Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: Hot Flatus on 17 May, 2017, 08:16:52 pm
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My train of thought has been sidetracked. A friend of mine bought a shit old shitheap VW campervan thing. The square looking ones not the silly round nosed ones that cost far too much money and are shit. He paid £4500 for it. Its from 1987 and it smells.
He said I should get one and initially I rejected the notion out of hand. I slept in my car once when I was 21 and it was awful. But then I started thinking about it, and the thought of getting somewhere and not having to set up camp was quite appealing. Then I noticed that you can pick up one of those Luton van style motorhomes for about 10k with reasonable age and mileage. They have a shower and a bog in them. Problem is, once you get to wherever it is you wanted to go, you are sort of stuck there because you cant really use them to nip into town. In which case maybe a caravan would be better.
Anybody know the answer?
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Get one, use it to transport bicycles, cycle into town. Lots of people do, and I can certainly see the attraction of not having to pack a wet tent. If you want to do multi-stop tours then I think they are a very good idea, especially for going longer distances with small children - you can break up the driving into small person friendly chunks and have a loo handy at stops. You can also stop at C&CC temporary sites which are often lovely, cheap and don't have facilities.
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One of my firends recently bought one that was quite big and used it to travel to the lake district and Wales from Kent over Easter with her family. I think that journey was much better with a motorhome. :)
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I'm waiting for there to be a decent fully electric one. There's a place in Derby which is converting Nissan EV200s into motor homes, but they cost about £30k and the range on a single charge is only about 70 miles. I'd want it to be over 100 before I got one.
VW are talking about bringing one out with a range of over 300 miles, but they've ben talking about it for about 3 years.
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Had one of these (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/9f/d4/1f/9fd41fc13e29008b35b58b2eb9e54721.jpg)
brilliant little fun.
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A friend bought a VW brick.
Used it for 3 years.
Sold it for the same money as they paid for it.
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(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8d/07/08/8d0708794d9902c7dc0800cc459edbc8.jpg)
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They chew fuel.
They are loads of fun, you find you don't save much money in some ways as campsites are really expensive and fuel costs . .
But it is it nice to take your home with you and if you have a partner who doesn't cope with camping in a tent then they are a good compromise.
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No. You're not too young...
...but
If you're going to do it then do it properly.
Don't buy something you can't stand up in.
Don't buy something you can't stretch out full length in either. Your body in the van and your feet in a tent just won't cut it.
Don't buy something obsolete, particularly if you're visiting remote areas.
Don't buy something that 'just needs . . . to finish', it's a money pit.
Don't buy a diesel that isn't Euro VI, old shit will be legislated or taxed off the road soon.
Don't buy one if you can't reverse a truck.
Don't buy something that was a DIY conversion unless you're very handy with spanners and don't mind fixing gas leaks at 4 AM in the pissing rain. Ditto electrical problems on the M5/bank holiday weekend.
Don't go anywhere without adequate breakdown cover, particularly in Europe.
Don't buy anything that you can't keep your bike inside while you sleep.
Other than that - freedom awaits!
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Motorhome + bicycle seems like an eminently sensible combination.
I reckon this approach has definite merit, particularly if you find tent camping difficult, or you're simply using it as a base to do muddy mountain sports or something.
You can get a lot of tent (and indeed n+1s and things) for the money, thobut.
Car + caravan vs motorhome is beyond the scope of my experience.
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Yeah. We've got an amazing tent. A 7 metre cotton one that we love...but...we can only pack up when it is dry, packing up takes a good half day, setting up a good 3 hours to finish, so it's not practical to move sites. Plus if you get a few days rain it's pretty miserable.
4/5 berth vans with shower, bog, cooker etc cost about 10k for 1998, and 14k for 2004...with 30-40k miles. I quote like the notion of wild camping in Scotland and doing a tour of france/Italy.
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Problem is, once you get to wherever it is you wanted to go, you are sort of stuck there because you cant really use them to nip into town.
(http://tnaew4dtuh736c6mwiemai6w.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Campervan-Tow-Vehicle.jpg)
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The boxy VW campers are generally known as "wedges" and have a proper engine, not an asthmatic and raucous air-cooled thing that isn't really powerful enough to move a Beetle, let alone your home on wheels. The first generation are "splitties" because of the split windscreen, and the second generation are "bay windows".
