We've seen many camper-in-a-box kits over the years – the Swiss Roombox, the Yatoo, various iterations of Ququq, and others. These kits typically offer a kitchen and bed but lack an in-vehicle dining solution, thus fall a little short of a full camper van conversion. The British-designed Campal ForTwo, however, not only has a dining area but also a reclined sofa, filling out some of Europe's smallest vans with a space you can spend the entire day in. Moreover, the ForTwo does more for less, pricing in well under other systems.
In some ways, the Campal ForTwo is the simplest camper box kit we've seen, but in one key way, it's the most complex. Instead of simply folding flat inside the van to support a fold-out mattress, the ForTwo's birch wood structure also supports several sitting options.
The ForTwo isn't a solid, full-width box, as in other kits. Campal adds a central cutout, creating a wraparound sofa and dining nook. Install the removable table leg into the bracket, drop the tabletop on and you have a cozy dining area for two. Frankly, it looks to lean on the claustrophobic side of cozy, but it does get you dining under the roof of a tiny van like the Fiat Doblo, so it's hard to be too picky. If the weather is nice, the table can be set up outside with the available tripod and folding chairs.
As you can see at the back of the photo, Campal's structural hardware also creates a sofa with a back in a slightly angled upright position. Remove the table, and campers can sit up on the sofa to read, enjoy a drink, chat and relax – they can have a split dual-recliner-like sit with the dining cutout exposed or they can secure the tabletop over that cutout and put the last cushions on to create a full-width sofa. Drop the sofa-back down, and you have the 71-inch-long (180-cm) bed.
Campal's slide-out kitchen design is simpler than others, being more a series of drawers and platforms purpose-built around specific gear. The slide on the left holds the included single-burner portable gas stove, while the middle area includes a hanging board with cutouts for the wash basin and waste bin. Put the available 10-L water jug spout over the bowl and you have a simple sink for rinsing food and washing dishes. The right slide holds a general storage bin.
The 99-lb (45-kg) ForTwo is designed for quick install and removal, taking roughly five minutes to transform van to camper van and even less to switch back to people/cargo-moving form. This means owners can easily use the van as both an everyday driver and a mini-campervan. The ForTwo fits in the trunk space of compatible vehicles, leaving the rear seats untouched during the drive.
The ForTwo retails for £1,090 (approx. US$1,400), which includes the folding camper box, cushions, gas stove with folding windscreen, table, bowl and waste bin. Options include the £15 water jug with tap, £35 storage box, and £40 tripod for standing the table outdoors. The kit is compatible with a variety of small and mid-size vans, including the Citroën Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Honda Stepwgn, Mercedes Citan, and VW Caddy and Transporter. You can find a complete year/make/model list on Campal's homepage, linked below.
For those who like to roam the road alone, Campal also offers a £740 (US$950) ForOne kit, which is sort of a half-width ForTwo with single bed and simpler kitchen. The company is also in the process of launching a larger Plus model and it can do custom builds for those looking for something a little different from the basic kits.
Source: Campal