TallPaul's Caravelle - MTB wagon!

[roadtripper]

This is lovely work Paul and kicking off all sorts of long term thoughts as a fellow Caravelle owner.

I thought I'd respond to your comment in the other thread here rather than divert it further...

And thanks! Tbh with the amount of work I put into this one I'd struggle making any profit! But if I had access to CNC machining it would make things a lot more precise and quicker. Ultimately though, the amount of people who want to store 2x bikes in a SWB van, AND sleep in it, AND have a full kitchen... Must be pretty low!

Counterpoint there are likely quite a number of people who have a Caravelle who would like the option to swap a mid seat for a kitchen... should you ever decide on a side hustle you'd have at least one potential customer!

 

[TallPaul_S]

This is lovely work Paul and kicking off all sorts of long term thoughts as a fellow Caravelle owner.

I thought I'd respond to your comment in the other thread here rather than divert it further...



Counterpoint there are likely quite a number of people who have a Caravelle who would like the option to swap a mid seat for a kitchen... should you ever decide on a side hustle you'd have at least one potential customer!

Tbh van gear already do make decent kitchen pods, a lot of the inspiration came from them. Obviously (the running theme with my van!) there wasn't anything available off the shelf which suited my needs and space.

Vangear CRX-Pod campervan fridge pod (Black)

Vangear CRX-Pod Campervan Pod for CRX50 fridge (Fridge NOT included) Black Fully assembled and ready to fit, now with new tap 2-3 week lead time We have fridge options on our shop page (Dometic CRX50 =£549 and the Alpicool CR50X =£375) The Vangear CRX-Pod is a universal fitment into many...

www.vangear.co.uk

Although, the prices are a little... Well.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Bed frame is now done. Well, 99%. Just need to do some tweaking and fit the end caps.

I may get rid of the fold out section at the front, I'll be making the foam cushions to fit to the interior shape so would have liked a bit of support but I'll see how it is.

There's a set of legs between the seats, one set at the end, and the 2x upright plywood bits at the back.

Deployed:


Folded up - there'll be 4x stacks of cushions on it which will hold the following section up between the cushions and the seat back.

And for long term storage over winter it'll fold almost flat into itself.



I'll get the foam ordered this week, and can then start making the cushions.

The bed frame took me 2x full days (10am to 7pm) to make, and I'm bloody cream crackered!

Just the cushions to make, and tailgate/cab divider curtains to fit and I'll be going on a first overnight in the van.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Foam ordered from efoam. I've gone for 3" with a 1" memory foam top (Inc in the 3"). I was limited by the height when stacked, I could only have 3 cushions top of each other with 3" foam.

Oh and I've had the fabric for ages, this is what the cushions will be finished in

 

[roadtripper]

Having just scrolled back through this thread I'm struck how it's escalated (in a great way) from "I need a bit of a frame to stop 2 bikes rattling around" on to "fully bespoke highly engineered conversion"

Does that alu profile come with any kind of capping to finish off the cut ends - just wondering how well it sits against existing trim and/or snag issues when loading?

 

[TallPaul_S]

Yes it has end caps, although annoying the caps I bought are for profile with an 7mm centre hole, and mine has a 10mm hole so I'm trying to find some correct size caps. If I can't, then a bit of sikaflex to glue them in seems to do the job.



I'll cap off every bare end with the caps once it's fully done.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I have foam!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Tailgate and cab curtains now fitted which means I have a fully blackout curtained van!






I'm not sure if I prefer the cab curtain in front or behind the front seats.


One thing, if I'm stealth camping and need to drive away quickly for some reason, having the curtain behind the seats (2nd pic) means it's basically a van with a bulkhead and I don't need to mess around with anything - I can just jump in the drivers seat and be gone.

The bed cushions are being made as we speak. I will definitely be adding some more lighting to the rear of the van along with a usb socket for charging my phone at night - but I'm (literally) going to sleep on it and see where the best position will be.

I've got a rainbow screens windscreen cover on order too so for longer trips or when I'm staying on a campsite I'll use the windscreen cover which will open up the front swivel seat to give more room.

