Van Tour / Conversions

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3 Different Layouts

Ok this sounds like I'm just very indecisive, and maybe I am, a little. But we had good reason to change the conversion 2 times as we got to know what we wanted as a family of 4 and also the children just kept getting bigger!

Rear Conversion

Our van came with a rear conversion already installed when we purchased the van. This was a great conversion at first and we kept it for about a year, but things were starting to become irritating.

The main gripe that we had was that it was difficult to stop en route to campsites and have some dinner in the van (as we are usually driving hours to get anywhere). This was because all the camping gear would be blocking the fridge and cooker as it was behind the bench seat.

So after some very careful measuring I decided I could turn the existing conversion into a nice mid-side conversion.

Mid-Side Conversion

I'd seen this conversion in another van and it looked ideal for our growing family.

I built an end of bed/storage box that was also a bench seat for dining. To maximise space I also chnged the old swivel seat for an original seat and built a storage drawer to fit under there (still one of the best things I've built).

This conversion was superb and very functional for us. It's a great option for a small campervan like a Mazda Bongo.

Alas Kids keep growing and the need for a proper full width bed (one that you don't have to bend around the kitchen) was calling and one brainstorm on the banks of Loch Ken (in Scotland) and conversion 3 is born.

Front Kitchen Design

As we still wanted a fridge and some kind of kitchen unit, I decided the best location would be behind the drivers seat.

This gave us a lot more space to play with for the bed. So a nice full width bed with rear storage was constructed (well the bed was already built).

I'd not seen anyone else doing this layout so I was on my own and blazing a new trail...maybe egging the pudding there a little 😂

Thanks for reading!
Cheers, Ian :)