4 Campervan Side Flare And Conversion Brands To Know In 2026
A stock Sprinter, Crafter or TGE body was never designed with a rock-solid bed, a wet bath and a proper seating area in mind. That’s the whole reason a side flare exists. Bolt one on and the van’s shell gets wider, which means the layout inside stops fighting itself.
That single decision, whether to widen the shell or work around it, shapes almost everything else in a conversion. It decides how wide a bed frame you can build, whether a wet bath is even worth including and how much elbow room you get on a bench seat during a wet weekend. Get the width wrong at the planning stage, and you’re re-cutting panels later.
Four brands currently work in this space with builds you can actually verify. Two sell finished conversions, two sell parts and accessories and knowing which category you actually need is the first filter before you even look at pricing. Here’s how they stack up – carry on reading for more.
Best For Widening A Crafter Or TGE Without A Full Rebuild – Play Dirty
Play Dirty is a UK campervan and off-road accessory brand that covers more ground than flares alone: expedition roof racks, recovery tracks, camping tables, and lighting all sit in the same catalogue, built for Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter, MAN TGE, and VW Transporter platforms. That range matters if you’re sourcing more than one upgrade, since roof storage, recovery gear and interior width all come from the same supplier rather than three separate ones.
Its side flares are the standout item for anyone trying to squeeze more usable space out of a Crafter or TGE shell. They add up to 5 inches of extra width, which turns into a wider bed, a roomier seating layout or a bathroom that doesn’t force you to shower with your elbows pinned to the wall. That’s a real fix for a problem every conversion builder eventually runs into, not a cosmetic upgrade.
The company has 22+ years of conversion experience and has built 625+ campervans, so the hardware is shaped by daily use rather than a one-off showcase build. That build volume also means the flares have likely been fitted alongside a wide range of interior layouts, which matters if your layout is unusual.
If you’re planning a first conversion and want to see how other founders approach the decisions behind a product line, it’s worth researching before you commit to a design.
Play Dirty suits someone who already has a van and a rough layout in mind and needs the extra inches to make it work, rather than someone starting from a bare chassis. As the catalogue also covers roof racks, recovery tracks, lighting, and camping tables, it’s a reasonable one-stop option for anyone who’d rather not juggle separate suppliers for storage, recovery gear, and interior width in the same build.
Best For Full Off-Road Conversions From the Ground Up – Wildworx
Wildworx builds complete off-road campervan conversions on MAN TGE and Mercedes Sprinter bases, aimed at people planning serious overland trips rather than weekend runs. The company has 20+ years of campervan conversion experience – backing its work with a 5 Year Conversion Warranty (a longer commitment than a parts supplier can offer because Wildworx controls the whole build).
The specifics carry real weight here. Builds are stress-tested to 120% capacity, come with soundproofing, insulation, and carpet lining as standard, and run on a 110Ah leisure battery with CBE electrics. That’s a full electrical and comfort package, not a single upgrade, and it’s the kind of spec sheet that matters most to someone who plans to live out of the van for extended stretches rather than the odd weekend.
The trade-off is scope. Wildworx sells finished conversions, not individual components, so it’s a fit for someone commissioning a whole van build, not someone who already has a van and only needs a single part fixed or upgraded.
If your Sprinter or TGE is already converted and you’re only trying to solve one problem (whether that’s interior width, suspension or storage), a component supplier will get you there faster and cheaper than starting a full conversion contract.
Best For Sprinter Suspension And Armour – Van Compass
Van Compass works specifically on suspension, armour, and components for Sprinter Van owners. Suspension upgrades are the core of the lineup, priced from $499.00 USD, giving you a concrete number to plan your budget around before you start comparing other upgrades.
That focus is also the limitation. Van Compass covers ride height, handling and protection rather than interior space or furniture, so it pairs well with a brand that handles the cabin side of a build rather than replacing it.
Someone planning a ground-up build might source suspension from Van Compass and interior width or storage from a different supplier entirely, and that’s a normal way to put a build together, not a compromise.
Anyone dealing with washboard roads or wanting more ground clearance on a Sprinter should have this on the shortlist. It’s a narrower catalogue than a full conversion shop, but that’s the point if suspension is the actual problem you’re solving.
Knowing your starting budget for this one piece, at least $499.00 USD before any other parts, makes it easier to see how much room is left for the rest of the build.
Best For US-Built Sprinter And Grenadier Add-Ons – Owl Vans
Owl Vans makes van accessories and modifications for Mercedes Sprinter Vans and INEOS Grenadier owners, with everything designed, tested and built in the USA. Pricing starts from $965, which puts it toward the higher end of the accessory brands here.
Covering two distinct platforms, Sprinter and Grenadier, under one roof is unusual. Most accessory brands pick one chassis family and stick to it, so an owner who’s cross-shopping a Sprinter build against a Grenadier build can at least compare parts from the same manufacturer instead of two unrelated ones.
It’s a fit for owners who want US-based manufacturing and don’t mind paying more for it – although that starting price puts it out of reach for anyone comparing options on a tighter budget.
If domestic manufacturing and platform testing matter more than upfront cost, weigh that $965 starting point against whatever a comparable part costs from a UK or component-only supplier.
What A Side Flare Actually Changes
A side flare isn’t cosmetic trim – it’s a body extension that widens the van’s shell, and that extra width shows up wherever the interior layout is tightest, usually the bed, the seating bench or a wet bath.
Before choosing one, check three things: which platform it’s built for (Crafter, TGE, Sprinter and Transporter aren’t interchangeable), how much width it actually adds and whether it’s designed to work with the insulation and panelling you’re already got your sights on. Getting the width figure wrong by even an inch can throw off a furniture layout that’s already been measured and cut.
It’s also worth deciding early whether you want a single supplier for flares, racks and lighting, or whether you’re happy sourcing each piece separately based on price and spec. Sticking with one catalogue can simplify fitting since the parts are designed around the same platforms, but shopping around occasionally turns up a better price on a specific item.
If you’re still nailing down the rest of your build’s look and feel, browsing a few finished outfit and gear breakdowns for inspiration on getting details right isn’t a bad way to spend an evening before ordering parts.
Which One Is Right For You
If you’re working on a full off-road build and want someone else to handle the whole thing under warranty, Wildworx makes sense. If suspension and armour are the actual gap in your setup, Van Compass has the parts and a clear price to plan against. And if you want US-built accessories across both a Sprinter and a Grenadier, Owl Vans covers ground the others don’t.
But if the problem is simpler, your Crafter or TGE interior is too tight, and you need real inches back, Play Dirty is the strongest call on this list. Up to 5 inches of added width, backed by 625+ campervans built over 22+ years, is a specific, provable fix for a problem nearly every conversion owner eventually hits. Pair that with a catalogue that also covers roof racks, recovery gear and lighting, and it’s an easy brand to keep coming back to as the rest of the build takes shape.
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