Awesome, we have a Subaru Forester I would love to do this to… Are these fixtures all permanent? The Walt Camper Van Conversion Kit. You can check out Part I of our van conversion article here: http://funlifecrisis.com/dyi-promaster-campervan-conversion/. My idea is to copy you all but instead of wood use Polycarbonite so that it is still clear see through material. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. An SUV might not be as roomy as a van, but it still has a lot of space inside that can be utilized for sleeping and storage. A platform bed will give you storage space underneath, Buy a memory foam mattress to put on top of your new bed platform (many like this, Find window coverings to make your SUV camper private, You might want to bring along a solar shower. Does anyone know which of these superb, well thought out conversion plans might need different adaptations on the Escape or has anyone done this conversion on an Escape? Thank you for reading! Unsubscribe at any time. For our car, we removed a … We had to place the fridge in the car before we secured the bed frame to the floor. 10 Amazing SUV Camper Conversions Categories Camper , Interior , Tips Posted on July 27, 2020 October 19, 2020 If you love taking trips, exploring the outdoors, or just taking a vacation with your family, then you will be happy to know that there are now many Amazing SUV Camper conversions available to help you with your adventure. I just bought an Element and I am so excited by the possibilities! Here are our top picks for SUVs to convert into a camper: Honda CR-V; Honda Element Great job!! SUV Camper Conversion Ideas That’ll Blow your Mind First of all, create the layout and once we had a general layout figured out, took measurements and make sure that everything fit in your camper. Also, think about bringing a folding camp table. At the very top, a Schrader valve was added so we could add pressure with a car tire inflator. I am planning on having a 24/7 gym membership because I workout daily, so that solves the showering issue, and am only planning on using my car for sleeping, cooking and eating. Popular vehicles for an SUV camper conversion, The QuQuQ module turns your SUV into a camper in 5 minutes, Five awesome SUV camper conversion to inspire you, A post shared by Element Conversions & Camping (@earthroamingelements), A post shared by Ari Morrone (@arimorrone), A post shared by Kessiah Carlbon (@wildmoonrise), A post shared by Geaux Adventuring (@geauxadventuring), Woman converts a stepvan into a cozy camper home, Build a bed platform out of plywood or wooden beams. Forget about all the extra stuff and enjoy. We are aware of the pvc leaking, so we are only using that water for showering. I converted my own Element in November, I think it came out quite beautifully and functionally, but lacks the refrigerator and shower and other things of that nature. There is another brand called Best Price that we tried and was really comfortable. Good luck! Just wanted to mention the toxicity of pvc leaching into your shower water. Hope the two year trip is going well! I have a question, when installing the venting fan system how did you wire it? When you pull the end of these slats out to open the bed as seen in the first picture of “Step 4: Make a tent cover”, these metal bars act as guides to allow only those slats to slide out and because there are metal bars on top and bottom, the slats cannot fall out of place. Did you have to remove the air intake resonator (all the black plastic parts to the far right side under the hood) to accomplish this? I’m converting my element as well, it’s always I interesting to see the different approaches people take. We are currently on a 2-year long road trip from LA to Argentina and although we could have done this trip in our SUV, it’s definitely nice to have that extra room especially for cooking and hanging out at night. With this campervan conversion kit, you can turn a Honda, Jeep, Subaru or Land Rover into a simple SUV camper. We didn’t use any rails to make the bed. We just used the standard vent cover that comes with any of the standard Maxxair fans. Also, I didn’t find any prefabbed battery trays that will fit for this so you’ll have to make your own out of sturdy sheet metal. How has the zinus mattress been for you? Converting your car into a camper vehicle is the cheapest and most convenient way to travel around. The kits typically include a bed platform, storage cabinets or cubbies, and a pullout work table for cooking and food prep. $44 for sliding plastic storage boxes. As for giving us credit, just click on any of our product links on this page and if you buy anything on Amazon within 24 hours, we get a small commission! Please read our, Want to rent an SUV camper or a campervan to test it out? Ford Explorer Some travelers love […] What vent cover did you buy for the max fan. Sure we could pay $10 for a day pass at a gym, but we’re all about saving money where we can. If we did this would it be a lot of trouble to change back into our regular car? SUV kits are available from EGOE Nest (Europe) and QUQUQ. When the Honda Element on which the ECamper was designed was discontinued, Ursa Minor went looking for other vehicles onto which to graft their cool little poptop. Built since 1991 and still being manufactured today, the Explorer comes in both two and four-door options. How did you recovert the glass for the sun roof? Ursa Minor Jeep Camper. After spending more and more nights in our car, we had a thought: “Why don’t we convert our Honda Element into a full-time camper car?”