Oldrat’s Crafter Camper has finally landed
- Thread starter Oldrat
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- camper conversion crafter
That's a lovely conversion! Looks really well finished off too!! What two tone are you going for or is it top secret?
We’re going Indium grey, because it’s a good match for the bumpers etc which we don’t intend painting.
wow ,well done buddy that looks mint
Hi Pete
It drives spectacularly well and just as car-like as the T6. You’ll be very much at home and familiar with all the controls, although the cruise control is a little different.
Being a converted van the challenge is always going to be noise, there is a lot of kit in mine so it’ll never be as quiet as a car, but it’s pretty damn good.
As for size, mine is an L3 H4. My logic went like this..
With a T6, if you put a pop top on it, then you exclude yourself from car parks with 1.95m overhead barriers, although you can squeeze under many which are 2.05m.
You buy a Crafter for the extra space, so it’ll never fit a 2.05 barrier, once you realise that then actually there’s no point, you might as well go for it height wise.
Width is by far the most limiting factor in drive/usability.
I live in London where 6’6” limits abound, and crafter and sprinter delivery vans are everywhere, they have no trouble either getting around nor parking and they are mostly LWB(L4) length. EDIT. - and it does go through a 6’6” limit too.
The length does take some getting used to as you have to pull further into junctions to get around, so needs more planning. The turning circle isn’t as good as a T6 either which doesn’t help.
I've recently parked in an a Pay and Display car park and to avoid the wardens bought 2tickets, but I hogged 2 bays (1 in front of the other) EDIT, I did had a Motorcycle on a trailer at the time.
So to sum up, it’s a compromise, but we both love it. It’s not as quiet as a car, but it’s easily liveable, and road noise is quieter than my T6 with XL20” tyres.
Why no take one for a test drive and see for your self.
It drives spectacularly well and just as car-like as the T6. You’ll be very much at home and familiar with all the controls, although the cruise control is a little different.
Being a converted van the challenge is always going to be noise, there is a lot of kit in mine so it’ll never be as quiet as a car, but it’s pretty damn good.
As for size, mine is an L3 H4. My logic went like this..
With a T6, if you put a pop top on it, then you exclude yourself from car parks with 1.95m overhead barriers, although you can squeeze under many which are 2.05m.
You buy a Crafter for the extra space, so it’ll never fit a 2.05 barrier, once you realise that then actually there’s no point, you might as well go for it height wise.
Width is by far the most limiting factor in drive/usability.
I live in London where 6’6” limits abound, and crafter and sprinter delivery vans are everywhere, they have no trouble either getting around nor parking and they are mostly LWB(L4) length. EDIT. - and it does go through a 6’6” limit too.
The length does take some getting used to as you have to pull further into junctions to get around, so needs more planning. The turning circle isn’t as good as a T6 either which doesn’t help.
I've recently parked in an a Pay and Display car park and to avoid the wardens bought 2tickets, but I hogged 2 bays (1 in front of the other) EDIT, I did had a Motorcycle on a trailer at the time.
So to sum up, it’s a compromise, but we both love it. It’s not as quiet as a car, but it’s easily liveable, and road noise is quieter than my T6 with XL20” tyres.
Why no take one for a test drive and see for your self.
Last edited:
SWMBO and I have started talking about holidays when we dont have to take the kids - prob 5 years away. I would much rather have something like this than a 70k+ motor home!
Just a quick update.
One of the things I wanted to achieve with this conversion was the ability to carry a load, specifically my Moto Guzzi motorcycle.
Finally I got together the right rail fixings, and a wheel sling as well as a wheel chock for the front wheel to see which worked best.
As previously described, the driver’s side bed is has the batteries/Truma unit etc underneath but the top slides right across to the passenger side bed making a large king size.
The removable bed is modular and comes out in 2 sections, both light enough for one person to manhandle. Each module is held in place with 4 handwheel boots, and the accuracy of the build is such that both modules lineup perfectly when replaced.
The pictures show the bed in place
The modular pieces being removed one at a time
The Tambour cupboard door open with the waste bins removed to gain extra long storage space. The bed is 1.95 long and opening the bin space up gives me 2.40.
Apologies, I can’t get the pics in the correct order whatever I do.
One of the things I wanted to achieve with this conversion was the ability to carry a load, specifically my Moto Guzzi motorcycle.
Finally I got together the right rail fixings, and a wheel sling as well as a wheel chock for the front wheel to see which worked best.
As previously described, the driver’s side bed is has the batteries/Truma unit etc underneath but the top slides right across to the passenger side bed making a large king size.
The removable bed is modular and comes out in 2 sections, both light enough for one person to manhandle. Each module is held in place with 4 handwheel boots, and the accuracy of the build is such that both modules lineup perfectly when replaced.
The pictures show the bed in place
The modular pieces being removed one at a time
The Tambour cupboard door open with the waste bins removed to gain extra long storage space. The bed is 1.95 long and opening the bin space up gives me 2.40.
Apologies, I can’t get the pics in the correct order whatever I do.
And finally..
Bike in for a trial fit. Not yet strapped in though. There are six Unwin rails, two hidden in the side wall, just beneath the windows, covered over in a stiff fabric, so that they aren’t on show. If you look carefully you can see the straps hanging from them.
Anything can go wrong with measurements, inaccuracies, reading figures wrongly etc, so I’m so chuffed that it finally worked out.
I can still slide the remain bed across for a wide single/narrow double. Failing that I already have ideas about popping a platform bed above the bike if I need it.
Bike in for a trial fit. Not yet strapped in though. There are six Unwin rails, two hidden in the side wall, just beneath the windows, covered over in a stiff fabric, so that they aren’t on show. If you look carefully you can see the straps hanging from them.
Anything can go wrong with measurements, inaccuracies, reading figures wrongly etc, so I’m so chuffed that it finally worked out.
I can still slide the remain bed across for a wide single/narrow double. Failing that I already have ideas about popping a platform bed above the bike if I need it.
Now that looks mint
did you have that sprayed or is it some kind of wrap ?
did you have that sprayed or is it some kind of wrap ?
Painted. Strangely, it worked out cheaper than a wrap and I have no worries about the top edge peeling away in time. And VW Indium Grey so no problem colour matching in future and a great match
thank you
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