[MrSDey]

I am looking for someone in India who can modify a Pajero into a camper van. Basic needs are

- two row seats
- beds for 2 people
- WC+shower
- kitchen etc

Spoke to a few people, but they are stuck to fixed concepts. Looking for an out-of-the-box kind of builder.

I don't want to do this on a Force Traveller type vehicle with poor driving experience. I am looking for mods like in the VW Camper van (not available in India).

If anyone has done something similar, or can recommend a good builder, will be much appreciated.

[Ragul]

Dont you think a Pajero is too small to be turned into a full fledged camper van? I wouldn't think of anything smaller than a Force Tempo or Tata Winger to consider for such a project.

For a long tourer I would consider restricting the plans to safely securing 20+10ltr drinking+washing water, extra fuel, and a large 4 man ground tent with porch, stove, mini-gas cylinder, folding kitchen table utensils, toilet tent and kitchen cleaning aids and an attached canopy for shade. How to do it without theft and to prevent items from becoming deadly projectiles at high speeds is the challenge.

Especially given the ill-though judgement of SC banning all modifications to cars in India, I am not keen on spending big bucks and time on heavy modifications. For the money one would spend - there are also no safe completely isolated places to camp without bandits or cops harassing you leaving aside the Leh/Ladhak Himalayan regions or northern-most parts of Sikkim and thats like 2500kms away. There is a video of a you-tuber biker asking (day-shift) cops for permission to camp across the road opposite the police station downhill by the river bank - only to be woken up rudely at 5am by a posse of (night-shift) cops out to bully him and drag him to the police station (most-likely settled for bribe money, I don't remember the ending)

Also consider that as a "Rich" car owner with expendable income in India one should strive to spend money on poor local businesses dependent on traveler money as a social responsibility rather than going solo all the way. Especially after lockdown.

As for me - I had similar fantasies, but after being pampered by office A/C for decades, and now home A/C - I wouldn't bother doing this anywhere other than places and seasons where maximum daytime temperature is around 25C (again Himalayan side and in season).


The big reason for me to have the travel/camping setup for my car is that I will only travel with my dog who mostly sleeps in my bed and most places will not accept pets in their accommodation - or throw nasty surprise rejections after 11hrs of driving. I am still working on the plans to camperize my soft-top Gypsy for this reason alone but it will be a bolt-on type of setup and only for Himalayan jaunts.

If you know places in Kodaikanal/Ooty closer by where it is safe to camp I would love to hear of them.

PS: If you interested and se we are both in Bangalore - I can share videos of external camping accessories I thought would be cool to build custom.

[Amrik Singh]

Camping Grounds is not up in India yet. Safety of personnel and equipment is another deterrent in this direction. Restrictions in Modifications to Motor Vehicles are a toast to bribe demanding Cops. Overall, with cheap accommodations for visitors, camping will not get off the ground.
Choice of vehicle for Modifications is a far away question.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Dont you think a Pajero is too small to be turned into a full fledged camper van?

Not really.
This dude modified a Jeep Wrangler and drove it across Africa.

A popup roof provided interior living space and a warm, dry and comfortable bed out of reach of hungry African carnivores. A fridge and kitchen meant I could cook and eat much fresher food, and a drinking water tank, filtration setup and UV treatment gave me an endless supply of safe drinking water - essential to any African adventure.

https://jalopnik.com/how-to-prepare-...roa-1847090292

[MrSDey]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Dont you think a Pajero is too small to be turned into a full fledged camper van? I wouldn't think of anything smaller than a Force Tempo or Tata Winger to consider for such a project.

.....

I agree with you about the India-specific problems. Our Babus justify their existence by creating dumb laws, and then we have cops and locals and goons. This is what has stopped me from doing this all these years.

Right now I am in the Himalayas for the last 4 months, stuck due to covid, and there are tons of lovely places one can camp. Not sure how bothersome locals will be, or cops. This is one of the more tourist-friendly places in the country.

