Thanks for the comment and for watching!

It is unique here state-side, but it's super common overseas. I'm super happy with it!

Thank you, it works great for us.

Awesome, thanks!!

No kidding! I couldn't really drive my van the first couple of months I had it due to the lack of rear seating. Once that seat went in we made up for lost time!

Can you clarify who you ordered the Seat from? So you bought from Kiravans, had them ship it to UBerbus, had it modified by Uberbus, and then you did the FEedEx economy freight?

I am seriously considering ordering your exact setup. Could you send me an email at: Levi at Leftcoastlife (dot)ca evening forwarding an invoice of some kind of what part numbers you ordered and total cost, would be greatly appreciated.

kenetube ,,, where can I get just the folding seat bed part,,, I don't need it to slide forward and back on the floor. Roughly how much does one cost,,. ???

Sorry guys, my old replies were deleted when I rebranded my KZfaq account a couple of years back. The seat itself is a Scopema Altair 3p and is widely available across Europe. The adaptation to the VW sliding rail system is only done by Uberbus in the UK. I have more information on the seat on my website ourkaravan.com and it’s the van build article entitled “layout planning.” Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thank you!

Thank you; it has worked great for us.

I'm an automotive engineer with a PhD in van building. Just kidding, biologist.

Hi Ryan, how were they to work with? Did they put the onus on you to figure it out or did they help with the import?

Cambee (owner Matthew Burgon) was exceptional to work with. He essentially set up all shipping (very expensive as I'm sure you know) and I received two large crates at my doorstep from UK. My order included Cambee Bed and he also custom made some cabinets. All quality work. But, in hindsight I would have changed design. Personally I'd never block the path out the rear doors again. Since my cabinets run the full length of the driver-side I'm not able to freely move out the back of the van with the Cambee seat/bed installed. I plan to build another one at some point in my lifetime and sure I'll have many things I want to change, once again. HAHA@@ourkaravan

That's fantastic. It seems that Uberbus, who I bought my seat from, has enough work locally that they don't seem interested in dealing with out-of-country transactions. So it's nice to know there are options. Having a rear seat changes everything. I'm not sure how you have a bench AND your galley kitchen and everything else without blocking the ability to walk-through, as you describe. The second you turn the bench sideways, you are severely compromising the safety of those sitting in that seat. I compromised by making the rear cabinetry narrower so I can squeeze past the seat into the rear area. It isn't convenient, but again, how would one overcome this without eliminating the galley or turning the seat sideways?

I noticed you made your cabinets shallower than your galley and was going to ask you if that allows you to squeeze through. You answered my question! Smart design on that one! There are several ideas I've been tossing around on how to allow passenger seating, but still allow for open floorpan. But, idea to execution is a far cry. There is a company out of Idaho (syncvans) that installs some sliding captains chairs, but I don't believe they are DOT. Also, a company in Santa Barbara (CampoVans) that has a seat that folds up against wall (not sure of rating). There is no perfect solution, but I'll keep trying:) Awesome work with your van and the videos! That's something I wish I would have compiled. Maybe next go around. Do you use a gopro setup? @@ourkaravan

Yup, the cabinets are narrower to make it easier to get into the back. It's not ideal but works. I've seen Sync Vans setup in person. I agree, it seems like a viable option as well. You can stagger the seats to make getting around them easier and if your kids don't get along they don't have to sit next to each other, haha. And yes, I do use 's go pro style camera. It's a knock off Yi brand. KZfaq doesn't pay nearly enough for me to upgrade, even though I would like to.

Good to know, that's basically what I did. There is no overkill when it comes to safety. :). Thanks for the reassuring comment!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you. I have a two year old daughter and I wouldn't feel safe without her buckled up in a legitimate seat. I suppose there is the option of a standard rear seat layout, but without folding into a bed it would seem like a huge waste of space. Again, great job on your build so far.

That would be awesome. I have the 170 wb and the bench in the second row is a 3 seater. I wish I could trade it for a 2 seater. Not wanting a bed integrated, but I would be able to walk around it without stepping into the slider well area. Awesome detail Ken!

There are a ton of accessories that I can not find in Europe and I am forced to import from the US. Unfortunately that how it is.

Can you forward the video link to me please.