I used to sit next to a VW camper nerd in work.
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Problem is, once you get to wherever it is you wanted to go, you are sort of stuck there because you cant really use them to nip into town.
(http://tnaew4dtuh736c6mwiemai6w.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Campervan-Tow-Vehicle.jpg)
I once had the pleasure of sharing the delightfully narrow-laned bit of the M60 around stockport with a proper USAnian RV, complete with enormous SUV and a motorcycle on a trailer behind.
I expect they got as far as the next petrol station.
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It seems to me that they would be great for one or two people who move around a lot. Once you get more than that, you start getting awnings and stuff and I struggle to see advantages over a car and caravan. And as for towing a car
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One of these is often parked around the corner from me, and I keep coveting it. It's so cute and has just enough space for me and a bike. :D
(http://www.bedfordrascal.com/img/bambiimage_394.jpg)
I like the idea of just picking a weekend with nice weather and heading off into the Highlands or something. Sadly I can't actually drive! :facepalm:
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The boxy VW campers are generally known as "wedges" and have a proper engine, not an asthmatic and raucous air-cooled thing that isn't really powerful enough to move a Beetle, let alone your home on wheels. The first generation are "splitties" because of the split windscreen, and the second generation are "bay windows".
I used to sit next to a VW camper nerd in work.
At the risk of outraging every VW Camper owner, just don't.
Split screen. Good for 1950s - utter shite in modern traffic.
Bay window. Ditto. Better than anything made in Birmingham at the time but still shite.
Wedge (T25) The only engine worth having is the diesel. 50bhp on a good day. The youngest is now nearly 30 years old. Obsolete, underpowered and dirty. Petrol engines were stretched flat fours with watercooled barrels. You will become your local VW specialist's best friend.
The best modern campers generally use a Fiat/PSA chassis cab with custom bodywork and rear chassis conversion by Al-Ko. Clean, relatively powerful and spacious. See also Ford, Mercedes et al. Van conversions are vans, motorhomes are body units mated to a chassis, the only recognisable bits are in the cab.
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Modern = £30k+
I have £30k+ but I don't want to spend it on a motorhome.
What I'm looking at seem to be based on a Fiat Ducato or a Peugeot Boxer
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Why not take a holiday or two hiring one? Not cheap but not an expensive mistake if it doesn't work out.
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That is a very good suggestion, and one that I had thought about, but two weeks hire = £1000. The weird thing is, these things seem to hold their value, so I would get a sizeable chunk of money back.
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Ok, I'll be honest. Quite apart from all the family fun stuff, when I look at photos of motorhomes what I am seeing is a massive mobile mancave.
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Ah the gadgets.
We've rented 3 times, once for the tdf in Yorkshire, twice in the counterweight continent. Each time led to feelings of "wouldn't it be nice" which passed fairly quickly.
Chief among my reasons were the knowledge (from one dodgy van on Australia) that I would not be happy with a £10 one,, in London I have nowhere to keep it, plus the size of the damn thing. Bike is fine for errands and solo bike, but Mrs Ham can't manage rides any more.
The idea of the freedom offered is very appealing, though. Oh, and stuff like BBQ, packaway tech and other cave stuff.
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Campervans :demon: :demon: cloggingup the roads, being driven like an old person and not contributing to the community.
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I'm waiting for there to be a decent fully electric one. There's a place in Derby which is converting Nissan EV200s into motor homes, but they cost about £30k and the range on a single charge is only about 70 miles. I'd want it to be over 100 before I got one.
VW are talking about bringing one out with a range of over 300 miles, but they've ben talking about it for about 3 years.
There's a place in Surrey also iirc.
I'm not convinced that the Nissan is wide enough internally once they atart installing 'cabinets'.
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Had two VWs
1. an orange, 1.6 air cooled petrol job. The VW garage that sold it me had done a really crap job on the engine and it kept breaking down. I wrote to the head of VW UK who kindly replied, got in touch with the garage and arranged for it all to be sorted out at a different garage at VW's expense. You could do that back that then! I had it for 4 years as a student and was rarely able to afford to refuel it and one day when it was parked in a dodgy part of Manchester some drug dealers deliberately drove into the back of it. This turned out to be a good thing as the insurance company paid for it to be rebuilt thus curing a lot of rust and enabling me to sell it (thank god) for a ludicrous amount of money.
