This No-Frills Micro Camper Van Is the Cheapest Tiny Home on Wheels You'll Ever See

Meet Callum and his 2003 Renault Kangoo, which he converted into a budget-friendly tiny home on wheels. He's been living and traveling in it for the past three years with his dog, Nellie. Initially, he planned to use it for occasional trips, but he ended up liking it so much that he moved in full-time.

First, let me tell you about the budget. This vehicle had been sitting for six years when Callum found it. It was offered for sale for £1,000 ($1,255 or €1,165), but he managed to get the price down to £800 ($1,004 or €932). You can imagine the poor state it was in after sitting untouched for so many years. So, Callum invested £500 ($627 or €582) into its repairs and renovation, bringing the total cost to £1,300 ($1,631 or €1,514).

For Callum, as he described, it seems silly to go back to a conventional lifestyle when it comes to costs; this micro camper offers all the comfort he needs and allows him to travel and spend nights in all sorts of places.

There aren't many exterior accessories on this rig – the main one is a huge storage box on the roof, where Callum stores tools, firewood, and more. Moreover, the only element that hints that someone is living inside this vehicle is a chimney for a wood stove.

As you might expect, Callum chose a wood stove over a diesel heater because of its cost. What's more, one of his friends' dad welded the wood stove together, and Callum installed it himself. It's a bit of an obstacle inside, and he also said he burned his arm on it a few times.

Despite having a compact interior space, Callum can make it feel more open by opening the two rear doors and the two sliding doors on the sides. Furthermore, since there are no side windows in the living space, just in the driver's cabin, Callum can let more natural light shine inside by sliding open the side doors.

Callum didn't make any major modifications to the driver's cabin. He added various decorative items, including fake plants and hemp covers for the A-pillar handles.

Since he wanted to keep costs to a minimum, Callum didn't install any sort of electrical system. Instead, he relies solely on the cigarette port to charge a battery pack he bought for £30. That might sound crazy to you and me, but he's been using this battery pack for the past three years, and it does the job just fine for him, as he only needs to charge his phone, lights, and clippers. Furthermore, above, he fitted a large cargo net, as there's no headliner shelf like on other micro campers.

You really need to be a minimalist to be able to fit all the items you need in your daily life inside a micro camper. In Callum's case, he explained that anything he doesn't use on a weekly basis goes out of the van. Moreover, whenever he buys something, he tries to lose something from the van so that it doesn't add up to too much weight - that sounds like one hell of a challenge to me.

Regarding aesthetics, Callum went wild with the stickers, putting them on every part of the interior.

On the left side of the van, at the rear, Callum devised the most basic of kitchens. It features a tiny countertop with a slip-up extension, a storage net, a small shelf on the wall behind, and a single-burner camping stove. Funnily enough, he used to have a drawer, but he ended up burning it in the wood stove as he didn't have any other dry wood.

On the opposite side, you'll discover the couch/bed. Again, like the kitchen, it has a simple setup with a large bench with some storage space underneath. Furthermore, the bench can be extended to be turned into a bed.

What about a bathroom? Naturally, there was no space inside to fit one. Instead, Callum uses public bathrooms or simply does it in the wild. However, for washing, he uses a basic shower head connected to a water tank hung at the back of the driver's seat. He must pump the tank to get some pressure for the water.

Many people, including me, might think this is too much of a challenge, especially if you've been used to living in a conventional home. However, it's clear that this extremely affordable setup works for Callum. You can see on his face that he's happy with what he's got and fully enjoying the freedom this lifestyle offers.