Markus has turned his Jeep Wrangler JKU into a proper camper. What we particularly like is that the finished solution is fine for everyday use and low-budget on top. We spoke to Markus (Pfalzjeep), and he told us how he went about planning and converting his Jeep into a camper.
Why did you go for this vehicle in particular?
I got to drive a friend’s Jeep a few times and was hooked straight away. The vehicle and the lifestyle that goes with it fascinated me, and it was clear to me: “I want to get a foothold in this scene.”
Did you build it out yourself?
The whole conversion was done ourselves, with two friends. Though I was more the ideas man and labourer, since I neither own the tools you need, like a chop saw for aluminium profiles, nor have the knowledge of vehicle electrics to wire up all the auxiliary lights properly and safely. The wheel spacers and mounting AT tyres on the original wheels were done by the workshop.
What was the goal of the build?
Originally I just wanted a simple mobile place to sleep, to stay flexible when the works do or a photo trip runs on a bit longer. But once you start talking shop with your camping-mad friends, it turns into a slightly bigger “project”. The important thing throughout, though, was that the Jeep had to stay fully usable day to day, with five seats.
How did you go about the build and the planning?
First we thought about everything you’d like to have, only to realise that fitting it all in would really need a truck. So a lot got cut from the wish list again. After that, out came the battens, tape measure and various other aids to measure the boot and interior precisely. The planning was actually done old-school on paper, no CAD. The moment of truth came when the fully bolted-together frame of aluminium profiles first went into the Jeep … phew, measured right.
What kinds of cabinets did you build? What materials did you use?
No proper cabinets went in. For me euro boxes are cupboard enough, so the build was planned and built around two 60×40 euro boxes. They sit on drawer runners and give me the flexibility I want between camping and everyday. In everyday use the camp boxes are simply swapped for the shopping or deposit-bottle boxes. The whole thing is bolted into a frame of aluminium profiles, and a birch plywood board serves as the base for the mattress. For clothes I use bags, and all the small stuff, like the onboard tool kit, is stowed with MOLLE pouches on the roll cage and the seats.
What’s special about your build?
The split into the part that stays permanently in the boot with the drawers, and the mobile rest of the bed, without having to remove the rear seats, so the vehicle keeps its full everyday usability.
How long did the build take?
Since both my “designer” and I were very busy with work, it took a good four months from planning to the first test lie-down. It has to be said, though, that most of that time went on planning and measuring. The actual work (cutting the aluminium profiles, joining it all and fitting the plywood board) was then done in a few days.
Roughly how much did the build cost?
Including the mattress, about 580 EUR in materials.
What’s still on the to-do list?
On the vehicle itself, still fitting airline rails at the rear windows, to have a way of carrying external boxes.
Vehicle data:
- Jeep Wrangler, JKU (Sahara Golden Eagle)
- Year: 2018
- Colour: black
- Engine: 3.6l petrol V6
- Standard 18-inch wheels
- AT tyres from BFG
Highlights:
- Wheel spacers, 30 mm per side
- Rock sliders
- LED headlights
- Work lights:
- large light bar
- small light bar on the bonnet
- cubes on the A-pillar
- new front grille
About Markus Busch / Pfalzjeep
My Jeep and I are pretty much inseparable. Day to day it regularly takes me to my job as finance team leader at a mid-sized company, and in my free time it comes with me into nature to shoot photos for my Instagram profile with a DSLR and drones. One special shared hobby is that we regularly appear as part of a Resident Evil cosplay group at conventions and trade fairs (Instagram: uc_hive_palatinate).