2. my father had a square VW camper that I kind of inherited. It too was rusty and had appalling fuel consumption. It turned out the top of the fuel tank was rust-riddled and if you filled right up, much of the petrol ended up on the road. After a bit of work on it I sold the thing, also for a ludicrous amount of money.
I will never, ever buy a camper or motorhome again, much better to have a good tent and camp where it's sunny.
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I'm not a fan of the so-called wild camping bit that many motorhomers indulge in.
Cycling through the day with your fully laden tourer you reach the little spot where you can stealthily pitch, enjoy the evening, wake early and depart leaving not a trace except that seared into your memory. You get there to find some bloody great sardine tin filled with produce bought 500 miles away in Waitrose parked right across the best spot for tents with a slathering hound and the main stage at Tea in the Park. Freeranging oiks shouting about their phone not getting a signal and throwing the pit bull's toy 8nto your tent all drowned out by the coarse and drunken drawl of Wayne and Waynetra getting bladdered on Boddingtons and antifreeze.
On departure a torn black bin bag or three full of landfill is dumped beside the small rubbish bin along with items too large to fit such as broken folding chairs bought at some petrol station, burst footballs and a pile of 'disposable' bbqs as well as a hundredweight of empty alcohol bottles and cans. Lastly, large piles of stinking hound crap strewn randomly across this otherwise 'untiuched' rural idyll.
"Should get a 'van' mate advises Wayne hanging out of the driver's side window as they depart.
Why didn't they just sleazyjet to Magal-oaf?
Bloody 'wild' campers. ::-) ;D
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The boxy VW campers are generally known as "wedges" and have a proper engine, not an asthmatic and raucous air-cooled thing that isn't really powerful enough to move a Beetle, let alone your home on wheels. The first generation are "splitties" because of the split windscreen, and the second generation are "bay windows".
I used to sit next to a VW camper nerd in work.
There are a few types or bay and splitty.
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I reckon the question is not whether you're too young but whether you're ready to admit to being an old fart in the making. :demon:
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Ok, I'll be honest. Quite apart from all the family fun stuff, when I look at photos of motorhomes what I am seeing is a massive mobile mancave.
Buy a mobile library..job jobbed
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Mazda Bongo AFT . ( elevating roof ) . Big enough for two six footers to sleep in , small enough to use as a second car .With windows all round ( with blinds and curtains up ) reverse camera and good mirrors its easy to put in to super market car parks spaces . we have an unconverted one and use it with a blow up awning when the four or five of us go camping . It is very easy to detach the awning and go touring for the day . my wife often uses the bongo to explore new places to cycle just slide the middle seat forward from limo mode chuck the bike in the back and away you go .
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I'm not a fan of the so-called wild camping bit that many motorhomers indulge in.
Cycling through the day with your fully laden tourer you reach the little spot where you can stealthily pitch, enjoy the evening, wake early and depart leaving not a trace except that seared into your memory. You get there to find some bloody great sardine tin filled with produce bought 500 miles away in Waitrose parked right across the best spot for tents with a slathering hound and the main stage at Tea in the Park. Freeranging oiks shouting about their phone not getting a signal and throwing the pit bull's toy 8nto your tent all drowned out by the coarse and drunken drawl of Wayne and Waynetra getting bladdered on Boddingtons and antifreeze.
On departure a torn black bin bag or three full of landfill is dumped beside the small rubbish bin along with items too large to fit such as broken folding chairs bought at some petrol station, burst footballs and a pile of 'disposable' bbqs as well as a hundredweight of empty alcohol bottles and cans. Lastly, large piles of stinking hound crap strewn randomly across this otherwise 'untiuched' rural idyll.
"Should get a 'van mate" advises Wayne hanging out of the driver's side window as they depart.
Why didn't they just sleazyjet to Magal-oaf?
Bloody 'wild' campers. ::-) ;D
I didn't know you'd met Flatus and his family!
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I know a couple who spent £50k on one (Hymer? with all mod cons and extras) from the Camping Motorshow in Birmingham. They only used it a handful of times and eventually sold it at a £15k loss in order to just get rid.