Other than a few purchases of some plastic plates and bowls, and a mat for the area in front of the fridge/seat, I'm basically good to go (once the cushions are done).

I'll use the van for a little while (which will let the bank balance recover too!) then sort out what I'm going to do with the storage area the other side of the bikes, plus any other changes once I've actually used the van a few times.

 

[roooms]

Amazing progress and a great thread to follow!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Pleased to say they're full blackout, this is on night mode on my phone so in real life you have to really look to see any light coming through the edges.



Vs what it looks like inside...

 

[TallPaul_S]

Bed is done! Foam and covers all made/cut to shape, I'm all ready for the first trip down to Dorset for 2 nights later this week!






It seems pretty damn comfy - I've got a nice square sleeping bag with a thin and a thick side to hopefully not be too warm in the summer. My feet hang of the end but at 6ft 3in, they do on my bed at home too - tall person problems!!

I can't sit fully up in the bed but I knew I wouldn't be able to do that - I can easily lift my knees up though and there's enough width to sleep comfortably it seems. It's definitely a 1 person bed though

There's still a few bits on the to do list but I need to actually use the van in anger to see what needs to go where - extra lights at the tailgate end, usb sockets there too, and switches for the boot lights. Then there's the extra storage space on the other side which I need to make use of. Plus a few bits to finish off with paint etc.

I'll be trying to use it a few times now that the good weather has arrived, I've still got 28 days of holiday to take before the end of the year so I can see a lot of long weekends getting booked!!

 

[TallPaul_S]

First overnight test of the van today!




First thing that's gone on the list is a tie down for the awning, any slight bit of wind and it feels like it's going to buckle or take off... I thought I could do without one but no.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Oh and I'll also be testing just how good (ha!) the std fit 75Ah aux battery with the std fit split charge relay is at powering just a fridge, some LED lights and a bit of phone charging, over the course of not even 2 days...

I arrived at 4:30pm today, I'm expecting to have to run the engine for half an hour late on tomorrow.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Oh and I'll also be testing just how good (ha!) the std fit 75Ah aux battery with the std fit split charge relay is at powering just a fridge, some LED lights and a bit of phone charging, over the course of not even 2 days...

I arrived at 4:30pm today, I'm expecting to have to run the engine for half an hour late on tomorrow.

Well, suspicions confirmed.

16:30 yesterday to 16:30 today, with just a fridge running and a couple of hours of led lights, plus maybe 60% of a smartphone battery charge and I've used 29Ah according to the Renogy shunt, and I think it's fair to say I'm probably below 50%.

It's not even been that hot, maybe 20 degrees or so, but it was probably roasting inside there van without any doors open.

Ignore the 60% figure, that's never correct.

 

[roadtripper]

Yep you're below 12v at very moderate draw - you're under 50% for standard/wet/flooded lead acid or AGM (despite different profiles the 50% is about the some in both)

Time to consider a DC-DC and a LiFePo

 

[TallPaul_S]

Yep you're below 12v at very moderate draw - you're under 50% for standard/wet/flooded lead acid or AGM (despite different profiles the 50% is about the some in both)

Time to consider a DC-DC and a LiFePo

Yeah, tbh all that is planned as well as solar - I need to change to a DC-DC in order to go LiFePO4 but just doing the DC-DC won't actually give me that much benefit, I need to do both at the same time.

I may get solar sorted first, I've got my eye on a Victron 305w rigid panel for £166

Victron Energy Solar Panel 20V 305W Mono series 4b - SPM043052002

Victron Energy Solar Panel 20V 305W Mono series 4b - SPM043052002 product brought to you by BMS Technologies LTD Offering free next working day delivery.

www.bmstechnologies.co.uk

And then a Victron 100/20 MPPT for £75. I've already got the PV cables routed.

Big panel but I'm probably going to go for a 230Ah seatbase battery so overkill on the solar is never a bad thing, especially for those dreary winter days when I'm out in the van!

