Volkswagen Caddy Mk2 1.9 TDI Day Camper Conversion

I have photos of the campervan conversion process if interested, they show the fitting stages of insulation and paintwork stages. Two windows sourced from a Caddy Kombi were professionally fitted into the sides of the van, they bring in a lot of light and one of them opens (window next to the bed). I lined the interior walls, roof and back door of the van with Dodo Dead Mat Hex – a foil backed sound deadening vibration damper. I used Thermafleece Supasoft Polyester Insulation on top then covered this with a layer of Aluminium Bubble Foil and Aluminium Tape. It is very toasty on a cold night!

The conversion was carried out by the very talented Anita and James of Rustic Simplicity Campervan Conversions. Some of the wood used is sourced from whiskey barrels which gives a very cosy cabin feel! There is plenty storage for the size of this van, you’ll find cupboards above the bed with cute cut-out hearts. Storage underneath the bed which is easily accessed with drop-down doors. There are 5 cupboards in the side unit (the last two cupboards house the leisure battery which fills half the space) and 3 storage baskets on the shelf above. The back doors have wooden trays which are held up using ropes to make very convenient table tops. The floor is insulated and laid with laminate flooring.

I painted the interior. The panelled walls have a walnut-stained teal wash and the window frames and exposed metal on the back doors are painted copper. The painted cupboard doors are my favourite. They are made from plywood and a number of sacred geometry symbols have been lasered on. I hand painted each cupboard design using outdoor paint and sealed with a matte varnish. The fold-down trays have golden drips painted over teal which matches the gold coat hanger attached to the back door.

All soft furnishings were handmade by me. The cab and window curtains were upcycled using scarves. The three mattress covers are made from grey toned upholstery fabric backed with the padded Malfors mattress cover and are removable and washable. I also made thermal window screen covers for all 4 windows in the back of the van, two simply slot into the window frames and I was planning on using Velcro to attach the screen covers to the back door windows.

LED strip lighting has been attached around the roof, light and colour settings (a rainbow of colours to choose from) can be changed using a remote control, it has been wired into the battery and can be flicked on/off at the switch behind the passenger seat.

The van has an Advanced AGM LP120 Leisure Battery 120ah 12V installed. This has been connected to the vehicle battery using 170ah cable using a Merlin Smartbank 12V 200A 2 Battery With Gauge. A marine isolating switch has been installed to allow independent electrical work on each system. Mains charging is achieved by connecting 240 vac to an internal 16a industrial socket which is connected to an Xplorer 12v 20a 7 stage charger. Battery gauge is behind the passenger seat along with 2 USB ports and 2 12V sockets. Wiring diagram and Merlin Smartbank manual provided.