Hi I'm Kiki and I live full
time in my wee camper Silva. She is a 2016 Citroen Berlingo that
I have converted into a tiny camper with a lot of help from my wonderful brother! Stay tuned to see how I have laid out my van build and how I fit all of my life
into a really tiny vehicle! I spent a lot of time camping
out of my old Berlingo which had a really basic bed
and some under-bed storage so I knew what I was looking for and what I had missed in that one
that I really wanted from this build when I started the planning. When I did the build I wasn't actually
planning to live in Silva full-time, though I was sort of dreaming
of spending a few months in her so I had all the things that are
essential to me in the build. Since moving in I've changed a few things around, mostly in terms of just what I store where, figuring out what layout works best for me All of the framework is made
from 25 mm aluminium tubing both for the lightweight and also
the ability to disconnect the front two sections of the frame when I want
to use the middle seat in the back. The bed base and countertop are made from 12mm
ply and the front of the counter is 3.6mm ply. At some point I will do a video
showing how the middle seat fits in under the bed and how that works but at the moment that seat is in storage because I need all the space I can
get whilst living in here! The back of my home looks like this. I'll start on this side - this box is
for my diesel heater above it I've got some poles for my awning a windbreak, a yoga mat the paddle for my paddle board and a little
bit of rope with a prussik knot and a pulley. Beside here I have a little latch that means
that I can latch my boot open and still lock it. And some cool little things and
I'll show you how they work. I got the idea for this from a van
tour from somebody in BC Canada. She had used Velcro to fix it and I
have just stitched some magnets in and I have one of these for each side they do
an excellent job in stopping rain coming in if I want the boot open and there's
a bit of rain coming in sideways. So the height of my bed was really designed so
that it was the right height to fit one of the seats so the middle seat still fits in under the
bed with the seat folded down and the bed can be out. The bed base and the mattress both fold
up and then the seat can pop up in the middle By fluke I happen to fit two of these storage
boxes from an IKEA unit I had in my flat and they fit perfectly under the bed It looks like I've designed it for that but it was just luck! So in here this is essentially you
know when you have a junk drawer in your house that just has everything in it? This is one of those! So I have my little scrubber washing machine, which one day I'll show you how it
works if you haven't seen one... spare toiletries, this box has screws in it and sewing supplies and just everything
- stationary supplies and all sorts! and then in the top one I
have got my hot water bottles, some cloths and socks and
laundry stuff and things in here. In the blue box I have clothing so
this is the majority of my clothing it is all kind of rolled up and
mostly organized I've just added some more sort of summery clothing to it and
haven't quite figured out how it all fits! so the jumper sits on the top. I can actually get to this from
my bed I can kind of lean over open the back lean over pull it out
and grab clothes it's really handy! I have one clip hanger here for when I'm hanging
up like my wetsuit trousers and things to dry after a paddling session. and then behind the blue box is a
pink one, another one from my flat. I have to give it a bit of
a wiggle but this comes out and this has just everything! This is my shower - I've got a
USB powered shower, ground sheet, a tarp for using a hammock, there's
a couple of hammocks in here, spare towel, that one's a hammock,
spare blanket, some rope, a bag, a little bit of gin The essentials! and my poi on top here This isn't stuff I use every day so this goes behind my other clothing but it's still quite easy to get to when I need it. My mattress is a standard single width, but
a little bit shorter. I made it I think 172cm I’m shorter than that so it's still
enough space for me and it means I don't have to move the front seats - my bed is set up all the time. I bought some custom foam for this it is 10cm or 4" thick and incredibly squidy and comfortable and then because it is standard single width but shorter it's really
easy to buy things for it so I have a standard single fitted sheet and this mattress protector because the mattress protector is longer than the foam and the foam is split into three I can fold it up with this still on it but then I can take this off and wash it when it needs it! I usually fold my duvet up like this during the day and then I have this bit of fabric I bought in Peru that I lay across the bed to give it some protection when I’m crawling in and out or generally spilling food and drink, as I’ll often sit here and eat. This is my bookshelf a great friend of mine made
for me and I also keep my tea bags in here So this fan is a recent addition. When I’m sitting in the back on a warm day it does get quite warm and I get very sleepy! Which is lovely if you want to have a nap, not great if you're trying to get something done so the fan is a new addition to try
that out to see if that worked that's just clipped up there for now it's USB chargeable. Behind this power bank I have all my cords and things I started making like coasters and bags and stuff so um that's a lucet and lots of different cord, that's my favourite colour! The power bank I use
is a Powerpack 450 from Portable Powertech. I had their smaller one and a small solar panel
on my roof just for adventures last year before I decided to live in my Berlingo full time so
I’ve since upgraded to this so it has a lot more capacity it has - you can see it's just charging
from my solar panel at the moment. It has two USB-C and three USB ports on this side it's also
got an AC port and you can switch to that. I haven't used the AC on this
