Hi

[sh011265]

Hi All

I'm new to this forum. Here to see some how others are enjoying the VW camper lifestyle. Looking for nice pictures, tips and tricks.
I own a VW Westfalia Kepler One from 2018. A VW T6 transformed by Westfalia.

I chose this particular vehicule over the T6 California Ocean since it's based upon the LWB, has a toilet and hot water as standard. I do rent out my VW to make the lifestyle more accessible to others, so those two basics (hot water and toilet) were a must have.

 

[Lorri]

Welcome along

 

[2into1]

Ok, I'm going to ask the question everyone wants answering but don't dare to ask.....
Do you poop in the toilet? ...
Or is it just used for number ones? ...
Or is it just used for climbing into the top bed?
I'm sorry but it's a vital question for the future direction of camper design (and all vehicles once we go driverless).

 

[sh011265]

Ok, I'm going to ask the question everyone wants answering but don't dare to ask.....
Do you poop in the toilet? ...
Or is it just used for number ones? ...
Or is it just used for climbing into the top bed?
I'm sorry but it's a vital question for the future direction of camper design (and all vehicles once we go driverless).

Glas you asked ;-)
It's a number everything toilet. Number one, number two and as a step up for climbing in the bed.
It's a chemical toilet as used in larger campers, so no problem with unpleasant smell or anything else. Just empty the casette every two/three days. Depending on the frequency of use. Perfect for camping off grid in nature.

 

[Gary&Heather]

Abroad

 

[Hotel California]

Welcome allong !

 

[sapto]

Welcome here! Nice van!
Happy camping!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Great van (have been tempted by the Kepler One). Welcome!

 

[sh011265]

Great van (have been tempted by the Kepler One). Welcome!

Thanks!
Really enjoying the hot water feature of the Kepler One after a cold surf session

Some stated that the built quality is a bit less. But I'll see how it goes in the upcoming years

 

[MattBW]

I think in future companies should market portaloos as "All Number Portapotty" hehe love it

 

[sh011265]

Hi sh011265, we are just getting brave enough to order a Kepler 1 after a long long journey over a couple of years. We've looked at everything out there, as I guess most people do, before arriving at this decision. Is there any advice you might want to pass on in terms of which extras we might/might not want to include, VW and Westfalia? Have you been happy with it, has the build quality been good? Any niggles? Has the LWB been restrictive? Anything else that you want to pass on, as an owner, would be really useful as I think I've read, seen and listened to everything Kepler related already. Hearing it from an owner would be very helpful. Thank you

Hi

Happy to answer your questions.
- LWB hasn't been an issue for me. It's not that much longer in comparison with a SWB and it still fits in most of the parkings or small city streets. Taking into count the extra benefit of the chemical toilet I totally recommend the LWB.

- Build quality: A friend of mine has a classic VW T6 Ocean. Cost: +- €85k. My VW T6 Westfalia: €60k
And yeah, the Ocean has a better built quality and feels more luxurious (more a luxurious car feeling instead of a "transporter" feel). The Ocean is a bit more silence too while driving and you can make it really expensive with a lot of extra options. Nevertheless, the Westfalia is -for me- more than perfect. But it wouldn't be fair to say that the €25k extra that you pay for the Ocean isn't noticable. Haven't compared a €60k VW Cali with westfalia though. I suppose they are pretty similar.
Some guy told me the build quality of westfalia isn't the same anymore as on the T3's for example, it now contains more plastic instead of metal for instance. But, for me it works fine and the build quality is fine. I do rent mine out, so it gets used a lot and thus the extra options/money for the Ocean isn't worth it and are some extra's that can be damaged.

-Extra's: I've attached a Thule Bike Rack (on the trunk) and I've put a box/thule easybag on it for some extra space while traveling for > 4 weeks.

