Poppy

Poppy is the first camper we constructed. Unfortunately our CNC spindle was down for servicing so much of the van was hand made. There are some components we managed to CNC but our holiday plans would not wait for our CNC to get back in action so we had to break out the ol’ tablesaw.

The reuslt is a very capable and efficient campervan perfect for those in two day overnight and a few day trips.

why the Estima? The Estima may be an viewed as an odd choice to campervaners however, there are some strong attributes that make the Estima an ideal choice. First one must consider use - this was to be used for weekends and evening surf trips as well as the everyday driver (see related blog post here).

The Estima (with rear seats removed) balances good cargo capacity with excellent safety, fuel economy and handling. The cost to run and maintain is like an ordinary car - Japanese cars being a favourite over their European counterparts.

The cabinetry The front cabinet unit acts as a shelf and desk in the upright position.Rear cabinet supports the mattress while stowed. The bench seat flips up to access the under the bed area to ample storage. To convert to a bed platform the desktop flips down to bridge the gap between the rear and forward cabinet. The mattress which is joined in 3 segments folds out over the base.

In the kitchen, the benchtop has a sliding drawer for the gas cooker to improve ventilation while cooking. The entire bench and drawer flips up and clamshells to one side so that there is access to use the toilet. Toilet to comply with self-containment requirements and is usable if needed

Systems Plumbing and water systems comply with the self contained requirements. There are two 12v pumps. One is low flow fitted to the basin, the second is a higher flow for the hosepipe. We use this one to wash down boards and gear. Tanks have hose fittings so they can be disconnected and refilled/emptied. Fittings colour coded to the water system, Grey water - grey hose fittings and garden hose. Freshwater - Blue fittings and white water hose.

Electrical system is based around a REDARK 1225D. This is an integrated solar and alternator charge controller for the house battery. House battery is a 105Ah AGM battery. Solar panel is 100W. System drives 350W pure sine inverter all water pumps, lights and other accessories. Plenty of scope for more changes/accessories.We run two work laptops off the system.

The roof racks are pro-rack aero bars with lots of accessories included. There are ratchets fixed to the bars and screw in eyebolts which make it easy to strap up surfboards or any other materials. Included is a shade awning perfect for camping. There is a DIY solar shower which warms up in the sun for warmer showers. Shower is topped up with water and pressurised with a tire inflator for pressure.

To keep us saffe - there is a 1.5kg fire extinguisher, first aid kit and a gas monitor wired into the system.