Sleeked Ford camper van is the best Nugget of all ... and VW will join
By
C.C. WeissSeptember 23, 2026
Sleeked Ford camper van is the best Nugget of all ... and VW will join
The Schmiede Nugget Twin 4x4 breaks out of the renderings and into real life
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The Nugget Schmiede Nugget Twin brings some serious color to the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon
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Nugget Schmiede's roof arches back more naturally from the windshield than the offical Ford Nugget high roof, which extends past it
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Nugget Schmiede is selling both the complete Nugget Twin and the high roof itself – the latter will allow DIY camper van builders and conversion companies to create their own camper designs beneath the high hard top
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We were so blinded by the bright-orange paint, we didn't notice the pink accents on first glance
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We were walking between halls down that window-covered corridor in back when we spotted another Nugget Twin worth checking out, this one just parked quietly in a small lot outside
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The Schmiede Nugget Twin 4x4 breaks out of the renderings and into real life
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Nugget Schmiede drops its fiberglass roof atop what started as a pop-top Ford Nugget
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AI-generated rendering of the Volkswagen Transporter with Schmiede hard top
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The high roof Schmiede supplied for the last-generation Nugget featured a more Ford-like overhanging design in contrast to the swept-back design of the new roof
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Nugget Schmiede tests out the all-wheel-drive Nugget Twin on dirt and rock
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Schmiede tested the Nugget Twin 4x4 on loose gravel, sand and snow, as well as inclines up to 37%, to get a better idea of how capable it is
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King of the mountain
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Nugget Schmiede puts the all-wheel drive to work in loose, tire-sinking sand
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The Nugget Twin features the stock Nugget floor plan with folding front bed, rear kitchen and available fixed toilet
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The Schmiede high roof opens up some serious permanent space and storage up high
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Schmiede's roof design includes a split-folding double bed
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Schmiede can install one or two roof hatches
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Nugget Schmiede mentioned the possibility of a panoramic Nugget high roof like the one it still offers for the last-generation Nugget, but we'll have to wait and see if it ultimately develops one
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View gallery - 18 imagesToward the end of 2025, German Ford camper van specialist Nugget Schmiede beganpreviewing the high-roofed Nugget Twinit was preparing for a big 2026 launch. The van's neatly swept fiberglass roof looked smoother all around than even the versionFord itself came up with. That roof and the Nugget Twin it tops have officially launched to give Nugget buyers a new winter-ready camper van option with four solid walls and space for four people. Unlike Ford's own high-roof Nugget, this one is available in ground-clawing all-wheel drive. And the roof is also on its way for Volkswagen vans.
After dealing only in renderings the last time around, the real, live Nugget Schmiede roof burst to life at the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. Not only was there a pink-accented bright-orange version on the show floor, but we spotted a second deep-green model out in a parking lot between exhibition halls. We definitely preferred the latter, though the former color combination was certainly effective at capturing our attention – not that a small Ford camper van with high, curvaceous custom roof needed that much help.
What makes the hard, high-roofed Schmiede Nugget Twin preferable to the official Nugget High Roof that Fordintroduced a year agoisn't the paint – Ford's own ice-cold blue still wins the day there, in our opinion. Instead, it's the fact that the roof is swept back and streamlined, giving the van a sleeker, more natural look. Presumably the aerodynamic performance is better, too.
Perhaps even more importantly, Schmiede's Nugget Twin is available in all-wheel drive, an option Ford's Nugget High Roof lacked upon introduction. And that seems like a critical piece of the puzzle for a well-insulated, fully hard-walled camper being targeted at year-round use. You'll certainly be glad to have all-wheel drive when the snow picks up on the way down-mountain from a weekend ski camping trip.
Schmiede created the Nugget Twin by simply removing the pop-up roof from a long-wheelbase 545-cm (215-in) Nugget and installing the upside-down fiberglass tub in its place. It prepared the new roof design in conjunction with camper brand PureFlexx, and not only is it sleeker than the one Ford has developed with Westfalia for the Nugget High Roof, it's a step forward from the bulkier variant Schmiede offers on thelast-generation Nugget. The bed inside is kept the same size as in the stock Nugget, a 200 x 125-cm (79 x 49-in) unit designed to sleep two people.