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We had one based on a Leyland something back in the 90s - we would transport kids, bikes and stuff in the van, and have a trailer, containing a humongous (for the time) tent. We'd set the tent up, sleep in it, but cook, sit and argue in the van. It was a good solution for us.
The van cost me £500, I replaced the fridge, and when the hole in the floor got too big for the MOT after several years, I sold it for £500.
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Sean Graff in Cheltenham (Cotswold Corker) is trying to get rid of his at present. It's a biggish one, not VW-size.
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I do hanker for a Mazda Bongo Friendee Auto-Freetop.
Partly, I confess, for the name. ;)
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Can't answer the 'am I too young?' question as I 'm not young anymore (physically anyway) but we tried tenting for a number of years on tandem club rallies and so on but after a very wet week in North Wales decided that a caravan was the way to go. As we drive a small/mid sized car (and had no desire to upsize) we had to go for a small caravan. So we got one of these:
(http://www.automotiveleisure.co.uk/images/triton430gt2009220317.jpg%20(1)%20(1024x683).jpg)
Small and light enough to tow easily but big enough inside for two. Facilities are basic but enough for us.
We didn't want the additional expense of a second vehicle and also the high cost of campervans ruled them out.
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I haven't seen it recently but there was a guy living locally who drove a Swift motorhome. He had stuck the following message on the back:
I would never buy another Swift motorhome. Ask driver why.
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I'm not a fan of the so-called wild camping bit that many motorhomers indulge in.
[...]
That's more of an inconsiderate arsehole thing than a motorhome thing. You get plenty of people (probably more, on account of the lower barriers to ownership) doing much the same with tents, and proper campsites aren't immune either.
I think the best solution is for them to have their own campsites. Some sort of labelling system is needed. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=91360.msg1918037#msg1918037)
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Some sort of labelling system is needed. (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=91360.msg1918037#msg1918037)
Ah yeah, I reckon that tour needs reviving. With one obvious alteration.
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Back to motorhomes v caravans: whichever you get – unless you have a small motorhome which you use as a large car, like a bloke in my street does (think it's a VW of some sort) – you're only going to use it a few weeks a year. A motorhome is a lot of cash to tie up in that; surely a caravan would do the same and be cheaper? OTOH if you have the money anyway, why not use it?
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We don't use our car awfully much during the week, so essentially it is a camping-mobile/bike transport. I could see swapping for a motorhome to do the same job, if there were one cheap or convenient enough.
I would still prefer to camp in a tent, though the 'sitting inside with a brew' aspect, as demonstrated so excellently at Long Itch by the lovely Melbourne12s and their caravan, is not to be sniffed at.
This also applies to stops at service stations, where a mash can be had without emptying one's wallet in favour of Starbucks or McDonalds or whoever.
I don't think a caravan is a good idea, for all sorts of reasons, though the Things' teardrop van (and my dad's) and cute little Eribas etc all appeal in a way.
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Yebbut your "car" (unless you've got a new one since last summer) is almost a motorhome anyway!
But another advantage of a motorhome is that you could drive it to start of audaxes etc for easy bike transport, rest at finish, etc. Caravan would be too much for that. But a large van-bus thing would be ideal.
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I do hanker for a Mazda Bongo Friendee Auto-Freetop.
Partly, I confess, for the name. ;)
Me too.
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Demountable campers make a lot of sense and are popular in countries like the US, Australia, etc, where 4x4 'utes' are common.
Don't see many in this country though.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=demountable+camper&client=tablet-android-sonymobile&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwit9bzC3fnTAhUMLcAKHZBkC5YQ_AUICigC&biw=1280&bih=800
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You're only going to use it a few weeks a year. A motorhome is a lot of cash to tie up in that; surely a caravan would do the same and be cheaper? OTOH if you have the money anyway, why not use it?
How much you use it is entirely up to the owner. When you get one you are always looking for an excuse to go away. DIY on my house came to an abrupt end when we got ours,
Used Motorhomes hardly depreciate once they get to around £20K.
I'm an old fart ..with a Motorhome, but I wanted one long before I was this old. We bought our first one last August and have done 55 nights away in it so far. Work gets in the way but that's still a lot of use I think. 3 weeks in France coming up with Bikes on the bike-rack.
