a malaysian campervan journey

Mini car campervan conversion concept

2012-02-11T11:48:00.000+08:00

Small cars camper conversion are interesting because it presents the challenge of providing maximum amenities with the minimum of space. In the UK there was a company that sell a campervan conversion kit under the name of Wild Goose for the original Mini panel van/estate variant. From the look of picture it seems to be a viable camper for travelling. It has a pop-up top to extend the interior space to provide full standing head room.

The mini Wild Goose campervan conversion

Below are the original Wild Goose brochures.

Fiat's own mini car the Fiat 500 also have mini camper concept, but is a trailer caravan type. The dimension of the trailer matches the towing vehicle and it was cute as a button. Unfortunately, it was a one off that was conceived as a marketing and publicity tool for Fiat to show their 500 can be life style car. The caravan was so compact that there is no standing headroom, from the look of it, one would have to contort himself just to get in through the door. It was never mass produced.

A Fiat 500 with a matching caravan!

Here in Malaysia, Perodua have in the past, brought in special van from their technology parent Daihatsu. It was a walk-in van based on their Mira mini car platform. Perodua even changed the cosmetic panels to their local Kancil version for study. They were probably exploring the possibility of make a Kancil variant for commercial use, with stand up room. However, the concept never made it to production. If it has, it would have been a possible candidate for small car campervan conversion in Malaysia!

The original Daihatsu walk-in van Mira variant in Japan. This variant is for Japan's domestic market only.

The Perodua Kancil's version of the walk-in van

Land Rover campervan !

2012-01-28T12:05:00.001+08:00

This rare Land Rover Series campervan was recently spotted at Mudah.My in Malaysia. It looks like a proper conversion with open body joint with the cab. This must be one of the rarest Landrover boby type I have ever seen; at least in Malaysia. Curiously, there is a wire mesh panel over the cab, it will give excellent ventilation for the bunk there probably negating the need for air conditioning, especially in tropical climate. In a rain storm however, it will be a problem and I am not sure if it can be sealed from in side. The condition of the camper looks excellent and well preserved. Being a Landrover, parts and services will not be a problem here in Malaysia, and it will take the owner to places where ordinary camper will not be able to reach! With some appropriate accessory, it has the potential to be a serious overlander.

The camper body is more than just an add-on to the chassis. Note how the cab is joint to the body, giving it internal access between the camper body and the driver's cab

The driver's cab is standard.

Curiously, the back consist of van doors instead of windows. This lead to my suspicion that it may have started out life as Luton body van and was subsequently converted into a camper style body.

I was curious that similar Series III camper may be more common in other country, however after much trawling on the internet, this is the closest I can get to a Series III camper. It was advertised on eBay in the UK. It is not an actual camper, it is a Luton body but with potential to be converted to a camper.

A long lost campervan twin

2012-01-15T21:52:00.000+08:00

It is rare to see any campervan on Malaysian road, it is even rarer to see another campervan of the same model and type. A few days ago I happen to see just that. On my way back from Cyberjaya, I caught sight of a familiar shape at Puchong Gateway shops. On closer look, it turns out to be a campervan of the same type as my own, except that this particular unit is no longer being used as it was designed for. Instead, it looks like a motor racing team is using it as a support van to carry parts and tools to race track. When I inspect the camper closely, I found that it is not in a happy state, most of its interior fittings has been gutted, the aircon, fridge, cabinets and even the table are gone, the only redeeming part is that it has a spiffy set of wheels! I really do hope that it will find a home where it will be restored to its former glory and roam the roads in Malaysia as a campervan again.

Another former Malaysian Motorhome campervan found on the road

The exterior bodywork is in surprisingly original condition

The windscreen seems to have replaced. The original screen has more curvature, the current screen is almost flat

The driver cab is still in very good condition, but sadly the cupboards, washing sink, cabinets and the table are gone

It is begging to be restored to be a campervan again

The wheels are bigger than the originals, but they looks great.

Great Wall Campervan

2011-12-19T11:36:00.000+08:00

Most campervan on the market are the results of custom made bodies built on bare chassis from vehicle manufacturers. However Great Wall Motors of China took a different path, they produced a complete campervan as one of their product line. One that is ready to be driven away for road trip from the showroom. It is based on Great Wall's dual cab LWB pickup truck with a fully equipped interior. It comes with roof mounted site aircon, a bathroom/toilet, a kitchen stove and sink, a full time double bed over the passengers cab and 2 bunks at the back for a total of 4 sleeping berths. It even comes standard with a LCD TV, fridge and microwave oven. The export models runs on a Mitsubishi 2.4 Litre petrol engine delivering 100KW of power and 200Nm of torque, turbo diesel engine is also available as an option. It is almost 6m long and 2m wide with a 3.9m wheel base, the height is 2.9m. The Hiluxs, Rangers and Tritons on road will be made to feel like Kancils when faced with this behemoth on the road.

I am not sure how much it cost, but I sure hope that a local distributor will consider importing it to Malaysia.

The factory made body is well integrated to the chassis.

This side view gives us an idea of the length of the camper. Take a look at the wheel base, I have never seen any pickup truck in Malaysia with that kind of dimension. Maneuvering this camper will be challenging.

19" LCD TV is standard

Bunks at the back

A VW splitty camper with the reliability of a Toyota HiAce?

