Camper van modules: the €15,990 business

Camper van modules: the business of self-sufficiency on wheels

A removable kit that turns any van into a camper for €15,990. The promise is appealing: no drilling, no permanent conversions and the option of returning the vehicle to its original state. But anyone wanting to know more runs into a form instead of a firm price. The manufacturer, Vancubic, does not publish open rates: you have to fill in a questionnaire to receive a quote, an opacity that says a lot about the product and the strategy surrounding it.

The starting figure is only the expensive end of a wild range. Against the €15,990 of the plug-and-play module stand full workshop conversions exceeding €50,000 and, at the opposite extreme, the school of the roll-up mattress, the plastic box, the camping stove and a urinal. Between those two poles lies the decision of thousands of drivers who want to sleep wherever night catches them without taking out a mortgage.

The business of reversibility

The strongest argument in favour of the removable module is its reversibility. Unlike a classic camper conversion, which leaves the cabin drilled and hard to resell, these kits are installed and removed, which suits users who want freedom without giving up the vehicle's residual value. It is no coincidence that the product has drawn opposing views: those who see it through market logic speak of a scalable strategy with margin; those who look at it through their wallet dismiss it as wishful thinking.

The comparison with DIY is inevitable. For less than €2,000 you can fit out a van with shop-bought materials and even with furniture reused from a caravan. The difference is not only money, but also time, skill and patience. Some take that philosophy to the extreme and point out that a family estate car and a mattress are enough to travel for weeks, as shown by the experience of someone who slept in a Renault Mégane for three years in Norway.

Safety and the doubts about the future of mobile living

It is not all about numbers. The use of light vans such as the classic Citroën C15 to install modules and motorhome panels worries the more technical-minded: the distribution of forces and the fixing to the chassis do not always respect physics, and some remind us that the roof is not designed to bear weight in motion. Prudence suggests testing before trusting.

Beyond the technical side, one current sees in these modules a preview of a scenario where mobile housing becomes the only affordable option. The line separating the caravan from the home is getting thinner, and it is not hard to imagine parking and camping restrictions that turn freedom into a regulated privilege. Those thinking about the future of housing and those who just want to sleep on a beach roadside are buying the same thing: an escape door.

Anyone who thinks the price is the only opaque thing is wrong. The form required before the quote has raised suspicions in more than one person. To the question of whether this is the future of budget travel or a catalogue whim, the market has not yet answered. But the fact that the debate has been spinning for months around a simple kit says more than any slogan.