"Bramble" - Ski Chalet on Wheels

A warm, timber-lined chalet on wheels — properly built, genuinely off-grid, and set up for year-round use.
This is a 2014 VW Crafter MWB high-top, converted to a two-berth camper with a ski chalet feel: reclaimed timber throughout, soft lighting and a snug, insulated cabin. It is as happy in a Highland car park in February as on a summer beach in the south of France or Cornwall!
It is registered as a Motorhome on the V5C, seats three up front and sleeps two on a custom-made large double, with a full-width rear garage underneath.
Every system has been chosen for quality, using top brands: Victron electrics, a Gaslow underslung LPG tank, a Fiamma potable water tank, a Propex heating unit, a Webasto fridge and a Voyager oven. It comes with a document wallet holding the complete history of both the van and the build, including manufacturer’s instructions for everything fitted.
The living space
Fully lined in reclaimed timber with a warm, cabin-like finish. A custom-made large double mattress sits across the rear above the garage, and it is a properly comfortable one rather than the usual thin foam slab. Sleeping sideways makes the most of the space, with the insulated, cosily lined side flares giving back the width — so there is room to stretch out properly. Alongside are two soft-padded Vandermoon over-bed wardrobes and lockers, and flexible LED stalk reading lights with USB charging on each side.
Seating is a long bench plus a second seat, with a slide-out dinner table for eating in or working. Lighting throughout is dimmable LED spots, with under-cupboard LED counter lights in the kitchen and LED lighting in the garage.
All the bonded windows were cut in and fitted professionally by National Windscreens, not done at home.
Kitchen
• Voyager 4500 Deluxe LPG oven, grill and hob, with ignition and door catch
• Webasto CR65 Elegance 12V/240V compressor fridge/freezer
• Sink and tap on a pumped system
• Plenty of cupboard storage for food, crockery, pots and pans, cutlery drawer, boot and shoe cupboard, under-seat storage and a push-to-release drawer
Heating, insulation and ventilation
• Propex HS2000 LPG heater with digital thermostat, fitted with the HS200 stealth kit for near-silent running
• Maxxair fan over the kitchen, with thermal cover
• Dometic Heki rooflight over the bed
• Habitation fully lined with Dodo fleece and thermal liner (photos of this are in the pack)
• Dodo Hex sound-deadening mats on all panels
• Magnetic thermal blinds to the sliding door window and the rear over-bed window
• Fly screens built into the rear over-bed sliding window and fitted to both roof vents
• Windscreen winter cover
• Rear garage thermal cover, which closes the garage off from the living area to create a thermal block
The result is a van that is quiet on the road and quick to warm up when you stop. Open the Heki over the bed and the Maxxair over the kitchen together and the van draws clean air end to end, which makes a real difference on warm nights.
Power
The leisure batteries charge from three separate sources — solar, 240V hook-up, and the van’s alternator while driving — so they top themselves up whether you are parked in the sun, plugged in, or on the move.
• 150W solar
• Victron MPPT and 500A SmartShunt battery monitor
• Twin 95Ah low-height AGM leisure batteries — 190Ah total
• Voltage-sensitive split charge relay, charging from the alternator while driving
• Seven-stage automatic leisure battery charger
• Ample 240V three-pin sockets with USB inputs
• Ample 12V USB sockets, including one on the outside of the vehicle
• Two 12V cigarette sockets for pumps and similar
• Micro 240V hook-up connector and hook-up cable reel
Gas and water
• 25L underslung LPG tank with external fill point
• Bullfinch external LPG hook-up point for BBQ, shower, etc.
• Digital LPG level gauge in the garage, so you always know what gas you have left
• 70L underslung fresh water tank, easy to fill and drain
Washing and toilet
• Four-sided cubicle shower at the rear of the van, with duck board
• LPG combi shower unit, which also gives hot water outdoors
• Portable Ridge Monkey toilet, stored in the seat
The garage
A proper full-width rear garage, and one of the best features of the van.
• Two slide-out trays — tray one holds six storage boxes, tray two carries the 120L slide-out chest fridge/freezer, which is removable if you would rather load bikes
• Full-height Vandermoon storage panels on both rear doors
• Molle panel for tools, bags and pouches (a whole host of attachments included)
• LED lighting, USB sockets and a 12V pump charger
• Main power isolation and fuse board
• Water pump system
Exterior, suspension and wheels
• 4in sub-frame drop kit, additional leaf springs and SUMO Springs
• Rhino Arsenal alloy wheels
• Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tyres, 265/70R17 — five of them
• Fiamma F80S awning in black, with accessories and built-in LED lighting
• Mule rear spare wheel carrier and ladder
• Mule storage rack with diesel tank and MaxTrax boards
• LED light bar, bonnet mounted ditch lights and LED daytime running lights
• Campervan graphics
• Full central locking, with the habitation area lockable independently of the front cab
• Deadlocks professionally fitted to the sliding habitation door and rear garage doors
In the cab
• Pioneer head unit with Apple CarPlay, speakers and bass system
• Three front seatbelts
• Cargo net storage
• Central storage unit with a thermal compartment, held in by the middle seatbelt and easily removed if you want the third seat back
• USB charger point
Included in the sale
Everything described above and everything you can see in the photos is included: the Ridge Monkey toilet, the 12v 120L chest fridge/freezer, the storage boxes, the awning accessories, the MaxTrax boards and the hook-up cable reel. Two full sets of keys, including the deadlock keys, come with the van.
The only exception is the private registration, which will be removed before sale and the van returned to its original plate. Unless, of course, the buyer happens to be a Mat and wants to make an offer for it.
History and ownership
I have owned the van since July 2020 and undertook the conversion myself. Over those six years it has averaged around 8,000 miles a year, with all regular servicing and maintenance done by local garages. It has never missed a beat. There has been only one previous owner. The bodywork is original and has never been welded, nor ever needed to be, with just a few stone chips, as you would expect at this age. Mechanically it is strong: no warning lights, no known faults, and a clutch and six-speed gearbox that feel as they should.
The details
Item
Detail
Year
2014
Mileage
96,000
Engine
1968cc diesel
Transmission
Manual, 6-speed
Average fuel economy
23.6mpg
Body
MWB high-top
Length
5.98m
Height
2.6m
Gross weight
3,500kg
Weighed loaded
3,020kg (weighbridge certificate)
Berths
2
Seatbelts
3 (front)
V5C class
Motorhome
MOT
Due November 2026
History
Service history, plus a complete build and document wallet
The van has been over a weighbridge fully loaded at 3,020kg against a 3,500kg gross, leaving close to half a tonne of payload spare. The certificate is in the document wallet.