The Layout of Our Camper Van
Final layout of our van!
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Choosing a layout for our Vantasy was no easy task. We watched tons of van tours on Youtube and Instagram and never saw something that completely fit our needs. Additionally, the previous owners had already installed windows in the back so we had to consider window placement in our decisions. In the end, we used inspiration from a few different vans to come up with our initial layout.
We had a few “must haves” for the van that determined our layout.
A convertible seating and bed area. A sitting area with a table was important to both of us so we could work and being able to convert the bed to a table would give us both plenty of room to work at the same time.
An area for our dogs. When the back is converted as a sitting area we wanted to make sure each dog had a place to lay. We decided on a bench with a dog bed in the back of the van and a platform with a dog bed in between the driver and passenger seats would work best.
We wanted to keep the van as open as possible. Initially we thought about putting in a fixed shower, but we realized how much that closed off the space. In the end we decided to put in a pop up shower to keep everything as open as possible in the van.
Placing water and electrical systems over the rear wheel wells for weight management. Taking into consideration which side of the van the fuel tank sits, we chose to put the electrical system over the driver side wheel well and the water tank over the passenger side.
As you can see from the final camper van layout above, we were able to incorporate all our “must haves”!
Sitting Area and Bed
The camper van has a nice big bed in the back that we share with the dogs. The bed converts into a sitting area with a table for when we want to work or eat. Under the benches are the electrical and water systems. One of the downsides to having a convertible bed is having a smaller garage for storage in the back. We ended up raising the floor under the bed for an additional storage area. We haven’t quite put the finishing touches on this piece yet. We also have upper cabinets on both sides of the bed. We store our clothes, towels, extra bedding and other random things up there. The cabinets are high enough where we can both sit up in bed and on the benches with plenty of clearance for our heads.
Convertible Toilet and Shower
Pop up toilet/shower
We have the convertible shower and toilet next to the bed/seating area on the passenger side. We are glad we chose to go this route since little time is actually spent using the toilet or shower during the day. The van still feels really open and we have extra counter space when it’s not up. We have a Nature’s Head toilet which is self contained, so we just move it over to the sliding door when we want to use the shower. We have hooks in the ceiling to attach the shower curtain and have mount for the shower head up on the wall. We also have a removable wire shelf for our shampoo and soap.
Check out our post showing how we use our pop up shower.
Sink and Grey Water
Sink with grey water tanks
We also put our sink on the passenger side since it was easier to run plumbing all to one side of the van. We chose the biggest sink we could fit in the area and a faucet with a pull out hose. The cabinets under the sink have two 7 gallon grey water jugs. We just swap them around once one gets full. Having the grey water tanks inside the van allow us to go on winter van adventures without worrying about our grey water tank freezing. We also use one of these jugs to put under the external shower drain when we shower. We plan on eventually getting a grey water tank that fits under the step by the slider, but these are pricey as they are custom. If we had to change anything about our layout it would be moving the plumbing over to the drivers side where it’s easier to put grey water tanks under the van.
Check out our full grey water setup on our water system post.
Dog Bed and Storage Bench
Dog bed and storage bench
Next to the bed on the drivers side we have a dog bed/bench with storage underneath. Ash uses this sometimes but he usually prefers to lay in the back with us, so us humans actually use this bench to sit on when the bed is made. The other dog bed is on a platform between the front seats. Bella has claimed this area as her spot. She naps there while we drive and while we’re at camp. We haven’t had to the chance to fully finish the platform her bed sits on yet so that’s still on the never-ending to do list :-)
Kitchen
Kitchen area
Next to Ash’s bed is the kitchen. We installed upper cabinets for food, dishes, and other kitchen items. We also have drawers for cutlery, kitchen utensils, and pans. We have a 2 burner propane stove and a 50 liter Dometic fridge that runs off 12 volt. We would definitely choose the 110 liter fridge if we could go back in time. We’ve been bringing a cooler with us for extra cold storage if we need it.
Overall, we are very happy with the layout we chose. The only big thing we’d change is moving the shower and sink to the driver’s side to allow for bigger grey water tanks. That being said, we have plenty of space for all our things and were able to keep the van feeling as open and big as possible. We are still putting the finishing touches on some projects and keep tweaking things to meet our needs better. The Vantasy will definitely be a continuous project!
Want to see more of our van? Check out our van storage and organization here.