My (hopefully) quick and (hopefully) cheap conversion.

[RustWidow]

Happy camping she looks great

[chappersdw]

Looks great. Look forward to your 1st camping trip report

[GuyT]

Looks fantastic, enjoy.

Off to the Southern Alps rafting by any chance

[d.e.hill]

Kayaking, so close enough! A hell of a tester run for the van...

[d.e.hill]

So I got back from my trip yesterday, and all in all, things went very smoothly.

I got an engine warning light on the way down (see other post in Technical), but other than that the van ran well.

There are a few gratuitous photos at the bottom, but the main points I learnt were:


1. Thermal blinds. They're invaluable. They don't do a bad job at keeping the van cool, but their real use is in keeping out the sun. Made for a very dark bedroom! Pic below.


2. Cupboards. The bungee solution isn't great, so I'll look into magnetic closures this week.

3. Roof. Being able to stand up would be really convenient for cooking.

4. Electrics. I didn't use the 240V system, and didn't really miss it. If I was doing it again, I'm not sure I'd bother.

5. Bed. Memory foam topper was the best investment I made. Slept REALLY well.



Here's a few photos from the trip...

[GuyT]

pictures are great and really helpful for someone like me who is hoping to undertake a similar conversion. I'm primarily thinking day van but have now added in options and making it "modular" from bikes to van for house renovations to day van to bed in the back etc. Interesting post re 240v as I am thinking of installing and also adding a hookup point (I think that's the name) although I doubt I'd use it as I'm not thinking of camping in it.

Really great to see you had a great time and really useful to know about the power and black out blinds plus standing room..... i had a look at a few vans today and think it will be a mwb and medium height roof.... just got to sell the house first

cheers

[Tango330]

Nice van Mate

Did you buy the really stretchy carpet from MVM

Plus did you buy the thermal blinds or make them

[TriumphStag]

Just thinking on the doors, if magnetic locks are not sufficient to hold back an escaping saucepan, how about using small bolts? Bit messy bit you could use the old door lock type that just have a hole that you put a star shaped key through?

[d.e.hill]

Thanks for the comments all.

Stretchy carpet was from MVM - couldn't recommend them highly enough. About the cheapest I could find and really good stuff. Easy to apply, even for a beginner. Their spray glue is pretty ninja too.

The blinds were homemade from a roll of B&Q foil/bubble wrap insulation. £7 for the roll and just about enough to make blinds all round. Suction cups were from eBay.

I think I'll try the magnetic catches for the cupboards first, and look at more drastic action after if that fails. All of the cupboards are lined with non-slip liner, so hopefully this should help minimise the risk of a flying saucepan!

Now I'm pretty much finished, I've got the urge to play around with the exterior. Remembering the budget, any ideas?

[jonochap]

DVD player? Fridge? Toilet? All can be done pretty cheaply

[d.e.hill]

So I've been making a couple of little changes and testing a few more bits, so here's another update!

First job was to add a (very) small bit of countertop beside the sink. Another of my skip finds!



Then I headed off camping, where I changed my mind completely about 240v electricity - very handy to have a cold fridge (and beer) on hand!

I also set about testing the cooker properly - everything seemed to work well, including the grill.





A happy chap!



I've also decided to make the whole thing a bit more "camperish" from the outside, so it fits in a bit better on the campsite, so I'll be sure to keep the forum updated with my cheesy additions(!)

[chappersdw]

Looks great mate

[d.e.hill]

So we went camping at the weekend, and all performed well.

The day before, I was given a fairly knackered drive away awning. Quick trip to the outdoor shop to buy some replacement poles, and a quick clean later she was added to the camping setup. Turned out to be really invaluable. It rained lots, and we stayed (nearly) dry. Gave us somewhere to chill out that wasn't in the van when it was wet/cold/windy. Highly recommended.



I'm currently in the market for some genuine 15" Ford wheel trims to tidy her up, but they're going to mega money new on eBay. I'll keep my eyes peeled!

[karlpe]

Cracking read matey. Im just starting a conversion myself. Can you post a link to where you got windows and carpet from. tks.

[d.e.hill]

Thanks for the comments.

The carpets were from Mega Van Mats and the windows were from Van Windows Direct (a quick google will take you to both). I'd happily recommend both companies.