VW Crafter
BEST OFFERS BEING ACCEPTED ON VAN AS DELISTING ON 12th AUGUST.
VW Crafter
Long Wheel Base
Fully converted campervan
Beautiful custom conversion, a house on wheels.
Just under 130,000 miles
2.0l Turbo Diesel Injection
Nearly full service history (gap 2020-2021 where van was mostly sorn’d & only driven 5,000 miles)
6 months MOT (no advisories)
It is with a heavy heart that we list our campervan. The van was bought with professionally added windows and roof vents and insulation. Last spring we (with help from some other professionals) built out the dream campervan. The van is a unique layout (at least, we’ve never seen one like it) that maximises the amount of lounge and kitchen space, whilst still allowing for a bathroom and full length, semi fixed bed.
The style is Scandinavian with lots of plywood. Everything about the design was considered.
The campervan was built to travel around Europe (across multiple trips – damned 90 day rule. So far we have managed 2 trips, the first was 10,000 miles down through Eastern Europe, into Croatia, Bosnia, Albania and Greece, over 6 months. The second was a few weeks around Scotland this spring. The third, which we have unfortunately had to cancel, was 3 months around Scandinavia this summer. We’ve had to cancel our travels due to health reasons, and we’d rather that the van was being used for what it was built for, and not sat in storage until we are able to use it again (2024 at best).
The campervan is built to be off grid, with all the POWER (solar and split charge, and LPG gas for cooking), WATER (hot, cold and filtered) and COMFORT (huge L shaped sofa, full long ways bed, toilet and shower) you require.
It’s designed to create as much feeling of space as is possible, Scandi vibes, all made out of beautiful plywood, all custom.
My FAVOURITE FEATURES are:
+ The hidden bathroom layout means the van feels huge inside.
+ The cabinetry is all cut from single sheets of plywood, so the beautiful wood grain flows seamlessly through the push fit handless cupboard doors. Gorgeous.
+ The sofa is big enough for two people to comfortably lounge – feet up – on, with or without touching (sometimes you just need your own space when you’re on the road).
+ Windows on both sides let in loads of light, Van-x premium curtains make them black out.
+ We installed a Calorifier, which warms water using heat from the engine when you are driving, so you get a free tank of hot water wherever you go.
+ The tap (Designer: Franke Tasso Filterflow Spoutwater) filters water on the way through the system, so you can fill up your water supply without worry of any possible contaminants getting into your glass.
+ Refillable LPG gas cylinder that makes finding and using gas in Europe as easy as it can be.
+ Retractable LPG gas hose that allows you to cook inside and outside (because cooking outside is way better when it’s nice weather).
+ The (also black out) cab curtain is reversible and doubles as a massive cinema screen for rainy movie nights.
+ The speakers are set up with bluetooth and super easy to use.
+ There’s a vent above the bed which is really nice when it gets warm. Both roof vents have mosquito nets which are essential in some countries.
+ The bathroom is completely hidden away.. but is a good size!
COOKING
Cooking on the road is important, especially when you have a home on wheels that can get you off the beaten track. There’s loads of kitchen worktop space, most of which faces out the open door, for prepping with a view. A big household sink and designer tap feeds hot, cold and filtered water. We have the all popular refillable LPG Gasit cylinder installed, which feeds a portable 3 burner stove, meaning you can pull the hose and do your cooking outside, which of course is the preferred option when it’s 25 degrees and blue skies. A ultra efficient, very quiet Dometic fridge pulls out, and there is plenty of storage to keep all the pots, pans, food and drinks stowed away and out of sight.
SLEEPING
One imperative for us when building the van was to have a full length bed, and to not feel like you are inside a vehicle when you are going to sleep. The memory foam mattress is cut in 2, and most of the bed stays fixed above the garage, for use as a day bed/ extra seating area. The lower third is put over the worktop at night to make a full 190cm length bed. Because it’s all pulled tight by the bottom sheet, and the positioning of the ‘join’ you’s never know it was there. The lower third of mattress has been professionally covered to match the sofa cushions and cab curtain. After reading Matthew Walker’s book we didn’t want to compromise on sleep, so the mattress is a fantastic quality. Once you’re in bed there is a sideboard to one side for 12v candles, storing kindles, placing cups of tea (of coffee, in the morning). There’s tons of storage so everything can be placed our of sight to create an uncluttered environment, plus, there’s a headboard, which is much nicer than trying to pile cushions up against a cold van door. There is also a roof vent above the bed which is lovely on the hotter European summer nights.
