Do you live near Essex? Are you considering purchasing a new luxury campervan conversion? Click here to meet Mathew. Mathew is an owner with us at Camptoo and he happens to own a conversion company. He is located at 21 Green Farm Road, Engaine, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2HA.
About Character Campers
As the leading luxury full van conversions team in Essex, we know that there is nothing better than owning the road and breaking away from the norm. Our full van conversion service brings together every element of design, construction and craft where we use your van as a blank canvas, and bring it to life as a campervan.
Breathe energy into your van, with a 5-star luxury van conversion that acts as your hotel room on wheels. Standard vans offer function but why not convert for the ability of travel. Undertaking a full van conversion reimagines your van into a vibrant part of your life, on hand whenever the urge to travel takes you!
Character Campers provides every aspect of conversion that you can think of, and we welcome you to challenge us with any exciting ideas about how your campervan can provide the best experience for you and your fellow travellers!
Earn an income
Camptoo is already seeing early bird bookings starting to come in daily. We are anticipating a record-breaking year and will need more vehicles to keep pace with the demand. The popularity of the staycations is causing the campervan hire sector to explode. There is no better time to invest in a campervan so you can travel safe and secure. If you want to earn an income or help pay for your camper you can hire it out to friends and family.
We asked Matthew a few questions about his company and wanted to share his thoughts with you. Here is what Matthew had to say about how things have changed over the last year.
How has your business changed since covid?
Having both a campervan conversion and rental business we have seen and experienced dramatic changes since covid. Whereas our conversion business was busy yet steady prior to covid the demand for conversions currently has skyrocketed. Bookings soared around July last year with a continuous waiting list and again mid-january 2021. We are currently taking bookings for September 2021 with a constant flow of enquiries due to people wanting staycations. However, due to covid, the rental market due to obvious reasons has plummeted. Out of lockdowns we experienced high demand for rentals however since late last year previous booking had been deferred to when travel is permitted.
How long does it take to do a conversion?
The popular VW T5/6 transporter full conversion takes on average around 3 weeks, however, a full van conversion bespoke like our flo on a larger van ( Crafter, Sprinter, Ford Etc.) averages 6-8 weeks depending on the nature of our clients brief. Our larger van conversions are all handcrafted in house and are completely bespoke. We design and manufacture all of our kitchens and interiors to our client’s spec. We welcome a challenge and although love any type of van conversion thrive on designing and handcrafting our own interiors from scratch.
What is your specialty?
Meet “Flow” Would you like to try before you buy? Click here to hire out Flow so you can have a closer look at our work.https://www.camptoo.co.uk/camper/12426/FLOW-Luxury-2-person-Ford-Transit
A challenge in both style and functionality, a blank canvas… a van looking for a personality. There is nothing more rewarding and satisfying to the team at character campers designing, manufacturing, and crafting bespoke interiors. The challenge gets our creative juices flowing (sometimes at 2am in the morning my wife is very known for this ) when the solution to a problem presents itself. Georgia is our designer and thrives on design elements and as a team we work out the fundamentals of how this can be achieved. Space and functionality are key when considering your van layout, fortunately, Matt is a wizard on 3D software. We love working with real wood and feel it brings that home from home comfort to our builds.
What should consumers look for when finding a conversion company?
Knowledge, passion quality products and reviews. Meeting your clients is paramount. Understanding their requirements budget and expectations is key. Do your research before a visit, a conversion team with passion will thoroughly enjoy discussing your project and of course sharing road trip stories. We have a showroom equipped with van pod layouts, our bespoke kitchens off the shelf kitchens etc. and samples that our clients can take away, after all this is a home on wheels so seeing for yourself the quality of the products that we install in our vans is confidence for our customers. We only install certified market-leading products that are all tried and tested an important factor to look for when choosing your conversion company.
How much does it cost?
Some of our clients are after a part build such as pop-top roofs, diesel heater, insulation, and carpeting or electrics as they wish to leave this job to the experts, but still wish to create their own interior. For a full conversion inclusive of a pop-top roof on a VW T5/6 or a ford transit custom starts at around 12k a larger van such as sprinter or Ford transit is hard to price due to personal requirements and product choice, however, start at around 18k.
What is your favourite make and model?
This is a hard question to answer after all once a van is converted you understand its personality and its owners, we began with a VW T5 transporter, and traveled Europe and then decided to purchase our ford transit Jumbo for more space and longer road trips, we have recently sold our VW T5 show van which is fab for shorter road trips and showing clients, So to replace the Show van we have recently invested in a VW Crafter Long wheel base 4X4, we chose this as going off grid and our mountain adventures commands a vehicle that will allow us to veer off the beaten track to find places unachievable in a 2 wheel drive van.
Where is your favourite place to travel?
When we are in our van anywhere feels good! Even a visit to our local beach with the dogs, canoe, and kitesurfing gear feels like a holiday. We have travelled in our vans all over the UK and Europe loving the beauty of the coastline in Wales and Cornwall to mountainous destinations in France, Austria, and Switzerland. Our favourite road trip was most certainly our honeymoon two glorious weeks traveling through France, German, Austria, Slovenia to Croatia and Italy on the way home. We thought being on our honeymoon we would spend the odd night at a hotel, we ended up staying in one which was picturesque and very fancy however couldn’t wait to get back to our van simply for the feeling of complete freedom in our day to explore. We camped at the bottom of waterfalls, by the side of turquoise rivers and on the beach under shooting stars, listening to the ocean waves with vino and campfires just drinking in the beauty and serenity of each moment. Most certainly wild camping is best with the odd hair raising moment like discovering a stunning deserted beach soon to realise it was for a reason and was under the main flight path for Croatia’s busiest airport. That night the biggest storm we had ever experienced more than shook our van and the ocean flooded the beach we had parked on, but at least we didn’t float away. To us, miles make memories so it doesn’t matter where you go!
What are the benefits of Van travel?
Freedom … we all have busy lives that are filled with time pressures. sometimes it’s hard to plan a holiday especially when you run your own business. Van travel allows you to just go at a moment’s notice. The world is beautiful and there to be seen. Flying, however quick and direct often means you only experience what the hotel or resort has to offer. Van travel allows you the chance to step out of the perimeter and soak up the local cuisine, culture, and scenery first hand. Why miss a sunset because dinner is at 7 pm! a photograph captures a moment van travel makes a memory that is truly rich to all your senses. Whilst traveling you find local cuisine wonders, rustic seafood shacks on the beach, freshly baked patisserie’s and bread on the roadside, bars perched on the top of mountains. Whatever the language barrier you will find a way to understand and explore the culture. To us, van travel is all the comforts of a home on wheels that takes you to extraordinary places that you remember forever not just a moment.
Now is the perfect time to buy a campervan before the season begins. If you want to learn more about hiring out your campervan click here. If you want to reach out to Mat you can contact him here.
