Are you a sporty vanlifer looking for DIY campervan conversion ideas?

Check out Tribe Daddy’s strategies for converting our VW T6 Caravelle in a perfect campervan for mountain bike enthusiasts!

Balancing Needs and Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Our VW Campervan Conversion

As passionate MTB riders (and fans of other sports requiring bulky equipment like wing-foiling!), we initially loved the ease of tossing our bikes in the van without removing wheels. It was a game-changer compared to a car!

Our goal for this VW Campervan conversion was to design a comfy sleeping space for three while still accommodating our bikes and sports gear in an organized way.

However, many online VW Campervan builds seemed to retain the last row of seats, using the remaining space for storage. This setup just wouldn’t work for us for a few reasons:

• Safety Concerns: With a child on board, the last row felt too far away, lacking ISOFIX anchor points for a car seat.
• Bike Fit Woes: Our large bikes wouldn’t fit comfortably between the front and rear seats in the standard VW Campervan conversion layout.
• Storage Chaos: Lugging bulky sports equipment between seats felt messy and impractical.

Taking these challenges into account, Tribe Daddy designed a custom structure for campervan conversion that folds into the van’s trunk, leaving ample space for bikes and other gear. We removed the last row of seats and kept the two middle seats, where we installed our ISOFIX car seat for easy access to our child.

Here’s a complete list of the materials we used for our DIY VW Campervan conversion. For everything (including mattresses), we spent around 500 euros.

• Extruded steel bars
• 20 x 3030 corner brackets for extruded aluminum (17 euro)
• 50 x M6 T-nuts
• 40 x Hex screw bolts
• 40 x M6 flat washers
• 2x Steel plates for anchoring
• 2x Foldable mattresses (80×200 cm, 10cm thick) (total cost: 139 euro)
• 1x Non-slip mat (120×180 cm) (19 euro)
• 10 mm thick wooden boards
• waterproof protective mat (to cover the wooden boards)
• 2x drawer slides
• 2x aluminum L profiles (for drawer sides)
• 2x aluminum bars (for anchoring the anterior sleeping boards)

Here the list of the list of instruments we used to build the structure and mount it:

• jigsaw
• drill

Detailed Build Process Step by Step

Preparing the Floor:

1. Removing the 4 trunk hooks and positioning a 3D printed cover (Tribe Daddy designed) with a hole for anchoring the structure.
2. Placing a non-slip mat (cut to size) on top to cover the entire floor surface.

3. Prepping steel plates for anchoring by drilling holes corresponding to the hook holes.

Mounting the Extruded Steel Structure:

1. Mounting the structure using corner brackets according to the designed project.
2. Securing it to the steel plates inside the van.

Preparing the sleeping surface:

Structure:

• Cutting the Wooden Boards: Cut the wooden boards using a jigsaw to fit the entire available sleeping surface.

• Protection: Cover the four sleeping boards with a waterproof mat to protect them from spills.

Assembly:

• Posterior Boards: Secure the posterior sleeping boards (the ones at the back) to the structure using nuts and bolts.

• Anterior Boards: Anchor the anterior sleeping boards (the ones at the front) to the seats using two aluminum bars.

• Floating Board: Attach the floating wooden board (the one not on the seats) with removable feet to the board fixed on the anterior seats. You can use a zipper for this connection.

• Closing System: Secure the closing of the floating board with a simple system using two rings and a string.

Mattress:

1. Choose Mattress: Opt for two 10 cm thick mattresses (80×200 cm) to fully cover the sleeping area in the van.
2. Accommodate Bike Storage: To allow for storing two bicycles inside the closed van, choose two mattresses instead of a single larger one.
3. Modify Mattress Size: For a seamless fit within the van’s structure, carefully cut approximately 10 cm off one end (head or foot) of each mattress.

Steps to make a drawer:

1. Assemble the Frame: Secure the aluminum profiles together using appropriate fasteners like bolts, nuts, or corner brackets.
2. Add the Wooden Surface: Attach a wooden surface to the bottom of the drawer frame. Plywood or MDF are common choices due to their strength and stability.
3. Mount the Drawer on Tracks: Install drawer slides onto the structure. Finally, mount the completed drawer onto the slides.

Getting Ready for Sporty Weekends with the Lillo tribe van

This video will take you on a tour of our tribe van, christened Lillo by our son, showcasing its final setup and functionality.