It was indeed Exploria over a couple of sessions while I made sure I had the funds for the next bit.
Day van or full camper dilemma.
- Thread starter JonriceT6
- Start date
Nice that, Shaun. Exploria did my pop top, wish I’d got the cali bed as well now, costs for such probably a lot more now!
Jimmylondon07
Member
Having the same dilemma and think I’ll do something like this with a LWB, bit of a halfway house between day van and camper.
I thought about this, but then decided if I was having some kind of kitchen. Why not go full kitchen and have extra storage?
Jimmylondon07
Member
Couple of reasons in my case, firstly me and the mrs sleep back to back and I think the whole van experience will be ruined if we’re not totally comfortable on the bed. There are ways around storage space issues but if it’s not comfortable to sleep in then you’re on the backfoot.
Second is we have two very young kids with bulky car seats and one of us likes to sit in the middle of them on long journeys. We found even the 130 a bit narrow for two car seats and an adult.
Funnily enough the bed size thing won’t even be a problem initially as one adult and one child will be in the RIB bed and the other adult and child will be up in the poptop, but we’re trying to plan a layout that can grow with the kids.
The other option we considered was a SWB van with a slidepod kitchen but then you lose the storage space in the boot which is no good for us as a family of 4 (plus Boston Terrier). It really is a game of compromises.
Lots of interesting solutions here. Found our ideal interior, but am going to have to save up a bit. Love that it has a 3 seater bed on rails and low units all the way to the rear so it can have windows all the way round. Our van is our everyday vehicle and it looks like it would serve both the family car and campervan jobs perfectly for us. 
Speak to Steve @czmate1999, his layout is fantastic
Feel free to Czech out my build thread, My T6 To Camper Thread...
happy to answer any question you might have.
happy to answer any question you might have.
finstudiovans
New Member
Hey folks,
Some super cool stuff in here, nice to hear what everyone's thoughts are. I actually work for a wee company out in the Outer Hebrides doing modular kits for camper vans. I've been snooping about some forums to see what people are discussing but thought I would drop in and get involved with the conversions.
We actually did a conversion for a local crofter who has used his module-free fitted van to transport sheep from A to B! (Albeit with the use of a big plastic sheet but we thought that was a pretty impressive dual-use
).
Not looking to sell stuff on here, more looking to engage with other van lifers and converters. Keen to hear thoughts on modular conversions and if anyone has experience of them... let me know!
Cheers and happy adventures, Fin.
Some super cool stuff in here, nice to hear what everyone's thoughts are. I actually work for a wee company out in the Outer Hebrides doing modular kits for camper vans. I've been snooping about some forums to see what people are discussing but thought I would drop in and get involved with the conversions.
We actually did a conversion for a local crofter who has used his module-free fitted van to transport sheep from A to B! (Albeit with the use of a big plastic sheet but we thought that was a pretty impressive dual-use
).Not looking to sell stuff on here, more looking to engage with other van lifers and converters. Keen to hear thoughts on modular conversions and if anyone has experience of them... let me know!
Cheers and happy adventures, Fin.
simon_stevo
New Member
Hi Shaun, this layout looks great and I think would suit us really well. I've just bought a panel van to convert and was thinking of a full width bed until I saw your pics. You have the benefit of the fullwidth but with storage too.
Can I ask for a bit more detail re the side units, did you buy them like that and did they come with cushions? And what about the fridge - could you tell me what type it is?
Thanks
Simon
Hi Simon,
The interior was made and fitted by Exploria after many discussions. I wanted something where the seat could slide all the way back leaving an “L” shaped area and also make a full width bed. The seats (both the original fronts and the California bench) were also re-trimmed in an Alcantara & leather through Exploria who also provided the cushions.
The fridge is a top-loader - an Indel B TB31A (according to the original quote). It does a good job as a fridge, but we do find that when we do not have the awning out, we tend to use the kettle/toaster etc. on that surface (with the cushion removed) and so access to the fridge then becomes a bit awkward. Something to think about.
Shaun
simon_stevo
New Member
Thanks very much Shaun, that's really helpful, and appreciate you sharing your experience of using the fridge. I'm not far from Exploria, I'll give them a call. Thanks again!
Simon
That interior is just what I'm looking for, could you tell me who sells it or have a little to the website
It's a Knights Custom Conversions camper. Is very expensive, but amazing quality.
