Richard1000
Member
Hi everyone. I have recently converted my kombi into a camper and wanted to share in case it could give someone inspiration.
After all the excellent information I have got from this site, I wanted to share something back.
My wife brought the van last year. We wanted a kombi as a run around to drop the kids at school but also to go away in.
The brief.
Keep the rear seats as we liked the rear seating area closer to the front and were concerned about them sitting miles away on rear seats in a conversion.
Convert it to sleep 4 people for multiple night trips.
When I came to look for ideas nothing fitted the bill, so I had a go myself and this is what I did.
When looking at slide out beds, they all were too high. As in the top of the bed base was in line with the rear seats folded down. This means the mattress has to extend over the seats which would take up too much storage space and would raise the rear area too high for sitting on when cooking.
I build the bed to be in line with the rear seats with the 4 inch cushions added.
I wanted the bed base in one section rather than made of 2 boxes to improve storage but was concerned about flex when lying on it extended.
To stop this, I added a piece of 30mm box steel.
I was worried the bed would be hard to extend with cushions onto, so I added rollers and teflon tape where the slats slid over each other. The bed will easily extend with one hand as a result.
I also wanted as many access options as possible. The gas struts allow you to keep hands free when packing up in the morning.
The bed allows storage for the towbar, spare gas bottle, a double duvet and 4 clothes bags. The pull down door means they can be accessed without removing the cushions.
After the first trip, I added some 1 inch high density foam to pad out the back of the rear seat. This fitted underneath the upholstery and is not noticeable as there was a gap between the seat fabric and hardboard back of the seat.
On the other side, I built storage units around an oven. I have always liked an oven as chips, onion rings, and garlic bread make me happy on rainy days!
Fridge wise, we have a yeti 35 that fits perfectly in the back and functions as a table when set up.
The front area works well when set up. The ovano table is great and goes with the overall look. I built a storage box under the rear seat that is locked with some gas meter box latches off amazon.
Pop top wise. Thanks to the excellent advice on this website, we went for a black fabric. It was the right choice and is not too gloomy. We also have a rainbow poptop wrap in black which reduces condensation and stops early morning get ups in summer
I took a photo of it inside, but don't seem able to upload. I can try again if anyone is interested.
We got an austops roof, really pleased with it, the froli mattress gives a great night's sleep. We got it done at 8 ball campers. They were a long way away, but well worth it for the excellent, honest service. They also installed touch dimmable spotlights which are great along with a diesel heater.
Final thoughts.
Kombi windows- they don't leak, if you follow the excellent fix on this site- it is just a failed sealant issue.
Personal opinion. The van works better than the 'standard' conversion I once did on a Mercedes Vito. There is more storage and you can retreat to the back when you need a bit of space.
Hope this gives someone inspiration. Any questions just ask.
After all the excellent information I have got from this site, I wanted to share something back.
My wife brought the van last year. We wanted a kombi as a run around to drop the kids at school but also to go away in.
The brief.
Keep the rear seats as we liked the rear seating area closer to the front and were concerned about them sitting miles away on rear seats in a conversion.
Convert it to sleep 4 people for multiple night trips.
When I came to look for ideas nothing fitted the bill, so I had a go myself and this is what I did.
When looking at slide out beds, they all were too high. As in the top of the bed base was in line with the rear seats folded down. This means the mattress has to extend over the seats which would take up too much storage space and would raise the rear area too high for sitting on when cooking.
I build the bed to be in line with the rear seats with the 4 inch cushions added.
I wanted the bed base in one section rather than made of 2 boxes to improve storage but was concerned about flex when lying on it extended.
To stop this, I added a piece of 30mm box steel.
I was worried the bed would be hard to extend with cushions onto, so I added rollers and teflon tape where the slats slid over each other. The bed will easily extend with one hand as a result.
I also wanted as many access options as possible. The gas struts allow you to keep hands free when packing up in the morning.
The bed allows storage for the towbar, spare gas bottle, a double duvet and 4 clothes bags. The pull down door means they can be accessed without removing the cushions.After the first trip, I added some 1 inch high density foam to pad out the back of the rear seat. This fitted underneath the upholstery and is not noticeable as there was a gap between the seat fabric and hardboard back of the seat.
On the other side, I built storage units around an oven. I have always liked an oven as chips, onion rings, and garlic bread make me happy on rainy days!
Fridge wise, we have a yeti 35 that fits perfectly in the back and functions as a table when set up.
The front area works well when set up. The ovano table is great and goes with the overall look. I built a storage box under the rear seat that is locked with some gas meter box latches off amazon.
Pop top wise. Thanks to the excellent advice on this website, we went for a black fabric. It was the right choice and is not too gloomy. We also have a rainbow poptop wrap in black which reduces condensation and stops early morning get ups in summer
I took a photo of it inside, but don't seem able to upload. I can try again if anyone is interested.
We got an austops roof, really pleased with it, the froli mattress gives a great night's sleep. We got it done at 8 ball campers. They were a long way away, but well worth it for the excellent, honest service. They also installed touch dimmable spotlights which are great along with a diesel heater.
Final thoughts.
Kombi windows- they don't leak, if you follow the excellent fix on this site- it is just a failed sealant issue.
Personal opinion. The van works better than the 'standard' conversion I once did on a Mercedes Vito. There is more storage and you can retreat to the back when you need a bit of space.
Hope this gives someone inspiration. Any questions just ask.