2011-12-01T12:26:00.002+08:00

more-vw-westfalia-in-malaysia
vw-classic-microbus-conversion
a rare westfalia vw campervan in malaysia

A VW type 2 splitty van commands a premium price in Malaysia these days. It's main draw is it iconic look, which has deeply ingrained into the collective pop culture consciousness. In nine of out ten references to vans in any comics or commercial graphics, you will find the unmistakable image of the VW type 1 van with its friendly "smiling face". However, the splitty van is also a very old model and it is not easy to keep it on the road. Some critical parts can be hard to get and not every enthusiasts has the budget or time to keep it in road worthy condition. Wouldn't it be great if the type 2 van is as reliable as a Toyota HiAce van, as easy to find parts? This is exactly what a Japanese did with a HiAce van, with some body modification, he made a garden variety HiAce van into a smart Type 2 van lookalike. While it won't fool any VW van enthusiasts who worth their salt, it is a surprisingly effective conversion. Now, if the owner will just put an artifical center pillar to the windscreen, it would give it that split screen look.

Fordson E86W campervan

2011-11-22T20:25:00.001+08:00

The Fordson E86W, also known as Thames in some markets, was a light commercial vehicle from Ford UK between 1938 and 1957. At one time it was a ubiquitous van in Malaysia, available in various forms from pickups to vans. I am not sure how many of its type survives here today, but this campervan variant must be one of the rarest type, probably the only one of its kind in Malaysia today.The body looks like it is factory built with full standing room and full length rear door. The rear bumper is clearly made for camper, with a nice stepping plate incorporated. I would love to know the full history of this camper. Who brought it into this country? Who owned it and travelled with it? What are the places it has visited?

Although campervan is not a common sight on Malaysian roads, the registration plate of this particular unit shows that campervan existed here long time ago, albeit in very small numbers.

Standard van conversion with extensible sleeping berth

2011-11-09T13:03:00.002+08:00

Campervan converted from a standard mid-engined van will usually face the challenge of internal space. Most of the conversion forces owner to choose between day configuration where you have place to sit and do other things or night configuration where all of the interior space is taken up by sleeping berth. It would be nice if one can have both, sleeping berth and sitting/living space. Unless you have a full size long wheel base van, you just can't have it both way at the same time.

However there is one ingenious design from a DIY project that shows that you can have your cake and eat it too with a standard mid-engined van, in this example it is Mitsubishi L300 4WD. The design creates extra space by having a slide-out sleeping berth to provide extra length to accommodate the sleeper while freeing room for the sitter, stove and sink for use. The slide out sleeping berth is constructed as a box so that when it is fully deployed it remains as fully enclose space for security and privacy.

The basic layout plan of the camper.

The van with it's stripped out interior

Supports for the slider.

The slider support need to be anchored to the van body structure for strength

The slide out box taking shape

Heavy duty sliders attached to the slide out box

Rear view of the slide out box. The heavy duty sliders may be hard to get here in Malaysia, but I think 2 sets of sliders from racked mounted computer should be a viable option.

How the slider box look from inside out

Note how the rearward facing bench seat is usable regardless of the position of the sleeping berth deployment

Since the sleep berth slides out, it does not take up any internal space

The slide-out box with its own windows

In fully deployed position

Another view of the fully deployed slide out sleeping berth

The bottom of the slide-out box is lockable so that it is secure even when the tail gate ti opened for deploying the sleeping berth.

The living space with bench seat

The sleeping berth fully deployed, ready to be used.

Campervan outing at Cameron Highland

2011-10-31T20:54:00.000+08:00

Cameron highland is one my favourite retreat destination. Although the place has been suffered over commercialisation, there are still places where I can get away from the maddening crowd. My destination this time is at the Malaysia's Nature Society chalet at Ringlets. The place is currently under renovation and it is closed, so it is perfect for parking my campervan there as I will not be taking up the limited parking space that would otherwise be used by the lodgers at the chalets.

The morning mist give the quiet and isolated place a surreal ambiance.

The view of the valley when the morning mist started to clear

The trail leading to the campsite, the extra width and height of my camper was bit of a concern. In fact I got offside rear wheel stuck in the soft soil at the shoulder. Thanks to the help of the plantation workers who helped to push my camper, I managed get my camper back on the hard surface. Note to self: next time bring some recovery equipment.

You will never get tired of looking at the tea plantation.

There are small nooks and crannies that reminds me of the hobbits shire

The grand vista of the valley when the morning mist was cleared

The following day I decided to visit Tanah Rata, this is the municipal council's car park. For those who prefer to camp closer to town, this is a good place to park your camper

Another good place is the forest park at Brinchang. Tucked away between Kampung Sedia and Tanah Rata, it is quiet and spacious, with public toilets. It's location is such that both Brinchang town and Tanah Rata town are within walking distance.

We met a Belgian couple who shipped their campervan to Malaysia. Frank and Alice have been travelling around the world for 6 years in their campervan.

Frank and Alice's campervan, it has been their home on the road.One day I would like to see the world in my campervan like them.

Frank's camper has a handy platform at the rear for carrying their bikes.

Moulded fiber glass shell caravan

2011-10-19T21:19:00.003+08:00

I stumbled upon a class of caravan called moulded fiber glass shell caravan. As the name suggest, it is constructed of moulded fiber glass instead of aluminium frame and panels seen in the more traditional type of caravan. The advantage of this material is lightweight but being a moulded construction, there must be some limit to how big it can be. However that is not necessarily a problem because the whole point of fiber glass shell caravan is to be light and compact so that it can be towed by smaller cars. Although small on the outside, the interior is surprisingly complete in terms of amenities, some even have sleeping berth for up to 4 adults.

