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If you just want to transport astronomy equipment, nearly any car will do. Since one important purpose is astronomy, not only do I want to be able to transport the bulky equipment but at the same time, I also want to get some comfortable sleep (before or after the observation). Plus, on some roadtrips, I want to bring along a bicycle (ready to use, no assembly required) and still want to have room to sleep in the car and -- at best -- also carry astronomy gear.
Besides what a camper can do, it also is useful to define what your campmobile doesn't have to do :
-) On vacation, I like to eat out and want to avoid washing dishes ==> no need for a kitchenette.
-) And I am willing to stay in a motel when I want to soak in a bathtub ==> no need for RV-like features like a shower.
-) Also I am willing to forgo the port-a-potty and will use restrooms in a diner or gas-station along the way. Adding a chemical toilet is comparatively easy, if you plan ahead and have storage with sufficient height.
You could compare these requirements to a TENT ON WHEELS -- and that is a good description. With that, there's no need to carry propane gas for cooking or heating or extended water supplies. Keep this in mind when you look at the result -- your choices will differ and that will change your design.
Standing upright is not a requirement but sitting upright on the mattress is really desirable. Being able to walk bend down instead of crawl on your knees (as in the pickup's campershell) is a big plus.
Packing the bike in one piece horizontally will require a lot of space and occupy room for the bed. OTOH, if a van is tall and has a long cargo area, rolling in a bicycle upright is a possibility and that still will leave room for a bed. Also keep in mind, if you want to unload the bike in the city, it can be difficult to do that through the rear door with a car parked behind you. A sliding side door helps in such situations.
A few cars & models I have to excluded from the beginning :
-) cute VW busses don't have enough horse-power and busses in good condition nowadays are expensive collector items.
-) AFAIK, you can't fit a bicycle in one piece inside the original VW-bus while still setting up the bed. If you're willing to remove the front wheel and turn the handle-bars, fitting the bike will be easier. I do not count the newer T4 as a classic VW-bus.
-) Caravans & even SUVs don't offer the convenience of a comfortable mattress while still having storage for bulky astronomy equipment. These cars lack headroom to sit upright in the bed. Some compact SUVs are too short to have a full-length mattress in the rear. The model I had rented was long enough as it was the XL-version with the optional 3rd row seats. Still, you cannot fit a bike ("as is") into that SUV while still having room to sleep at the same time. Same goes for the Subaru Forrester & Outback.
A pickup with a campershell was my first (non-astronomy) choice and there I was able to fit the bike inside and have room to sleep -- not at the same time but that was enough for trips to Burning Man. Upon arrival, I reconfigured the interior and had room to sit upright on the bed. To do that, I had to unload most of the equipment and therefore this solution wasn't suitable for roadtrips (unless you stay every night on a designated campground). But it was a great solution for a week long stay in Black Rock desert.
Excluding SUVs, pickups & cars. That leaves one category : VANs.
And when I looked around, I found the "latest" (2000 and newer) CHEVY ASTRO to be a great fit -- the GMC SAFARI is a re-branded ASTRO and it also would have met my criteria :
-) 200hp is a good amount of horsepower -- the iconic VW-bus is smaller & lighter but with 50hp... typ 90hp underpowered when fully loaded. Even the 4-cylinder 120hp pickup was sluggish uphill and acceleration was barely noticable on I-80 heading up the Sierra towards Tahoe.
-) Chevrolet sells ASTROs with 2 rows of passenger seats and windows all around. For my purpose, I chose the CARGO VAN option with fewer windows and an empty cargo area. Some owners have modified the passenger vans for camping but I dislike having windows around for everyone to peek into the inside. Having rear windows helps keeping an eye on traffic. Same goes for the window inside the cargo door on the side.
-) Vans come in many different sizes and my limit was ~190 inches / 4.8m. That length is similar to medium cars & compact pickups (like my old S10) and fits in garages.
The Chevy EXPRESS is the ASTRO's successor and is 30...45 inches (1.0...1.5 meter) longer. Many craftsmen & delivery services like that van for this reason but parking such a long van is more difficult. It can be too long to park inside garages & strett parking. Other van builders have used the EXPRESS for their camper conversion because of the extra length.
-) Height also is a factor but unless you have raised the roof, that rarely isn't an issue. Vans usually are < 2 meter (79 inches) tall while restrictions typically are 7...8 feet height (84...96 inches). Camper-vans with fold-up roofs or over-cabin beds are a different story.
Vans like the ASTRO are popular and even while no longer in production, there still is a large stockpile of spare-parts, new & used. (e.g. Craigslist, Pick-n-Pull, junk yards). Mechanics are familiar with this model. That keeps the costs of maintenance & repair in check.
-) There are "miniature work vans" like the Ford Transit Connect or the NV200 and people have converted them into campers. I found the interior cargo room too small for my purpose. If you don't have store bulky cargo below the bed and/or plan to bring a bike, these vans can be an alternative. Even used they cost much more because of their much lower age & mileage.
With vans popular in the US, I am not the only one thinking about such camper conversions. Without good carpenter skills and a workshop & tools, my own "1st generation conversion" was very functional and did fit all my needs : Transport equipment and a comfortable hanging bed.
Other people had more skills and time and I found a successor ASTRO VAN with better camper features than my 1st DIY approach. The cabinets on the passenger side will allow me to store some equipment in there instead of packing it inside boxes. That simplifies access.
This photo also gives you an impression of the room for the bike plus available storage below the bed. Unfortunately, the mattress is an odd-size (discontinued model from Ikea), much narrower than the off-the-shelf items. That makes it harder to get a replacement and new covers & sheets. That bedframe can be expanded to some degree -- e.g. pick a mattress for 2 persons (if you give up the in-car bike storage). Since this van has an optional trailer-hitch, adding an external bike-rack is easy.
The photo also hints at another -- unexpected -- advantage of this new setup :
Sitting on the bed and placing the 24" monitor on those cabinets, there's no need to move that gear to the outside during observation. That will save time during setup and later when packing up. It also helps to avoid bright lights of a laptop-screen polluting the observation site -- the screen doesn't leave the van. Hanging a thick, black cloth is enough to avoid further light pollution.
Once the setup is done and imaging sequence has started, there's no need to stare at the screen and I'm going to enjoy the view outside. my telescope-mount has a hand- control that let's me make adjustments without sitting in front of the computer.
Other conversions : offtracktravel.ca/tag/astro-van-conversion
There is a community of fans : www.astrosafari.com
This concludes my PART #1 -- Selecting the right car / van
Next, I plan to write more about the details of what goes into a DIY camper/astronomy van. Things like increased storage & headroom, extra battery & chargers, heating or not. And other tips & tricks
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