Top 5 Things to Consider When Converting Your Campervan
We’re on our third van now.
All of which have been converted from scratch to suit our needs and requirements. In the two previous to the one we’re currently working on there’s been plenty of stuff that we’ve wanted to change. Stuff we thought would be a great idea at the time, until you’ve lived with it for a few months and decide it’s more of a hinderance than a help ( I literally don’t have the space to list all of them we would be here for a decade). As we head into completion with our latest campervan, a culmination of trial and error and hope, I thought I’d share with you our Top 5 Things to Consider when Converting a Campervan.
Now, this list is personal to us. It might not sit right with you, and the things we deem important might not necessarily appeal to you in the same way. We live full time in our van so that’s a huge consideration for us when we designed it – things might be different for you and your camper. Also, it will greatly depend on the type of van you’re working on. Size, space and layout is a whole other blog post right there!
But, sharing is caring so here we go:
Top 5 Things to Consider When Converting Your Campervan
1. How are you using your van?
Ok, so you’re going to be using it for adventures, that’s the whole point of the campervan but to convert a van successfully you need an idea of how you’re going to use it. Are you going to be heading to fully facilitated campsites with electric and water, or are you more likely to do the odd night in a pub car park, farm shops and those cute little 5 van sights in amazing locations but with absolutely no electric or toilets or anything. If it’s the former then cool – you can get away with smaller water tanks and less use from your leisure battery.
If you’re going for the latter, which is also cool (and pretty much how we camp), then you’re going to need to think a bit more about the basics. You’ll need a bigger water tank to make sure you’ve always got fresh water and with limited electric hook ups you might want to consider a solar panel.
Get these little bits in place in the beginning and you’ll be a lot less frustrated in the long run – no one wants to run out of battery power, or water.
2. Storage
Everyone in the entire history of campervan conversions will shout about how important storage is – so who are we to go against the grain. Good storage makes the world of difference, whether it’s a weekend away or a full-time event. When you’re designing your van think about multi-functional furnishings, i.e. seats and beds that can be used as storage, clips on the walls to hang items out of the way, overhead cabinets for clothes etc. Clever storage means less clutter, less clutter means less stress and less stress is the goal for vanliving.
3. Heating and Insulation
These two go hand in hand. The better your insulation, the more effective your heating will be. When converting our last vans we opted for closed cell foam as insulation like Celotex (although there are much more eco-friendly wool options available which I would totally go for in another conversion). We insulated the life out of the thing, it was super toasty, however in our haste we forgot a vapour barrier and ended up with a rather large condensation problem. Lesson; always use a vapour barrier. The heating you go for is a personal choice. There’s gas heaters which are small, simple, fairly quiet and less of a drain on the battery, but they can be costly if you’re not using a refillable gas bottle. Diesel heaters are louder, power hungry and complicated to fix if something goes wrong, but they are cheaper to run and easier to refill than gas.
We’ve gone for a gas heater with a refillable gas bottle to save on space and pennies. It works great when the dogs not hogging it.
SAFETY NOTE: Heaters require suitable vent to remove any nasties, you can’t just open window. You cannot cut corners with heating systems and if you’re not sure what you’re doing seek out help and advice from someone who does.
4. The Bed
For us this was a no-brainer; fixed bed EVERY time. There’s less hassle, less standing around waiting for one of you to make it, no need for cumbersome bed covers to hog much needed storage space. I am NOT a fan of a fold out bed, but we’re lucky and have the space for a fixed one. If you have a smaller van then a fold out bed is probably a much more sensible option (and chances are you’re a lot more patient than I am).
5. Don’t Rush
Take it from someone who knows – a rushed campervan is never a pretty one. It only ends up in frustration and disappointment and it really hurts when you have to rip it apart and start again.
Take your time over it. Put together more than one plan and then find a way to fit all the best bits together. Do your research on the best materials to use, and don’t always go for the cheapest. Cutting corners makes for real problems further down the line. The van we’re currently working on has taken about 6months so far, and it’s already looking to be one of the best layouts we’ve ever used for a camper. Your campervan is your hobby, and your home away from home, it deserves some attention to make it the best that it can possibly be.
So that’s it, thats our 5 Things To Consider When Converting Your Campervan.
Campervans are ultimately personal and there’s no right or wrong way to convert them (although granted some ways are a lot more practical than others). They must work for you, otherwise you’re not going to enjoy spending time in it - that’s no fun for anyone. And anyway, the conversion is just as much part of the hobby as the travel is.
We would love to hear more about your campervan conversions (we always enjoy a nosey into others vans) so why not head over to our Facebook page or Instagram and share your Vanlife stories with us.