LIVING
The main design and layout of the van are based on maximising the illusion of space and removing the feeling of being in a van. Reducing the number of overhead cabinets and any big full height dividers makes the living area more spacious and gives extra headroom (useful when you want to sit up in bed). 2 windows installed allows a huge amount of light in, and offers 180 views, so you can park however you want and still get a view. The lounge area has a bigger sofa than most living rooms (total of 2.8m) and can comfortably seat 4 people with storage underneath. Or, 2 people can lounge with their feet up and both still have an excellent view out of the sliding door. The seating is made from high density foam with heavy weight cotton canvas, for longevity. There’s loads of storage underneath all the seating. At the back of the van, the fixed part of the bed (the top ⅔’s) turns into a separate area to lounge. You can cosy up together in the front, in the back, or have an area to yourself, depending on how you’re feeling 🙂
LIVING SPACE
+ 2.4m long L shaped sofa. Long enough for two people to lounge. Positioned to see out of the open side door
+ Roof vent overhead
+ Loads of storage space under them
+ Very comfortable, bespoke, commissioned cushions.
+ Ultra durable Altco flooring
+ Overhead shelf
+ Spotlights or mood lighting to choose from
KITCHEN
+ Over 3m of worktop
+ Length of custom made laminated ply work surface
+ Bespoke, professionally made plywood cabinetry
+ Inset handless push latch cabinet doors
+ Doors are cut inside one piece of plywood, so the grain follows all the way through the van.
+ Overhead storage high enough you don’t bang your head)
+ 3 ring hob (hidden in cupboard)
+ Pull out Dometic CFX35 Cool fridge/ freezer (can be fridge or freezer) runs super quietly, drawing hardly any power on 12v or 240v. These are £700+ new.
+ 3 burner hob that can be used inside or out (outside cooking is way nicer on the road)
BATHROOM
+ Wetroom in a box. Completely watertight (tanked) bathroom.
+ Manual flush thetford C200 cassette toilet
+ Shower (with sit down shower option), warm water powered by Calorifier
+ The bathroom is completely hidden, and doesn’t break up the space like in most campers
ELECTRICS
+ 2x 110ah batteries
+ 1000w pure sine inverter (plenty for laptop charging)
+ 180w Solar panel on the roof (glued not screwed/ no holes in roof)
+ Mppt controller
+ 2 x 240v outlets powered by the inverter
+ 240v ‘shore’ power, for plugging in at campsites
+ USB power, switches and voltage metre.
+ Amp, speaker and subwoofer sound system connected via bluetooth
+ All 240v installed by professional electrician, and 12v by us (not our first time, don’t worry) and checked by the electrician afterward.
GAS
+ Gasit 11kg refillable LPG cylinder (these are some of the best on the market)
+ This is a big plus if you are travelling in Europe. LPG is cheap, found everywhere, and it’s so much easier than dealing with different gas cylinders on the road (which are not interchangeable in Europe)
+ 11kg lasts us about 3 months and costs £15.
+ Pull out gas hose for connecting hob outside, for outdoor cooking.
+ No gas certificate -> my brother is a plumber.
WATER SYSTEM
+ 100l water tank, filled from the garage
+ 12v pump for automatic water on demand
+ 10l Calorifier (tanked water heating system) that provides on demand hot water after driving
(professionally hooked into the engine coolant system, that warms a tank of water to max 80 degrees whilst driving. It takes about 20 minutes to heat the water, and using the mixer you will get plenty of lovely warm water).
+ 3 way (Designer: Franke Tasso Filterflow Spout) tap that delivers filtered drinking water, which is important when your fresh water source is dubious.
+ Water filtration, with new filters (June ’23)
+ Waste water tank under the sink with tap and ‘spout’ under van, so you can dispose of waste water environmentally.