Thank you Sam. The seat is technically removable but it's a serious pain. On a VW California, you remove some plastic covers at the front of the rails and some removable rail covers about 16-18" back and seat will lift out. On my setup the "wheelbase" of the seat is much longer, so the rear wheels don't line up with the removable section of rail cover. The rear of the seat has to be disassembled to remove it. I was able to use the VW bolts except for over the fuel tank. (They would have been too long and conflicted with the fuel tank.)

@@ourkaravan Thanks for the detailed reply! Keep up the great work you're doing. All your ideas are original and I love your attention to detail. Sam

Thanks. If I locate any information on seat regulations in US and why we can’t easily purchase EU-certified seats, I’ll pass it along. I really like the way you chose to install the seats and the robust safety considerations. Be well and be safe.

+Kenetube, it's actually the new front wheel drive model, and is no longer based on the Sprinter platform (www.volkswagen.co.nz/new-cars/crafter/). Our choices are between front wheel drive and the four wheel driver version, and we opted for the lower cost option. Thanks for the information on the seat height. I like the idea of a pedestal. The maximum height of the wheel arches is 400mm (roughly 15 ") above the steel floor. Do you think the RIB seat would clear this once the height of the rail is taken into account. Or do you think it would be possible to have Uberbus modify the seat height slightly?

+Kenetube - Thanks for the help, I'm going to spend a lot more time planning out the van layout and will probably end up using the RIB seat with the small amount of built in sliding adjustment. RIB can provide a higher seat with this configuration, and I'll go with your idea of the pedestal.

Uberbus

Yes, very unfortunate these are not widely available. Someone else that follows this channel emailed me and said he just got a 'smart bed' and is very pleased with it. Still international shipping but it sounds like the retailer is much more friendly about dealing with out of country transactions. Maybe take a look? www.smart-beds.com/beds/smart-bed-evolution-rail/

Thank you!!! That’s a big help!! The path seems a bit clearer

Hi, The Scopema seat is widely available across the UK, but I ordered mine from a company called Uberbus. Kiravans is a retailer of them in the UK as well.

Thanks for that. I’d never heard of the Westfalia before. Interesting! 🙂

Thanks!

If you get the OEM swivel seat, the e brake can press down after the ebrake is on. In other words if you get the OEM swivel seat, no modification to the e brake is needed.

Exactly.

I think he doesn’t want to give instructions due to liability reasons. Which imo is ok given how people want to blame someone else if things go wrong. The video itself is very helpful and we should be thankful for him to post it.

There's that, but mainly the fact that only a handful of people will ever go to the trouble to do this. It will vary for every van and would be different if the seat were mounted in a different location.

Thank you, I always appreciate the vote of confidence!

Any reason why you didn't install aftermarket swivel? Is the factory swivel better built?

One reason is that the fixed base supports included with factory swivel are about 1.5" lower than if you ordered without swivel. So if you go aftermarket the seats will not have the normal height adjustment range. The factory option is not shown on mbvans.com, because it's a fleet-only option which means your dealer can add it in ($1025, I think) but you can't include it in your online build. The other reason is brain damage.... easier to go OEM but yes at a price premium.

I did not pay VAT. As long as your shipping address is outside of the UK, they do not need to charge you. The complication may come in if you're using a courier company, as the final address the retailer sees is still in the UK.

I would start by contacting the company you want to use and seeing if they are willing to ship overseas. Uberbus, the company I worked with, has told a few people that they have enough domestic orders to not want to bother shipping overseas. If you find a company let me know and I can share my experiences with overseas shipping. I am very pleased with the seat after 2 years in-use.

This van is a 144. I don't have the factory bench brackets in my van so I'm not sure if they would conflict or not.

Hello, is this company in Quebec? What is the name of the company?

Unbiased Observer , nomad vanz is importing those seats, but not the railing system. They are based in Vancouver. There is also a Reimo importer in California, you can find it through their dealer locator page.

Bertrand SIX thanks for sharing. Great info

Bertrand SIX So to be clear. The rails are from VW? Uberbus (UK)makes a custom adapter for mounting the bench to the rails?

Is there any shorter Rail system? I do not need that much travel.

It’s a setup sold by Uberbus in the uk. They mate the scopema seat to a Volkswagen rail system used overseas.

Hi, we wrote an article about the seat and how we obtained it on our website, ourkaravan.com You'll find it the Van Build section in one of the first articles entitled "Layout Planning." I had written in the article that the seat was difficult to obtain, but my understanding is that the company may be offering a bit more help to overseas customers now. I had to do all the leg-work on my own. Good luck and enjoy!

