Cambee Tourer campervan

Berths: 2-5 Travel seats: 5/5 Base vehicle: VW Transporter T5/T6 Gross weight: 2,800kg Payload: 480kg

Here is the Devon-based company’s Tourer model – still a side kitchen, short-wheelbase VW T5/T6 conversion with a pop-top, but designed in the words of the firm’s founder, Matthew Burgon, to be “more mainstream” or, to be precise, it is targeted at the upper end of the mass market for campers.

That’s reflected in the £15k conversion only price tag, but Matthew goes on to say that the Tourer is “aimed at blokes” – the light grey furniture and black leather trim seen here might be seen as a safe choice for a demo model but, in fact, you can have any colour you like inside.

The mass market appeal of the Tourer does not mean it is just like every other VW campervan, though. There are plenty of details to make the model stand out from the crowd. That starts with an obvious detail in the galley – the inclusion of drawers, which are often omitted from cheaper conversions. One of these has a lid so that it doubles up as extra worktop. 

In small campers like this, it’s the practical details – born out of real camping – that really inspire. Things like the chopping board that slots between the sink and cooker (or over the sink when you close down the kitchen’s glass lids). Kitchen cupboard catches are made from wood, too, so you’ll never be scouring eBay for some plastic fitting that has long since gone out of production. The catches incorporate magnets, too, while a modified aluminium awning rail is a durable attachment for the sliding table.

The rear seat can be the commonly used RIB unit or Cambee’s Flex 118 with an angled squab for comfort. However, the Flex seat can only be fitted in a pre-registered base vehicle as the relevant safety testing has not yet been completed on this design. Converting the Cambee bench into a bed is a doddle, though – undo a screw catch, lift the seat base slightly and pull it forward. There’s a huge drawer under the seat, too.

Useful storage is a watchword of the Tourer conversion, with room for two small outdoor chairs to slide in under the rear corner cupboard (via the tailgate), a safe under the passenger seat and aircraft-style top lockers which work brilliantly. Further options include a heater fitted under the driver’s seat – sited there, rather than underfloor, for longevity. Cambee usually fits a Propex blown-air unit fed by gas from an underslung tank, saying that the system is smaller and quieter. And rather than trying to squeeze three belts onto the rear bench, it prefers to offer a clip-in buddy seat which weighs just 30kg.

The closer you look the more interesting details you’ll find in this campervan, which impresses as much with its build quality as its design. All the usual VW options are offered, with standard spec being a T28 van with the 102PS engine and Highline equipment level.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.