German camper van converter SpaceCamper offers some of the most versatile, well-packaged Volkswagen Transporter campers we've happened across. Its also built one of the fastest camper vans on the planet. Now it's expanded its lineup with the LightOpen, spreading the camping equipment around the cabin for an even lighter, more versatile recreational vehicle layout. The LightOpen can haul the family to and from work, school and sports practice, go camping, and work as a mobile office, all with little to no conversion in between.
SpaceCamper already offers Light and Open models, and now it mashes them together, creating the LightOpen van. We've seen a lot of multiple personality vans that work as campers, everyday people haulers and/or cargo vans, including the recent Pössl Campster, but the LightOpen does it more effortlessly than most.
Like the SpaceCamper ClassicOpen, the LightOpen includes sliding doors on both sides for easy loading and indoor/outdoor access to key equipment. Like the SpaceCamper Light, the LightOpen offers exceptional flexibility for use as a camper, everyday commuter, cargo hauler and rolling office.
Key to the LightOpen's flexible, spacious design, SpaceCamper breaks down and shrinks what might otherwise be a large, space-devouring kitchen block, moving food prep amenities around the van cabin. A 25-L compressor fridge creates a different type of center console, giving the driver and front passenger access to cool drinks and snacks, a feature that could prove handy well beyond camping, to road trips, kids' soccer games, hiking or mountain biking trips, and countless other uses. This refrigerator can also slide back into the main cabin, giving all passengers access.
In another twist on the camper van kitchen, SpaceCamper integrates the two-burner cooktop into the removable folding table, providing meal preparation and dining space. The table can be used inside or out, and without a kitchen block limiting its size and placement, it is larger than tables in other camper vans. It also doubles as a desk when work, not food, is what's on the menu.
Another interesting feature of the LightOpen is the housing of both a flip-out side table/outdoor worktop and a sink in a console next to the rear bench. The compact sink slides out for indoor/outdoor use and slides away when not needed, saving space. A similar console on the other side has storage space and its own side table/worktop.
In the end, SpaceCamper has taken all the standard amenities of a camper van kitchen – cooktop, counters, sink and refrigerator – and spread them around the cabin to create a freer, more functional space with seating for five people. This setup is also an advantage when it's time to sleep because the folding mattress stretches the width of the rear cabin, creating a 5 x 6.6-ft (1.55 x 2-m) bed, versus the 4.3 x 6.6-ft (1.3 x 2-m) bed in SpaceCamper models with more traditional kitchen blocks. A pop-up roof adds a second bed, making the LightOpen a good option for families.
The LightOpen's equipment is compact and spread out enough to make the van a practical everyday driver for five people. The rear bench and under-bench storage drawers can also be removed easily, turning it into an open cargo van.
The SpaceCamper LightOpen prices in around €69,000 (approx. US$77,250) built atop the VW T6 Transporter Caravelle Comfortline with 148-hp 2.0-liter TDI engine and including standard equipment and options with the pop-up, sleep-in roof and the layout described above.
Source: SpaceCamper
