Fiat Doblo Campervan:

VanLife.Academy
VanLife in Spain is going to look quite a bit different than it did back in the U.S., starting with a small Fiat Doblo compared to a huge Ford E350. Nevertheless, the design process is still the same: choose what is most important and build around it. Right now that is simply a bed/sleeping platform and a place to store some gear.
I designed this bed for the van so that I could use the back seats as the structural support as well as still utilize the storage underneath. At the last moment, we decided to add some hinges to the bed so that we could also use it as a couch.
While this sleeping platform isn't the final design, it's a good start, and it gives me the chance to see what works and what doesn't in a Fiat Doblo. I'm sure after a few roadtrips it will become obvious what needs to happen in the next phase of this build.

[@chaotickittie42]

Great Job David

[@tinysolarshack9615]

Very nice, great idea.

[@trotamundo5801]

muito bom,,,,, excelente saludos desde brasil

[@luckylucy12lucky]

Nicely done. It will be interesting to see how you use the limited space for the more permanent build. Very nice soundtrack too. Oh and you have a very attractive construction partner! You seem seem to be living the life over there. Good luck!

[@DavidSandel]

I'm really looking forward to the creativity it's going to take, but I think my 1 saw and 1 cordless drill might be limiting. lol

[@jadiesharp5590]

I think they call it FIRST MATE. Im glad that its going good for u,when we moved to Oregon all our stuff was stolen.

[@DavidSandel]

Oof! I'm really sorry to hear that. Hopefully you were able to recoup some of it somehow.

[@expatnorway]

Seriously awesome build! I love how you can just fold it up and use the back seat! Also I love the difference in the amount of jackets worn by you two. I wonder which one of you is from Wisconsin...

[@DavidSandel]

Hahaha. I think it was hour number 18 out of 22 for editing that I realized that difference as well.

[@jadiesharp5590]

The dude is from Colorado, chick is Wisconsin, she can take the cold, great lakes gal is hard core. She may be a Viking. They are having fun and I wish I was in a van touring east coast.

[@DavidSandel]

Heh. Actually, I'm from Wisconsin, and she's from Barcelona. She doesn't take anything less than 65 very well. ;)

[@Element1991.]

Ооооо чётко Спасибо

[@kevinnaughton2584]

Did you do the upgrade, and is there a video for it? Love this. KISS (keep it simple stupid) . We are just buying a Fiat doblo. Didn't know it could be this easy. Love that the back seats stay.

[@DavidSandel]

I managed to put some drawers that pull out the back, but never ended up doing the “full” conversion I planned. Life changed a bit, we moved to a different area, and we only use it for camping a couple of times a year. It still works great for that.

[@PierreFromentin]

That's exactly the build I was looking for. I was wondering what kind of mattress are you using and if the sticking out anchor point was not risking to pierce it? It also looks like the 2 back panels are not attached to the main box in the trunk. Does the hole for the anchor point also help stabilising the 2 back panels? Thanks! Can't wait to try it out

[@DavidSandel]

We're using 8cm foam which is pretty firm, and I don't think the anchor point will be a problem. It's very rounded and smooth so the worst case scenario is that it crushes the foam at the point of contact, but I'm pretty positive there won't be any holes. And yes, the anchor point also keeps everything in place, though if you think about it, when the mattress is on top and the van is parked, it's not really going to go anywhere anyways. :-p Thanks for the comment!

[@estelleczernichowski9192]

Hola David ! Thank you so much for this video and your good vibes. It made me smile :) I have a fiat doblo and I plan to built a bed also. I have the same question as Pierro Fromentin. I realize today that there is this little piece of metal. I was thinking to cut it. Did you think about it? To what does it serve? After one year of sleeping on it, what do you think? wasn't it unconfortable ? thank you, bests regards, Estelle

[@wingbeaten]

This is great! we are planning to travel with our Fiat doblo this summer and want to convert. What are you using for a mattress? did you do custom size? Thank you

[@DavidSandel]

We bought a 4-inch memory foam mattress. It’s 60cm wide by 180cm long.

[@Explositie]

@@DavidSandel Nice design! Thank you sooo much for the video! My only question: don't you feel the anchor through the matress? I would like to know, because we were thinking of making the bed higher due to this nasty piece of metal. ;)

[@DavidSandel]

@@Explositie I think I only felt the anchor once. It's actually placed right between us so we were never or rarely ever right on top of it.

[@Explositie]

@@DavidSandel Thanks! We made the bed a little bit higher, just in case ;) but your instructions helped us a looooot!

[@DavidSandel]

@@Explositie Glad to hear it!

[@stevejeffrey11]

Damn is that diesel? Mpg must be sick. My 80s campervan gets like 8MPG LOL

[@lowgravityascents]

Not as sick as I'd like, but the 41mpg for this thing beats the 16 I was getting in my Ford, or the 27 I was getting with my Subaru before that. ;)