Exciting times ahead for us at Officer Travels as we embark on our crafter camper conversion journey! We have bought a Long wheelbase VW Crafter 2017+ model (2019 to be specific) With the same chassis as the MAN TGE vans unlike the older Crafter models being the same as the popular Mercedes Sprinter for you motor-heads out there!
For us, this was the best choice for a camper van build for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons is the height. (me-Dec) Being well over 6ft tall, I needed to be able to fully stand up in the back. After living in our previous van, tiny ‘Mighty Mo’ for over two years and nearly breaking my back.. This was a MUST.
We plan on converting this van into a full-time home on wheels to travel Europe with, so the extra size was something that we are certainly excited about! There are some downsides to having a larger van which we’ll get into more detail in future posts. The thing with living the van life – there’s always a trade off / things you need to sacrifice in order to suit your needs, but so far, this has been perfect for us!
Here are a couple of other reasons we chose a VW 2019 crafter camper conversion, over other models:
- Long wheel base option with the right height for Dec
- Right age & low milage for long term travel
- VW’s are typically easy to get parts for worldwide
- Upgraded chassis on the 2019 crafter compared to older models
- This particular van came with build in floor and wooden panelling that we knew we could reuse
In our opinion, living on the road in a campervan or similar is the best way to truly experience the countries we travel through, giving us the ability to enjoy the wonders of travel at our own pace. After the many months spent building out this camper, we know it will all be worth it.
This time around, we needed the larger type van not only for my comfort height wise, but also to be more suitable for our dog Lilly
Having more space means travelling with a pet is a much more viable and fair option. If you have been following us since the beginning (pre 2017) then you’ll know we are all about making travel accessible for anyone no matter the budget. For anybody reading this series thinking that acquiring a larger van isn’t ‘budget friendly’ then you’d be right! But have a read through our previous adventures in our tiny van in Australia… This time we wanted the challenge of creating the perfect full time home on wheels and enjoy the fruits of our labour a bit!
Our previous ‘campervan conversion’ – Mighty Mo!
Having said all that, this ‘van-build’ series of blog posts will only be for documenting our own camper van conversion experience for entertainment purposes and not in anyway “educational” There’s far too many “experts” on youtube for me to be adding to the chaos!
We have been in the van-life game from almost the beginning (at least before the big boom in the industry anyway) and over the years we have witnessed some absolutely amazing content online, from actual professionals who have contributed massively to the van-life community, making the process of converting a van into a camper much more attainable.
Likewise, we have seen some absolute horror shows haha… People claiming to be experts in the field and churning out ‘how to’ videos and posts, ultimately pushing out mis-information and unsafe practices. End of the day, building a camper van safely is technical. Requiring good understanding and knowledge of electrical systems, plumbing, carpentry, metalwork and general vehicle mechanics… and more!
Step 1 of our crafter camper conversion: Windows!
Whilst I have a good skill set to undertake this challenge, I’m not fully “qualified” in all of the necessary trades therefore any information we share in this van-build series will not be a “how to guide” I strongly believe that people who plan on converting a van should do the appropriate research/ educational courses and anything they’re unsure of, they should seek a professional certified tradesperson to do the work.
We’re all for people going the DIY route when building out their campervans but when it comes to safety, there’s a line that everybody should respect. Especially when dealing with gas and electricity, more on this in future posts.
Now that the “health and safety officer” has spoken and disclaimer stated… There’s no reason why somebody with little or no experience can’t learn and have a crack at converting a van into a camper. You can make it as simple or as complex as you like once you have the basics covered.
Our *unnamed* crafter camper conversion in the Spanish desert
Over the course of this series, I’ll be breaking down the build process into “stages” so you can see how I have done things and sometimes I may even share my reasoning behind it – but like I said this is definitely NOT a “how to build a camper guide” I have a background in electrical and mechanical engineering and steel fabrication (all of my previous quals are almost 10 years out of date! Hence why you shouldn’t copy me haha) All the work involving the electrical system, wiring and if we decide to go gas, will be getting checked over by a currently qualified professional once the work is complete and we strongly advise you to do the same on your builds.
Mistakes will be made, swearing will be shouted but most of all fun shall be had as we undertake the van-lifer’s ultimate challenge! (I say “we” but Leah is the chief brew maker and dog sitter… I don’t think she enjoys this sort of thing as much as me haha)
Stay tuned for the first stage of the build, where I’ll be taking the Crafter to get some windows put in! And no, I’m not installing them myself, and for a very good reason…!
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