I recently purchased a van with the intention of converting it into a climber’s camping van.

I bought a Renault Trafic which is a medium-sized van. For me this was a good compromise between a van small enough for everyday driving, parking, etc., and one with sufficient space inside the van.   I intend to convert it into a campervan for weekends away and holidays, as well as for everyday errands.

The Trafic is the same design as the Vaxhaul Vivaro or Nissan Primastar. I did some research and bided my time looking for the right van; I did not want to spend a lot of money and time on converting a van only to find it rusts or is mechanically unsound.

I like the Trafic as it drives nicely and offers good fuel economy which is important for long trips or using it very day. The square side profile makes the internal space more usable and easier to fit the interior, although the standard roof height means you cannot stand up straight in the back. The body is galvanised so this should avoid the dreaded rust; almost all the other vans I saw had a least some rust that would need immediate treatment.

The van is a second generation with a facelift and an improved engine.   This is the 2.0 dCi 115 SWB version, which has a more power and torque than the 1.9, and uses a timing chain instead of belt, along with a different gear box, which should make it more reliable.

A common problem with these vans is that the injectors seize due to corrosion; there is design fault where water from the screen can drip onto the injectors causing rust.  Watchdog covered the issue last year.  My van had all four injectors changed a year ago so hopefully this will not be a problem, but I am going to reseal the scuttle panel after finding this helpful guide: Leaking scuttle fix.

I put up other posts with the plan and progress.