The multi-talented Fabian from Aarplan!

Hi, I'm Fabian and I live with my wife and two sons at the southern foot of the Jura in Solothurn. I produce the magnetic storage kit 80/20+. By the way 😉 I work together with our team of 9 as an architect in the architectural office Aarplan Architekten AG. In our free time, we have been traveling since 2011 with our VW T5.2 SpaceCamper Classic on the road. First as a couple, later with our two sons.

This is how the kit 80/20+:

We always lacked storage space when cooking outside. On a hot summer evening in 2018, I was tinkering with the prototype of my shelf at the campsite in La Fouly. Back then, I used materials that I found at home. 

A few magnets, a threaded rod, a few threaded sleeves, an electrical aluminum tube and wooden slats from a bed that was no longer in use. I had had the idea of a magnetic shelf in my head for some time, but the prototype was realized in one evening, in the end with a torch.... 

Iwas surprised myself at how well it worked and how stable it was. So I thought that other campers might also be interested in this rack. This is how the kit 80/20+. I made the first series of 20 pieces with stainless steel parts from Jakob Rope Systems, and I worked on the wooden parts myself in a joinery that we often work with. After a successful start and the opportunity to show my rack several times at the Suisse Caravan Salon and the Ace Cafe, I ventured into a series of 100. The wooden parts are still made for me by VEBO in Oensingen. The ropes and the cover for transportation also come from VEBO, but from Solothurn. The chrome steel parts are made by Blumenhaus in Buechegg. All three institutions are social workshops. The fourth series is currently being produced. The shelves are available exclusively in the Büssli store available.

All materials are high-quality and durable. Be it the cover made of robust backpack fabric, the rustproof metal parts or the waterproof glued wooden parts, which are very resilient. The strong magnets are rubberized and protect the bodywork. The same applies to the ropes, which keep the wooden parts away from the vehicle and serve as protection.

The kit 80/20 can be purchased with or without a lower shelf.

It never ceases to amaze me how resilient the top shelf is. In a load test, the shelf easily carried 18 kg. In everyday life, the weight of 7 kg on the shelf should not be exceeded.

The bottom shelf is always used for cell phones, a lighter, sunglasses, a pocket knife and the car key. See also: www.aarplan.ch/kit

High-quality lids:

I have recently been able to offer the Büssli store high-quality, perfectly fitting wooden lids for Rako crates boxes. You can even sit on the small 30/40 cm lid and the crate can be used twice. As a transport or storage box and at the same time as a simple seat, loadable up to 80 kg. The storage box thus becomes a simple camping chair.

Tidy on the road:

Space management in the vehicle is important to me, so I aimed to make optimum use of the load volume right from the start. In 2011, there were no heavy-duty pull-outs yet, so I bought a sturdy 120/40 cm Rako "flower box" from Utz, the inexpensive forerunner of today's standard pull-out. I still use this "flower box" today. It provides space-saving storage for all the chairs, the camping table, awnings and poles. The following crates fit under the lying surface: 2 x 40/60 cm, 1 x 120/40 cm and 2 or 3 x 30/40 cm (depending on whether a mobile toilet is included or not). This gives a total load volume of 330 liters in stackable containers.

Beat the mess with a bargain:

When we took the boys to Sardinia for the first time, we knew that we would be spending our vacation relatively stationary. In order to have the best possible access to the clothes, I built an easy-to-install angled shelf in the area above the dashboard across the entire width of the windshield and up to the backrest of the driver's seat. This shelf can be transported in the high roof to save space and can be set up within 2 minutes. With an area of more than 1 m2, the shelf offered us a lot of valuable storage space.

Also practical:

The latest achievement is a folding rear box on the trailer coupling, which allows the tailgate to be opened easily when lowered. I modified the base carrier slightly for this purpose. The separately purchased 312-liter aluminium box fits perfectly on the rear carrier and proved to be very practical on our round trip this year with many different overnight stops in Germany and Denmark. The equipment we need every day is quickly and easily accessible from the outside.

Not just vacations:

In 2022, a few surrounding orienteering clubs organized the Student World Orienteering Championships and 2 Swiss Championships. I was responsible for the infrastructure of all 6 finish and start areas (i.e. the competition centers), mostly located on the edge of a forest. The Büssli proved to be the ideal sleeping, office and workshop vehicle and workhorse. Being able to sleep on site meant that there was no need to travel to the overnight accommodation. One of the two 40-liter water tanks is heated with the waste heat from the engine, so my team and I were even able to take a hot shower every evening.

If necessary, I can also make a special loft bed, which can later be used as a normal bed when the children are older.

Our trips:

With the SpaceCamper we traveled to the following countries for shorter or longer periods of time:

Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and of course many beautiful places in Switzerland and also in the very close vicinity of Solothurn. Some of our overnight stays were at campsites and others in permitted "wild" places. 

See you soon and have fun on the road! ✌️

Fabian.