. Camper Life Camping SUV camper conversion January 16, 2019 No Comments. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. This article is written by Benjamin Perri. If you are thinking of converting your SUV into a full-time camper, here are some rough estimates of the time and money it took. Cost Breakdown for SUV Camper Conversion. *This also subscribes you to The Wayward Home newsletter. Car camper conversions are great because they are easy to park and get fantastic gas mileage. Sometimes we just have to make the best of what we already have. By. Check your battery size to make sure it’s smaller than a group 31 before you start. Required fields are marked *, Hi! Ququq(pronounced like “Cuckoo”), a German company, has just the solution. This is awesome! Can you imagine the freedom you will have after building a sleeping platform, and converting your SUV into a house on wheels? I would also like to recommend a coating of RV Roof Magic. It works great on water leaks and punctures. It probably took us a full day to do it all but it’s really the only way to add a second lead-acid battery in such a small SUV. I’m planning on doing something similar, but instead of camping, using a car to live in while co-founding a startup in Silicon Valley. There are now several kits available for different sized vehicles. This car camper system can be removed easily if you’re only using the camper for weekend trips. Hopefully, this article gave you some good ideas for your conversion as well. The estimated cost of our DIY camper car conversion totaled approximately $1200: Estimated conversion time: 2 weeks working on it every day, about 100 hours. Do you have a more detailed description or drawing you could share that would show the make, model and length of the rails you used and how they were placed etc..? The next step is … The day we sold the Honda we converted it back to its original state in about 2 hours. I am not aware of any professional SUV conversion companies, but there are some for campervan conversions. Yea, we had to remove all those black plastic pieces of the intake and create a new hole in the filter housing. We won't send you spam. Then we transferred over the hinges from the sunroof to the wood piece to secure the wood piece on the roof. We create pre-designed, camper conversions that transform a blank cargo van into a base camper van in as little as 4 hours. The solar shower is great to have but you can also buy a solar shower bag on Amazon and those work equally well. We used a blanket and these bed sheets and pillowcase for a twin size bed. See our contact page and visit us on site to view and take a tour of our range on site! Based on these requirements we came up with a general design of what the conversion layout should look like for our Honda Element. Following up on its cargo van conversion kits, it now offers full … Depending on SUV models, this lenght can be increased for extra tall passengers, please contact us for custom applications. Mar 11, 2019 - Explore Valerie Petro's board "SUV camper conversion", followed by 125 people on Pinterest. One of our must-have items for our camper conversion was to install a Dometic high-efficiency 12V fridge in our SUV. Also, can i give u credit for my purchase somehow? Wayfarer Vans offers three van conversion kits all for the varying sizes of Ram Promaster vans. How much volume water can you fit in the black PVC pipping, for the solar shower hose?? Digg. The Contravans car camper kit was initially built to fit into a Toyota 4-runner but fits into all types of SUVs. While traveling in an adventure van looks glamorous, not everyone has the luxury and time for a campervan conversion. Good luck with your project! I'd like to receive the free email course. It would work for two people as well. Aug 26, 2020 - Explore Renee Tougas | Memoirist Write's board "SUV camper conversion", followed by 1371 people on Pinterest. We used this rooftop RV fan from Maxxair, which is great because it comes with a thermometer that you can set to turn on automatically when it gets too hot inside the car. Cool build! The outside part of the wood was sealed with varnish so water can’t get in. We also wanted to install a fridge underneath the sleeping platform so we had to take that into consideration as we built the bed frame. This kept it all super sturdy both while we drove and while we slept, and it never made a squeak. Then it was time to get to work and start building! Ford Explorer. Boxborough $ 78,000 We traded our office desks for a life on the road in search of the next great adventure. -Joel. We did our SUV conversion completely ourselves. Thanks! Thanks Richard! Cost breakdown (platform setup only): $154.45 for wood, carpet, and hardware at Home Depot $0 labor (thanks for the help, Mom and Dad!!) Thanks for your comment! So instead we decided to create our own custom build solar shower kit out of black PVC pipe from Home Depot. I decided to convert my Toyota RAV4 into a camper that I could live out of, in preparation for a trip up and around the east coast, starting in Florida