DIY camping boxes under 100€ and make your own 270º awning
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This month we’ll not focus specifically on a type of car, but on DIY – easy ways to turn your car into a microcamper. First two videos will show you how to make a camping bed cheaply, third video is for those who want to sit in front (or at the side) of the car during rain or hide away from the sun. A good DIY challenge this month – send us your pics if you make any of these…
DIY Camping boxes under 100€*
*price can change with different type of plywood quality you select for your build
GVM-Corner‘s not just one, but two instructional videos are a great place to start. These campingboxes are very cheap, but you do need a good set of tools and carpentry skills. On the other hand – it’s never too late to learn now, maybe the first version will be a bit wonky… but the more so yours.
These should fit nicely into most cars with folding rear seats, like a VW Sharan, VW Caddy (for the Maxi, you should make it longer), Citroen Berlingo, Renault Kangoo, Roomster, Peugeot Partner etc.
🏆Best cars for camping 🏆
- Fiat Doblò camper XL, High Roof 🇪🇺 4.0/5
- Honda Odyssey 🇺🇸 4.0/5
- Volkswagen Sharan 🇪🇺 3.9/5
- Caddy Maxi Camper (Life) 🇪🇺 3.8/5
See all cars in our database, their boot dimensions and more ➡️
- The box is 112 cm wide, 74 cm deep and 41 cm high when folded.
- When unfolded, the bed is 200 cm long.
- Total weight approx. 40 kg.
You can buy the plans for this camping box directly from the author here.
Shopping list:
- 12 Spruce edge-glued panels 18 mm 76,58€
- 4 piano hinges 11,80€
- 1 m chain 1,99€
- 1 Magnet snapper 0,95€
- Screws and some glue 5,00€
- TOTAL 96,32€
These might come in handy...
...and you'll help keep this website going too - thanks! 🙂
The best budget car tent you can find:
ARPENAZ BASE M tent
Confirmed to fit: Sharan, Touran, Berlingo, Caddy, Partner, Kangoo, Combo
At around 100 GBP - 120 GBP, it's a bargain that does the job of a 300+ GBP tent
BUY NOWat Decathlon UK Or see my full review here
Pressure solar camping shower (pumped) – 10l
£49.99
This camping shower is easy to transfer and doesn’t need to hang in the air – it has a built-in pump that lets you pressurise the chamber and shower or use it in the sink anywhere. It’s black, so the longer you leave it in the sun, the warmer the water will be (or just leave it in a hot closed car in the summer).
- Lightweight: 870 g including the bag
- 10 litre capacity | On/off button on the handle to prevent waste
PORTABLE CHEMICAL TOILETS FOR CAMPING - 20L
4.2/5 stars
- Clean water tank up to 50 uses
- tank capacity: 16 litres
- a seat with antibacterial coating, a lid and a tank that prevents odours and mould
£89.99 - BUY NOWat Decathlon UK
If you fancy a different quality of wood, here’s the same design made from 18 mm multiplex birch. (The author suggests that a 15 mm would be better, but it wasn’t in stock at that time). The drawer is made of 12 mm poplar and birch plywood.
Some more DIY Camper conversion plans from my collection:
I’ve picked DIY conversions in various price ranges, sorted from the cheapest – showing you that you can do a lot with this car no matter what your budget is.
This Renault Kangoo + Skoda Yeti DIY car camping conversion comes with detailed drawings and diagrams that you can easily adjust to fit your Berlingo: (Kangoo is very similar to a Berlingo)
+ as a bonus, you’ll find a manual on how to create mozzie nets out of an old tent or thermal window screens
Skoda Roomster DIY car camping conversion – very minimal, therefore easy to adjust for a Berlingo:
This one’s for a Caddy, but it’s pretty simple and can also be easily adjusted to a Berlingo:
And another Caddy DIY Camping box – this one is more complex, but comes with great diagrams and detailed measurements:
Enough of the interior, let’s go outside! Hmm, raining? Sun too strong? Need a shade?
Patrick Remington to the rescue!
Make yourself a 270º Awning – No Welding:
If you like this one, do check out Patrick’s YouTube channel for more DIY camping solutions like rooftop tents or chairs.
Or, get your palms really sweaty like I did watching his crazy helicopter climb/jump…
6-person inflatable camping shelter – air seconds base connect – £299.99
Don’t like fiddling around with poles? This inflatable car tent might be the right choice for you. The sheet + poles make joining it to your car even more flexible. It has two large openings on opposite ends, giving you a choice of which side you’ll attach to the vehicle. It fits most MPVs – tailgate or side-door, you can connect it from two ends
- Height: 2.25 m (opening for tailgate 1.75m) | Floor area: 6.25 m2 (2.5×2.5m) | Comfortable for 6 people
- Openings on 4 sides (2 suitable for a car) | but only 1 mosquito net
- Weight 13kg
- Easy installation: Rapid pitching thanks to its all-in-one inflatable structure (requires a separate pump though)
- The fabric filters UV rays with a UPF of 50+, Waterproof, good quality – tested in long rain and strong winds, it holds up pretty well (relatively to the price)
Inflatable luxury for 6 people (3 bedrooms)
+ 170cm opening for any tailgate
Fits MPVs, SUVs, Bedrooms:140x210 cm | Stand-up living room:7,1 sqm with zipped basin groundsheet
Fresh fabric: reduces heat inside your tent in the sun
£549.99 - BUY NOWat Decathlon UK
SUP? Paddle for the entire family (max load 320kg)
Inflatable paddle board for any weight: less than 60 kg: ultra-stable board - 60 to 80 kg : very stable board - over 80 kg: ideal board for easily starting out
BUY NOWat Decathlon UK
