It is with a happy but also exciting feeling that we are going to rent out our camper van for the first time. We have a baby coming, so it will be standing still this summer and that is of course a shame!
For us, atmosphere, comfort and feeling are the most important things: so I describe below how we have incorporated this into our self-built (2021) van and why we are so very happy with this camper where we have had many wonderful trips, holidays and weekends.
** Coziness and a super cool interior ** Oak wood, webbing, ocher yellow curtains, leather handles, beige upholstery, ceramic sink, call it an Ibiza vibe, call it bohemian, just call it cozy. For us at least, this also makes it a wonderful van to sit inside, not least because you can convert the bed into a cozy, spacious seat for easily 4 people. Read a book, play a game, watch a movie: you know the drill! And outside, of course, a cozy trousseau: beige rug, terra chairs, wooden table, mood lights on the awning. It exudes coziness on all sides!
** Comfort ** A large battery (also charged while driving) and solar panels so we never actually need shore power (even during a 6-month trip), a compressor refrigerator that cools really ice-cold even without shore power (easily 4 degrees , regardless of ambient temperature), a large awning (enough shade), two skylights, 1 of which with a fan (trust me, you want this in the summer: expels warm air in seconds), blackout curtains (nice sleep), full thick insulation, an off -grid parking heater (used every day in Norway in August), a water tap from which water (hard) flows directly, 25l water tanks (also for drinking), dimmable reading lights, dimmable spotlights, gas stove with large gas bottle (filled once in 6 months, with lots of tea drinking), an extra built-in folding wooden outdoor table (for a quick bite or coffee on the go, or just an extra table for a drink or space outside). I'm probably forgetting all kinds of things: but these are things that we have been really happy with for 6 months (and all the weeks and weekends surrounding it) without exaggerating.
** Compact but plenty of (storage) space** 2 racing bikes, 2 kiteboards and 4 kites, a SUP, tent, sleeping bags, mats, winter and summer clothing, winter and summer duvet, beach towels, kubb, jeu de boules and so on : in this camper we could really take everything with us for a trip from northern Norway to the southernmost tip of Europe. Partly thanks to the large aluminum storage box on the back of the towbar. And all that in a van that allows you to park in any normal parking space and you don't have to bend over to stand upright. Perfect!
A great list of course, but it is fair to say that a van of this age is really different from a bus 10 years younger. For example, the bus has air conditioning in the front, but not in the back, we do not have electric windows or fancy leather upholstery in the front and the bus does not shine from the outside due to the fresh paint. The bus drives like a charm and we have never stopped or had engine problems along the way, but (really) sometimes you get a hitch when downshifting at a traffic light (had this a few times in one year) and to prevent leakage we open the To be on the safe side, we prefer not to open doors from the back (due to the weight of the bicycles hanging on the door) and we only use the bicycle carrier for two racing bicycles or one normal bicycle. Well, it's just an old van, but absolutely not a barrel or a run-down van. Promise!
Would you like to know more, come and take a look (without obligation) or test drive, or do you simply have additional questions: please contact us!