How do you convert a van into a campervan?

How to transform your van into slice of van life for that never-ending road trip holiday we all dream about.

Ever since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Australians have fallen more and more in love with the old-fashioned road-trip holiday. 

And while caravanning is often front-and-centre for many road-tripping families, campervans and the so-called “van life” can work out to be a cheaper and easier way to explore Australia. 

There are a lot of questions out there, from people who are interested in buying, renting or building their own campervan for a holiday or lifestyle change. 

How do you convert your van into a campervan?

A campervan – which is a van that has been fitted out for accommodation – comes in a wide range of shapes, sizes and levels of sophistication. 

If you’ve got a van yourself, chances are you’ve caught yourself looking at the load space like a blank canvas, and running through the imaginary camping fitout inside.

You’ve got a few options, if you want to turn your van (or people-mover) into a rolling home. Firstly, you can simply throw a mattress into the back.

You can build a basic mattress base with plywood and pine for some extra comfort and underbed storage, but a lot of your regular camping gear can be used in a campervan. 

However, more permanent setups can yield big benefits in terms of everyday usage and comfort. Opting for a small galley-style kitchen with a dedicated cupboard for storage and running water can make your campervan much more liveable. 

This can be done as a DIY conversion, or your can drop your van off to a specialist converter to do the work for you. 

And finally, your last option is to buy a brand new campervan, ready to go straight out of the box. 

What’s the cheapest new campervan in Australia?

The cheapest campervan on sale in Australia would effectively be the cheapest van, with a mattress thrown into the back.

While it’s easy to lose yourself in the expensive, custom-made side of vanlife, don’t forget about the crude – but cheap and effective – option of a blow-up mattress, lunchbox stove, a few plastic tubs and some basic camping furniture. 

While the Peugeot Partner City SWB might not have acres of space in the back, 1817mm of length and 1630mm of width means you could squeeze a micro-style camper fitout into the back.

It’s priced from $30,041 plus on-road costs, but taller humans might not be able to lay down fully stretched out.

READ MORE: Pegueot Partner review

A slightly larger option would be the LDV G10, which is priced from $36,831 drive-away. This van is closer in size to a Toyota HiAce, and has 2500mm x 1590mm available in the back.

READ MORE: LDV G10 review

In terms of a more custom-made campervan that is ready to go with a proper built-in bed with storage and cooking capabilities, most start at around $100,000. 

However, keep in mind many of these campervans are made to order and are highly customisable, with no shortage of small and large businesses available around Australia, which can provide the services needed for converting van to campervan.

Another option is the small range of camping-ready vehicles available to buy directly from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

Mercedes-Benz makes the Marco Polo Horizon (which is based on the V-Class people mover), and Volkswagen makes the Multivan-based California. 

And don’t forget, your most cost-effective choice for this kind of thing could be through hiring or renting a campervan, through a wide range of businesses set up to do this very thing. 

READ MORE: Volkswagen California campervan review

What’s the difference between a caravan and a campervan?

The major difference here is that a caravan is a trailer that needs to be towed, while a campervan (or motorhome, for that matter) is built into the body of the vehicle itself. 

As the name suggests, a campervan often uses a commercial van or people-mover as a base, while a motorhome often has a special body – often built locally – placed onto a cab-chassis truck or ute platform.

Van-life and caravanning are both eminently popular in Australia, but one would argue that caravanning is more visible out and about.

While there is no hiding a caravan on the open road, some campervans can slide under the radar and be hard to identify. 

Can I do a campervan conversion myself?

Yes, absolutely. Many keen souls undertake campervan conversions themselves, with end products varying from basic to highly sophisticated.

The quality of the end product will be determined by the skills of the DIYer; those with carpentry and electrical experience fare better than those without. And of course, your budget will also be a factor here. 

For inspiration, doom-scroll yourself into a plan (or analysis paralysis) on Instagram, and burn up countless hours on the many, many build-up and travel videos on Youtube.

DIYers should only undertake electrical work if they are competent and capable of doing a safe job with plenty of fuses, failsafes and insulation. If you’re unsure about this, you’re better off speaking with an automotive electrician before you get started. 

If you want to include any form of permanent gas setup (for heating or cooking), this work will need to be done and approved by a licensed gas fitter. 

Another option to consider is hedging your bets with something in between, by installing prefabricated parts or kits into your campervan project, which can reduce the time and complexity of your job. 

Do campervans use a lot of fuel?

As a general rule, campervans are seen to be more efficient than a vehicle and caravan. However, campervans are often smaller, two-wheel drive and only set up to accommodate a couple. 

Campervans will often be a little thirstier than a regular van, mostly because the interior fitout adds a considerable amount of weight to the vehicle. 

Fitting roof racks and driving lights, as well as other external accessories like awnings, can also have a detrimental effect on your fuel economy.

Do you need a special licence to drive a campervan?

In a word, no. However, just like any other vehicle, heavier campervans (which weigh 4500kg or more) will be classified as a heavy vehicle, and will require a driver with more than a regular car licence.

This is more of a common occurrence for larger motorhomes, but some campervans with upgraded GVMs, big payloads and four-wheel drive systems could tip into the heavy vehicle category.

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