Choosing The Perfect TRUCK CAMPER Base Vehicle | OFF GRID Camper Truck Project

S01E01
We're Pete and Hayley, a husband and wife duo from the south of the UK, on our exciting journey towards self-sufficiency and off-grid living. Our first project is to convert a truck into a cosy tiny home…

But which box truck makes the best base for a live-in camper conversion?

In this video we give you the rundown of our 5 main contenders before revealing which truck we chose, and discussing the long and short-term plans for the build.

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📚 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:10 - About Us
00:30 - Shopping For Trucks
01:00 - The Removals Truck
01:35 - The Fridge Box
02:09 - The Van Truck
02:47 - Reflection
03:37 - The Horse Box
04:57 - The Fire Engine
06:30 - Final Comparison
06:56 - And the winner is…
08:17 - Our Plan
10:01 - Next time…

#offgrid #truckcamper #tinyhome #truckconversion #tinyhouse #campertruck #trucklife #offthegrid #truckconversion #truckcamperlife

[brandon]

How is this the first video? the production value is insane, the intro, the music throughout and to top it off you got yourself a beautiful old mer! Great stuff, dont be scared to add some humour and less serious moments! Brilliant all the same! Do you have an upload schedule yet? looking forward to watching the journey! Congratulation on this new adventure together <3

[clivecro]

Gut the body off, try and salvage the tailgate ramp to sell on.
Use lorry inner tube rubber to cover, wrap and protect all of the electricals and air lines and call in a mobile glass bead blasting specialist to strip the chassis down to bare metal but get them to spray it immediately with an epoxy sealant. This will save you a whole heap of grief further down the line and when its due to be tested.
Oh and never work under a tilt cab without a secure prop to stop it falling back on you.
Good luck and all the best. 😊

[christopherscott]

Great choice the 814, just discovered your channel, in the late 90s i owned a 40ft 8l4 it was a1986 " C" reg flatbed i carried 2 brand new touring caravans & towed a third for a caravan manufacturer in the north east of england i delivered new caravans all over the uk to dealerships, it was the most reliable truck i ever owned, regular servicing & 6 week inspections for my operators licence kept it up to scratch & it paid me back in reliability, you wont need an op licence as its for personal use, but keep on top of maintenence & it will take you far with reliability, cant wait for more posts from you both, best wishes ❤👍🏻

[gordonagent]

Hi guys, new subscriber from Australia, the algorithm gods must have decided I’d like your channel and by crickey I have had a peep and by gosh, your lively disposition, goal setting, work ethic and the project itself are perfect for my viewing entertainment so here I am. Really looking forward to catching up, following you progress and waiting for your new vlogs each week. Crack on guys, much luck and enjoy the journey please.

[CrankyAlexanderOfficial]

That is one cranky looking vehicle! I can't wait to see how you develop this project. Subbed. More videos please! 😁

[dimitrigeorgiu]

Nice one! we have a 1120 AF and love it, so nice to drive and easy to maintain!

[sophiematthewman]

Wow, that’s quite a project you’ve taken on. All the best for it!! 😊

[allisonbanks]

I love watching you two on your journey!

[largemarge]

01:31
The foundation vehicle for our ExpeditionVehicle had a roll-up rear door.
I removed it, then fabricated a steel wall and steel door.
.
We tossed in some car-camping gear, and headed out for some fun.
.
On skoolie and other home-built forums, we suggest:
* acquire a suitable candidate
* allow the conversion to evolve organically.
.
Avoid thinking 'this rig is my forever rig'.
You change and grow, your vehicle needs evolve.

[nathanglover]

Solid choice guys! When it comes too welding the cab on those take those metal wings/ steps off if there rotten you can buy new ones not too expensive apart from that should be good!

[ModernHypnotherapy]

Thank you YouTube algorithm for the recommendation; love the video, great production values - who does the music ?

May I suggest you get the class 7 MOT before building the new box on the back, just to check if the existing drive train and emissions will pass before all that work goes in? If this engine is less than a Euro 4 emissions it can get very expensive in many zones in Europe. e.g. Greater London is £300 per day, some parts of France 200 Euro

[DonMorte]

Not a chuffing clue how I've ended up here but I'm hitting that subscribe button with gusto!

[robnoble]

Good luck guys....excited to see the 4 steps.

[daihatsudave]

First video and iv subscribed . Looking forward to the future . You made the best choice !!

[livingthedreambuildingthedream]

I came across you guys on TikTok, and jumped on here for a look. You have definitely made the right choice. And the good thing about removing the box is you can clean and treat the chassis. I’m so excited for this build. 💯💯💯

[ianj]

Thats a great little truck! One of my old favourites..

Personally i would source a decent grp box from another truck and then turn it into what you want. There two great you tube channels that may give you some ideas on this, if you haven't seen them yet that is. They are, True Blue Travelers and Touring With The Kids. The later has converted a more modern Mercedes truck!

[tomwinch]

Great intro video - and you made it fun to watch! I've subscribed - it looks you have quite a challenge ahead!

For ideas, the true blue travellers sprinter (sainsbury's delivery van) used a layout quite similar to Lydia and Wehan (doing a lap of Australia) - having a seating area / table on one side with a separate bed makes a lot of sense ... Though both of those were conversions of a smaller van.
Touring with the kids have converted a 7.5 tonne lorry for their family of 5 - though their base vehicle was almost as long as the removal van you looked at, so they did have way more space than you! Ric also talked about the C1 test too, around the time they got the lorry. Will you both learn? They are a little bigger, but are not that difficult to drive - honest! I mean when I moved house with everything I owned in one it was only mildly concerning! ;-)
I'm not sure what you have in mind to build the box out of - low weight is your key requirement, but I guess you want it to look OK too!
From insulating buildings, PIR insulation (e.g. Celotex) has higher thermal resistance than either fibreglass or the nicer to work with PET (recycled soft drink bottles) for the thickness. I'm not sure if you can get sheets with suitable cladding bonded to both sides.
Good luck with the 4 steps - great start!

[shane]

Am glad you got your dream build and hope all works out.I was going to follow yous until you bought that Mercedes 814.

[PerMarkerMortensen]

Looking forward to follow your rebuild journey.

[bruno-the-dog]

you'll need to open the grill to get the cab fully over, good luck with your project