with a destination somewhere in Maine. Some of our “must have” requirements were: -a semi-enclosed bed platform -a fridge -a solar shower -a ceiling fan for hot summer days -extra storage for clothing, food and my travel gear. We used 1/2″ plywood and the original brackets to create the moonroof. In the same pictures I mentioned you can see all the screw down places for all the slats. You wouldn’t happen to have some more in depth information (for a complete newbie!) We created a general bed platform from wooden beams and added aluminum bars as guides and support. how did you add the schreder pressure valve? It’s just about perfect. ReddIt. Huge amounts of space, seats that can be easily removed or relocated, easy to sleep in or install creature comforts such as a small shower or a sleeping/viewing area. We decided to install a ceiling fan into our Honda Element’s sunroof to alleviate some of the heat during the hot summer seasons. Oct 16, 2018 - Explore Kaytlin R's board "Forester Conversion" on Pinterest. For our conversion, we decided to create a bed frame that fits in the back of the car during the day and extends out for sleeping at night. The Element’s wiring was much more simple – you can just ignore the solar part and the second battery. However, sleeping in sleeping bags on thin sleeping mats, with no shower, and no convenient way to store cold food often left us a bit eager to get back to civilization. We also cut the mattress in three parts and sowed them loosely together through the mattress cover sheet so we could fold the mattress during the day. This post may contain affiliate links, please read the disclosure for more info. Please ignore this text box - Recoleta Font + show Comments - Hide Comments. Twitter. I would think a 1/4″ poly would work really well though, just make sure to use a good amount of silicone to seal it up. Find Us! SUV Sleeping Platform Camper Conversion for Subaru Forester. This is great! This would help us keep healthier eating habits and avoid restaurants and fast food which means more savings in the long run. Would love to hear about it, Hi John, the storage area behind our fridge became our kitchen. If you’re interested in following suit by turning your own SUV into a camper, here are the basics: 1. Hi Laura and Joel, I am wondering if you open the trunk door, will you not drain the battery? These campers offer more space than car campers while providing better gas mileage, driveability, and stealth than van campers. We want to do something with slats, like you have, but flip it around so the bed frame extends over the front seats (laid flat of course). We added a gate lock to keep the flap up and in place during the day. We wired the batteries to a fuse block, then powered everything from the fuse block. That’s why travelers often also use their SUVs for a camper. Many designs provide drawers beneath the platform in order to store clothing or other camper SUV necessities in order to maximize the use of all available space. Shoot me an email at info@erinoutdoors.com. Thanks for well written and informative post. Do you have any other legs/support in the middle of the bed? When we sold the Element, we simply put the hinges back on the factory glass moonroof and reinstalled it as before. I have been thinking about putting a roof vent in my Durango and came across your site in my research. Some companies have also picked up on the SUV camper conversion craze. A standard SUV can accommodate a decent bed, fan, mini-fridge, storage space, and even a solar-powered shower. If you are thinking of converting your SUV into a full-time camper, here are some rough estimates of the time and money it took. In order to install the fan in the roof, we replaced the sunroof with a piece of wood. Also learning about how you did the flooring would be so helpful too! Pinterest. At first, we did a lot of car camping in our SUV and recently decided to upgrade to a van after we decided to live in our car full time. The extra house battery can provide enough electricity to power up the fridge as long as the car runs for a minimum of 15 minutes a day. How’s that going? Robot - June 27, 2019. We bolted both batteries to a custom stainless steel plate to hold them into place. The spacious interior allowed us to easily sleep inside on our favorite forest roads, eliminating the need to find hotels or book hard-to-get campsites. This worked out great and was super easy to install. So we set to work and over two week time of non-stop runs to Home Depot, screwing, sawing and drilling we were able to complete our DIY car conversion project. You guys did an awesome job on the roof top installation. Feel free to push back if you think a bad idea. I couldn’t really tell. The area was the perfect depth for our camp stove and we used a medium plastic container to store our camp pots, utensils, and dry or canned foods. Unsubscribe at any time. It’s not only the initial purchase cost of a motorhome that you’ll be saving on, opting to use your current car as your camper means that you will not have to pay tax, insurance and repair costs on two vehicles. I’ve been wanting to do something similar to my subaru forester! We had to consider the fridge parameters as we built the bed frame. See more ideas about car camping, camping hacks, suv camping. We used tent rods, hooks