So I don't want to do this in a Force Traveller because I test drove those vehicles and they are ridiculously poor drives. I also don't want to do tents because I have done that, and I want hard walls and not something I have to pitch and pack every few days.

This thing is good because it is inside the vehicle, and not visible from outside. I am speaking to someone to see if they can do something similar, except this is a Pajero so I need more expanding structures than they have here.

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

Not sure how bothersome locals will be, or cops.
.

My state is one of the most camping friendly state in our country, that I know of. I have been camping for the last 30 odd years and H.P has never thrown a surprise. Yes, occasionally you get to meet the local buffon, but there would always be others to entice him away. As long as you are not creating a scene or a ruckus, no one will bother you. But yes, expect local company who will come and talk to you out of curiosity and also offer home cooked meals or even a place in their homes as they find the idea of you sticking it out in the open embarrassing for them. Many a times I have been asked to come and sleep on a proper bed away from the elements and they say it's an insult to their hospitality if they let a guest sleep out in the open.
Someone willingly sleeping out in the open is not their idea of fun, as yet.
Regarding modifying a Pajero, it will have to be a camouflaged conversion so that no mods are visible from the outside on the go. But yes perfectly doable but will accomodate a max of 2 persons, not more.

[MrSDey]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

My state is one of the most camping friendly state in our country, that I know of. I have been camping for the last 30 odd years and H.P has never thrown a surprise. Yes, occasionally you get to meet the local buffon, but there would always be others to entice him away. As long as you are not creating a scene or a ruckus, no one will bother you.

I once tented out on the beach in North Karnataka, bought fish from the small boats, cooked and ate. 3 days. A few drunk local fishermen came the first night, made a scene, but others came and shooed them away. It was a pretty good experience.

A few years later, I did the same in a beach in Goa, after taking permission from a local beach hotel.

A cop came. An Ab-Tak-Chappan type of guy. He was extremely rude. So rude, in fact, that for a scary second I thought I would be No 57 on his list.

Never camped in Chandigarh, but did camp in HP a few times. And have been camping in the Himalayas for 25 years now. Nary a problem. Still, a solid camper van is the best IMO.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by MrSDey

I am looking for someone in India who can modify a Pajero into a camper van. Basic needs are

- two row seats
- beds for 2 people
- WC+shower
- kitchen etc

Spoke to a few people, but they are stuck to fixed concepts. Looking for an out-of-the-box kind of builder.

I don’t see how a WC or shower can fit inside a pajero. It has to be a portable commode with shower tent. Kitchen will also have to be a portable folding table. That means your mods only need to cater to a flat bed inside and storage to securely stow the outdoor equipment.

[GTO]

You should talk to Ferdi Rodriques who will be up to such a modification. He has a workshop in Bombay though, so not sure of how your logistics would work. For what it's worth, he does work on handicap-vehicle conversions for customers from all across India and was also singularly responsible for keeping my Jeep in top shape for 20 years. Additionally, he is an adventure lover who will understand your requirements.

Ferdi : 9820120556

[Rehaan]

In case you missed it, cross-linking to this thread (Indian cars modified for camping & overlanding).

It's got a great compilation of several camper types, and links to more information for most.

[PKG]

friends, came across this Video in Youtube while browsing. An Innova converted to a camper and with full details. its a Mix of Kannada and English, but anyone can follow. Very neatly done. He quotes about 3.5 Lakhs only to convert the Innova to fully functional camper complete with Toilet, shower, stove, refrigerator, truly impressive. link here

https://youtu.be/OrwF7SzqYYk

[Ulysses]

Hi BHPians, wanted some advice regarding building a motor home for long haul over-landing purpose. I was wondering about modifying an used Force One. The positives are ; 1) Acres of space 2) strong body and chassis 3) good suspension (supposed to be Lotus tuned) 4) Decent GC (but can it be increased?) and last but not the least 5)Availability of decent condition used Force Ones (with 50K-60K in Odo, as claimed) at a very reasonable (cheap) price.