one yet Almost everything I have runs off USB or charges on USB. The solar for this goes straight in so it's charging solar at the moment and then on this side you've got DC out. This has got an adapter for these ones and then
a traditional DC carport. So I am finding at the moment that this kind of works I haven't
completely run out of power I do if I’m at somebody's place so I can give it a boost
from the mains I will charge it up fully. I do at the moment only have a 30W solar panel
on the roof I have another 30W panel on order the previous power pack I had only took 30W max this one will take up to 80. and then I think I’ll be fine certainly during the
summer months, in the winter we'll see what happens This is my brother drilling a hole for the cable
for the solar panel I think it was the scariest part of the build for both of us! I didn't have
this at the beginning so this is just some bungee and I put knots and slide it down here this holds
my cloths in place and also gives me somewhere to hang some jewellery and stuff and then I have a couple of little pots here, this one's got some earrings and stuff in it and this one is mostly just a sort of junk pot in there, with a cool Taiwanese design! When I first moved in this whole piece that goes
all the way to the end here was one piece of wood and a very clever woodworking friend of mine suggested
that I cut this to make it easier to get in here I now have a beautiful Highland
coo from a very talented friend here. Then in here I have uh this is mostly vest
tops and scarves. I have all my toiletries here and then this one has like underwear and cloths
and things Again by a complete fluke my little laptop fits very perfectly in here and just slides in and pops there! Sometimes I’m in awe at how perfectly some stuff fits! The cabling here and that
runs down the side here is for my heater. The intake vent is just down there. Underneath the shelf on this side I have basically my pantry and some of my kitchen supplies. So this is - this is pretty rammed at the moment So these - I’ve got two fabric um things like this
and they're the only storage that I’ve actually bought for the car. I needed something narrow
enough to fit in this spot here. Everything else is something I already owned, or have made. So I made this and the box that my vest tops and scarves are in. Then behind this - this is where I store a
couple of hangers these are usually for hanging up my um like wetsuit top and stuff after paddling. This is just an old box that is the right shape to fit in here. I think until it falls apart I won't look for an alternative this is usually where I keep most of my
cans and things and it's overflowing with other supplies at the moment. Under here is my fire blanket it's just held up with some cords and then this last box has all my sort of kitchen supplies, I - that was from a friend, I do like Plymouth gin! I have a couple of plates my bowls just here are very carefully positioned so I can actually get to them from the side door I don't have to pull all of this out every time and the rest of the kitchen stuff in here is stuff that I use generally stuff I use less often or again can get to it from the side I’ve also just bought myself a water
filter which I have yet to try out but at some point in the coming weeks when I’m away further off the grid I will hopefully make good use of this! When I’m trying to get things out from all the
way in there I actually have this tiny little spot here where this sits This box sits up here and so does the blue box if I ever need to get to the pink one I don't have to put everything
on the ground to get it out and I can also leave my shoes here and close the back and get into bed
if I’m getting in and out from this side! From this side door I have my little tap and my sink My sink is just an old bowl I’ve had since
I think I was 16 and started camping I have a little bit of a silicon thing that I stick - It keeps it stuck down even when I’m driving My tap is just here just literally goes through the wood
and then down into a 10 meter water tank I don't leave this plugged in when I’m driving So when I’m done with my water
tank I just take this hose out and then I just pop the end in here just to
keep it clean out of the way This is an old bottle that I stopped using because it leaks if you tip it at all, but it works really well for this! and then I’ve just used some old
stretchy fabric um to tie this in place and I also looped it around here... this is like storage space that I always want to use a bit more If you put things here it moves around when driving and then falls out when you stop so this is just some cordial and I just loop it around there and it means
it doesn't fall out when I open the door! I have a little system with these beads here -
I pop them here whenever my water tank is in so that I remember to unplug it and put
the lid on before I drive so that I don't splash water everywhere My tap here turns around which is really useful
when I want to fill up water bottles and things I can just pop it here - and then
fill up a lot of water bottle from here Then on this side I have that's just some wild
garlic left over from picking the other day it's got a little bit of water in there to keep it
going. This is my cool box that I use as a fridge I don't eat meat or fish or anything um
eat very little dairy so it's quite easy to keep everything cool at the moment
I just have coconut milk fruit juice some really yummy jam and then yeah lemon, lime, ginger I don't use that much sort of butter or spread and I started just getting some in a little pot from a friend whenever I go to a friend who has dairy-free butter
and when I run out I don't use butter! So my cool box switches are here this is literally
because this is close to my water this sits here just so I don't splash water all over the
electrics This just runs when I’m driving This area also often ends up just dumping ground for stuff especially in here I often end up chucking food and things in here I made this from an old um windscreen reflector thing and I wasn't sure how cold it was gonna
