and bobs which slotted in and out at the back, looked pretty good. Can’t remember who but wortha quick search for inspiration.

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IME whatever you get won’t be big enough, you will always want the next size up. Transit/Vivaro/Vito size is fine as a daily driver BTW (I never drive/park in cities though…)

Check out Outdoor Gear Exchange UK on Facebook

Loads for sale in there

I bought a vivaro in August, have lined and insulated it and plan to add a few luxuries in the back too. I also use it as a daily driver (32 mile round trip) and it’s fine. Used it at Ard Rock and Ard Moors and it’s been great.

transit grand tourneo connect? Just sneaks in budget. I would have thought that the yeti is a LOT smaller inside than the other two, probably worth looking at a galaxy/similar as well

Thanks all.
I did drive a Transit SWB recently and it was nice, apart from the single track country roads and the dodgy countryside junctions.

How often do you guys use them to justify a full camper conversion? I think I’ll probably get away once a month over night, and a few times a year for 4+ nights..

I was going to suggest an Amdro Boot Jump kit, but looks like your way ahead of me…

My idea with the ‘cars’ is to drop in a box when I want to use it as a camper.

Something like this?

Mini? You lot don’t know the meaning of mini. My father swapped sooty wagon Daihatsu for one of these. Suzuki Wagon R camper – full length bed, cooking area, three seats and a heap of giggles.

I’d suggest keeping it simple.. I can get a single camp bed in the back of my c-max if I put the drivers seat right forward and fill the rear footwell with a 25ltr water container. Bike (or sailing gear) then lives on the other side bungee’d to the door handle. Works well and no woodwork required.

I did ask Ford about the loading from a roof tent and the seemed a bit confused, but if you had a car that could take a (relatively) static ~250kg on the roof rails without damage then a roof tent would make more sense as you wouldn’t need to shuffle things around every evening (or sleep on top of the boxes with zilch headroom),

full length bed, ………………., three seats and a heap of giggles.

What your parents get upto in their own time is none of the forums business.

That is a good effort! Assume he did the popup roof conversion himself, otherwise that could easily cost more than the value of the car.

I’m half tempted to get a cheap van for £2-3k and then do the conversion. Call it £4k all in.

The attractive bit of van based cars is that I can return them to stock for the times I don’t need all the gubins in there. Kids are on the horizon in about 1-2yrs so a more versile option would be nice.

I drive a 2015  trafic sport 140 as a daily driver. It works fine to be honest. So good I got rid of my car.

I think if you are going to get a van its worth getting something reasonably sized or its a compromise on the compromise.

How many folk will be sleeping in it ? 2 is snug in a Berlingo before you add in any extras or bikes etc

I’d certainly consider a pop top on a near new berlingo as it would punch well above its weight in usefulness

As a bike carry on a small foot print they are great though.

New one with the coil sprung rear axle handles a bit odd over bumps compared to the torsion bar one. It kinda shimmies over em

 Berlingo Crew Cab L1/L2: Benefits of still being taxed & insured as a car (I think?).

You think wrong I’m afraid. Unless you get the actual car version or get your home conversion reclassified as a camper, it’s van tax and speed limits.

Upto short wheel base Transit Custom/Peugeot Expert is fine as a daily driver in my experience. Less than 2m high so goes into 95% of height restrictions and close enough to the same length/width as a large estate not to matter. Fuel economy isn’t too bad either.

I have the amdro bootjump – used it in my old Berlingo and my new partner. Two of us can cope quite nicely in it for two week camping holidays although we do use an awning for storage/extra space. You can definitely feel the weight when it’s in, and we struggle to get bikes and two weeks worth of camping stuff inside the car so when the bootjump is in we use a towbar rack instead unless it’s only for a night or two.

We also don’t use it as a daily driver as we both cycle to work, and only really use the car for bike transport/camping/moving bulky stuff so handling etc is less of a concern.

I’ve got a 2014 Ford Tourneo SWB. I use it as a daily driver and then take all the seats out for trips away. I’ve got 2 Decathlon folding beds with self inflating mats on top. Can then use 1 or 2 beds depending on whether it’s a solo trip or trip with the GF. Beds are raised so that enables storage underneath.

Keeps the van nice and flexible and is cheaper than a conversion. The Tourneo interior is more car than van so all i’ve needed to do is make up some insulated window screens.

Electric cable squeezes under the boot lid so have an electric hook up on sites. Have just picked up an oil filled rad for winter use.

Thanks all!
Lots of food for thought. I need to decide on the size I want really.
Anything is a luxury vs a single man tent in the middle of winter with a Fiesta though.
Keep thoughts and suggestions coming please.

The other aspect is fuel, I think with my mileage a diesel will be fine.
I imagine i’d cover 15-20k/yr with a proper camper.

