It has been a busy month! Before heading up to Hokkaido for the Sapporo Snow Festival and the Otaru Light Festival; and between ski trips to Shiga Kogen, hiking around the Miura Hills, and planning a ski road trip to Akita and Iwate Prefectures I have been doing some work to build my very own custom camper microvan!
Last summer I purchased a 1995 Daihatsu Atrai Kei car, which for me this is a perfect vehicle. However, storing gear for Tenkara and skiing adventures quickly filled up the interior. So I began to brainstorm ideas to maximize the interior space while not detracting from the driveability and low key nature of the vehicle.
First I assembled the necessary materials from Homes (which is quite possibly one of the most amazing stores in the world! Imagine if Ikea, Home Depot, WalMart, Crate & Barrel, and Sport Chalet were combined into one store – and you’d have a pretty good idea what Homes is!)


Next I compiled measurements and layout composites to ensure that everything was going to fit and line up – my motto is “Measure twice (maybe three times) and cut once.”
I have access to a wood hobby shop that has pretty much every tool you could imagine!
Then over two days (I miscalculated my material needs and had to make another run to Homes) I created the first components of my camper interior!


And here is the (mostly) finished creation! I built it as two modules to make it easier to remove them (and because the battery compartment is under the non-factory carpet).



The next phase is building a removable headboard to protect the back window, adding a mattress/foam, and adding in removable bike mounts so that I can transport a bike which I frequently use to access remote backcountry rivers like the one in the video below.
2 Responses
Skiing in Northern Japan and 幽玄 (pronounced Yūgen)
[…] a quick breakfast of eggs and hashbrowns I shuttled the gear downstairs and into the back of my car. I met my friend Junpei and co-guide at the front of our “office” and we quickly […]
Overlanding & Tenkara - A Fishing Adventure Near Tokyo
[…] side business promoting their story and adventure through Explmore. When I showed him my recent Kei van camper build out, he reminded me that his birthday was coming up. Then he dropped a not so subtle hint that for his […]