From station wagon to camper van for less than 2,000 euros
Large vehicles with a bed, shower, toilet and kitchen under one car roof are more popular than ever. It was not only in the Corona summer of 2020 that motorhomes enjoyed huge popularity, sales figures have been rising for years. But even for conventional campers, five-digit amounts are usually called. There is also a cheaper way.
With the right car, you can decide every night where you'll wake up the next morning. With a small budget and just a few simple steps, the everyday car becomes a short-term camper. Here are our top 5 camper conversion solutions for high-roof station wagons.
Five camper conversion solutions for high-roof station wagons
Conversion with camping boxes
The comfort of a car meets the cargo space of a van. Perfect for a small remodel. The fastest and most flexible way to convert your high-roof station wagon into a camper van are so-called camping boxes. Its basic equipment is a lying area with storage space underneath. In addition, the manufacturers offer numerous extensions, including kitchen modules with gas cooker, water tank, camping shower and solar system.
Camping boxes are designed in such a way that they can be installed and removed in just a few simple steps. Changes to the vehicle are not necessary, so no TÜV registration is required. Another advantage: The short-term camper van can be used again as an everyday vehicle after the holiday without major modifications.
VW Caddy
The VW Caddy 4 is ideal for converting into a camper from 2015. With a compact length of 4.4 meters, the VW Caddy loads 3,030 liters in the trunk. As a Caddy Maxi, the high-roof station wagon stretches to 4.98 meters. Then a whole 4.2 cubic meters fit into the rear. If you want to be on the road outside of paved roads, look around for 4Motion models with all-wheel drive.
The completely revised successor, the Caddy 5, is already in the starting blocks for the fourth quarter of 2020.
For a camping trip with the VW Caddy, the "HDK-Duo" conversion system from Kauai Camper, which is tailored to high-roof station wagons, is suitable. The bed module is attached to four lashing points in the cargo area with tension belts. The lying surface is 198 x 114 centimetres, and the height to the lower edge of the bed is 42 centimetres. The floor between the wheel arches serves as storage space and is accessible from the sides and from above.
With this system, the lying surface is partly located on the folded rear seat. If more than two people are travelling with you, the lying surface can be folded up to fit the trunk. This means that the rear seats can continue to be used even with the system installed. The bed module includes cold foam toppers including cover and costs 1,848 euros. According to the manufacturer, the system can be installed by one person in a few minutes and without tools.
For the HDK duo, Kauai Camper offers an additional drawer module (940 euros). For an extra charge, it can be expanded to include a cutting board (49 euros) and a storm cooker set (125 euros).
In addition, Kauai Camper offers a compressor cooler (586 euros), a water system with tank and 12-volt submersible pump (159 euros) and a solar module (650 euros) as additional equipment.
Citroën Berlingo III and II
In 2018, Citroën is sending the Berlingo into its third generation. It is 4.4 meters long and loads 3,000 liters with the rear seat folded down. As a long version Berlingo XL, this becomes 4.75 meters. Then another 500 liters fit in.
With 28 additional storage compartments in the interior, the Berlingo already has camper qualities ex works. A further 186 litres fit into floor compartments in the rear or in the "Modutop" storage system above the passengers' heads, among other things.
For the Berlingo III and its predecessor Berlingo II (2008-2018), the sleeping and kitchen system from the Upper Bavarian company VanEssa is the ideal camper conversion solution. The sleeping module is attached to the lashing eyes available in the Berlingo and fixed at the sides with adjusting screws. The lying surface is 120 centimetres wide and 189 centimetres long. For driving, the module is folded to fit the trunk. The rear bench seat can then still be used. The price for the sleep module is 1,295 euros.
If you want to upgrade in the medium or long term, it is better to choose the sleeping module with kitchen pre-installation. The accompanying kitchen module brings an almost fully equipped kitchen to the Berlingo. Crockery, pots and all other cooking utensils disappear into the corresponding drawers. For food to be cooled, VanEssa offers a compressor cooler (580 euros) that can be integrated into the module. A 12-volt pump system supplies the pull-out sink with water. Its tank holds 13 liters. Cooking is done on a gas cartridge stove. VanEssa charges 1,795 euros for the complete kitchen without cooler.
Dacia Dokker
With the Dokker, the Renault subsidiary Dacia has an inexpensive pragmatist on offer, which is also well suited for conversion into a camper van. The 4.36-metre short Romanian stows plenty of load. Accessible via two sliding doors and the split rear door, between 800 and 3,000 litres fit into the cargo area of the high-roof station wagon.
