This Is Leni the Hippie Bus, an Old VW Conversion With Matching Garage and Full Bath

Yet not all van conversions are created equal and, while we’ve seen more than a fair share of awesome ones, ol’ gal Leni is perhaps the awesomest. Even not taking into account Leni’s age and the many remodels it’s been through over the years, as well as the fact that it’s now on its second bout of exploring the world, Leni is pretty neat. So neat that maybe it deserves a few minutes of your busy day, and hopefully provide with some inspiration, if inspiration is what you’re looking for.

Leni the Hippie Bus is neither a bus nor really hippie, but that’s what owners Roman and Ioana are calling it, so who are we to argue. It started out as a Volkswagen LT 35 van that the current owners have had since 2017, traveling all across Europe with it. Under its latest remodel, Leni has a drop-down bed in the bedroom, which means it also gets a living room, and a proper bathroom at the rear. It’s always accompanied on its travels by a matching trailer that Roman built from scratch, which serves as a garage for all the gear Leni wouldn’t fit even if it grew up overnight into an actual bus.

The idea with Leni is to show others that, first of all, less is really more, especially when your focus in life is not the accumulation of material stuff, but of experiences. Roman and Ioana work from home, which means they can afford to travel wherever, because they’re taking the work with them, along with the home. They’re also not new to the vanlife concept, having started long before everyone else – meaning, after the initial wave of lockdowns of 2020.

Because it’s a van, Leni is compact enough to fit through the narrow streets of Swiss towns and in large cities, where it moves with ease. It’s slow going uphill, and traveling with a trailer is bound to make it even slower, but Ioana says that this allows them to have a better look at the scenery. Glass half full, and all that.

The trailer is a lightweight aluminum one with a ramp, built by Roman to suit their exact needs. It holds a couple of motorcycles and at least two electric bicycles, but also additional gear like paddleboards and what-not. A smaller garage is in the rear of the van, next to the bathroom, where Ioana keeps her longboards and e-scooter. Obviously, just because you’re downsizing doesn’t mean that you have to make do without your toys, and that’s something these two learned only recently.

The highlight of the van is the bathroom in the rear, accessible from either side. There’s a shower in there and a separating composting toilet, but Roman and Ioana prefer using the outdoor shower, whenever they can. With these two and the faucet extension in the kitchen, they actually have three showers, so they can always use one no matter where or the position in which they’re parked.

The kitchen is as small as you’d expect, but well equipped. There’s a two-burner gas stove with extractor and lights, the small sink with a separate water filter, a retractable cutting board and plenty of storage options. For a van, Leni features a lot of that, including drawers and separate wardrobe.

The dining area is behind the driver’s seat, with just one bench and a drop-down table. Swivel the driver’s seat and you get a table for two, which can also be an office. Drop down the projector and sit on the two front seats, and you get a screening room. The place over the engine is actually a lounge chair of some sort, with Ioana explaining that it’s extra warm, so perfect for use on colder days.

The bedroom is up over the cabin, dropping down at night and staying out of the way during the day. This option allows the two to create separate spaces for separate activities, like sleeping and work, which is not something you’ll find very often in a van conversion and which can turn in the apple of discord for many couples.

Leni has a pretty decent freshwater tank and carries additional tanks in the trailer, for when these two want to go off-grid for longer. A system with 1,000 W of solar panels helps with that, too, guaranteeing enough electricity to charge all their electronics and run their appliances, without having to rely on what they’d find at camp. Roman, who is clearly very skilled with his hands, built the aluminum tilting mechanism for the solar panels himself, so they always get the best exposure.

In a world in which we’re constantly being told and consequently trying to buy only the newest, shiniest, trendiest stuff out there, Leni is here to serve as a cute, DIY reminder that old is good, too. To vanlifers and vanlife-wannabes out there, it also serves as inspiration, thanks to its creative layout that allows for larger RV-like features and gear.