- Cons: it's not possible to install a roof rack/bars on the roof construction of the westfalia. Something that I needed for surf boards. But you can put them inside the car since there's one pathway from the back till the front seats (unlike the california).
O yeah, and the indoor heating is manual instead of digital as with the Cali.
No built in windows blinds for the front windows in the Westfalia.. So you're stuck with those stupid stick-on blinds. (still looking for a solution for this :-D)

- Pro: Toilet and warm water are making trips so so SO much more comfy. Yes, you can live without it, but o my gosh it feels SO luxurious when showering with hot water. (especially when caming "into the wild")

It's my first season I've got mine VW, so can't really say anything on long term durability.
For equal VW Cali build quality, someone recommended me "Reimo" conversions instead of Westfalia.
But i really prefer the Westfalia setup/arrangements of everything.

If some other questions: feel free to ask.
Always welcome to pass by if in Belgium

 

[sh011265]

You are welcome.
What about 'Stylevan Durban'. It indeed looks the same.

Btw, westfalia has some other conversions as well on for example a Ford Transit. Looks nice too.

Hi sh011265, thank you so much for taking the time to respond and for the detail provided, it is very much appreciated. I won't lie, I've had my head turned a little just lately and looked at a couple of Cali Oceans but the toilet, storage and layout of the Kepler 1 is hard to beat. I was a little disappointed to read about the Stylevan Durban which is exactly the same as the Kepler 1 and I guess made in the same factory. I suppose they also belong to Rapido and this is what will happen from now on. Anyway I think you've made it a lot easier for us to finalise our decision.
Once again many thanks

Feel free to share once you've got your K1

 

[sh011265]

Stupid. Not available in the UK.
I wasn't aware of the Ford westfalia when I bought mine. But I do think that having the VW badge gives an advantage in reselling my van.

The current 2019 VW T6 Westfalia is slightly different from my 2018 version concidering the bed downstairs. 2019 has some sort of matrass with it as the 2018 doesn't.

Good luck ✌

 

[sh011265]

That's right. The toilet is different, table is smaller and comes with two leg sizes, there is storage for the 2 large parts of the downstairs mattress behind the passenger chairs and the lounge area is slightly larger. That's all ok but there is a third part of the mattress that is Velcro attached to the side of the wardrobe. Shame. The link below has some photos.

Westfalia présente la série spéciale Kepler One Iconic - Actus des marques | Camping-car Magazine

Pour sa collection 2020, Westfalia étoffe sa gamme de vans, sur Volkswagen T6, avec une version Kepler One à la présentation spécifique dénommée Iconic.

www.camping-car.com

You've done your research
The lounge looks a bit smaller in the 2019 version. Due to the bed storage behind the passenger seats.
I just found out after I got mine that there was an updated interior. At first I was a bit upset about it. It feels a bit smarter and more room for storage when traveling with 2.
But it both has pros and cons.
The Velcro matress is a con, I use that space to store a foldable table, a jacket or a yoga-mat. But I suppose the quality of the downstairs bed is a bit better.

The biggest pro of the K1: the interior is at the same time the biggest con.
At a California you've got more storage for a square box or luggage underneath the passenger seats in the trunk. Undoable at the K1 so everything needs to fit into the closets or I take one box with me in the back while driving and when parked I put it in front at the drivers seat/foot.

One day I'll design my own ideal van interior ‍

 

[sh011265]

But one thing I do see now: IT HAS RAILS ON THE ROOF
That means: a box on top of the roof, surf boards, ... Now I'm jealous

 

[sh011265]

True that.

 

[Dasteknoviking]

Sorry to bump this old topic, but it seems like it's one of the few on this forums with Kepler owners.

I reached out to Westfalia because I was wondering what the top bunk weight capacity is for both the T6/T6.1 Kepler One and Club Joker, however I haven't heard back.

Searching hi and low on the web and even ChatGPT () yielded no results.

Can anyone shed some light on this topic? I am leaning towards the Kepler as it will fit in my garage and I can "daily it" to the office car park whenever I have to go in.

Thanks!

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