be when I first started this life in February and I thought it'd be really useful to have
something just to stop my tank from freezing I also had something wrapped around
this at the time like fleecy tubing I don't think it would have ever frozen but... it's also really useful because it stops water like splashing
onto the cool box and the electrics here and it it means I can dump more stuff on
top of it so uh the moment it's staying! Behind the water tank I also have a couple of effectively oven gloves these are for when I’m cooking and things and I’m getting hot fingers! and then there's a couple of boxes in
between and these have just got jewellery making supplies I used to make a lot of jewellery I
haven't for a while but I’m hoping to start again I keep my little chopping board here None of this slides around when I’m
driving this kind of keeps it stuck on. I use solid soap for washing up and
then that's my soap for cleaning behind here I just keep my like floss
and I’ve got toothpaste tablets in there and a hairbrush This is my main light It is a little USB chargeable light and it's kind of all the light I need. I usually recharge this maybe like once a week in the winter
months and at the moment not very often at all So in this section I have my washing up brush here I have a bottle of cleanser my toothbrush and that's my shampoo and conditioner and tea
towel so that all lives easy to reach. My mouthwash lives just here with a cool badge from a friend So this just has all sorts in it really I’ve got some spare shopping bags another one here ready to just
grab and go uh alcohol gel always want that to hand a bottle opener and more scarves -
I always have lots and lots of scarves. So I keep a lot of my fruit in here I have this little bin that my parents actually bought me
when I was camping out of a Ford Ka in Scotland and that's usually all I need I just chuck away rubbish as I go and then this is sort of my main kitchen area so it's these three boxes again they're boxes that I already
had I’ve had for absolutely years this thing sticking out on top
is my pump for my paddleboard It doesn't really fit very well in anywhere but it doesn't actually get in my way there I keep a box of cereal on top of here In this first drawer I have all my utensils I can reach all of these from my bed so when it's raining or I’m being very lazy and I’m not going outside I can get to everything here. I just have one of everything I have two
knives but then just one of all the cutlery. I have plenty of chopsticks because I eat with chopsticks a lot and then like spatulas and spoons and my spare tea towel and measuring cups and stuff I use mainly
when I’m making toiletries and stuff. In the second drawer here I usually keep other like
veg and things so I’ve got some lettuce in here mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber at the moment! It stays pretty cold even when I’ve been
using my heater in the winter I find that this bit on this side just stays really cool, which is perfect. I will often leave that open a little bit so it breathes
but I have cut some holes in the back of just this box so that it does get a bit of airflow
and stuff doesn't get really damp. In the bottom drawer here I have like seeds
and nuts and dried fruits and herbs and spices and then obviously, very importantly, Marmite! This is a work in progress! I wanted to make something to hold a couple of bottles
and flasks that I usually have floating around they've been annoying me in this foot well for the last couple of months so I made this, it took me ages, um I think I undid as many knots as I did up and then it doesn't quite sit right if I’ve got heavy bottles in it So I need to make some alterations to this -
work in progress. I also have some space underneath the driver's seat at the moment I have a bag
that's got my midge nets in there and then I’ve got toilet paper, more toilet
paper underneath, and a pee pot! Under the bed on the passenger side of Silva I keep my blinds in here during the day I have insulated blinds that stick to all the windows and then down here, it's pretty rammed,
I don't have a huge amount of space! there's a litter picker here that
slides alongside the passenger seat my laundry bag hangs just here until it's really full and then it sits down there but it's quite useful because I can get to it from bed. Under here I have my rucksack ready
to go whenever I want to go for a hike Behind that is all of my cooking stuff so this has got my stove and my pots in here
and a wind break, some natural fire starters all in there... they are in a lovely Elmer bag! Behind this - this is my box that I keep
all of my supplies for my stove in So this is pretty rammed at the moment I have egg boxes which work really
well as fire starters. I accumulate these from friends and family that eat a lot more eggs
than I do and then just a lot of dry wood of different sizes I am well stocked! In here I have some more natural fire lighters. I have a lovely new big pot for cooking, so now I can cook a lot more food a lot more easily without burning
it to the bottom of the small pot I had before this is a new addition. I keep my car kettle under here In the pocket behind the passenger
seat this is basically my toolbox I have a electric screwdriver in here
and all the different fittings for that I’ve got a little saw for chopping up bits of wood I have a manual screwdriver My glue gun for creative projects A hard heat-proof surface and then some rope some washing line rope I also have a hammer down here which is
actually the one I got for building my bed frame but also in case I need a hammer for anything else There is also a little compartment under here this one has - that's just spare water it's not usually
drinking water and then some cans of drink. In the previous Berlingo I had these were way bigger and you