GARAGE
+ The garage houses the water tank, and the Calorifier (hot water heater), and shelving made to fit the Range storage boxes (some which can be included if required).
+ Everything is made from 18mm plywood
+ There is plenty of space for all the tools/ spares/ winter clothes/ camping chairs/ outdoor pursuit equipment (skateboards/ SUP’s etc), bits and bobs you could need to put in there.
BASICS
+ Well insulated
+ Boarded
+ Carpeted walls
+ 2 privacy windows either side
+ Van x curtains
+ 2 opening roof vents, with black out and mosquito blinds
——–
CAB
+ 3 belted seats up front
+ Radio
+ Separate sound system with 2 speakers in cab, run via an amp on bluetooth.
+ Reversing Camera
+ Solar coated windows, to help keep the cab cooler and add greater protection.
ENGINE & DRIVE
+ The engine runs great. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a tiny road in Greece or spending 4 hours on the Autobahn, the van and engine performs wonderfully. We were never worried about a trip, and would be somewhere in Norway in it right now, if we could be.
+ 130,000 miles. These vehicles will easily run to 250,000 miles. We saw Crafters and Sprinters on nearly 1 million km’s in Albania.
+ Cambelt changed in 2022
+ MOT with no advisories. 6 months left.
+ When I bought it, the dealer told me the previous owner had it re-mapped, but I have no receipt of this. It pulls really well through all 6 gears though.
+ Clutch is good.
+ Gears are good.
+ Brakes are good. Drives true, in a straight line.
+ Steering is light. Is easier to drive than you might think when you look at it.
+ New front suspension in 2022
+ Almost a full service history. Last full service done in October 2022.
BODY & BODYWORK
+ It was brought down to Cornwall from the north in 2022, so it hasn’t had years of salty air on it
+ Underneath was sealed by the previous owner, there is no rust.
+ Bonnet protector & Sun visor
+ Extra front flood lights
+ Additional (visibility) side lights
+ Tow bar and rear step (never used by us)
– The van was made in 2015 and there are marks commensurate with age. After our now cancelled summer trip, my job was going to be to re-spray the trim and potentially two tone the van with a coloured bottom, after sorting out the nicks and dints that it’s picked up in it’s life. The near side rear quarter is the worst but overall though, not too bad.
– The black vinyl window decal is coming away slightly on one side.
The design for the conversion is (to our knowledge) one of a kind, incorporating as much living, kitchen and bedroom space as is possible into a van, whilst also having a full bathroom. The space feels big and it’s very easy to forget that you are inside a vehicle. Everything has been made using high quality materials. We built this van to be ours for years and while neither of us are active on social media, we’ve been led to believe the van is very instagrammable.
I’ve tried to list all items but it’s endless and I’m sure I’ve missed stuff, so please just ask if you have questions. It’s not brand new, but everything works as it should and we will be happy to show the buyer where everything is/ how it’s put together. It’s got everything you need to jump straight into and adventure away and we have a bunch of extras (big mosquito net, projector, storage boxes for the garage, outdoor fold up table, spares of things) that we’re happy to include during any negotiation.
BEDROOM
+ Full length Double Bed.
+ Discrete lift up storage cupboard for clothes, doubles up as a side table.
+ Consciously designed so you don’t feel like you’re sleeping in a van.
+ No overhead cupboards to bang heads on, plenty of storage elsewhere.
+ Very comfy memory foam mattress.
+ Bed converts to daybed for sitting on and for projector movie nights.
+ Vent overhead for airflow on heatwave nights.
+ Sideboard for drinks and kindles and candles.
+ Plug sockets on sideboard.
The contact details for this vehicle are no longer available because it has either sold or the listing has expired.
Quirky loves this style means that Quirky Campers would potentially approve this vehicle for hiring. However, Quirky have not approved a Gas Safe certificate, a Weighbridge certificate, or the vehicle's electrics. Buyers must check these themselves. For some tips on what to look out for read this. If the listing has no Gas Safe certificate, no unladen weight and no electrical sign-off please proceed with caution!
Insurance options are available through our partner, Ripe Insurance.
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