Good home conversions

In 2006 I bought this empty Mercedes Sprinter van [G2:59] and converted it into this camper van [G2:49]

Read about what I did and why I did it.

• Photos of the conversion
• Summary of Darren's 2006/2007 European trip
• Photos of the trip
• Darren's blog (of the conversion and the trip)

Why build a camper van?

I never actually set about to build a camper van. In 2005 I started surfing. I have always lived in Cornwall in England, where surfing is popular, but never really got into it until 2005. I quickly became hooked. I used my BMW 318i car, but it was less than ideal. I couldn't fit my mini-mal board into the car, so it had to go on the roof via soft roof racks. If you've every owned or used a 318i you'll know that whilst they are a pleasure to drive, you can't fit a lot in them as they are saloons. Volkswagen vans are very popular amongst surfers, and the thought of owning a van appealed to me greatly. As did the idea of travelling with my surfboard. I have always loved travelling, and especially like road trips, after having spent a year driving around Australia in 1998. As the summer of 2005 ended and autumn started the weather got colder. After surfing I would change from my wetsuit into my dry clothes are various locations around Cornwall's beaches, and always in the increasing cold. I always wished that I had a van, so that I could change in the van, and have a warm drink afterward. I injured my finger badly whilst chopping firewood at the end of 2005, which bought my surfing to an abrupt end for the year.