Motorhome Planet - Travel, self-build conversions & more
Self-build & DIY motorhome conversions, motorhome travel stories and motorhome and campervan news
Reader David England recently emailed me with some photos of his finished Toyota Hiace conversion (sadly, the Hiace is being discontinued this year) - including a genuine self-built pop-up roof. David's a sculptor and the relaxed, warm ambiance inside the van is a testament to his creative skill - … [Read more...]
So much of the mainstream motorhome market is the same - same layouts, same vehicles and same compromises. I suppose that these big converters must cater to what people want, but when visiting the big motorhome shows, it is often a struggle to find anything interesting or different, especially in … [Read more...]
In 2008, my wife and I converted a Ford Transit van to a small motorhome/campervan conversion, with onboard fresh and waste water, electricity, stove, toilet and double bed/sofa - plus plenty of storage. Since then, we've spent about 16 weeks away in the van, travelling for up to 4 weeks at a … [Read more...]
I recently came across a new series of videos on YouTube, documenting the conversion of a Toyota Coaster bus (a mid-size Australian model that's a similar size to a Mercedes Vario). The conversion is being undertaken in Australia by Jurassic Nev and the videos are well worth a look if you're … [Read more...]
Most motorhomes are based on vans of one sort or another. There are good reasons for this, but what if you want a motorhome but need to own a car - and you don't want to own two vehicles? It's a problem I have an interest in as my van conversion is my sole vehicle and there are times when I wish … [Read more...]
By far the most popular areas of this site with visitors are the DIY conversion pages, in particular my illustrated guide to the stages I went through when converting my van. Although I'd like to expand this area of the site more often than I do, unfortunately converting a van isn't something I … [Read more...]
It's been 18 months now since I finished my Ford Transit-based DIY conversion and in that time my wife and I have been lucky enough to enjoy 4 long trips away, totalling 13 weeks. That's enabled us to get a really good understanding of what works in the van and what we'd do differently in our … [Read more...]
Many of us rely heavily on expensive new parts and nearly-new vans when building our DIY conversions - the self-build route isn't necessarily a cheap option, especially if you use proper motorhome parts. However, it doesn't have to be this way - I recently came across this tale of a true self-build … [Read more...]
While converting a van yourself can be very satisfying and allow you to create exactly the layout you want, some aspects can be quite difficult, too. Most obviously, creating high quality, well fitted and finished furniture. That's why I paid for furniture to be built for my van - to get the … [Read more...]
Anyone with an older van will be familiar with the twin perils of rust and of dull, faded paintwork. Until now, I always thought that the only way to repaint a vehicle and get a decent (smooth, gloss) finish was to respray it. Today, however, I came across this link which links to this page, … [Read more...]