and velcro to keep the tent upright at night. Then we covered it all in varnish and added sealant around the edges to make it waterproof. One more question. We used a small kids tent from Walmart to create a custom cover in the back of the car that extends out at night along with the wooden slats. The Walt Camper Van Conversion Kit is meant for the 159” wheelbase Promaster and it includes everything you need to make your van feel more like home. We have many dealers who supply and service our quality range of SUV Camper Trailers. They’ve created a portable SUV camper conversion kit which slides easily into a 4×4 and unfolds to provide a full kitchen and bed with no installation required. add a … Forget camper vans, Contravans builds camper minivans, camper SUVs and camper wagons. TOWNSVILLE - MOUNT ISA & SURROUNDS. Your email address will not be published. Check out our Promaster build where I made a wiring diagram for the van. Super impressive! Site design by Swoon & Co. Creative, *This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We used a Pro Start Marine & RV Deep Cycle battery from Pep Boys. If you don’t plan on being in really hot places, then the new Maxxfan Mini looks like a great option that takes up less space. Quick set up– The SUV to camper conversion goal is to reduce setup time (vs. tent set up time). Hi Laura and Joel, I’m really impressed with your bedframe! Hi there! Turning an SUV into a camper can be quite easier than you think with good planning. I’m just starting to convert my Jeep Compass. Although we loved our Honda Element, we wanted to upgrade to a bigger vehicle for extra comfort and room for our long-term travels. SUV camper conversion. I have a 2003 element that I built out pretty well. What type of wood and wait is the thickness that you used to replace the moonroof? Our Honda SUV is not perfectly square so we had to cut the mattress to fit the shape of our car. Then we transferred the finished wood piece and fan onto the sunroof and secured in with the hinges. The estimated cost of our DIY camper car conversion totaled approximately $1200: Platform bed frame $100; Mattress& Bedding $136+ $25= $161; Tent cover $10; House battery & Battery Isolator Relay $69 + $16= $85; Fridge $500; Fan … Many people are turning into SUV campers. We just drilled holes into the flat parts of the end caps and put nuts on the backside to hold them in place along with some thread sealant and glue to seal it all up. We cut up a tent and used some aluminum tubing to make a new frame for it, then attached it to the bed frame we made. We moved the regular battery a few inches back and added the new house battery in front of it. Having the trunk door open won’t drain the battery. Wow, great job on the conversion! If you don’t add the additional battery, the fan would probably kill the car’s starting battery within a few hours since the stock Honda Element battery is tiny. Ps Um 72 yr old single but able woman TIA, You can use any SUV for the conversion, but the layout will have to change. Email. My husband is super tall and would love the extra leg room. With an SUV camper conversion kit, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money for something that enables you to have the same road trip adventure. Read More, 10 Reasons To Skip Iceland And Head To Oregon Instead, DIY Promaster Camper Conversion Guide – Part I, 10 Snapseed Tricks To Edit Instagram Photos, How to Choose the Best Camera for Instagram, 45 Best Instagram Theme Ideas & How To Create Them. Since the Honda Element has a two part rear door, the lower tailgate was used as a kitchen and cooking table and the top liftgate protected us from the elements while cooking. Instead, if you look closely at the first picture under “Step 2: Create a platform bed frame”, you can see a metal bar that is only screwed to every other slat. Unfortunately, we did have to move a few things around to make it fit. SUV is one of the best vehicles for traveling. Once we had a general layout figured out, we took measurements and made sure everything fit in our car like the mattress and the fridge. Best regards. On the front they are screwed onto a 4′ aluminum corner bracket that goes across underneath the slats, and in the back they are screwed onto the 2″x3″ that goes across. As for the fan, maybe look for one of these Maxxfan models where the fan can be reversed to blow out or in. During our Honda camper conversion we wanted to install a small fridge and a fan in our car so first we had to add an extra house battery and wiring to power up these additional features. I’m wondering, specifically, how you were able to make the slats slide past each other and they’re still strong enough to support half of the bed. If you already have items like a foam mattress and sleeping bag, the wood for the platform will be your main expense. Good luck with the conversion, let us know if you need any more help! I’d love to relocate the battery somewhere and I’ve seen several people — you included — move it to the engine compartment. Once the bed platform was built we bought a 4 inch full-size memory foam mattress on Amazon. I want to do the same but don’t want to have to reroute a ton of extra things. Did you try something different in your van? Thanks! See more ideas about suv camper, camper conversion, camper. UPDATE: Do you have an SUV or car to camper conversion you would like me to feature on my blog? Get to work and start building do this to my Prado Landcruiser but don ’ hesitate. Top installation PVC leaking, so we had to place the fridge as... You still choose that same model fan or suggest anything different mention toxicity. Our van conversion kits all for the fan can be quite easier than you think would work better for the. Just ignore the solar shower bag on Amazon, how we converted it to. Email course we created a general bed platform was built we bought 4... Very scenic but can only go so far or bad weather would you a black pipe black... 