If there’s one thing the modern van life movement taught us, it’s that living in your car doesn’t have to feel like living in your car. The design of today’s best custom campervans resembles many luxury studio apartments with high-end materials, finishes, and fixtures throughout. If you’re building out your own custom campervan (or even daydreaming about it), you know that few choices can make as much of an impact as investing in good wood for your interior. If you’re planning to spend months or longer on the road in your van, you’re going to be looking at the walls and floors of your vehicle a lot. So why not invest in paneling you love? That’s where Garnica comes in.
Upgrade the look of your van with Garnica’s lightweight poplar paneling
The Spain-based company produces some of the lightest, most handsome, and most sustainable paneling that’s perfect for RVs, campers, and campervans. Its poplar plywood paneling is available in four varieties: Efficiency, Performance, Ultralight, and Ultralight HPL. Each option is purpose-built with a particular goal in mind. If you’re looking for budget-friendly, the Efficiency is your man. For weight-conscious setups (which is most van life builds), the Ultralight and Ultralight HPL are the way to go. If money is no object, the Performance line is Garnica’s most premium paneling option.
No matter which flavor you choose, they’re all designed to be far lighter than traditional plywood. Most van lifers know that lighter vehicles are better on gas and easier to handle (and therefore safer on the road). The wood panels are also far easier to cut, mold, and paint than plywood, which can shave hours, even days, off a custom van build. It’s also surprisingly strong and offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. As a bonus, 100% of the wood in every panel is sourced exclusively from sustainable local tree farms.
Van life customizers Vanpuravida built two identical vans but used standard plywood in one and Garnica’s wood paneling in the second. The company used plywood in just about every aspect, from the walls and ceilings to the furniture and door panels. In the end, the Garnica-paneled build was more than 200 pounds lighter — that’s a weight saving roughly equivalent to one additional passenger. The company also claims the paint finish on the second build was far smoother, more uniform, and just superior compared to using plywood.
Where to shop for Garnica wood paneling for your van or RV
The official Garnica website is the place to score the best wood paneling for your van or RV. Every flavor of poplar paneling is available, including all of the above options: Efficiency, Performance, Ultralight, and Ultralight HPL. The final cost will depend on how many square feet you need and whether or not you plan to do the installation yourself. Either way, it’s an awesome way to upgrade the look of your vehicle.