However, there are some serious cons as well; 1) production long stopped hence availability of spares is doubtful 2) niggles and malfunctions, especially in the AC and Clutch as reported by early owners in many forums 3) the original engine was not much powerful

I am looking for a SX ABS 4WD version (6 seater). My plan is to do mostly internal modification and do least external tinkering (so as not to get noticed by cops), but I was wondering is it possible to change the engine and gear setup (and attach lift kit) for more power and torque and it may also solve to some extent problem of availability of critical spare parts (related to engine and transmission)

Has anyone in this forum tried this? Or any advice/suggestions/ideas shall be greatly appreciated. Thanking all in advance.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Ulysses

Hi BHPians, wanted some advice regarding building a motor home for long haul over-landing purpose. I was wondering about modifying an used Force One.

Has anyone in this forum tried this? Or any advice/suggestions/ideas shall be greatly appreciated. Thanking all in advance.

I am toying on the same idea but thinking of getting a Force Traveller widebody 3350 or a 3050 if it comes with a wide body. The idea is to plan a semi retired life and not be stuck in the city but spend at least 1 month travelling perhaps thrice a year. I heard the 9 seater can be registered with a white plate. I also saw on youtube a vlogger claim that Force Motors sells a shell only version that comes only with chassis, engine and driver/front seats full furnished and the rest just an empty shell without any interior panels or seat mountings even. So as not to waste money in stripping and throwing away a dozen seats and panels or grinding down their bolt mount points.

The ex-showroom price should be around 12-13 lacs or less for the (shell-only version) for the 3050 at least and a few lacs spend in conversion should give you better utility than a 20lac SUV like the Gurkha or an MPV - only catch being you should have those 4 months a year free to travel and use the money invested. Also found some Indian YT campervan family channels where they have installed toilets and a proper kitchen in the Force Tempo Travellers. Plan to reach out to them and also have a physical inspection when time and schedule permits for out-station travel to meet them.

[Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Ragul

I am toying on the same idea but thinking of getting a Force Traveller widebody 3350 or a 3050 if it comes with a wide body. The idea is to plan a semi retired life and not be stuck in the city but spend at least 1 month travelling perhaps thrice a year. I heard the 9 seater can be registered with a white plate. I also saw on Youtube a vlogger claim that Force Motors sells a shell only version that comes only with chassis, engine and driver/front seats full furnished and the rest just an empty shell without any interior panels or seat mountings even. So as not to waste money in stripping and throwing away a dozen seats and panels or grinding down their bolt mount points.

The ex-showroom price should be around 12-13 lacs or less for the (shell-only version) for the 3050 at least and a few lacs spend in conversion should give you better utility than a 20lac SUV like the Gurkha or an MPV - only catch being you should have those 4 months a year free to travel and use the money invested. Also found some Indian YT campervan family channels where they have installed toilets and a proper kitchen in the Force Tempo Travellers. Plan to reach out to them and also have a physical inspection when time and schedule permits for out-station travel to meet them.

Conceptually this is a better idea that converting Force One or Endeavor. However there are some practical problems; 1) Not all states accept Force Traveler as non-commercial vehicle and within state also, there are differences between RTOs. 2) Even with a white number plate, one will be harassed at check points because some inspector might think that you're carrying a fake number plate. One of my friend with a ISUZU VCross (which is well accepted as a private vehicle) faced such problems in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, so much so that he ultimately sold the vehicle off. May be an isolated case, but the possibility is always there. 3) Total conversion cost would be more and lastly 4) Force Traveler would need more space to move and park, so may not go everywhere. There is a YouTube channel, DCV Adventure, who regularly does overlanding with either a Thar or a new Gurkha, and goes to reasonably offbeat places.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Ulysses

Force Traveler would need more space to move and park, so may not go everywhere.

Not much worse from the Tata Harrier in terms of LxWxH. Turning radius only slightly more than my Gypsy.