The Climbing Van

As the couple would be living in the vehicle full-time whilst travelling around Europe, they wanted it to have the feel of a tiny apartment rather than the back of a van.

They chose a fairly minimal Scandi boho aesthetic with lots of white, natural wood and rattan, alongside carefully selected pops of colour. This approach provided them with the feeling of space within a very small setting, alongside plenty of character. The compact but clever 7m² ‘apartment’ contains an L-shaped kitchen with room to cook, a double bed, a seating area and plenty of storage.

“The Belfast is big and durable enough for us to wash dishes, clothes or even wash our hair if it’s rainy or cold and we can’t use our outdoor shower”, Dale adds.

The industrious pair spent just over a year converting the van, whilst continuing to work full-time – working on the van on evenings and at weekends. “We tackled everything ourselves, from woodwork to plumbing, and the electrics,” said Charlie.

A week after the conversion was completed in March 2020, the UK was plunged into its first nationwide lockdown. With their travel plans put on hold, Charlie and Dale decided to use their backgrounds in science and engineering to write a book about how to convert a campervan. The Van Conversion Bible was released in March 2021 and is currently the best selling van conversion book, receiving glowing reviews worldwide.

Since April 2021 they have been living full-time in ‘Ringo’, working remotely from the road with the mountains as their backdrop, and are currently climbing somewhere in the French Alps with their new baby (Belfast) onboard.

Images courtesy of climbingvan.co.uk