 

[roadtripper]

Solar will help - though remember if you do that while you still have a split charge system what will happen is your starter will be at 80% and your leisure at 100% - then when you start and the relay engages the 2 batteries will equalise so you'll lose charge in the leisure and gain it on the starter, then they will both drain down to 80% before the alternator will start charging. Your solar while driving will also not be adding any benefit as it will be charging both as a bank and the alternator will just run less.

So a DC-DC will close to double your usable charge (currently 80%->50% to 100%->50%) and will isolate any solar to your leisure system and not keep draining it into the starter.

It might be worth considering something like the new Victron Orion and using it to replace the split charge for a season while you plan the rest.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Solar will help - though remember if you do that while you still have a split charge system what will happen is your starter will be at 80% and your leisure at 100% - then when you start and the relay engages the 2 batteries will equalise so you'll lose charge in the leisure and gain it on the starter, then they will both drain down to 80% before the alternator will start charging. Your solar while driving will also not be adding any benefit as it will be charging both as a bank and the alternator will just run less.

So a DC-DC will close to double your usable charge (currently 80%->50% to 100%->50%) and will isolate any solar to your leisure system and not keep draining it into the starter.

It might be worth considering something like the new Victron Orion and using it to replace the split charge for a season while you plan the rest.

All very true, and the DC-DC would give me a whopping 15Ah extra capacity

Realistically I need to do the whole lot, which I will probably end up doing, in one go.

Even with the 'full' 75Ah (aka 37Ah) based on today it wouldn't be enough to see me through 1 full day/2 nights off grid, IE 5pm Friday to 10am Sunday, 40-odd hours.

I just ran the engine for 20 minutes or so and it's looked to have put back in around 15Ah - I was seeing 40-50a going back in! So I can work around the issue either by not parking up somewhere for days without hookup, or running the engine for 30 minutes to top up the battery. I'll do this until I buy a passenger seat base, then I can make a mock battery and then work out how to fit everything under there!

But, most importantly, I didn't come back today to a fridge full of warm food, and beer. That would have been a disaster!!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Oh and I'm really glad I've got a rainbow screens windscreen cover coming, it's only been 20 degrees or so today but according to my carbon monoxide detector (which has a temperature display) it hit 37 degrees C inside the van at some point today...

I had the front windows cracked open a bit but that didn't help at all.

 

[TallPaul_S]

So, a few thoughts after a full day in the van:

First nights sleep was ok, not the best but I've had far worse. Tbh most of that was probably down to an unfamiliar pillow and getting comfortable in the sleeping bag - I can never get really comfortable as they twist around you.

Heat: it's hot. It's black. I could feel the van starting to heat up even at 9am, so heat reduction is a definite requirement. No condensation but I wouldn't expect it when it was warm overnight.

The pull out table is, quite frankly, a godsend. I've had my hob out permanently which takes up most of the free space on the worktop so having the extra space is really needed. But, as below, I don't always need all the room with it pulled out! Perfect for putting my beer on while I'm relaxing in the van, feet up on the front seat!


I need more places to put 'stuff'. I've lost count of the amount of times I've said "where the f*** did I put that!?" already!! I think some overhead storage above the kitchen and rear window bag is in order.

It's a little awkward washing up but it's not bad, I ended up boiling water and using that. On the subject of water, I've gone through half a 16l fresh water container in 1 night and 1 day, if I want to go on longer, 3/4+ day trips off grid, I'll need to either find water, or fit an extra tank which I'm probably going to do.

I'll fit this underneath the van which will give me water for washing the bike if needed (it takes about 15l for a really dirty bike) so 60l gives me a couple of fresh water refills and bike washing water - fullly loaded up I'd have 75l onboard.

VW T5-T6.1 60L Fresh Water Tank kit with Hozelock filling system

Get your fresh water kit from Autocraft Motor Caravans. The 60 Litre Tank fits all VW T5, T6 and T6.1 models, and comes with a backfill system for easy installation.

autocraftmotorcaravans.co.uk

Other than that, I'm pretty happy! Everything works, the bed is far comfier than an airbed in a tent, and I don't think it's too small for just me and my bikes (which tbh was a worry!).