Flat-pack companies

[vantastic]

I’m converting a crafter and I want to get flat pack furniture for it.
Half the problem is I haven’t fully decided the layout just yet.
Any recommendations for descent companies with loads of imagination?

 

[tonka]

Dont know much about conversions BUT Normal household flat pack furniture will be heavy for use in a van. I assume you have first checked your max weight and the empty weight of what the vehicle is now.. Van builders use a much lighter board.

A crafter 35, i just read up, has payload of 1300kg... So thats all you fittings, appliances, water, passenger etc etc.. So plan well..

 

[vantastic]

I don’t mean IKEA, sorry I should have been more explicit. I have seen camper furniture sold as flat pack made out of light weight plywood. Weight will be a massive concern for sure

 

[jezport]

I would need to see the stuff and have a prod.

 

[Minxy]

Why not investigate a cheap caravan that may have water ingress issues making it uneconomical to repair but with good furniture, equipment etc. You'd get the lighter furniture units and other equipment too.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Odd job]

Why not investigate a cheap caravan that may have water ingress issues making it uneconomical to repair but with good furniture, equipment etc. You'd get the lighter furniture units and other equipment too.

You can.pick up an old caravan for under £1000 . That will give you a boiler and heating fridge electrics and more. Looks a good way to go.

 

[Hawkstone]

My daughter used Evo Motion design in Wareham Dorset, she has a t5 but they do larger vans too. You can buy bespoke, ready assembled or flat pack. She was well impressed with them.

 

[airhoguk]

As stated above someone like either Evomotion Design or Majestic Wood is another option. There are a couple of suppliers that can make a whole interior kit but usually includes a high level bed above the garage. Search on a well known auction site for the latter

 

[vantastic]

High level bed over the garage is more or less what I’m looking for. Feels like a good use of the space.
I see a good few ready designs for the vw vans but not as much for a bigger van. I’m still at the stage where I haven’t decided on a layout yet so I need inspiration more than anything else. The well known auction site is pretty good for that actually. After pouring over ad after ad I still struggle to decide though ?

 

[airhoguk]

don't worry i also have a T5 and its on its third iteration of layout

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[SurferBuzz]

Crafter build, nice...

I'm part-way through mine and I stuck with what I think is becoming the standard layout from most of the crafters I've seen now, double front seat on a swivel, bench behind driver’s seat, next is the bathroom, suspended bed over garage and kitchen on nearside extending past the open doorway.
I added some small rear windows for more natural light, most would go with a roof vent but my surfboards put pay to that.

Check out Greg Virgo on Youtube to look at this layout, he is a legend.

I purchased lightweight furniture board to build everything myself, which was a bold move considering my skill level.
It’s more time consuming certainly and you grow your vocabulary with expletives as well as your tool collection to complete the job but it’s fun (apparently) and I know every captive nut, security bolt, and routed grove on that thing so hopefully any (build-quality-related) issues later can be resolved quickly.

I found a lot of flat packs are MDF to keep the cost down, having used this in the past I’m now weary of it’s sponge like ability when it comes to water.

I’ve used Ikea carcasses on a previous van build, 9 years on their still going strong but yes, their very heavy.

I’ve seen a couple of “U” shaped lounges at the rear also, good storage under all the seats but I like the garage and never having to setup a bed daily.

If you go the furniture board route, get 15mm.
I purchased 12mm saving a little on cost and weight but most self-build fittings are geared towards 15mm (Trim, hinges, corner profiles etc)

 

[GPW]

I’m converting a crafter

and

High level bed over the garage is more or less what I’m looking for.

One reason few converters use the crafter/sprinter is that the body is too narrow at the back for a transverse bed over the garage. This was also a problem for VW's new Baluga Whale crafter conversion.
This leaves you with longwise beds/bed which can make the rest of the van cramped. A possible solution is to copy the Swift 604 escape design that has a lowering bed, which if made with proper bed slats could be a nice lightweight design.

 

[Minxy]

and



One reason few converters use the crafter/sprinter is that the body is too narrow at the back for a transverse bed over the garage. This was also a problem for VW's new Baluga Whale crafter conversion.
This leaves you with longwise beds/bed which can make the rest of the van cramped. A possible solution is to copy the Swift 604 escape design that has a lowering bed, which if made with proper bed slats could be a nice lightweight design.

Another alternative is to have have longitudinal beds with the foot end going under the cupboard/cabinet work towards the front, this used to be a trick that many earlier campers did to get the extra sleeping length without making the camper feel squished, if you have a look at the East Neuk Touring S and Touring M models you can see the space under the wardrobe.