Challenge to a Homebrew Camper No.1
[The last renewal of this page: July 11, 2007]
It was in 1976, when I started a project. In that era, it was really
hard to see a camper in Japan. There were no magazines, books, nor
material regarding homebrew campar being published in Japan. I went to a
big bookstore in Tokyo to ask them to import monthly magazine called
"Vanning" from the U.S.A. The magazine included a lot of pictures and
articles about Dodge-Van the car in which I had been impressed the most in
the U.S.. It didn't take a long time before I decited to buy a used Nisan
Van for building my own homebrew campar.
I boarded the thick plywood on the floor of the back cabin, and floored a
carpet on it. Made a curtain for all the windows. Purchased a little
water sink unit, after visiting many furniture shops. For the Watertank
I bought two plastic tanks for the kerosene. For the water pomp, I used
a pomp for the bathtab, which is designed for pomping out the water from
the bathtab for the washing machine. ( That is commonly used in Japan, as
we use the bathtab just for warm up the body, and we wash our body out of
the bathtab. ) A faucet is the one which is used for Japanese style flush
toilet. For the cooking stove, I used a portable stove with a compact gas
bottle. I also put a ventilator with a DC-AC invertor. At the back of the
cabin, I build a closet with a Hi-Fi speaker set. I also built a
fluorescent light system with a built-in type DC-AC invertor, which we can
easily find in the market now, but at that time unable to find anywhere.
I put many many improvement for about 2 years, and finally, I completed a
homebrew campar.
With this camper, I enjyoed camping in many places in every weekend. At
that time, there were not many people who enjoyed camping, and there were
not many campsights in Japan.(Most of them were mess, and were vacant in
most of time.) Anyway, I prefered camping anywhere I want in the whorest
reiverside, seashore, and did not stay in the campsight as I was looking
for "A comfortable living space with which I can move around in the big
nature". There were no other people doing that, and there was nobody who
would complain to me.
Now, "outdoor-life" boom is covering all over Japan, and millions of
people rushes into the campsight in every weekend. And then, it looks
like those who are looking for dialog with the nature have lost the place
to settle in. Thus, my current van gets the more feature as a mobile
radio station rather than a camper. When the day in which this boom is
calmed away comes, I will purchase used camping trailer, and set up the
big radio system to complete a new type camping facility for me. I will
be looking for a roman in the nature by pulling that trailer across the
coutry someday.
- Pictures of my Homebrew Campar No.1 -
- in 1979 -
The base car was used-car, "Nissan Caravan" which I bought at
680,000Yen (US$5,600)
Drivers cabin was decorated with wallpaper and carpet.
Floor of the main cabin was boarded with thick plywood,
then decorated with carpet on it.
I was young and slim in these days!(27years old)
Ceiling was decorated with printed plywood, and the wall was decorated
with wallpaper and carpet.
The rear-end was furnished with homebrew closet and streo speaker system.
I was married with this lady one year later.
Watertank (40Litters) was set under the sink.
A foot-switch turns on the electric waterpomp.
A home-use ventilater allowed cooking in the car.
Specifications
Sketch
Expenses
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