VIDEO GUIDE:

Partially for having a hammock from corner to corner – but also to allow me to attach things to the roof in the future if I needed to (e.g. surf boards).

I did not have an exact use-case in mind – but by doing them now it means I have options in the future.

On that basis I bolted six stainless-steel load bearing points to the roof; four over the bed and two at the front. I got mine from a yacht supplier – they only cost a few dollars each.

These were long enough to stick through the paneling and were rated for 300kg.

I used stainless steel countersunk machine bolts, and using the powered screwdriver made them super tight to the metal work. This way they are unlikely to ever get loose!

Tip: It is worth finding the thicker metal in the van for attaching these. On some vans (Citreon Relay/Dodge Promaster for example) the some of the metal box-work/framing is made with quite thin metal – which might buckle with too much weight.

Usually the frames around the doors tend to be a thicker grade steel and more suitable for attaching load-bearing points.

The hammock and a fixing point showing through the cladding – it means the van can sleep three if needed – which can be nice.

What is better is that I just need to park near a tree and I have a nice hammock set-up going from inside the van to the tree.

Wiring preparation & Conduit

I will link to this video in each section that includes electrics – it is worth a watch to get an overview of what you are trying to achieve.

VIDEO GUIDE:

I used conduit for my wiring – you do not need to, but it was really handy. It also meant I could add extra wires later if I needed to. In my second van I did not bother – I was confident and just Gaffa taped up my wires.

Gluing conduit over the celling – you could also use gaffa tape

First I drew out my electric wiring and LED positions on to the van using a marker pen. Once done, and once I was happy with where the batteries and electronics were going, I pushed the conduit through the metal box section (sides of the van) and glued it to the ceiling where necessary.

This was used for each main set of lights, the fan and the side LEDs. I also put conduit going to the kitchen unit to power the tap and for wiring to go to the van battery for the split charge.

What is a Split Charge?

This is typically a unit – or a voltage-sensing relay which enables you to charge your Leisure Battery from your Starter Battery. The voltage sensing bit means that it only charges the Leisure Battery when the Starter battery is full – otherwise you may not be able to start the van

Pushing in the cables

Once done I pushed my electrical cables through the conduit. I left a bit extra on each cable just to be sure.

I labeled the conduit at the battery end (and the cables) so I knew where each one went.

Mains-in, MCU and Invertor are in position. This is also where all my conduit ends up. Notice the labeling – this makes things much easier when wiring up the van!

I used 2.5mm2 two strand flex for all my 12v wiring and pushed it through the conduit ready for future use – for most 12v stuff you can use 1.5mm    but I don’t mind a bit of overkill in this area. I bought 50m, I needed slightly more, but not much!

Where the conduit needed it, I cut a slot in it so that the lights could be connected in the right position.