Cornelia's Mercedes Campervan

Origin: Our requirements for our camper were sleeping and seating accommodations for three children and two adults, and ideally, each child would have their own bed. After visiting the caravan show in Bern, it quickly became clear that standard motorhomes were too big for us. Furthermore, there wasn't a single van that offered the required five sleeping berths and, most importantly, seats with seatbelts. At that point, we knew we had to build one ourselves. Our Charly was originally a 15-seater. The unnecessary seats were removed, windows were covered, the walls were insulated with sheep's wool, the electrical system was installed, and the living area and kitchen were custom-built. Features: We equipped Charly to suit our needs with three children. The parents' bed can be converted into a table during the day, where all five of us can comfortably sit. Each child has their own bed, and the table doesn't need to be dismantled before the little ones go to sleep. Children's beds: You can think of them like camp beds. We sewed fabric onto a metal frame. Sleeping area for bunk beds (2x): 165x60cm Sleeping area in the rear, transverse (1x): 150x50cm Parents' beds: These are made from a single mattress. During the day, the sections serve as seat cushions; at night, they are joined together to form a mattress. In our opinion, the gaps are not noticeable, as the individual sections are compressed tightly by the side walls. Parents' bed sleeping area: 180x172cm Under the bench seat are six baskets; each person gets one for their clothes, and the sixth serves as a laundry hamper. During the day, the children's beds serve as storage space for sleeping bags, pillows, pajamas, and anything else not needed during the daytime. There is also plenty of storage space under the driver's seats, in the bookshelf, and above the driver's cab. If the bus can be connected to mains power, you can cook on the integrated induction cooktop. When camping off-grid, the lights, USB ports, and refrigerator run off the leisure battery, and we use the two-burner spirit stove for cooking. In cold weather, the bus can be heated with an energy-efficient fan-assisted heater. However, this is only possible when connected to mains electricity.