Moorlake T7 campervan

This campervan firm, with branches in Watford and Hull, has a clear focus on design and practicality

It’s a tale as old as time – campervan dealers who design and sell their own range of models. But Moorlake has a few aces up its sleeve. For a start, one of the founders is a keen campervanner, which is a big plus, and the team has compiled a spec list that shows this experience.

It has one model, on the short-wheelbase VW T7. It has a really clear pricing structure, with the manual version costing £67,000 and the automatic model priced at £72,000. Most models will come with the Commerce Pro cab specification and the majority     of Moorlake’s customers do opt to go for the automatic model.

Specification

The specification levels are high as standard, but customisation is also possible. The ’van we looked at has a grey and white two-tone exterior colour. The grey section is a wrap and this can be ordered in almost any style.

Looking upwards, the Austops pop-top roof has a scenic canvas with a window at the front – this is important as it still allows daylight in, even when it’s a little nippy outside. Many scenic canvases only have flyscreens or need to be fully unzipped to do this, which isn’t ideal when the weather is less than perfect.

Moorlake has added two directional spotlights with USBs up there and it’s great to see a sprung base under the mattress. There is also a net to prevent the risk of your littlest ones falling out through the access hatch.

There is a solar panel as standard – a super thin version to keep the overall height of the vehicle as low as possible. One final thing to note is a new option that will soon be available, an awning bracket for the roof that requires no drilling. 

Seating and sleeping

All models have two swivel cab seats as standard and these are covered in vegan leather (also known as faux leather) as standard. Colours are customisable.

The rear bench seat (three seat belts and two Isofix mounts) is a Stide model and it is fitted into full floor-mounted rails as standard. This allows you to push the seat all the way forward – primarily, as one of the team put it, to reduce the risk of travel sickness for any children sat here. They were speaking from experience. The ride in a seat closer to the front axle is much less bumpy than those where the seat is almost at the back. 

Also, when slid forward, the boot space becomes massive for all your holiday kit. This will also allow all occupants to dine on the free-standing Loc8 table. This is mounted in the side door for ease of access and it can be used outside when the weather is good.

Kitchen

This is a side kitchen model with real wood worktops, making for a great look. Much of this space is taken up by the combined sink and hob unit; Moorlake picked this unit because the two gas burners sit side by side with plenty of room to have both in use at the same time. There is, however, a slide-out worktop to boost the food preparation space.

The Dometic undercounter fridge offers a small freezer compartment and above the fridge is a proper cutlery drawer.

A microwave is standard below the hob, but it can be ordered without one if you prefer more storage. And the cupboard below this has been designed to take a portable toilet if you need to travel with one.

The digital control panel and power sockets are all located at the end of the kitchen unit. There are two mains sockets along with the two types of USB socket. Two lockers above the kitchen are a decent size, too. 

It’s important to note that the microwave and mains sockets can only be used when hooked up as standard, but the company suggests a Jackery Power Pack can supply 230V power when off-grid.

Storage

The wardrobe is at the rear, with a tambour door for access from the living area, as well as a door at the rear. The gas locker is under here and it fits a Campingaz 907 cylinder, but that’s only for the hob as the heating is a diesel-powered unit. The gas bottle is attached to the inside of the door, which tips forward to around a 45 degree angle, making the cylinder easy to access.

There is also an attachment here for a shower. It’s currently cold water only, but the company is hoping to offer a warm water one next year. The shower hose and head have their own bag that attaches to the tailgate with Velcro.

From the tailgate, the bed has a liftable rear cushion. You can use it as a parcel shelf or push it up out of the way for taller items. The panel on the front of this seat will extend the full width to stop items that are stored in the rear from sliding forward. There is also storage under here, accessed by lifting up the seat base.

Moorlake is particularly proud of its manual that has QR codes taking customers to handy instructional videos. All campervans are also supplied with a hook-up cable and internal screens for the cab – all the other windows have fitted blinds.

While Moorlake itself does not build these campervans, it has worked closely, and continues to do so, with the manufacturer to create a model that is well specified and practically designed. The company has two branches – one in Watford, on the outskirts of London, and the other in Hull, Yorkshire.

A wardrobe you can access from front or rear, a compartment suitable for a portable toilet, a roof bed that has proper spring comfort and a sliding seat that is easy to make into a bed. This model ticks many of my must-haves for a campervan. I’d just like to see an option for a lithium battery and inverter to help power that microwave and mains sockets when not plugged into the mains.