Stealth Camper Van for Photo Trips

It's 5pm on May 29th, 2023, I'm sitting on a bench at one of my favourite places for evening walks and sunset photography, and I do not know how long the nice weather or the battery of my old laptop will last ... in either way I will have to move to my van which is parked about 15 minutes away at the road.

Hive bought me a Volkswagen Caddy III (Caddy 2k) - my Camper Van for photo trips - Johann Piber

Stealth Camper Van for Photo Trips

A few days ago I realized that I have been talking about my van for quite some times in my posts, so I thought I might as well make a post about it because Hive helped me buying it.

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Last year I made a huge Power Down because I didn't want to wait until I have saved enough money to buy a van that I could transform into a camper van, and because since the pandemic the prices have increased quite a bit, I thought I shouldn't wait until I can't afford one anymore.

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While the Power Down I was searching for a van, and searching, and searching ... and finally I found a Volkswagen Caddy that wasn't too expensive and that wasn't too old. White is not my favourite colour, but for stealth camping the best colour, I suppose. There are literally millions of white VW Caddys and other white transporters around. So, mine would just be one of many.

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It's a 2014 VW Caddy III, also known as Caddy 2k. It was a cargo van, so there are only the two front seats in it - perfect to build a camper :)

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My plans were big and perfect, but since I'm not a carpenter nor do I have other usefull skills, the result was nice, but way off my plans :)

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Right after I bought the van I added a carpet to the floor. In Winter I found out that a thin carpet isn't enough to keep the floor warm. Maybe I'll change this one day in future, just as well as some other things ;)

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After the carpet I added a little bit of insulation in the cavities of the side walls of the car, and then I lined the inside of the car with felt fabric ... not perfect in any way, of course.

My plan for the bed was simple, but due to wrong measurements it didn't fit at first, but my jigsaw did it's work very well :)

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Some foam and fabric cover and my bed was ready. Under the bed is enough space for boxes with food and clothes and for other stuff I need when I'm out and about.

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Except a few small stickers and the big on the roof front above the windscreen I didn't do anything to the outside of the van and when you close the curtain, which replaced the bulkhead, nobody would think that someone's sleeping inside the van ... I hope ;)

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A few pillows are on the bed behind them there's my sleeping bag ready to use. When I find a good place to sleep I just take off my shoes and climb back between the seats. I wonder if in 10 years I will still be able to do that or if I have to get out of the car and use the side sliding door.

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I have covers for the rear and for the side window in the sliding door, and when I close the curtain behind the front seats, no light should be seen from the outside. I don't have installed lights inside, but bought a few cheap LED lights in the hardware store, added magnets and that way I can stick them anywhere I need them. They make the inside brighter than daylight and I usually need only one.

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I love this car, it's such a great help when I want to take photos of a sunrise further away from home. The Dolomites are an about 4-hour-drive away from home, and since I have the van I go there the day before, have a little hike, sleep and get up right before sunrise ... nomore driving for hours to be on time for sunrise.

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I have a gas stove and can store food and water for a couple of days. I even have a portable toilet, which I never want to use 😅 and so I'm planning to make longer trips than only 1 or two nights for some time in the future.

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Well, a dark storm cloud is on it's way towards me and it's time to publish this post anyway. If I have forgotten to mention something you might be interested in, please ask me in the comments.

Information

If you want to know more about my VW Caddy, the VW Caddy III (2k), have a look at the car's Wikipedia page at https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Caddy_(Typ_2K) (German) or visit the general VW Caddy page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Caddy

^{I take my photos with the Canon EOS R and one of these lenses: Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM, Canon RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM, Canon EF 16-35mm 1:4 L IS USM, Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8 L STM, SIGMA 105mm 1:2,8 DG MACRO HSM.
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^{Photos and Text: @johannpiber | Johann Piber | All rights reserved - do not use without my permission
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^{2023-05-29
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