A quick video showing a few mods, additions and ideas to a '05 skoda octavia estate. If you find any of the video useful please hit the subscribe and like buttons. If you're going to be living in a vehicle for an extended period of time then you're probably going to want a larger van or motorhome. However, for shorter (and even medium duration) trips, I think estates are a really good option and superior to an equivalent small van as a camping vehicle. Here are a few reasons why:
-drives better, handles better, faster and more powerful than a van
-TDI Vag and toyota estates of this vintage have the legendary reliability
-cheaper to buy and more available than vans
-cheaper tax and insurance than vans
-typically better spec. eg. air con
-versatility. can be a 5 seat family transport wagon or a 1 seat roomy camper and everything in between.
-fuel economy. Even with the roof box on and loaded up with kit I get ~60mpg from this 1.9tdi 105bhp octavia.
Few more details for referenced in the vid:
00:24 shows how to get the rear passenger seats out. You'll need a TX30 bit and a spline 10mm (M10) bit to achieve this. You could choose to take all 3 rear seats out at this stage which would allow for 2 person sleeping room. I just take 2 seats out and leave one for cooking and chilling inside the car.
02:34 shows installing a simple bed platform. Something like this is fairly crucial in this particular estate as the area isn't flat - there's a metal ridge half way along. One advantage of a slightly raised platform is the storage space it gives underneath.
03:30 shows the process required to remove the front passenger seat. If the car has airbags, it's crucial to first disconnect the battery and drain any capacitors by leaving a while disconnected and/or putting an electrical load on (I put the lights on). It's then safe to disconnect the airbag and remove the seat. The four bolts holding the seat in the car require the same M10 spline bit to remove.
05:08 shows the installation of a basic plywood cooking console. I designed this to slide on runners so you can choose how close you want it to be to the seat. It also locks securely in place on its runners using two bolts for when you're driving. I use the same bolts that hold the seat in to secure the runners. I find I can store a few days worth of food inside this box. Obviously you have to be mindful of pan size and position cooking inside the car like this. I find it works really well and safely but probably worth having a bottle of water (or fire extinguisher) to hand just in case!
06:38 installing foam mattress. This is quite high density and firm but I find it really comfortable.
06:59 adding roof box. I find this really useful as it makes life inside the car so much less cluttered and much easier to organise and find everything. They tend to be quite expensive to buy new but they're normally available on gumtree. I picked this one up, with bars for ~£40 I think. Locks securely and stays impressively dry in there, even after driving in heavy rain.
07:37 bit daft, just showing my al fresco dining kit
08:02 solar shower and usb charger
08:13 window blinds and 'cab' curtain. The window blinds are just cut from a roll of insulation for buildings. With all these in place, you've got total privacy inside the car.
09:42 shows where I store washing up bowl, cookware, etc. underneath cooking console.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this vehicle. I like that you can transition from cooking, dining, sleeping and driving easily without having to fold up/do/change anything and also without having to get out of the car.
Camping car conversion
Estate camper
camper van conversion
camping
adventure
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