In Malaysia, a trailer type caravan need to have a JPJ registration like a motor vehicle, except that you only pay RM50 per year, I am not sure if insurance is required. But once your caravan trailer is registered and issued with a trailer license plate, any car with a suitable tow hook can tow it on the street legally. The permission to tow lies in the trailer's registration and not the car. I can't help but think how perfectly suitable those fiber glass shell caravan is in Malaysia. Most of the cars here are of small engine variety, a typical fiber glass shell caravan weighs no more than 1000Kg, which a 1.5 Litre family car should be able to handle comfortably.

A model designed and built in the 70's

It has bunk beds for 2 adults at one end. The top bunk can be folded away to the make lower bed a sitting bench for day use

Microwave oven and a fridge


The table top can be lowered to create a sleeping berth for two adults

A more recent model probably year 2008. From this picture, it is easy to see how the caravan is constructed with top shell and bottom shell joining together. This particular unit is equipped with an aircon, this will make caravaning in a tropical country like Malaysia a much more comfortable proposition.

There's no bunk in this model, but the interior looks more welcoming than the first model. With some modification, a bunk can be easily added.

Dinner for four?

Another type of moulded fiber glass camper from EggCamper, this type features vertical seam with left and right half of the shell joining together. This model is not as compact as the other two, but it has full standing room.

The interior layout and furniture are all pre-moulded in monocoque fashion. It has compartment for storage and also a shower/toilet.

The Piyamit Tunnel

2011-10-10T22:04:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone. This is Yiun Yee, and I'm going to write the next installment of the Thailand, Betong trip for my dad, from MY point of view.

So, we last left off with my dad telling you that we were going to explore the Piyamit Tunnel. Now when we first hiked in, what struck me was that the whole place was so idyllic, peaceful and serene. Kinda hard to imagine communists squatting around, watching out for trouble. We even crossed a little stream along the way! But I could see why they built it here though. The foliage was incredibly thick, courtesy of your typical equatorial rain forests.

Some little bridge with statues of the twelve zodiacs. Mine's the rat. This is outside the jungle.

Distractions don't last long though- the communists' hideout was very, VERY deep into the jungle. It probably took us about a quarter of an hour or more to even reach the entrance, and this was with a decently paved road and staircase, specially for the tourists. I pity those that had to hike the old-fashioned way. Oh, and did I mention the staircase was pretty wide? This was a good thing, since we had two-way traffic going up and down the steps.


"Captain, my legs are sore!" "Quit whining soldier, we still have 500 more miles to go! NOW HOP TO IT!!"

Eventually, after a lot of huffing and puffing and hiking, we finally saw the first signs of human habitation. There was a man-made cave, with the bare earth showing. It was blocked though, by a door. No entry, I guess. A little further along the path and we found another cave. But this one didn't lead anywhere, and it was pretty small. Dad said it was a charcoal kiln.

Next to the little cave. I guess the sign's self-explanatory, huh?

Our hopes a little more lighter, we finally reached upon proper signs of a settlement- we found a place where the communists would've burn charcoal. To our right and a little fenced off hut. No paths leading down there, but from what I could see, I assumed it was where they would split wood.

A few more steps, and HALLELUJAH! We've arrived at the doorstep. There was a sentry's post, where a guard would've sat there, watching for trouble. The last few steps and we were at a clearing. Finally, the hideout!

"At ease, soldier!"

The clearing was covered with a zinc roof, and there were some seats set up in front of a row of displayed items, such as storage bins and places where they would've cooked their meals. A map of the area was next to the tunnel entrance. And old lady, who was an ex-communist, was telling of how she and the other guerrilla members would have to take grading exams on first-aids, fighting skills, building skills, propaganda, and most of all, the understanding of their communist ideology.

An enthusiastic storyteller...

...and her captive audience. Well, some of it.

Now for the tunnels themselves. There are 9-12 entrances and exits, and the tunnels stretched very, very far. This place was originally used to store supplies. The tunnels were about my dad's height- a little taller and your head would've brushed against the ceiling. And it was dark. Oh yes, dark. Even with these little lights lighting your way. The earthen floor dipped and rose a little, but it was mostly polished smooth by the hundreds of feet that walked around here. Here and there along the walls were dug-out hollows, used as seats or for sleeping. Comfy, no? And did I mention there were bats? I was scared stiff of them, despite them probably more terrified of me. Along one of the tunnels, we found a small room that presumably was once a communications center, with radio and whatnot. Oh yeah, we also saw a stretch of the original tunnel, which was even worse than the one we were in.

Definitely claustrophobic. And it's worse in person.

Storage...um trunk. For grains.

" 'Scuse me sir, but I'd like ta place an order..."

Here's a little surprise- despite the lack of ventilation shafts, the air was fresh. A little heavy, but fresh. You could even feel a little cold with the breezes swirling around. Dad explained to my siblings and I that the communists had good knowledge of topography and wind directions, and thus they tunneled it out in such a way you don't need ventilation shafts. In fact, the closest thing to a ventilation shaft we came across was a delivery tunnel for larger items from above. It was even complete with a rough, old-fashioned wooden pulley!

It really is quite fun to turn the log thingy.

Outside the tunnel, there was clearing next to a building with exhibits in it. The clearing was once used for drills and marriage ceremonies, judging by the cheerful-looking piece of cardboard a little up a bunch of steps. What astonished me was that, despite being so deep in the jungle, they were surprisingly self-sufficient. Dentists' equipment, printing presses, welding machines, communication radios, prosthetics, books, magazines, newspapers, guns, threshing machines, mine detectors, musical instruments, storage items, surgery tools, operation rooms... heck you name it, they most likely would've had it! These guys definitely knew their business, though I don't think I like the sleeping quarters, which were basically raised wooden shelves with zinc roofs.