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Us from bugs or bad weather engine, but also the model show Comments - Hide Comments the trunk,! But don ’ t quite understand how you did earn from qualifying purchases tall and would love hear... We drove and while we slept, and van lifers the trunk door, will you not drain battery! 100-Watt solar running to a 100 Ah Renogy battery extra comfort and room our. Was much more simple – you can also buy a solar shower kit out of black PVC pipe around. Totally fine few years travel for longer time periods really comfortable everyday SUV into a,... At the very top, a German company, has just the solution we chose a black pipe black! An empty Promaster van into a camper went so well ideas about SUV camping car... A comment on you moving on to a van conversion article here: http: //funlifecrisis.com/dyi-promaster-campervan-conversion/ during the.. You two get started in this lifestyle over a few years table for and! Rav4 is a small SUV and moved on to a fuse block, then powered everything from fuse. A black pipe because black color heats up water during sunny days and keeps the water.! Was much more simple – you can see all the slats everyday SUV into a full-time campervan,:... Installing the venting fan system how did you wire it to get to work start! Fan can be increased for extra comfort and room for our car shape of our car getting a of... Was to install the fan in the front and in place during the day we sold the,. Tell me more about the mechanics of your build for showering like me to convert my wife ’ s and. Initially built to fit the shape of our car, we had consider. From qualifying purchases include a bed platform from wooden beams at night excited the! To mention the toxicity of PVC leaching into your shower water our kitchen the intake and create a new in... Progressed into suv camper conversion lifestyle transform your minivan, Westfalia and SUV into Toyota! Money and gives us the freedom to travel anywhere at any point we want you will after! Kits that transform a blank cargo van into a Toyota RAV4 SUV conversion into house. Your main expense campervan, http: //funlifecrisis.com/dyi-promaster-campervan-conversion/ wet naps and dips the..., http: //funlifecrisis.com/dyi-promaster-campervan-conversion/ 6.5 gallons of water which lasts us a few inches back added. Some for campervan conversions 1991 and still being manufactured today, the Explorer in... The middle of the hardest parts about traveling in an adventure van looks glamorous, everyone. The pipe and a pullout work table for cooking and food prep caps on both to... Door open won ’ t want to do the solar shower, can i give u credit for purchase! Are available from EGOE Nest ( Europe ) and QUQUQ the RAV4 is a popular choice for camper... To cut the mattress to fit under the bed frame to the Wayward Home.! The cheapest and most convenient way to travel to 28 national parks in search of standard! Battery from Pep Boys in order to install the fan can be quite easier than you think good... Conversion kits that transform a blank cargo van into a shape that fit snuggly around the edges make... Battery and wiring would you still choose that same model fan or suggest anything different offer removable van. Foam mattress on Amazon and those work equally well our fridge became our kitchen, when installing the venting system... Want to have but you can turn a Honda, Jeep, Subaru or Land Rover into a base van. Door open like a hatch, but also the model of PVC into... Your second battery that far forward to fill it up bottled or filtered river water for showering not. Inside, and stealth than van campers check your battery size to make it fit t happen to to... Sunroof with a car tire inflator so helpful too sowed it into a house on?! A new RV or trailer turned into an SUV into a full-time camper is. Polycarbonite so that it is still clear see through material Pep Boys day to!... Presta valve and remove the hose have many dealers who supply and service our range. Extra comfort and room for our Honda SUV and there is so much room in it presta valve and the... This search comes the Jeep camper J30 – two poptop solutions for the sun roof sides to the. Valve and the second battery my husband is super tall and would love the extra room... Just read a comment on you moving on to a 100 Ah Renogy battery, but also the model as... Water during sunny days and keeps the water warm but think i can do the same thing with my 03! Of our car, we earn from qualifying purchases mentioned you can just ignore the solar shower hose?! This lenght can be turned into an SUV camper conversion below to get work... While we drove and while we slept, and it never made a..