Converting a VW Caddy? A very clever DIY VW Caddy camper conversion / camping box (boot jump)
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VW Caddy is itself one of the best medium cars (small camper vans) for car camping. It’s #1 on our list of best medium cars for car camping. Converting a VW Caddy isn’t hard – this post will show you a very clever and simple VW Caddy Maxi camper conversion kit you can create for your Caddy. This solution will give you a good storage room underneath the bed and is easily reversible, which we value here a lot! (Meaning you can easily switch between Caddy camper/bed and Caddy a standard car with back seats. From all the solutions I’ve seen, I find this is one of the simplest solutions out there – everyone can do it. It’s as simple as my VW Sharan car camping conversion here dare I say! 🙂
The solution comes from Reiner Beck @ Tramposito.com – just a single post about this DIY Caddy car camping conversion – homemade camping box/boot jump, that is easily lost amongst the multitude of their travel and outdoors posts.
Materials
All the author needed was this:
- 3pcs wooden boards (blockboards), 58×112 cm, 22mm thick
- 3pcs plywood 120×40 cm, 16mm thick
- hinges/fittings (7 hinges 42x80mm, 6pcs screw-on brackets, 1m cord)
- M8 x 60 or 8x40mm screws for wood at the top (bed)
The resulting bed surface is 179cm long, which is just about the right length for a comfortable sleep (if you’re about 180cm tall).
🏆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 ➡️
You’ll need some standard DIY tools – electric screwdriver, drill, a saw.
The rest you can gather from the authors gallery below.
More Caddy posts:
What I love about the Caddy Camping conversion kit:
- very easy to hide away + can stay in the car (so you have both – a camper and a normal car always ready when needed)
- no need to remove middle seats (again, it’s always ready for camping, as well as driving the family around)
- it’s not as tall as typical camping boxes – which I find great as most camping boxes have too much storage leaving not enough room for your head… and cost 15x as much too.
- not expensive at all – just wooden boards and a few hinges, very likely under 70 EUR
- simple enough to build
- you can turn it around and make a sofa out of it 🙂
These might come in handy...
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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
No time to make your own?
Hire one for a test ride (or rent yours if you already have one)
Motorhome hire from a local owner
Book your perfect motorhome easily, safely and affordably
Hire a camper now
The best budget car tent you can find:
ARPENAZ BASE M tent
Confirmed to fit: Caddy, Sharan, Touran, Berlingo, 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
Small, foldable and sits 4 with plenty of space for food preparation
I carry it with me on my Sharan camping trips, it stores nicely and provides a large and solid surface for food (or drinks!) preparation and games. The 4 chairs are inside the table so take no additional space.
BUY NOWat Decathlon UK
More DIY Camper conversion plans – adjustable for Caddy:
This Renault Kangoo + Skoda Yeti DIY car camping conversion comes with detailed drawings and diagrams that you can easily adjust to fit your Caddy
+ 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 Caddy:
And another Caddy DIY Camping box – this one is more complex, but comes with great diagrams and detailed measurements:
What do you think? If you’re going to attempt this build / conversion, share some photos in a link in the comments below!
Enjoy the ride (and the sleep!)
Check this out – NimbleCamper rated database: Best cars for car camping
Browse a database of campers that’s very easy to filter by boot length, width, consumption and more…
REVIEWS OF OUR TOP CARS FOR CAMPING (MICROCAMPERS)
VW Caddy (Maxi) Camper
(top pick for size)
One of the biggest – small cars, best suited for car camping conversions. Find all about that here – dimensions, review, images, gear, useful links.