Unless you want some luxuries then I'd get myself a Transit Van, stick a sliding window and roof-light in (conversion kits a re cheap), some insulation and a Portaloo. Insulation, light and ventilation are the 3 essentials. A Futon and a camping stove can be thrown in the back. You'll be invisible in a Transit Van.
Here's ours...Our plan is to sell the house and go full-time for a year or so..as soon as financially practical.
>>>>HERE<<<< (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FDS4J11-Rw&t=6s)
You can't beat them for the ability to just head off at a moment's notice. We just need to put fresh water in the tanks and some booze in the fridge. Everything else in on board, including tins of food.
I feel the need to say that I have cycle-camped and done every sort of tent camping, from 1-man lightweight tents, through frame tents, right up to 1,000kg "Folding Campers". I've had great times in every type and wouldn't trade the experiences (especially the way they've provided such unbeatable family holidays as my kids grew up).
Motorhomes were a natural progression for us and we needed one capable of taking us around Europe for months on end.
They are always a compromise though. If you want one small enough to drive and park like a car then you compromise on internal space. If you want every convenience then you end up driving something akin to a Removals van. Ours has the biggest "lounge" for the length of vehicle I could find. I need to slob out on hols. Sitting bolt-upright around a little table wasn't an option.
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Have you contemplated a trailer tent? Not far away from a caravan in comfort stakes but easier to stow when not in use and easier on the car when towing.
My cousin used to have a LWB Transit which with a couple of camp beds inside was useful for festivals and short breaks if you're not too fussed about comfort.
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......Wedge (T25) The only engine worth having is the diesel. 50bhp on a good day. The youngest is now nearly 30 years old. Obsolete, underpowered and dirty. Petrol engines were stretched flat fours with watercooled barrels. You will become your local VW specialist's best friend.
I've been quietly hankering after a (LPG) T25 for a few years, but I needed this little dose of realism. It'll be a money pit. Prices seem to be creeping up too and 'sorted' ones are getting expensive so I'm guessing they're becoming collectible. I really should knock that idea on the head. (Another idea that I can't shake off though is to have someone like Rourkey build me a lovely steel bike frame with S&S couplers, and get a big traillie motorbike with a beefed up subframe/rack-mounts on which to mount the bike-inna-case on one side and camping kit on the other.)
A hippyish chap i hung out with in Spain a few years ago used his carpet-fitting van (A LWB VW Transporter) to tour with his girlfriend around Europe for six months every year. It was more discreet than a white camper/motorhome neaning they could tuck away in some very picturesque spots without getting too much attention. Pretty much all that was inside was a raised mattress and a little fridge, with clothes, kit and a cooker stored underneath - a bit like LEE's idea. (It had a sliding side-door to so rigging up an awning provided outside space.) So campervanning can be done on a shoestring if you're organised like they were. A couple of the tyre fitters at my local Watlings have converted LWB diesel Transits (initial cost £1500) into pretty nifty-looking campers themselves using knowledge from forums and spending no more than a grand too.
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We have just acquired a caravan (as in we've had one weekend away in it so far).
We did consider a motorhome, but apart from all the other considerations people have mentioned, you do need to move your accommodation every time you want to go somewhere. Fine if you're touring, but a pain if you just want a relaxed holiday sightseeing.
We do historical re-enacting so have a lot of weekends away but have the need to move clobber on and off site which usually means using the car. The one couple in our group who have a motorhome admit it's a pain for that (they have to have a motorhome as opposed to a caravan as they need to tow the cannon).
We did have a trailer tent for two seasons, but it took ages to get up and down and more importantly was physically hard work to do so which would have been less practical over the next few years.
Other friends have a trailer tent which is much more like a caravan which does not have the same issues, but is much smaller for a similar sized trailer.
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they have to have a motorhome as opposed to a caravan as they need to tow the cannon
Best reason ever!
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I'm more than qualified, age-wise - but ISTM, no matter how much you spend, you still end up having to piss in a bucket - which you then have to empty yourself. Fuck that.
Same goes for boats and caravans.
I've watched the leathery brown Frenchmen at the Semaine Federale, dutifully swilling out their van's bilges in the area provided. It doesn't seem to bother them - getting up close and personal with their family's flushings - but it would definitely bother me.
