Introduction

Curtains give a nice finish to a converted camper van. The main benefit is they provide an easy, quick way to give you some privacy.

They block out light, although how effectively depends on the material and they do provide some limited heat retention.  Internal curtains can also be used to divide up the space in your van e.g. between the cab and the rear seating.

Buying

You can buy curtains ready made either specifically from a van conversion company or just by taking the dimensions to a curtain maker. While it seems a bit excessive to pay for ready made squares of material, if you are set on a really top notch finish and are after heavy duty curtains e.g. lined or made of blackout material and have a lot for fiddly window shapes paying for them is probably for you.

One thing it is probably worth paying for is a campervan specific curtain rail with runners and end stops. These are designed for vans and I was able to get plain plastic rail in lengths of 2.2m which I then cut to the required length. It is flexible allowing you to follow the curves of your van and obviously the runners and end stops are specifically designed to fit.  Rails also come in more sturdy metals and there are other options such as spiral wire.

Making

Making your own campervan curtains is relatively easy.  Adapting an existing set of curtains can be a super-easy way to get what you are after.  Curtains are a fairly simple shape so it can also be pretty straightforward to make them yourself from scratch, especially if you are combining them with the insulation mats and a just looking for them to provide simple, quick window cover.

You'll Need:

• A normal domestic sewing machine
• Reasonably strong thread cotton or polyester
• Curtain material (thickness and design will depend on your needs and tastes!!) You may also want this double sided so your van looks good on both the inside and outside)
• Header tape
• Curtain rail, runners (including hooks) and end stops

Costs are minimal.  Curtain material can be anything from £0 for old material or curtains you have lying around to purpose bought material. Approximately 1m of header tape should cost about £1.  Curtain rail - a 2.2m length will cost around £4.  Runners - 100 runners will cost around £10 and end stops - 25p each.

Measure the campervan windows and give yourself a decent overlap, in particular at the bottom to make sure the windows are completely covered.

Remember if you pull in the header tape, to give the pleated effect common to the top of most house curtains it will shorten the width.

Cut out your curtain material. Hem round all four sides and sew your header tape into the top.  Remember if the material has a front and back which side you want to be visible in the van and which outside. Measure and cut the curtain rail to fit, again remembering you need an overlap. Stick or screw this in place. Impact adhesive seems to work fine for a plastic rail. A metal rail may need a more sturdy fixing. Put the hooks in the header tape, set up the runners and end stops on the rail and hook up.

Questions

Q: How can I fix the curtains out of the way?

A: There is no 'right' answer here it depends what works - In factory made conversions metal poppers are often embedded into the frame of the van and the curtains clipped in (both to close and to hold them back when open).  I used simple tie backs - cord held onto the sides of the window by little strips of rubeer matting glued with impact adhesive.  Not necessarily pretty but functional.  Be interested to know what others out there have done?

Q: You mention a curtain to separate the cab - how did you do this?

A: The secret is to use a plastic curtain rail, runners and hooks - You can find these in various campervan and motorhome equipment suppliers.  The plastic rail makes following the curve of the roof between the cab and back seating easy.  The runners and hooks are designed to hang freely whatever angle the rail is at.  I stuck the rail on with impact adhesive - photo below.  Making the curtain and tying it back is fairly easy as described above.