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The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

Posted on by angelo
The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

When it comes to campervan conversions, vans are the most popular base vehicle. Then we have others like school buses, ambulances and others. An option that has a lot of potential but is not highly sought after is the box truck. Today I discovered a Luton van transformed into a comfortable and economical little house on wheels.

Luton vans are very similar to box trucks/vans. The main difference is that the body of a Luton van extends above the cabin, providing additional storage space.

So why would you choose a Luton box or van for motorhome conversions? First, they are ideal for stealth camping, as most expect them to serve as cargo haulers. In addition, they offer a lot of space and are easier to transform than a van, because they have straight walls.

Another aspect to consider is payload capacity: covered vans are designed to hold a lot of cargo, so they will be able to support the weight of most appliances and materials you use in a campervan conversion. Finally, they’re easy to find, which means you’ll find plenty of used vehicles there, usually at a good price.

Meet Heather and Ieuan, who transformed an Iveco Daily van into a tiny house on wheels. The vehicle has a longer wheelbase, measuring six meters (20 feet) in length, two meters (6.5 feet) in width and three meters (10 feet) in height. Additionally, it is equipped with a 38 liter (10 gallon) under-the-tank propane tank.

The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

Photo: YouTube screenshot / Heather O’Reilly Duff

As usual, I will start the visit to this platform from the outside. This couple painted the exterior gray, covering the original white look, and wrapped its lower portions in black. On the passenger side, you’ll find a VR door next to an iMass instant water heater, as well as two windows.

At the rear, Hannah and Ieuan have created a spacious two-section garage with two doors. One compartment holds a folding bike, tools, a 200 liter (53 gallon) fresh water tank, climbing gear, an inflatable kayak and other adventure gear.

You’ll notice that the camper door I mentioned earlier is quite high, making it more difficult to get into the camper without a ladder. The couple had originally planned to install a folding ladder, but they scrapped that idea and settled for a regular stepladder.

Enter and you will discover a cleverly arranged interior. To your left you will find Heather’s large closet, a huge vanity drawer and shoe storage. Just before that, the couple designed a sliding wardrobe for Ieuan, right next to the access door that leads to the driver’s cabin.

The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

Photo: YouTube screenshot / Heather O’Reilly Duff

You won’t find anything interesting in the driver’s cabin, as the duo left it almost as it was when they bought it. The only modification made was to replace the original double seat with a single seat to allow room in the middle to use the passage.

As I mentioned earlier, a Luton van differs from a box truck in that it has a cab above. Heather and Ieuan used it to design a loft bedroom, which they can only get by using a ladder attached to a nearby wall. It’s a simple space with two reading lamps, three storage compartments on one side and a Dometic skylight.

Next we have the bathroom right in front of the entrance. It features walls with hexagonal tiles imitating marble, a shower with rain head, hooks for drying laundry and a homemade composting toilet mounted on a drawer slide.

Walk deeper into this mobile home and you will be in the kitchen. It features a deep sink, a small 12V refrigerator, a knife rack built into the butcher block counter, a three-burner oven/stove combo, and a huge slide-out pantry.

The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

Photo: YouTube screenshot / Heather O’Reilly Duff

There is plenty of storage space in this kitchen in the form of several drawers and a cabinet under the sink. Many converters opt for overhead cabinets, but in this couple’s case, they decided to use the extra space to build a surfboard rack.

The empty space in front of the kitchen is dedicated to Suzie, one of Heather and Ieuan’s three dogs. It has a small bed and a storage compartment on the floor that houses dog food and any other dog-related items. You will also notice the device’s control panel, which includes a Maxxair fan remote control, a reversing switch, switches for all 12V consumers, an on-off switch for propane, and a controller for the iMass heater.

Finally, the rear of this interior is occupied by a living room, separated from the kitchen by two tall storage units. It is very spacious and includes a U-shaped sofa, a huge swivel table and a hanging shelf at the back. This is where the couple’s dogs spend most of their time indoors. Additionally, two sliding screen windows, one on each side of the vehicle, help keep the space nice and bright.

Whenever they want to invite guests on board, Heather and Ieuan can transform the living room into a huge bedroom by lowering the table and rearranging the cushions.

The adventure-ready box truck features a loft bedroom and a good amount of creature comforts

Photo: YouTube screenshot / Heather O’Reilly Duff

And the power? The electrical system of this motorhome is housed under part of the sofa. Its highlights are three 100 Ah batteries, a 2000 W inverter/charger, a DC-DC charger and a charge controller connected to 300 W solar panels on the roof.

Overall, Heather and Ieuan did an incredible job with this conversion, transforming a run-of-the-mill Luton van into a fully habitable little house on wheels. In fact, it is not only habitable, but also very comfortable and equipped with everything the duo needs to enjoy life on the road.


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