Rafiki | Beloved Home on Wheels

This van has a simple and homely layout that would suit up to two people (+ pets) looking for a base to explore the great outdoors, with plenty of space to carry bikes, boards, climbing gear…whatever! We primarly used this van for MTB trips with our two dogs. There’s a cubby under the bed which is split in two. We use the rear access side for bikes (which are disassembled) and the front half for the dogs to have their own little home in the van. They are both large dogs and have plenty of room in the cubby.

High quality insulation is laid throughout the walls, floor, and bulkhead with a nice wood plank covering for great temperature retention. While the van lacks a built-in heater, we’ve been away in the van in winter sleeping upon windy hilltops multiple times and always been perfectly warm (sometimes even opening the window!). If you’re going arctic though, or you want to heat up very quickly, especially on cold morning, just pop the kettle on.

In the evenings, after a long day out, the vans wood features are lit up by the built-in adjustable LED lights. A camping stove (far more convenient and space saving than built in) & sink combo with an electric cool box in the kitchen provide everything you need for a good dinner and wash-up. As you cozy up for bed, plug your device into one of the USB chargers, dim the lights, and fall asleep watching your favorite Netflix show. There are plug sockets in the van which are not currently wired up.

We have driven this van on the single-track roads through the highlands of Scotland, the narrow roads along the beaches of Wales, and everywhere in between. This has been our home on wheels for many trips ranging from two to fourteen days and we loved the freedom it has given us, allowing us to live in the most natural of environments. Never once have we stayed the night in a car park. Although we don’t have offroad tyres, Rafiki has never struggled to get up/over/in/out of any rural spot we find. We recently (five months ago) had our first baby and unfortunatelly if we were to go on van trips Rafiki simply isn’t equipped with what we’d need. So we are hoping we can pass Rafiki on to someone that can give him the love and use he deserves.

Additional Details:

12V MaxxFan Delux (With Remote)
12V Electric Cold Water Tap
Camping Stove (Gas bottles you can find at any outdoor shop plus many supermarkets)
25L Fresh Water, 20L Grey Water Tanks
12V Cool Box (Fridge) to Keep Food and Drink Cold
2x USB Charging Outlets (One not wired alongside double plug socket)
Leisure battery
Split Charge Relay (Installed but not active)
LED Ceiling Lights and Rear Fairy Lights
Solid Worktops
Lightweight Tongue and Groove Timber Cladding
Thermal Insulated Walls
2x Tinted Side Windows with Privacy Glass
IKEA Roller Blind
Fixed double bed with Custom Memory Foam Mattress
Removable Table (Sits 2 People) – (This table also supports to Queen size bed conversion footer)
Storage: Spacious storage Above bulkhead (with Removable Baskets), 2x Shelf Under-Sink Storage Compartments, 2x Storage Compartments, 1 Storage Drawer Above Fridge, 2x Storage Cubbys Under Seats in Rear, 2x Large Under-Bed Storage Divided Front & Rear (LOTS OF STORAGE)
Fire Extinguisher, Carbon Monoxide, and Smoke Alarm
Fiamma Levelling Ramps
Leisure Battery Hook Up Cable
Portable Toilet (Never Used)
AUX Input & Ford Radio
2x Solar Panels on Roof Which Charge The Leisure Battery (+split charge relay, +campsite hook up)

We bought this van from this website a few years ago.
The previous owner converted it themselves and we improved upon the build.
We planned to keep improving the build inbetween trips however once we got the van to a state where we felt the only things left to do were cosmetic we realised the cosmetics didn’t equate to more fun. So we stopped ‘working’ and went off enjoying instead!

There’s plenty of little cosmetic fixes that could be done to this van. Bits of paint that need touching up (we have the paint colour required), worktop edges being removed and replaced with a new strip (available from B&Q), little fixes here and there to make it more attractive. I considered doing these to make a little more money from the sale but i’m happy for it to go for a little cheaper as it’s very difficult to get a spare moment with our new son in the picture!