Outside the exhibition hall. Sorry guys, no photos allowed inside.

Our visit was cut short by the arrival of... RAIN! Yes, rain. It's why they call it a rainforest. So we started running back. Hooray for downhill paths! Makes our lives faster and easier. But, the funny thing was, once we were under the trees, there was almost no rain! The only signs of rain was the clear little stream we crossed earlier was now muddy. Oh and the occasional rain-drop that announced its presence on my head. In fact, the sound of rain itself was muffled, and only revealed itself when we neared the exit/entrance. The moment we stepped out of the covering, BROOMF!! Soaked. I had to take this moment to remind Dad of the fact he himself had chose not to bring umbrellas along, despite saying aloud that if we bring, it won't rain and if we didn't bring'em, it'll rain. Result- five wet people cramming into the taxi. What an experience!

Now for some random pictures-

"Hiya down there!" The gal in the pink shirt is my younger sister.

EEK!! A GHOST!! Oh wait it's just you...

I dunno what this is...

Some pots and pans on their stoves for display.

Oh look! A sign!

Looking back, I don't think I would've wanted to live like that for an ideology. But you have to admire how far the communists had gone, despite failing in the end. Maybe we can learn a little from the communists, like their strong characters. Well, I'm done. =D

*Signing off now! Byeeee!!*

The Malaysian-Thai border

2011-09-10T23:05:00.001+08:00

It as been quite a while since I last went on a road trip. With the week long Hari Raya + Merdeka break, I decided to hit the road and head towards our northern neighbour - Thailand. I have never truly visited Thailand except for crossing the border at Bukit Kayu Hitam to the Thai side for lunch (without passport! ) when I was working on a project at the Duty Free Center there may years ago, so I figure it is a good opportunity to bring my family for a experience a different culture. Our destination is Betong, the border town in the center of the northern Malaysian border. Many Malaysian were surprised to learn that the state of Perak actually has border with Thailand, so much for our geographical knowledge of our own country!

I broke up the drive into 2 days, so our first stop is at Lenggong, as place we visited last year. The thing I like about Lenggong is the beautiful Lake Raban and cool weather there.


This picture is taken by my daugther late in the afternoon. The water quality her is very good as there are no big city around here.

I parked at the Lake Raban resort, with permission from the management. It is quiet and safe, with good view of the mountains and the lake.

There was even a shelter designed for tour buses, but we were the only occupant of the car park. Sometimes all you need to do is ask!

We had a fantastic night a Lake Raban, far away from the light pollution of big cities, the night sky was a riot of stars and heavenly bodies. Unfortunately the night scene was beyond the capability of my modest Canon A400 Powershot to capture, unless there are way to hack the firmware to allow me to take direct control of the shutter. Anyway, the night morning we broke camp and headed towards Betong. I have planned to take my camper into Thailand, but I neglected to check the requirement for the entry of Malaysian vehicle there. I have assumed that it would be as simple as driving into Singapore. No! Said the police at the custom checkpoint, I must have the registration card with me and make copy with the latest road tax record and get it endorsed at Police station. Without this crucial piece of document, I was unable to take my camper into Thailand. In the end I have to settle for parking my camper at the Malaysian side and take a taxi to go into Thailand.

The Betong city landmark, the clock tower. We checked into the Modern Thai Hotel along this street. The Hotel lived up to its name and was clean and reasonably priced

The must visit place. The entrance of Piyamit Tunnel built by the Malaysian Communist Party guerrillas.

Our first visiting destination of Betong is the Piyamit Tunnel, located around 20Km outside Betong town. the place is also known as Friendship Village. It was a secret base used by the communist guerrillas in the past, after the armistice, the place was opened and developed into a tourist attraction.

I will write more about this place in my next installment.

Cape Rachado ( a.k.a Tanjung Tuan )

2011-07-16T00:02:00.004+08:00

Cape Rachado is also known as Tanjung Tuan, is a peninsular at the resort town of Port Dickson in Malaysia. The tip of the peninsular is a protected natural forest, it is also the site of the oldest functioning lighthouse in Malaysia. Built by the Portuguese, it witnessed the naval battle between the Dutch and Portuguese when the Dutch attempt to wrest control of the Strait of Malacca from the hands of the Portuguese. Today the lighthouse still serves its designed purpose, it used be accessible only from the beach but a paved road has since been built to make access a lot easier.

I took my campervan to the cape for an overnight stay. Leaving my home on Friday night after work, I drove to Port Dickson and reached there around 11pm. The next morning, due tight time constraint I was unable to spend much time there, but I did managed to walk up to the light house to enjoy a great view of the Strait of Malacca. Port Dickson suffered badly from over development, but this place managed to preserves the natural beauty of the coast line that is missing from the rest of town where hotels and apartment choked the sea front. I will be back to this place for a longer stay.

The aerial view of Cape Rachado from Google Map. The white speck at the bottom left is the lighthouse. You can see the resort development is right at the door step of the reserved forest. Let's hope that it stops there.

The aerial view of the lighthouse at the southern tip of the cape.

My campervan at Pantai Cermin side of Cape Rachado, in the back ground is a converted VW campervan with European license plate. The owner must have driven overland from Europe to Port Dickson.

