Project:CamperVan
| ProjectInfoBox Camper Van | |
|---|---|
| |
| Status: | In Progress |
| Release Date: | May 2021 (started November 2020) |
| Initiator: | Steffi und Markus |
| Materials Used: | Wood |
Motivation
Planning a Camper Van
Planning is a very important part of the process. You will buy a car, you will use it for some time and you have to live with all the decision you make. So take your time and think twice before building or buying the wrong stuff.
Vehicle Types
There are a lot of options but basically 3 types are relevant:
- Small transporters like Defender 110 or Volkswagen TX (where x is a number between 1 and 7) or Volkswagen Caddy or Volkswagen Sharan or something similar by any other manufacturer. You cannot stand upright in those vehicles except you install something like a roof tent.
- Medium transporters like Mercedes Sprinter, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroen Jumper. You can buy those cars in different sizes. Typically the names are like L1H1 (Length 1 and Height 1) which is the smallest option with a loading space of 2,67m (length) x 1,87m (width) x 1,66m (height) (Fiat Ducato) and L5H3 which is the largest option with a loading space of 4,07m (length) x 1,87m (width) x 2,17m (height). So there may be vehicles in which you are easily able to stand upright.
- Large Transporters like Renault TRM 2000, Mercedes Unimog 404 or 1300L or any other really big vehicle. You will almost always need a special driver license in germany for those cars.
Once you make up your mind you will have to decide between a fairly new vehicle or an oldtimer. We bought Peugeot Boxer L2H2 from 2016 which was in a good condition and is not that big. We still want to drive on small streets leading to nice mountains.
The Layout
The layout is very essential for your build. Our build has a fixed bed. A very good video with all pros and cons for fixed bed vs dinette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz1fBVYK_2c&ab_channel=VanlifeSagas
Finding and Buying a Vehicle
Often you can find a van like a Peugeot Boxer from electricians or other craftsman. Typically you need to search in the news paper, mobile.de, autoscout24.de etc.
Beware: Try to buy your used car from a official dealer or from a private person. Used-car dealers often do not have any clue about the car and its condition. Sometimes they will even deny you the implied warranty. They just wanna earn quick money.
We bought our van from a official Peugeot dealer. We even got a one year guarantee in Europe.
Insurance and Registration
Plan your Build
Testing the layout on paper is a very easy way
Layout testing in the van is the second step. Simply use masking tape
Tools you will need
Probably at least:
