Hi All

Joined and posting as I can't find very much on converting a multipla to a camper and wanted to share as I go through converting my new (second hand! - '06) Multipla to a camper/car.

Just back from our first camping trip with makeshift set-up (myself - 6ft - and 7 year old slept in the back with seats forward, back seat in passenger front seat, parcel shelf across front seats and coolbox in front with our camper chairs and bags):

here's our daytime setup:




Some things that made life much easier were the sunshade across the front window to cover all the stuff packed in the front and the groundsheet in the back was great too...discovered we could fit 2 folding camping chairs inside comfortable with the side table when it rained!

the plan to make this a permanent set-up is to remove the front middle seat permanently(we will only need passenger seat and one rear seat then) and add an ikea mattress160x120 for sofa bed(folds in 2 pieces) which will fit perfectly in the back and cut to fit a flat table where the parcel shelf is currently.

Plan to add hooks to attach string lights to and a curtain that will wrap around inside and a drive away awning to add a second sleeping tent and space to put chairs and table when its raining.

Anyone who's found a better sleeping/storage solution with ideas or pictures would be most welcome

And lastly - if I remove the front 2 passenger seats and just use rear seats instead for passengers is there any issue with insurance or legalities in this? Can't find much online - will call insurance if needed and report back!

Hi,
If you are planing on removing any seats from your vehicle I would certainly recommend checking with insurance company to be on the safe side.
Regards,
Dan.

Looks like fun, but must admit I wouldn't fancy trying to sleep in one. A few things that may be of interest:

An optional extra on the Multipla was a cool box/fridge that was fitted in place of the centre front seat. It's quite capacious and can also be used to keep hot food warm by flicking a switch. Unfortunately it can't do this at the same time as cooling stuff. It wasn't a very popular option, but one of the large car leasing companies (might have been Hertz?) bought quite a few of them. They (i.e. the fridges, removed from the car) come up on ebay every now and then, as most people are interested in fitting a seat in their place; I think I saw one on ebay last week. They are peltier cooled, so there's no need to worry about leaking refrigerant or a compressor going pop.

As for removing seats, I wouldn't think you'd have a problem with removing any of the rear seats as they are made to be removed. As it was a factory option, I'd also think you'd be OK with fitting the fridge but would be worth letting your insurance company know if you do fit one.

The seating in the roundnose Multipla was designed to convert into a makeshift double bed if the rear seats are located in the right positions, the headrests removed and all of the seat backs folded back flat. Someone on the forum had a go at doing it and posted a few pictures:
https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/274158-versatility-multipla-seat-positions.html

Finally, there was a genuine camper conversion based on the Multipla that was made in small numbers by a company called Wheelhome. There aren't many pictures of them around, but the few that are on this thread may give you some ideas:
https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/210864-fiat-multipla-camper.html

Good luck!

Just came across your post by accident, searching for something else - wow! Credit to you for giving this a whirl! I've always fancied trying this for my little lad and I to try, admittedly not in our Fiat (a Panda would produce a small bed by anyone's book!), but in our other car, a Ford S-Max. That has the benefit of fold-flat seats and a longer load bay that would take an air bed. My concerns were adding curtains without permanent fixings in the car (I figured I might try to get some of those thermal-shield/silvered screens that camper van users have) and providing overnight ventilation. The latter issue I figured could be resolved by installing a set of Climair wind deflectors (no fixings) and dropping each of the windows by 5mm - the Climairs would allow ventilation to stop condensation without rain getting in in bad weather.
I also thought about adding a Caranex tent that attaches to the rear of the car to provide an undercover area:
http://www.caranex.com
To really go for it, there is a company called SwissRoomBox (http://www.swissroombox.com) who make incredible bed/kitchen/seating solutions for cars. Pricey though! Mind you, during my investigations, I came across numerous home-built solutions along the same lines.
All this got put on pause as in the interim, I have recently been given a small utility trailer, which I've refurbished, but now am wondering if it's possible to convert that to a more self-contained solution to hook up to any car and go.

Try googling Rapido Exportmatic. The ultimate in folding abodes!

widemouthfrog said:

The seating in the roundnose Multipla was designed to convert into a makeshift double bed if the rear seats are located in the right positions, the headrests removed and all of the seat backs folded back flat. Someone on the forum had a go at doing it and posted a few pictures:
https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/274158-versatility-multipla-seat-positions.html

https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/210864-fiat-multipla-camper.html

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Blimey, nice to see one of my old Multipla posts still being useful! The only comment I would have is that the photos were from a Nosejob Multi, not an Uglybug, but the seating mounting points re the same, I think.

I never actually went camping in Myrtle, but I did have weekends away, 'lay-by hopping' and using truck stops etc. The other thing I did was to wire in a permanent live 12v socket so that I didn't have to have the ignition on to charge my phone or laptop, or use my 12v kettle. That was very useful. Sometimes I would just sleep across the front seat, too, instead of arranging the seats, particularly.

I guess it was this type of 'wild camping', if you like, that has led me to my current hunt for a C15 Hy-lo Romahome.

The Multipla is such a versatile vehicle and I am still saddened by its demise. I really believe there was plenty of room for development. Fiat shot themselves in the foot. There was never anything like it.

I wish you every success with your adventures, and continue to enjoy your Multipla. That is what they are for!

Panda

Thanks for the replies all. We've since been camping a few times in the multipla and she's held up well with all the space we needed for a weekend away.

Found the perfect mattress for the back (ikea sofa bed mattress that comes in 2 parts and fits perfectly in the back).can then have 4 seats(3 in the front, one in the back) and put folded back seat in front when using mattress.

i also found a uk site that has an awning which fits mpv's so 2 can sleep on mattress and 2 in attached tent.

i plan to do some permanent fixtures soon, dropleaf table, storage and some well placed hooks to add those hanging shoe holders to to store things while we're parked up and to hold curtains(still looking at options for this).

Will add photos as I go!

Interestingly, I've been mulling over ideas into camperising mine... I absolutely, 100% want a flat bed though, so my idea is simply two boxes in the back, one of which slides into a full length bed over the folded down pass/front seat with storage drawers etc and a similar one on the other side which can be used as a cooker surface etc...