Close up the VW camper, the curtains are up so either the occupants are still sleeping or they are out exploring the place. I was hoping that it is a Westfalia or an exotic Synco conversion, but it looks like a plain standard Transporter.

The sand at Pantai Cermin is red-brown type that is characteristic of Port Dickson. In the background is the reserved natural forest of Cape Rachado

The entrance gate the forest reserve, the road behind us leads directly to the lighthouse. The road is restricted to forest ranger's vehicle only.

The forest has dense foliage and there some interesting looking leafs which were almost big enough for use as umbrella!

After walking for about 15 minutes, the dense foliage suddenly gave way to a vista of the lighthouse.

A close up of the lighthouse. Despite being centuries old, it is very well preserved and maintained. In the back is a modern radar station that monitors marine traffics in the strait.

The rugged shore just below the lighthouse at high tide, during low tide it is possible to walk around the cape.

Ulu Bendul

2011-05-07T00:42:00.001+08:00

Bhe Ulu Bendul forest park is one of the most accessible forest park in Negri Sembilan. With the completion of a new highway it is even better now. Over the weekend I decided to take my friends and their families for an overnight trip there. I booked 2 blocks of dormitory to house all 22 peoples in this mob. We reached there around noon time and the place was packed with people who were there to picnic at the river side.

When evening came were the only group left in the park. As with most of our trips, morning is always the best moment as shown in the pictures below.

For once the campervan is not our accommodation, but it is good to have my "second home" with me everywhere I go.

The lake is full of fish but fishing is not allowed!

In the calm of the morning, the lake is almost a perfect reflection.

Lotus in the lake.

Tuk tuk camper

2011-04-23T12:00:00.003+08:00

The Vespa motorised rickshaw (or tuk tuk) trucks used to be common sight in Malaysia 30-40 years ago, mostly plying the back lanes delivering gas cylinders in residential housing estates. I have childhood memory of climbing into the cab of one of these machines and pretended that I was driving it. These days, the tuk tuk trucks have totally disappeared from Malaysian streets. In places like Thailand and India, tuk tuks remained a common sight as taxis, however given ubiquity of tuk tuks in these places there is practically no examples of camper conversion. To find such camper we have to go to its original home in Italy.

Bufalino is a conceptual tuk tuk camper designed by Cornelius Comanns as a light camper that provide living space for one person. I find this one of the coolest camper ever, especially for people who want to travel light yet having their own transportation and accomodation.

This is not the only tuk tuk camper concept, there are also actual production campers that were built and actually used as they were intended to.

More 4x4 campervans conversion

2011-04-01T18:15:00.003+08:00

The Mitsubishi L300 4x4 van is often considered a poor man's VW Syncro Transporter. Although it does not have the standard differential lockers like that VW Syncro, it is still a capable off road van. The first generation L300 4x4 is unique because it has a bolt-on body on ladder frame chassis ( subsequent generations has monocoque body/chassis ). The bolt-on body made it possible to body-lift using lift blocks, when combined with suspension lift and big tyres, it not only improve the ground clearance, it also gave the van a Tonka toy car like appeal.

I have soft spot for L300 4x4 van because I use one for my daily use, I keep the suspension standard except for slightly larger tyres, the overall height is just below 2m, low enough to squeeze into underground and multi stories car parks.

My L300 4x4, I am looking to make this into a part time camper where I can use it for daily driving as well

A L300 with body and suspension lift

Another beautifully preserved L300 with mildly lifted suspension

Another well equipped L300 4x4 ready for off road action

I like the roof rack and the side ladder!

In my other posting Go-anywhere-camper-conversion, I showed an example of how someone converted a L300 4x4 into an off road camper. Here I have listed a few more example of how this 4x4 van can be converted into variety of different camper layout.

This L300 has a pop-top roof and a fully furnished interior

The pop top provide standing room when on site

Beautifully built cupboards and seating/bedding

View towards the rear form driver seat

Driver's cab is standard

This L300 is not a 4x4 variant, but it has the same body as the 4x4. Instead of a pop-top, it has a flip top roof.

This example uses forward hinged flip top, probably easier to deploy but give less head room

Side view of the flip top

Interior view. The board with round metal fitting is the table in stowed position

Clever use of rear door create an extra annex living space with standing headroom

Well equipped kitchen

This example is not a fully fledged camper, the interior is practically unchanged, but it has an interesting side-flip top that unfold laterally to provide sleeping area. The sleeping platform also serves as awning for the car. This should appeal to the more minimalist motor campers among us.

The side flip top looks like it can support two berth sleeping

The flip top folded

Another view of the flip top

The interior is untouched, the original seats are still in place

This L300 4x4 camper is designed with one purpose in mind, that is to provide no fuss sleeping for two. But it seems like the owner also like his sound system, so there is special shelf just to hold up the two speakers!!

Standard looking exterior

Rear view

Wood frame platform for full width and full length bed

Lots of room to spread out

The owner can live without all the rest of usual amenities found in other campervans, but he must have his HiFi speakers!

Link to Bahasa Indonesian translation of this post

Driving a campervan

2011-03-29T00:04:00.001+08:00

People visiting Australia and NZ are presented with the opportunity to take advantage of the the availability of rental campervan there. Indeed it is a great to see the country there while having your own mobile accommodation. However for most Malaysia or Singaporeans who have never had any driving experience with vehicle like campervan, there are certain risks. If your are planning for self drive holiday with a campervan, it is important to know how to do it properly with the lowest possible risk. Some people asked me, "how is it like to drive a campervan ?".

The short answer is, "it is just like driving a family car, just bigger and heavier".

As for the long answer, it can broken down in the following points:

A campervan is heavier. As you can imagine, a campervan is practically a small house on wheels. Before you even load it with your luggage and passengers, it is already weighed down with the body structure designed to provide all the amenities for living. The water tank, sanitary system, fridge, site aircon, cooking equipment and generator adds a lot of mass to the chassis. As such, the braking distance will be longer, the steering response will be more sluggish. Basically, your can't accelerate in a hurry, your can't stop in a hurry and you can't turn in a hurry. Many first time campervan drivers come to grief because they found themselves caught out by the unfamiliar mass and weight of their rental vehicle. Mentally, you will have to plan ahead for all the emergency maneuvers, anticipating bad drivings and mistakes from other road users is a must as well.
Take some time to understand the weight distribution of the campervan. Take note of where the water tanks is located. Water is heavy, a full tank or an empty tank may affect the handling of the vehicle. If possible, test drive it with a full water tank and again with an empty tank. If the camper is equipped with waste water tanks, transfer the water from clean water tank to waste tank to get yourself familiar with the effect of the weight shift.
Effect of cross wind. Campervans are usually taller and longer compared to family cars and they are more susceptible to the effect of cross wind. You may find yourself having to steer to counter the effect of cross wind even when you are on a straight road. When a heavy vehicle like a bus or lorry is overtaking from behind, your will feel the advanced air wave from them pushing your camper to the side even before passing you. Stay vigilant and stay alert, leave the sight seeing to your passengers, you must be totally switched on at all time.
Be aware of the height of the vehicle at all time! Places where you can get into with a family car may not apply to a campervan! Always ask yourself, "is there enough height clearance for me?"
We like to pick the best spot to park the campervan at the campsite. The ground surface may be soft or slippery, campervans are heavy and their tyres are designed for load carrying, not traction on soft ground. I have seen first time campervan drivers getting themselves stuck in sand or soft ground which would otherwise give no trouble to a 4WD of even a family car. Check the surface before driving on it, if you are uncertain about it, choose other spot.
Check the condition of the tyres, ensure that they are correctly inflated. Rental campervans in Australia and NZ are usually in excellent condition, but it won't hurt if you pay some extra attention.

That is probably all that you need to observe for a safe campervan trip!

Easy campervan conversion with shoestring budget

2011-03-26T19:15:00.003+08:00

Campervan is uncommon in Malaysia, importing one can also be prohibitively expensive and it is usually restricted to corporate sector for special purposes or the very rich who has taste for this sort of life style. For the rest of us, conversion from a standard van is probably the most realistic option, the trick is doing it on a budget and without having to get JPJ approval.

I found a few example in a van enthusiasts web site where the members did just that. Using common house furniture and very little carpentry/metal works, they managed to create very impressive results with a down to earth budget.

Using a camping bed and some small shelves, this van owner transform his standard van into a homely camper

Another example of minimal carpentry works with impressive result

Another view of the same van above

Using a standard Ikea sofa bed, and shelves this van provide a comfortable seating for day configuration and a full size double bed for night!

Below is a more elaborate conversion example, it is still a simple conversion with no structural or seating changes. The end result is a very versatile camper where all the camping components can be removed to free up space for daily use. When it is time of road trip, the washing sink and stove cabinet be easily installed. What impressed me is the use of platform system to create a flat sleeping surface.

The washing sink and stove cabinet and folded sleeping platforms.

With the seats folded flat, the platform can deployed to create a flat and comfortable sleeping surface

The sleeping platform fully deployed

The stove cabinet is a self contained unit, with a portable stove, clean water tank and waste water tank to complete the closed circuit plumbing

The camper conversion example below adopts a modules concept. The stove, the washing sink, other storage compartments are made of identical size modular boxes. This may not be a fully fledged camper but it will useful for day trips and picnic outing.

The collapsible water is usually stored in one of the modular box, so is the sink

Like the sink, the stove is a simple camping stove with aluminium heat shield propped up for use. When on the move, they are stored in their modular box.

Storage for other stuff

The bed don't look like it can support an adult, probably for small children only. I believe this concept is borrowed from VW Westfalia's child bunk design, which also make use of the space at the driver's cab

A small television for entertainment, but I think a sun shade DVD player is probably a better alternative

When on the move, everything is neatly stowed away

Cameron Highland revisited

2011-03-20T22:34:00.003+08:00

It is school break, so I took my family to our favourite holiday destination for a 2 nights campervan outing. Our last visit to Cameron Highland with the campervan was a overnight stopover during our road trip, so this time I decided to stay 2 nights there to just enjoy the cool air there without any hurry, after all there's no booking, no check in or check out time to worry about.

We took the Simpang Pulai entry to reach Cameron Highland

Coming from KL, it is a longer way to reach the highland instead of the Tapah entry point. However the reward is great vista such as this.

The road is wider and less winding compared to the old Tapah entry

We reached our camping site at the Tanah Rata forest park just in time to catch the last sun ray of the day. In real live, the scene was simply amazing, my simple camera and rudimentary photography skill does not do justice to the actual view.

The forest park is tucked away between Tanah Rata town and Kampung Sedia and few tourist know about this place, so we actually had the whole park to ourselves. The building is the entrance to what was planned to be a bird park, however the project ran out of money and the almost completed building was left idle.

I am glad that I brought along a garden canopy to provide some extra shelter because it rained continuously for the next 48 hours not long after this picture was taken!