On the recommend what I’ve bought basis – Fiat Scudo (or Peugeot Expert / Citroen Dispatch)

It fits into a tesco parking bay and <2m high so height barriers not necessarily* an issue. I bought a professionally fitted out camper with heating / water / electric fridge, 60k on the clock one for £12k. Perfect for the pair of us for a weekend and have an awning for stays on campsites.

At the weekend we did a loaded up weekend away – 300miles round trip and averaged 33mpg.

* I’ve added a roof box to reduce the clutter of clothes / wet stuff / sailing gear in the actual van which makes us too high for 2m barriers, but for where I live not an issue in day to day life.

It’s brilliant

Shameless plug but I have a VW Caddy for sale right now on ebay that could perhaps suit what you’re after. It’s my regular daily driver currently but relationship split up means I need to get something much cheaper.

Shameless Ebay Link

GC, that’s a very smart looking van but get it MOTed.

Boom!

Nice looking van Golfchick- I’ll have a think! Need to work out if 2 seats would work too.

Those Peugeot Expert size vans look interesting. Look to be medium size between Berlingo & Transit w. 3 seats in the front..

There is so much choice!

incidentally, if you’re happy with basic spec, brand new fiat dobolos are about £11k. I’m pretty sure they’re windy windows and so on, so might not suit, but it’d have that new car smell (till you sleep in it, then it will smell like arse for a while)

Another shameless plug – I’m selling a 60 plate renault grand scenic – seats come out, and you’re still left with the back 2 (so 4 seats all in) and plenty of room to sleep in.  Bike goes in in one piece with seats folded but not removed, so very easy with seats out….. pm if any interest, on autotrader for £3750 but was going to put on here for a bit less tonight.

Just a note on a web caddy, I looked at a few and they were too short to layout in for me, I needed a lab one.

I’ve got  Peugeot Expert (which is exactly the same thing as a Fiat Doblo and Citroen Dispatch – interchangeable parts and all made in the same factory).  Footprint is about the same as my Vauxhall Insignia, fuel economy slightly worse and performance not as high (comfortable at 70 not 80) bit it’s 1.6 engine not 2.0.  3 in the front as long as one of them is pretty small.  Drives like a car but can be noisy (soundbox effect of van body.  I do have a Fiat bulkhead but not got round to fitting yet

You’ll have no problems with a small van in terms of handling. I drive a T5 for a daily drive and it handles just fine. Plenty of grip and after spending a few hundred quid on stiffer and slightly lower springs and dampers it doesn’t even roll around anymore…handles and drives very well, so a Berlingo the thing will be absolutely fine. I really see no downsides to driving the van around. It’s not the fastest thing in a straight line, but so what…it’s fast enough to easily keep up with modern day traffic and get into trouble with the cops on the motorway. The only downside to my van is the noise…because it’s based on a builders van the sound deadening isn’t quite as good as a normal car, but that could be sorted simply enough if I really wanted to.

My van has the full on camper kit in the back and that does compromise its bike-van capabilities somewhat. I’ve rigged up a mounting board thing I put on the back seat that can take three bikes in the back with the front wheel off and all the associated gear, so fine for ferrying about three lads, bikes and gear, and also have the 4-bike tailgate bike rack out back when out and about with the family. When on my own I take the bike in the van when it’s clean, and when it’s dirty I stick it on the outside rack for the journey home which keeps the interior nice and clean.

The rack is also handy for putting your bikes on and locking bikes to it if you’re camping in the van overnight. So all in all pretty good setup…not quite as bike friendly as a mate who has his work van that he just chucks his dirty bike in with all his tools and other gear when he’s done…but then you’d not want to be camping in it.

Nuvver.

GC, that’s a very smart looking van but get it MOTed.

Once it’s within a calendar month I will do, rather than shorten the existing MOT. Confident it’ll pass ridiculously easily so it’s not really been a pressing issue in order to sell it. I’d easily slap an MOT on it to secure a sale as well.

Thanks everyone!

Plan is to walk/sit/lie down, like a wierdo, in all the vans recommended above from small to large.

Smallest is Caddy/Berlingo

Biggest is Transit Custom/SWB.

Mine

https://www.fiatforum.com/doblo/430516-my-doblo-day-van-conversion.html

Been absolutely brilliant. Multiple runs down to the alps and beyond. All over the UK. 50mpg, cruise control, air con, Bluetooth etc. Brilliant wee van and everyone that sees my conversion loves it

Damn you Nettles: between looking at Amdro kits and the early retirement thread, I’m daydreaming now.

It’s dangerous!

Is there a returns period on children? Most of the plans would be easier to achieve with fewer of those than I have now. Some sort of trade-in perhaps?