I do! It was filmed for the Nate Murphy channel. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kNWVotKrrLPWfXU.html

The seat is made by Scopema and is widely available in the UK and Europe in general. Mine came from Uberbus in the UK, but the only reason to buy from them is to get the one adapted to sliding on the 8' rail system.

Prices have gone up a little since I purchased mine. If you want the seat with the sliding hardware, Uberbus is the only one that makes it. However the Scopema Altair seat itself is widely available across the UK and you should be able to find more competitive pricing. If you read the comments on the bottom of this article, someone provided an alternative in the US. ourkaravan.com/choosinglayout/ I still can't believe we don't have easier access to safe seats for our conversions.

ourkaravan Looks like a version now available in the USA: www.travoisusa.com/

kenetube oh I see that now. Do you think this could be mounted directly in the center? I assume the seat can be removed easily?

kenetube your good

Thanks for the info! I am wondering if I could build a fixed padded platform along the passenger side wall in my van so that I could mount the stock T4 RIB Altair alongside further inboard. This would have an added benefit of a slightly wider bed as the 112 cm (44 inch) version is little narrow for 2 adults for sleeping. I noticed that there is a latch or mechanism on the passenger side of your seat. I wonder if those seat "controls" can be placed on the drivers side of the seat? They may not be accessible with a padded platform alongside the wall when the seat is in the rear position. I will also have to ensure that there is adequate access to the underside of the van in the area where the rails line up. In general access to the underside of the floor on the promaster is better than on the sprinter. The fuel tank and all mechanicals are located in the forward part of the van. Since it is front wheel drive there is no driveshaft. I believe it only has brake lines and exhaust running under the floor in the rear part of the van. There is a portion of the underside of the floor that is inaccessible near the walls. I may ask for a measurement of how far from the end of the bed frame the rails are located if I continue with this crazy idea. Congratulations on being the first in the US to successfully execute this idea. The van I am currently working on (brand new 2017 promaster 159") is my third campervan. I had a VW vanagon westfalia for a number of years and replaced it with a homebuilt E-150 with hightop and VW vanagon westfalia interior. The seats available to us here in the US are awful. Like you I wouldn't be doing this if I didnt have to. Not only is mounting on rails not an option, there is no option for a full length rock n roll style seat in the US. All of the seats that come close (jacknife, tri-fold, etc) are hand built by upholstery shops on an atwood RV frame developed in the 80s. I tried one and it is a joke, 4" gaps between the cushions in bed mode, uneven cushions, a mechanism that is impossible to use for a fit adult.

It is amazing how tone deaf the RV industry is in the US. I am guessing that is why so many of them go out of business. It is sad that those of us in California can't get a California VW! I agree with you on the build quality here as well. As a furniture maker, I am disgusted by the particle board junk most companies produce. It would be cool if Hymer found a way to import more of their coaches here. I am sure they would do quite well.

The one I have is 44” wide

@@ourkaravan got it, thank you! Have you considered a bed from Travois? Look like a knock off Scorpema but use a L-track instead of those VW rails. We need a sleeping for 4... really like your layout!

Hi, I’ve had my seat for almost four years now, so there was no Travois US/Canada back then. I’m definitely excited to see more safe seating options available, and ones that are easier for those of us in the US to access. It looks like a nice setup. The L track will be a little harder on bare feet but nothing a throw rug won’t fix.

@@ourkaravan yep, that's something we were thinking to do... My only concern about this layout is the accessibility of porta potty... Essentially, you have no way of walking to the back of the van where you can use it.. right? What is your experience?

We made our rear cabinetry narrower so we can squeeze through. It’s not convenient but it’s doable. Originally the porta potty was only for my daughter, but then I came to realize how convenient it is, so it’s used way more than we expected. That said the only way to get it up front would be to move the refrigerator back, and if we did that we wouldn’t have our cold food and drinks accessible while traveling without moving the seat. So the porta potty location is just a compromise of this layout.

Scopema Altair 3p

Hi, you can email info@vanevolve.com. Tell him ourkaravan sent you and you’re interested in a seat. He can point you in the right direction as he imports them.

@Ken. Got it. Question is where in the van layout to stuff a 1-inch foam topper when not sleeping!

Kenetube - Thanks. Before I spend $$$$ on such a seat, I ought to go see one in person even it that means getting on a plane. Let me know if you host visitors! I'm a hard worker! I'm a mechanical design enginerd! (www.ascent-design.com)