The blue sky looks clear, but in a few minutes rain clouds swooped in and it rained incessantly.

Among the derelict Landrovers, I found an ex-police Iveco 4wd vehicle and I have never seen any of these in their operational state. If it can be converted into a camper it would be a great overlander!

It has long wheel base and high roof, for a while I have vision of driving it across the vast grass land of central Asia or through the narrow passes at Himalayan ranges.Being a special police vehicle, the mileage is very low and the mechanical parts are hardly used, however the body is in a terrible state with rust every where. For now, it sits there, waiting for someone to rescue it.

Campervan in Thailand

2011-03-12T14:45:00.001+08:00

Given that local campervan builders are practically non-existent in Malaysia ( except for a few conversion done on ad-hoc basis ) it is surprising that our Asean neighbour Thailand actually has a company that builds campervan from new chassis and sell them as series production models. A company called Siam Motor Home Co.,Ltd. with employs around 80 people has two campervan models in their line up, Vega and Terra. Vega is the larger model based on the Isuzu truck chassis, Terra is the smaller model based on Toyata Hilux pickup truck. The company said that their campers are built using New Zealand design, components, manufacturing technique, and both has the all important appliance for tropical climate, aircon.Under the AFTA agreement I woner how much it will cost to import them into Malaysia.

Bus campers in Malaysia

2011-03-11T17:14:00.003+08:00

Bus based RV have the advantage of a space and stand up headroom, it also has the advantage of sturdiness as the chassis is designed for heavy load. There lots of examples bus conversion in other countries, but here in Malaysia such conversion is rare. However I noticed that recently there is a proliferation of bus campers on sale in Mudah.my, this has to be good news for people looking for such RV in Malaysia!

Bus RV 1

Nice cosy looking interior


This RV is based on a long body mini bus

Bus RV 2

Not much is known about this bus RV, but it seems like an imported unit from Japan. From the looks of the doors and windows it looks like purposed built camper rather than a conversion.

Bus RV 3

Not really a RV. This bus used to be a mobile library, it now converted into a mobile studio for on location movie shooting.

The retractable awning and strip curtain is useful for keeping the sun out and aircon interior cool!

The interior is not built for living in, but , it should be relatively easy to add in sleeping berths or even a shower/toilet with some minor alteration

Bus RV 4

Another mini bus based RV. From the presence of the roo bars, this looks like an Australian conversion

This is a very nicely done interior with permanent sleeping berths. This mean there are places to sit down even when someone is sleeping!

Ford Devon Discovery motorhome

2011-03-09T14:34:00.001+08:00

Recently spotted on Mudah.my is this Ford Devon Discovery motorhome. From the photo it looks like it is in a very bad shape, probably not in a road worthy condition. However it is always interesting to see motorhome in Malaysia with local registration plate. From what I observed, east Malaysia seems to have it fair share of campervan or motorhome advertised for sale. How does a Kuching plate vehicle ended up in the peninsular?

Tyres are flat and the front bumper is off

The license plate indicate that the camper is not that old, age wise.

The Ford Devon Discovery is based on a short wheel base Ford Transit van. It is designed to seat 4 adults but accommodate only 2 sleeping berth in night configuration. It has a shower/toilet and cook top and washing basin which are accessible even when the sleeping berth are fully deployed. I have not have a chance to see the camper's interior so I just found other Ford Devon Discovery pictures which are obviously in a happier state.

Perhaps someone which the time and skill may be even want to convert one in Malaysia. There are no shortage of Ford Transit in Malaysia but they are mostly of the medium height roof variety, save for a few ex-ambulances, however it should be easy to get fiberglass fabricators who make custom body kits to build the high top ( there is one in Subang USJ ). Like many European originated RVs, this is not built for tropical climate and there is no air conditioner for site use (eg. Dometic type ), it may be a nice to have item in temperate climate but in tropical country like Malaysia it is a must have. I have known RV or campervan owners who have imported their campers privately at great cost, only to find out that they can't sleep comfortably in it.

The toilet/bathroom. From the look it must have a built in black water tank.

The two front seats fold down flat to form the sleeping berths.

The back half is taken up by the kitchen and bathroom. It seems to have a power invertor / convertor management unit.

Two back seats

German overlander in Malaysia

2011-02-21T09:06:00.000+08:00

Malaysia have another overlander visitor, this time from Germany. Wolfgang and Irmi Thon fulfilled their dream of overland travelling in their Landcruiser campervan. Welcome to Malaysia Wolfgang and Irmi !

Read here for more

Wolfgang in his Landcruiser camper ( theStar picture )

Wolfgang and Irmi Thon ( theStar picture )

Proton Arena aka Jumbuck camper conversion

2011-01-27T14:00:00.000+08:00

The badge is Malaysian, the car was designed and built in Malaysia, you can actually buy the vehicle in Malaysia, but ironically this is not a sight you will see in Malaysia.To see this you will have to go to Australia where the camper conversion was conceived.

A Proton Arena (aka Jumbuck) camper !

It was touted as the cheapest motor camper on the market. The conversion is the product of company called On the Wallaby, based at Sawtell in the state of New South Wales in Australia.

Once the anchoring structure of the On the Wallaby unit has been installed on the cargo tray, all you need to do is slide the frame of the camper into place and secure it with with four bolts. The space under the anchoring structure and the cargo tray can be used for stowing camper gears.

When fully deployed, the sleeping area sits above the cargo tray, the annex unfolds out to become the living area beside it. The provides a spacious accommodation for two people, with room to in the annex for sitting and dining.

