MY VW TRANSPORTER T6.1
Vanilla began as a 2022 Volkswagen Transporter T6.1 SWB Highline with the 110 bhp engine and five-speed manual gearbox. It is compact enough for ordinary roads and parking, yet large enough to carry a proper campervan conversion. Mine returns roughly 30 mpg in real use; hills, load, wind and enthusiasm all get a vote.
A SMALL VAN THAT WORKS LIKE A BIG ONE
The conversion combines a Skyline pop-top, rock-and-roll bed, 50-litre compressor fridge, hob and sink, diesel heating and a portable toilet. The useful lesson is that layout matters more than collecting equipment. Every item needs to earn its space, especially when two ambitions try to occupy the same cupboard.
LEISURE BATTERY, SOLAR & PORTABLE POWER
The electrical system uses a 110Ah AGM leisure battery, Victron Orion Smart 30A DC-DC charging, a SmartShunt and solar feeding a Victron SmartSolar controller. Portable Jackery power stations handle larger off-grid demands. It is deliberately layered: the van’s essential 12V systems remain separate from the portable kit I use for cameras, cooking and entertainment.
WHAT REAL CAMPERVAN TRAVEL TAUGHT ME
Vanilla has carried me through British weekends, festivals, Scotland, Cornwall, North Wales and the 2026 European Drift. The best equipment is dependable, simple and repeatedly useful. Offline maps, organised documents, charging discipline and a repeatable security routine have contributed more than glamorous gadgets bought for a single photograph.
A short-wheelbase campervan also encourages the right kind of travel. A viewpoint can become lunch, a quiet legal stop can reset the day and a change of weather can redraw the route without destroying the holiday.
THIRTY DAYS, TWELVE COUNTRIES
From 6 May to 4 June 2026, the European Drift took Vanilla across 12 countries and an official journey total of 4,042.2 miles. The separate privacy-filtered GPS reconstruction shows approximately 4,006 traced miles. The van covered enormous ground without turning the trip into a windscreen marathon.