Garnica Ultralight: campervan-friendly plywood that challenges the impossible

Max and Delphine are a couple of photographers and videographers who have got travel in their blood. Pre-pandemic, they roamed from Russia to Japan but, like the rest of the world, found themselves stranded – in their case, in their homeland, France – with the onset of COVID 19. Fast-forward a couple of years and they have sold their home and exchanged it for an alternative model with four wheels: a Land Rover Defender 130 with cabin behind. The plan? To take an epic road trip to Central Asia with no set return date.

The first step in the adventure is a practical one: to renovate and refit the Defender 130 to make it a cosy, liveable space for about 12 months. First, they were forced to spend 6 months renovating the exterior of the cabin, before setting about removing over 200kg of wood panel from the interior. Sharing each and every stage of the experience on social media, the couple log their highs and lows, their trials and tribulations, their failures and successes.- One of the latter has undoubtedly been their choice of plywood. Struggling to find a light enough panel, they stumbled across the right brand when a guy who was interested in their project mentioned it to them. And you guessed it, it was Garnica.

Which interior camper panelling did they choose?

So what makes the best panelling material for campervans? In the words of Max and Delphine, the perfect balance between lightness, solidity and the opportunity to customise. Given the many miles the van is destined to travel, weight – or lack of it – is an absolute must. But that doesn’t mean they wanted to compromise on the resistance of the panel, or on its design. After all, they were going to be spending many months looking at it. Beyond this, the couple was attracted by Garnica’s philosophy, specifically our penchant for innovation and use of wood grown in sustainable, local tree farms.

Of the many products made by Garnica, the perfect fit was Garnica Ultralight: campervan-friendly panels that would meet their every need. The sandwich panel – formed of an insulating XPS (extruded polystyrene) core with poplar faces – makes it up to 45% lighter than traditional camper interior panels. Each panel weighs just 12kg, making it easy to pick up and work with.  

But though it weighs little, Garnica Ultralight is also surprisingly strong. The panels boast great dimensional stability, promising excellent results in terms of elasticity and modulus of rupture. And that’s not all: the product also offers exceptional thermal and acoustic insulation, to keep the couple cosy and reduce noise.
 

Garnica Ultralight: a line that meets all campervan needs

Once the question of which plywood to use was settled, Max and Delphine set to work fitting out their van, using the Garnica Ultralight range for flooring, wall panelling and to build custom-made furniture, including benches and cupboards. Ultralight Poplar can be finished with laminates or wood faces, resulting in a clean, practical and sturdy space where the couple can live their daily lives.

Max and Delphine loved working with Garnica Ultralight. In their own words, “it’s really easy to work with, the panels are softer than others we’ve tried, and we had no trouble cutting, sanding, or planing: it was really easy for our machinery to handle.”

If this renovation story and the subsequent van trip has piqued your interest, follow the couple as they continue their adventure by watching their video updates here. Garnica Ultralight and campervan refits: a match made in heaven. Find out more about the range here.