Is it worth converting into a mini camper

[Ruzerman]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 2014 caddy that I don't need to use the back of it and more, and was wondering is it worth converting into a mini camper or would I be better off selling it and getting a bigger van.

It would be for me, my partner and our dog to go away for weekend trips around Ireland.

I have looked at a load of the build treads on here and they look amazing just wondering what are they like in real life do you constantly wish for more space?

I have been told for WAF that it needs to be able to fit one of those small chemical toilets under a seat or something so it can slide out and be used in emergency.

Also do you find that you need a small sink and cooker for eating and washing.

Thanks in advanced for your help.

[Handyandy]

I'm in the process of doing mine I've built temporary shelves on the side for cooking utensils and clothing also got a small porta potti that we can pull out if needed you will always wish for more space but I can sleep two reasonably comfortably in a swb I've just got to think of where to put the kayaks or sup's including wetsuits over night

[Ruzerman]

Cool do you have any pictures of your set up.

Yea we are trying to workout how to fit 2 kayaks and maybe one of those long narrow roof boxes on the roof of the caddy

[Dav02]

Hi m8. As above really. More space would be bette. But if you are only using it to sleep in you should be fine. Plus if it’s your daily vehicle it’s much better spinning about in a caddy than something bigger.

The drawer that pulls out to the rear has a twin gas hob to cook on. Not got the latest pic to show it finished.

[Handyandy]

@ruzerman this is the inside of my caddy the shelves at the side leave me about 1metre for sleeping with 2 deckchair lounger cushions to use as a mattress the kayaks on the roof don't leave much room for a top box. I use the j bars but I've seen a few vehicles with the kayaks doubled up on top of one another so I'd be interested in seeing a top box and 2 kayaks on top to help make more room in the back. With the SUPs in the back they would have to move to the front seat if we was to stay in it overnight


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[shackcaddy]

Just got my first caddy today 1.6 TDI swb which I am looking to turn into a weekend camper van will be keeping an eye on this thread for sure. going to try and keep it as simple as I can .Seen lots of people using the slide out bed option so think I may be going down that route myself .

[Les]

Finished mine a few days ago. No furniture in this build for me. Probably go down the route of a roof box for storage. Regarding sleeping I think there are a few options that don't require giving up half of the vans space. Just personal choice for me but there are some great builds that utilise the limited space available.



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[Jonhall]

We’re lucky enough to have a Caddy just for camping/outdoorsy trips, and having the biggest possible sleeping area to guarantee a good night’s sleep between big days in the hills was the driving force behind the design.

The two units are removable (six bolts on each side), so can be turned back into an empty van in about five minutes. We kept all the electrics and diesel heater out of the units for this reason












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[Les]

Very nice build and good use of space available.

[Jonhall]

Cheers [mention]Les [/mention]

Great to see some other builds on this thread too, lots of creative conversions out there.


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[Ruzerman]

Thanks for the replies.

We made a quick camper and went away for the night on Saturday and had great fun with 2 of us and the dog, no insulation of anything so we had lots of blankets

Was a bit of a squeeze and have some ideas of what I can of what we can do to make it more usable.

Also ordered a roof rack and some rigging so ill let yous know how I get on with fitting 2 kayaks on the roof and if it leaves room for a roof box.

I will post up pictures tomorrow of what we done and Ill post some pictures of what the plans are for the next version.

Thanks for all the replies.

Is it worth having a small sink for running water or do yous find bottles of water is enough?

[timmy a]

Hi
Bottled water fits easily behind the seats..
Small £20 gas stove..bottled gas £4 for 4.
Completely self sufficient..
Co op food shop..bread eggs bacon..head for the hills..we have swb caddy..no stickers..etc
Stealth camping..awesome

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[Handyandy]

I originally was going to build a raised bed with storage underneath but decided against it as nothing would be accessible once the bed was out unless you went outside also all the cooking is outside not something I thought ideal with some of the British weather so I decided to do a temporary build at the moment with shelving so that everything was accessible even when the bed was out
So I use a 10litre container for water the small gas cooker with the small bottles and I squeezed in a porta potti that can be pulled out for emergency use only
I have tweaked the shelving a few times now by adjusting the height of the shelves and adding in dividers so once I'm happy with the end result and everything works well I can recreate the shelving with wood or the lightweight ply you see in camper vans
This I think is what works for us so do what you think works best for you I still look at other builds and think I want to do that I now everything is a bit cramped in a SWB caddy and you always think I need a big van but the more creative we can be with storage the better I'm now thinking of a top box and a canopy on the side or rear I have a 3m x 2m fly sheet but can't decide how to fit it so if anyone has any photos please post and share your ideas

[Jonhall]

I’ve seen some people on here using some kind of magnet kit to hold a tarp in place as a canopy on the roof, with a couple of poles on the other corners.

We fitted an awning rail/channel to the roof gutter on the passenger side to take a canopy with a kador strip, which is super quick to put up/down.





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[Handyandy]

@jonhall although I didn't want to stick or fix anything to the top of the van that looks quite tidy I'd have to see it close up before I purchased one