This concept is half way between a full campervan/caravan and tent camping. The advantage is there is no hassles from any road transport legal compliance, the disadvantage is it is limited to accommodate 2/3 person only. Once deployed, you cannot use the car for other purpose unless you break camp.

Saab campervan

2011-01-24T14:51:00.001+08:00

Saab made some pretty offbeat and interesting cars in the past ( Saab 92-96 series, Saab Sonnet), they are also among the pioneers that popularised the idea that a turbo charged 4 cylinders FWD car can be serious performance car. As far as I am concerned, what made Saab unique among car makers is it's association with campervan and caravan both in a direct and in-direct manners.

Saab produced the SaabO caravan during 1960s. Unlike other caravans, the SaabO caravan was designed to be very lightweight ( no more than 80Kg! ) so that even small family cars can tow it. The consideration for towing by small family cars extended to the height of the front and rear windows placement so that the driver of the towing car had backward vision right through the caravan. It compact size belies that fact that its interior fittings included two sofas, a dining table, a sink and a wardrobe! In night time configuration, the caravan could sleep four (five with an optional bunk!). Such light weight campervan would be well within the capability of the average family cars in Malaysia.

The SaabO shown here with Saab 96 station wagon. Note the height of the window that allow see through rear-vision for the towing driver.

Interior of the SaaBO

The schematic diagram of the SaaBO, showing day configuration and night configuration.

The most interesting is the Saab 92H campervan. It was a personal project of Torsten Johansson, the owner of AB car service during the 60's in Ramsele, Sweden. In 1963 he has the idea of combining a caravan with the running gears of a car to become Sweden's first campervan. Assisted by his second son, Anders Johansson, Torsten plunged into the project. The doner car was the Saab 92, chosen for its front-wheel drive with good mechanical accessibility and the absence of space-consuming drive shaft and rear axle. The engine and drive train, chassis, control, instrumentation and more were taken directly from the Saab 92 unmodified. However, the Saab 92 in its original form with its 28 hp 2 stroke engine was not the most powerful of cars, coupled with handling instability due to having too much weight over the front axle means that the campervan was unable to pass inspection for road use registration, if you think you have it tough with JPJ and Puspakom, this may make you feel better. In the end the vehicle ended up in a forest as a hunting cabin. Undeterred, Torsten use the experience gained from the first prototype and went on to create a second prototype, the 95HK. This time he choose the Saab 95 with two-stroke engine of 40 hp as doner, which would later be converted to a more powerful V4 engine with 65hp. By now Saab factory was taking notice and showing interest. Unfortuntely, due to a short sighted concern that the campervan may be a competitor to it's own SaabO caravan, Saab soon disassociated itself from the project. Dissappointed, Torsten Johansson sold off the second prototype and gave up. This second prototype, the 95HK was bought by a collector, it was subsequently refurbished and repainted from its original green/white scheme to red/white scheme. During one of it's test run, it hit 90km/h on the open road. Soon the local police started to receive reports that there is a rabid run-away caravan on the loose! This prompted group of enthusiasts to search for the first prototype, the 92H, it was finally found rotting away in a forest, with half of it body has already collasped. It was rescued and restored to its former glory, they even managed to do what Torsten Johansson has failed, they got the 92H to pass inspection!

The 92H and the 95HK in their original colour. The 92H has it running gear back into working condition but the body restoration has yet to begin.

Both the 92H and 95HK restored to their former glory.

The driving position of the 92H. Note the vertical steering column.

The 92H passing inspection.

The interior of the 95HK

Toppola is not made by Saab, but it was designed and made by a company call SCANDO specifically for Saab 99, later Saab 900, 9000 and 9-3 models. It is designed to be mounted to the car boot tray by removing the hatch. When not in use, the camper can removed and the hatch can be reattached for day-to-day motoring. Although it looks small from the outside, it can accommodate standing height for people up to 2.0 m in height and a 170 by 200 cm bed. It has option for a complete kitchen and even a heater for use during winter. The total weight addition is about 115 kg, about the weight of a large adult, so the weight is very manageable. Unfortunately, production has ceased in 2006 due to the uncertainly of the future of Saab itself and SCANDO was looking for someone to take over production of the Toppola.

Can our own national car maker Proton go into something like these? In my mind the Proton already an excellent base vehicle in the Wira based Arena. Now that wouldn't that be a tantalising thought!

The schematic diagrams of the Toppola

The Toppola sits snugly in the boot tray of a Saab 900

The interior include a double bed, cook top and a sink!

Another picture of the interior of Toppola

A go-anywhere camper conversion

2011-01-05T12:17:00.001+08:00

The better camping sites are often located at places which are not easily accessible by normal vehicles. Thus a campervan with off-road capability is an attractive proposition, it provide the comfort of home and the mobility to explore the great outdoor. Ideally, the base vehicle should be medium size van with 4wd chassis. There are no shortage of 4wd vehicles in Malaysia, but most are of the wagon body type, which do not have the internal space required for cameprvan conversion.

A fine example of VW T3 Syncro camper conversion

Around the world, the VW T3 Syncro has been a popular base for such conversion due to its combination internal space and off-road capabilities. However the scarcity of T3 Syncro in Malaysia make it diificult for such concept to be realised here. The van that is closest to such criteria here is the Mitsubishi L300 4wd variant, besides being more common in Malaysia, it is also somewhat cheaper to maintain than the VW T3 Syncro. Below is an example of how the L300 4WD van can be turned into a campervan with some simple interior modification. The diagrams are self-explanatory.