12 JULY 2022
CAMPERVAN CONVERSIONS: THEY’RE ALL THE RAGE. DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF CONVERTING A VAN INTO A CAMPER
PRODUCT
It doesn't matter whether you call them vans, or camper vans, or van motorhomes: the fact is that campervan conversions are all the rage at the moment. Everyone wants one — right now they are the best-selling type of motorhome in Europe. And Ducato is playing a leading role in this trend, having proved for many years that its vehicles deliver time and time again
Ducato is the base preferred by campervan converters all over Europe. The vast community of campervan motorhomers also appreciate its qualities, primarily for the excellent ratio between external dimensions and internal space. For example, the 205 cm width and vertical walls enable a bed to be installed transverse to the direction of travel, leaving more space free for other furnishing elements. A campervan has everything that a normal motorhome has, but concentrated into a small area, without the generous proportions of other types of motorhome, and expertly utilising all the available interior space.
Practical and handy
Given their limited living space, you might wonder why you should choose a campervan instead of a larger motorhome... Campervans aren’t for everyone, but those who choose one believe that the advantages they offer far outweigh the disadvantages. First of all, they are compact motorhomes, which means they are easy to handle and drive well on narrow roads and in the city. Furthermore, they can be parked without too much manoeuvring, even in confined spaces and, in some cases, will fit into parking spaces designed for cars. Compared with traditional motorhomes, campervan conversions have a distinctly automotive look, with the original shiny body panels and aerodynamic contours, as well as retaining similar road handling characteristics to the original vehicle in terms of stability, performance and fuel consumption.
Campervans built on a Ducato base come in three lengths: the intermediate 5.99 m version is the most popular, a real all-rounder, whereas those who want a larger interior opt for the 6.36 m variant, which offers a lot more liveability for those extra 37 cm. On the other hand, anyone looking for maximum agility on the road will prefer the 541 cm Ducato van with its short 345 cm wheelbase, to squeeze into even the most unexpected places. This version is so compact and easy to handle that it can be used for everyday travel, combining the functionality of a car and a motorhome into a single vehicle.
Different heights
As regards the dimensions of the vans, we shouldn’t forget that the height is also variable, giving you lots of options thanks to all the possible length and height combinations. The most common type of campervan is the one with a mid-height roof (defined in technical jargon as H2) which, thanks to the vehicle’s external height of around 260 cm, guarantees good habitability, with enough headroom to stand upright. More and more often, mid-height vans are combined with a pop-up elevating roof. This increases the height of the vehicle by a few centimetres on the road, but once parked you can take advantage of an additional bedroom with two extra berths in the upper section, protected by side walls made of waterproof canvas. But there are also solid high-top vans, such as the Ducato with height H3 or with an even higher non-standard roof. In this case, the original configuration can be utilised to obtain excellent interior habitability and can often accommodate an extra bed in the upper section of the passenger compartment.
With two or four beds, campervan conversions more than meet the needs of anyone who is looking for a manoeuvrable recreational vehicle full of creature comforts and useful resources.