My campervan is almost ready from the garage, and I was looking to add a 3rd seat however there is no room for a 3rd from seat from what I can see, and the rock and roll bed can’t be used as a driving seat?
Is there anyway to add an extra seat? I’m completely clueless so I would do appriciate the help! If I can swap the single front seat for a double front that would be amazing!
Does anyone know of any chairs? What needs to be done for safety etc.
Original campers like the various Westy conversions tended to have non-load-rated rock-&-roll bed installed and so the seatbelts connected back directly to the van body via the various anchor points that VW built into their vans.
Where people installed a Westy or similar interior taken from an original camper into for example a panel van, it may not have rear seatbelt anchor points installed as standard, and so it has been common practice to retrofit additional anchor points to the body in the rear and to then use these for any seatbelts as above.
A lot of newer conversions however seem to be using a load-rated rock-&-roll bed, where the seatbelts are only attached to the bed, and so any loading needs to be transferred through the heavier bed structure via its attachment into the body of the van.
I prefer the simplicity of the first option myself, but my understanding is that either is acceptable.
There were also options to add rearward facing seats back-to-back with the front seats, so called jump seats, but in order to be considered safe they ideally want to be VW OEM and fitted using all the correct brackets etc.
If you're adding extra seats then you'd be advised to check that your V5C and insurance have both been updated to reflect the additional passengers.
Last edited by clift_d on 05 Feb 2026, 14:27, edited 1 time in total.
1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker Hightop syncro
There were double passenger seats fitted to some T25s from the factory, but I think they might rely on a bulkhead for support?
There's also a company making an absolutely horrific looking full width triple bench seat with a back that flips forward to "reverse" it, if you're happy with the ergonomics of a tram from the mid 1930s
The picture isn't showing up for me,
But I will say that if van has a seat belt fitted in the back, this absolutely doesn't mean that it is a safe, usable seatbelt by any standard. I've seen so many terrifyingly bad seatbelt installations.
Some years ago when I worked at Halfords I was asked to fit a child seat in a T25. The seatbelt was screwed to the 9mm plywood wardrobe with a 1/2" woodscrew. Supposedly fitted by the supplying motorhome dealer!
Before trusting it with a loved one, make sure all the mounting and pivot points are bolted to structural metal using proper bolts (16mm or 17mm head) and that geometrically it makes sense (the shoulder belt comes from above shoulder height and isn't relying on the flimsy seat backrest as a pivot)
cobblers wrote: ↑05 Feb 2026, 14:25
There were double passenger seats fitted to some T25s from the factory, but I think they might rely on a bulkhead for support?
Yes the upper part of the backrest is attached to the bulkhead with a bracket.
1986 tintop called Rutger. 1.6d (CS), 4 spd (ABF). Self-converted to camper in the Netherlands.
I’m unsure why the picture isn’t showing up I tried to copy and paste it
The belt mount is on the chassis on the back actually bolted in however of course this will be FULLY checked by a garage before I put anyone in! I mean I don’t think it can go above 50mph
