Mini Cooper camper – DIY camping conversion
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Yes, you read that right! It’s possible to sleep in the Mini Cooper – all you need is to remove the front passenger’s seat and install a wooden panel as the bed base. Thanks to a user in a FB group, who shared his DIY Mini camping conversion.
The toilet is optional. 😀
Sleeping space length
I couldn’t find any interior measurements, but based on my calculations using some exterior measurements, you should be getting about 1.6m in length (probably 1.7m diagonally) – not bad for one of the smallest cars around! Easy to ride through the cities, easy to hide later and enjoy a starry night. On your own, though, two people will find it hard to sleep in there. (It is possible though – we slept in a Fiat 500 on the front seats for 5 days on Mallorca. Not the most comfy, but what wouldn’t an explorer do, eh?)
I couldn’t find any specific measurements/plans for this conversion, but just seeing it should be enough for you to go ahead and start building – all that’s needed is some plywood, timber and some hinges.
I would suggest cutting the plywood bits out of cardboard first for testing, see how they work and if all is good, then make them using plywood.
What is the deal with needing to have a toilet in all the small campers anyway… You are probably not going to sleep in a city. If you’re camping in or near a forest, all you need is a good camping shovel. Takes much less space and is much less hassle.
Lukas
Founder of NimbleCamper.com, avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast. Car camping and microcamping allows me to keep traveling and exploring with a much greater level of freedom & privacy – to go anywhere and sleep anywhere. I didn’t have 30K to buy a VW Multivan, so found my way to the world of everyday car camping conversions. Here I share my experiences and what I learn.
Check out my thoughts on a balanced life: sensimism.com
Could you tell me where I might find the directions for this project . I’ve been trying to figure out how I could sleep in my MINI for about ever . This looks like the perfect solution . I don’t plan to use the toilet often or even ever but I will definitely sleep a lot better knowing it’s available . A lot of people will swear by the the shovel and squatting outside until they wake up in the middle of the night in a closed Wal-Mart parking lot . Thanks for posting this great plan .
Hi Dan, there are no specific plans for this conversion, it’s just something I picked up in one of the car camping forums, but just pictures. But just seeing it should be enough for you to go ahead and start building – all that’s needed is some plywood, timber and some hinges.
You can try cutting the plywood bits out of cardboard first, for testing, see how they work and if all is good, then make them using plywood.
Good luck! Share some pics here (info@nimblecamper.com) when done 🙂
Thanks , and I will