That's enough space for a four-poster car bed. The bed consists of a carrier plate on which there is a five-centimetre-high special foam mattress.
In this case, however, the bed does not rest on a frame or on the back seat. It is hooked into the luggage net suspension. According to the manufacturer, the system can hold up to 250 kilograms. The size of the lying surface varies depending on the vehicle model in width from 100 to 125 centimetres and in length from 180 to 215 centimetres.
To protect yourself from prying eyes or the rising morning sun, the bed has a wrap-around curtain. The height of the bed can be adjusted via a crank. During the journey, you can crank the support plate and mattress up to the headliner.
The price of the four-poster car bed with carrier plate, mattress and all-round curtain is 1,530 euros. The manufacturer from North Rhine-Westphalia charges an extra 300 euros for the crank mechanism.
The company does not offer any additional modules. By the way: In the Dacia Dokker, the tailgate can only be opened from the outside. If desired, a device can be attached to the trunk lock free of charge, which also allows the tailgate to be opened from the inside.
You can find more information about the Dacia Dokker in the everyday test
Peugeot Rifter L2
Peugeot has only had the Rifter in its range since 2018. The French company offers the high-roof station wagon in two lengths. With the addition "L1", the Rifter measures 4.4 meters, as "L2" 4.75 meters.
The Peugeot Rifter shares the interior concept with the Citroën Berlingo. That's why its interior also includes a plethora of storage compartments and storage solutions in the doors, headliner, center console and in the first and second rows of seats. In the Peugeot Rifter, the passenger airbag moves from the dashboard to the headliner. It leaves another large storage compartment with cooling function in front of the front passenger. Up to the trunk cover, the Frenchman loads 870 liters in the long version. With the second row of seats lying down, the cargo space increases to 4,000 liters.
For the Peugeot Rifter, the bed from Vanable is ideal. It has a roll-up slatted frame and thus offers more sleeping comfort than solutions with a "simple" wooden plate on which the mattress rests. The bed frame does not rest anywhere in the vehicle and is fixed to the lashing points in the cargo area of the Rifter with four straps. The named four belts and an Allen wrench are sufficient for assembly.
The bed can be divided in half. This means that it fits in the trunk while driving and the rear bench remains free for passengers.
The Vanable bed is adjustable in height. If there is not too much luggage to stow underneath, the bed height is reduced in favor of headroom. The bed stands on six legs, so it can also be used outside the vehicle as a camping or guest bed.
Since the beds are adapted for each type of vehicle, prices vary slightly. In the case of the Peugeot Rifter L2, Vanable charges 1,099 euros for the bed frame without mattress, with an additional 240 euros if the matching eight-centimetre-high cold foam mattress is ordered. For more sleeping comfort, the Evopore mattress with three different degrees of hardness (height: 12 cm) is available for 460 euros.
Additional modules for a kitchen or as a storage solution cannot be ordered from the company from Saxony-Anhalt.
Ford Tourneo Connect
The Ford Tourneo Connect is the identical high-roof station wagon version of Ford's Transporter Transit. The 4.42-meter-long Ford Tourneo Connect has been rolling over the streets since 2014. Behind the tailgate, the Cologne car stows 1,029 liters. If the rear bench is folded down, up to 2,410 liters fit in the rear.
The Tourneo Connect is also available as a long version. Then with a third row of seats, the Grand Tourneo Connect measures 4.81 meters from front to rear apron. The maximum load volume increases to 2,761 litres.
For the Ford Tourneo Connect I, Tourneo Connect II and the Tourneo Grand Connect II, the QUQUQ combi box is suitable. It requires an area of 106 x 76 centimeters in the trunk and weighs just under 60 kilograms. The box contains the kitchen segment, which consists of three compartments. For cooking, a two-burner gas cartridge stove is pulled out on the left. In the middle is a drawer with space for kitchen utensils or a cooler. In the right section of the box there are two ten-liter water canisters with outlet taps. Underneath is a sink.
The fold-out bed with a ten-centimetre-thick cold foam mattress is placed on top of the box. The box is placed in the rear of the vehicle and attached to the lashing eyes in the cargo area with tension straps.
If you fold out the bed, the lying surface in the rear lies on top of the box. On the other hand, depending on the vehicle model, the bed is either hooked into the belt suspensions or set up with folding legs. The unfolded lying surface measures 110 by 195 centimetres.
For the combination box including fold-out bed, QUQUQ charges 2,290 euros. If you only want the box with the camping kitchen, you pay 1,640 euros.
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