Knowledge base
Knowledge base
Everything you need before converting a van: measuring, insulating, fixing, weight, electrics and the rules. Written for people doing it themselves — even if they buy nothing from us.
Building
Measuring your van: the seven dimensions everything hinges on
The factory figure for your load space is not a building dimension.
9 min read
Insulating a van: what works, what does not, and where condensation comes from
Insulation rarely fails on the material and almost always on the moisture.
16 min read
Fixing furniture in a van: where to drill and where never to
Furniture that is properly fixed is furniture you never think about again: no creaking, no readjusting, and no discussion at the inspection.
12 min read
Choosing
Which van is best to convert into a camper?
The choice is almost never made on the engine or the badge, and almost always on three numbers: load length, load width and load height.
14 min read
Transverse or longitudinal bed: the choice that sets your whole layout
The bed is the largest piece of furniture in your camper and it is always there.
10 min read
What does it cost to convert a van into a camper?
An honest answer has four numbers in it, not one: the van, the fit-out, the systems and the tax.
12 min read
Camper mattresses: why 140 × 200 almost never fits
A mattress shop stocks lengths of 190, 200 and 210 centimetres.
10 min read
A toilet in your van camper: which type, how much space, and is it required?
In a three-metre van every square decimetre is a choice.
11 min read
Technical
Water in your camper: how big, how plumbed, and how to keep it drinkable
A hundred litres of water is a hundred kilos, making it the heaviest single item in your camper.
13 min read
Electrics in your camper: how much battery, how much solar, and which cable
Almost every electrical plan starts back to front: buy a battery, then see whether it is enough.
15 min read
Ventilation: the half of good insulation almost nobody mentions
Two people breathe out about a litre of water a night, and cooking and showering add more.
9 min read
Which fridge for your camper: compressor, absorption or cool box?
The fridge is the only appliance in your camper that runs day and night, which makes it the biggest single draw on your battery.
11 min read
Rules
Registering your van as a camper: the requirements in the Netherlands and Germany
A van does not become a camper because there is a bed in it.
18 min read
Payload: how to keep your camper comfortably under 3,500 kg
Weight is the easiest part of a van conversion to get right, on one condition: you do the sum before you build rather than after.
12 min read