could fit lots in them and they were a nice shape and size unfortunately this one not so much. But my old Berlingo didn't have cruise control - so you can't have everything! So under the main section of the bed I have I have fuel - I’ve just bought a Trangia type burner
to go inside my stove and then I have this box which basically has all my shoes and things
in it so this box is mostly footwear I’ve got some walking shoes my welly boots, some spare
flip-flops inside my wellies, also socks. Yes for anyone that spots the logo
that is some spare tonic water! I also in here have a jump start kit just in case um and my tyre inflator compressor thing-a-ma-bob and then some extra wood and fire supplies because I currently have lots of them There's a few other bits and pieces in here This is to redo the hinge - fabric hinge on my bed which I will do once I get to
someone's place at some point soon Then I have a little stool. A lot of people ask me whether I have a chair of any sort uh I don't - I don't think I can fit a fold
up chair in here I usually sit on rocks and sometimes picnic benches and
things but I also have this little stool. Back under the bed I have a spare five litres
of water which is currently wonderfully full. This bag here has all of my like wetsuit
and uh paddle boarding stuff in there This bag beside it has - you can probably see the carabiners it has a climbing harness for climbing trees not rock climbing so it's like a rope climbing harness and a couple of small ropes my main rope is in storage so if I want to climb
a really big tree then I have to go get my main rope! I have a little awning here which
I’m still getting the fitting to the van sorted. This is my emergency toilet! Behind the toilet I have a box that I keep all of my mains - mains electrical charge-y things in here so that when I’m going to someone's place and
can plug in and charge stuff up this is where it all lives there's also some spare corks that didn't have another home, uh I make things out of these! So this box I keep all of my oils and powders and things to make
all the toiletries that I make myself. The other thing I have under here is a little
cutting board that currently lives just there I just got a little board to cut wooden
things when I don't have a flat surface I have a tendency to cut myself otherwise
and I just put some little feet on this My diesel heater vent is just under the bed here
obviously my firelighter that I now store here did not live here during the winter when I
was using the heater! My diesel heater is the one thing
that I paid somebody to install. I have no clue how to do things like that and I needed it underneath the van because
there's not enough space inside! So that is tapped into my diesel tank and powered by a small leisure battery
that lives underneath my passenger seat. At the moment I don't have a way to plug
anything else into that leisure battery but that is something I will be fixing
shortly with help from a new friend! I have a little fish bag here that I store all
my cables and a USB mouse and things in. When I first went away camping after the build I
realised there was this gap down beside the bed so I made good use of it and filled it! So inside these cushions I actually store things
and this is something else I picked up from watching other people's YouTube videos
so thanks to anyone that gave me this idea! So in here I have my really fluffy blanket
and just a spare bit of fabric that lives there I keep a lot of my um bedding stuff
in here so my like thermals and sleeping bag liner and stuff and then I’ve got a jumper and
things in that one. I have this washing line that hangs across here
I had the same setup in my first Berlingo and it's really handy for hanging stuff up so my towel
will go across this if I’m driving and it's wet sometimes my tea towel hangs up just there, flannels and things
like that and then in here you can just about
see that I added some insulation. So across most of the roof there's this - it's recycled plastic fibres and I stuffed as much of that as I could in there
it definitely makes a bit of a difference to temperature. Across the beams I’ve got like a foil
insulation and then the rest is the fluffy stuff So in the front of the vehicle beside driver's
seat I just have some screen wash stuff the shovel that I use the most - quick and ready to go! A little brush that I use for cleaning out the mats and things I have this between the seat - it's really useful for extra things! I make an air freshener from distilled water
and some essential oils which smells really good and then I keep some of my water bottles
here This cushion is something I mostly use on long motorway drives one of my arms doesn't quite reach my armrest! Behind there I’ve got my coat and camera. This is currently full of all sorts - it
has spare charges and things like that In the gap down here I keep my waterproof so I’ve got waterproof jacket waterproof trousers and also a pair of flip-flops. I know it probably sounds like a strange combination! I have an umbrella that sits down side of the driver's seat there and then that is a meditation stool in that foot well. I also have some basil that is
looking a little worse for wear I think I started it off when it was still a little bit too cold at night I have this uh little phone holder that fits into this weird hole here that otherwise isn't much use and I keep my headlight
just there so it's ready to go if I need it at night or in the early hours of the morning. Up in the storage space above the front seats I have
a first aid kit some paracetamol, ibuprofen, some spare masks, lots of different hats, gloves my Anker
Bluetooth speaker which gives really good sound just sitting here but I can also take out and my incense burner there's some spare incense behind
there as well for when it gets really midgey This bungee that I use as a washing line is just tied by there's a knot that I’ve just slipped through the edge there and it just holds it in place. and finally possibly my favourite part of the
build my brother added these wonderful buttons so that I can open the boot from inside
and I can also open the top part. How cool is that?!