The Twin stands between 260 and 280 cm (102 and 110 in) in total height, depending on spec and tires.
Since Schmiede did its work straight on top of a Nugget camper van, not a Ford Transit Custom van, the floor plan below remains exactly the same as a stock Nugget straight from Ford. All Nuggets come with the rear L-shaped kitchen in back, and Schmiede's fixed high roof makes it slightly easier to access than Ford'sforward-angled pop-top. Buyers can choose the Nuggetwith a rear toiletor the one with extra storage in place of a toilet.
Incidentally, we once stated that the latest Nugget with fixed rear toilet might be the best of all modern Nuggets, but that was before the latest generation of high roofs hit the scene. And the sleek Schmiede version encompasses all the Nugget's best attributes – three-room design, available rear toilet and available all-wheel drive. So we amend that previous sentiment to opine that the Nugget Twin looks to be the best all-around Nugget camper van out there ... at least as of September 23, 2026.
And while there are plenty of Nugget loyalists who believe Ford's official camper van to have the best pound-for-pound floor plan on the market, there are undoubtedly many would-be buyers who would prefer a different layout – perhaps a conventional folding rear bench/bed and sidewall kitchen block. That's why Schmiede is offering its high roof not only atop Nugget camper vans but also for long-wheelbase Ford Transit Custom vans. It plans to sell them to both DIY customers and conversion businesses, giving everyone the option of developing their own camper van configurations below a fiberglass -sandwich high roof.
Since the Ford Transit Custom now shares its platform with the newVolkswagen Transporter, Schmiede will also be offering the high roof for Volkswagen vans and campers. The roof won't be compatible with theCalifornia, however, as Volkswagen's in-house camper van is now built on the separate Multivan platform.
We've already looked at the specifics of allFord Nuggetfloor plans, so we won't repeat each and every spec, but to sum up the basics: Each Nugget Twin comes with a three-room layout that includes a front dinette bench that folds into a 190 x 120-cm (75 x 47-in) double bed. The L-shaped kitchen directly behind that bench is stocked with a dual-burner gas stove, hot/cold sink and 30-L fridge. The optional toilet is located on the passenger sidewall, directly across from the rear section of kitchen counter.
The Nugget's third room is the bedroom upstairs, be it within a pop-top or high roof.
With the Schmiede high roof offering permanent standing height throughout the living area, the Nugget's optional rear toilet room works even better than in the pop-up version. Users won't have to lift the roof in order to stand, so if someone needs a quick roadside bathroom break, they can simply pull over, walk to the back and use the toilet without having to fiddle at all with a pop-top.
Nugget Schmiede plans to build each roof in Germany using a precision vacuum-infusion process. It will sell the roof both as a naked shell and as a more complete unit with insulation and felt interior lining.
As listed on the full pricing sheet planted next to the Ford Nugget Twin at the Caravan Salon, the insulated, lined roof with Froli-sprung bed starts at €11,000 (approx. US$12,525). An available upgrade kit included on the orange show model adds two side windows, a opening roof hatch window and a 145-W solar panel for €3,950 ($4,500).
The Schmiede team mentioned the possibility of a roof variant with big, panoramic front window in one of the introductory videos it published on its YouTube. It already built that style of roof for the last-generation Nugget, and it looks like a particularly nice place to spend the night or rainy day. Here's to hoping something like this makes its way to the new Nugget high roof options sheet:
The complete Nugget Twin First Edition van on show wore a price tag of €95,980 ($109,300), which is the same price Schmiede listed back in February. That orange show van included a few optional extras, such as all-wheel drive and a 168-hp engine, and Schmiede noted on the same pricing sheet that Nugget Twin models start at €89,680 ($102,125), which is a little more competitive with the €82,646+ ($94,100) price Ford quoted for the Nugget High Roof itself.
Source:Nugget Schmiede
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