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I love the sensation of sleeping in a tent so I suspect that if we ever succumbed it would be a small car and one of those half caravan, half tent thingies. The 'relative' comforts of a caravan with the joy of rainfall on the canvas at three o'clock in the morning. :thumbsup:
As it stands we're still very much attached to the tent.
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I'm more than qualified, age-wise - but ISTM, no matter how much you spend, you still end up having to piss in a bucket - which you then have to empty yourself. Fuck that.
If it weren't for the cannon thing, this post would win the thread.
I don't think the pissing in a bucket thing is actually compulsory, though I suppose there comes a time where it's nice to have the option.
Emptying the bucket is obviously a GAMI job.
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Many years ago I had a bay-window VW as day-to-day transport. We occasionally used for camping, though it was a very basic conversion. We eventually sold to a group who were planning an African expedition.
A friend has a diesel brick VW, more thoroughly converted than ours was. With a bike rack on the back it seems to be a very suitable home-from-home.
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My friends have a beautifully restored bay window VW camper. Full strip to a shell restoration and rebuilt engine with more power etc. Its lovely. Often when they go away it returns on a trailer. On a trip to central France last year it broke down three times on the way there. Its worth a fortune. They just bought a split screen one to go with it. If I had one I think I would drop a Subaru engine in and sod the originality.
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Never too young! Had my first aged 20!
I bought this from eBay last year based on pics and a good description for just over £1,600 with 10 months mot.
It's a 70,000 miles from new Vauxhall midi with a Reimo conversion which cost £6,000 in addition to the new van in 1994.
Double bed, 3 ring cooker, 12v or gas fridge, leisure battery, pop up roof for the galley, cupbaords,sink with pumped tap.
Weve done about 2000 trouble free miles. It's a 2.4 turbo diesel which cruises quietly at 65mph at anout 38mpg, is small enough to use as a second car ,(acceptinf the lack of power steering) and it makes us all smile!
Do it. Do itt do it!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/westywagen/after_zpsevck0eho.jpg)
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That's an interesting 'Jetsons' attachment on the roof.
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It was. :) I 'inadvertently' removed it with a low hanging tree branch soon after purchase...
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My neighbour has a VW "Brick" Kamper. He solved the lack of horse-power by installing a Subaru Legacy "Boxer" engine. Now it sounds like an approaching thunderstorm when it fires up.
Some people find the idea of "pissing in a bucket" a disadvantage. I see an advantage in having a toilet, a shower, a cooker, a TV, a Fridge, a Freezer, heating etc in the back of my vehicle. It certainly transforms the experience of traffic-jams and hold-ups on long journeys.
I've pissed in all sorts of receptacles during my camping years.
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Here's ours...Our plan is to sell the house and go full-time for a year or so..as soon as financially practical.
>>>>HERE<<<< (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FDS4J11-Rw&t=6s)
We stayed there a couple of weekends ago. It is a nice site and a nice area.
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Here's ours...Our plan is to sell the house and go full-time for a year or so..as soon as financially practical.
>>>>HERE<<<< (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FDS4J11-Rw&t=6s)
We stayed there a couple of weekends ago. It is a nice site and a nice area.
Yes... and 10 miles from my house. I know, I know.. why go 10 miles? Well I figure that, if you want to get away for the weekend, to a quiet field, within walking distance of 2 nice country pubs, why drive for hours when there's a place just down the road?
The birds-eye view of the surrounding area in the video reminds me how fortunate I am to cycle around there (in fact I was cycling to the Wonston Arms, past the campsite, at 8pm last night).
We've used the Motorhome there, and many other places, right through winter. That's where Motorhomes excel over tents, and in some ways, over caravans as well. You just rock up, put the handbrake on, turn the engine off and you're camping. No matter if it's below freezing or horizontal sleet if rattling off the sides.
I can see the appeal of a small, old, caravan. They are super cheap and you still have a car to get about in. We've adopted Public Transport in a big way though. Walking to rural bus stops has become part of our holidays.
Look just buy one.
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You are all utter bastards - having gone from a vague feeling that I fancied a camper van at some stage, I now Very Much Want a Bongo Wagon.
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You are all utter bastards - having gone from a vague feeling that I fancied a camper van at some stage, I now Very Much Want a Bongo Wagon.
Be careful....you'll end up all over the place, seeing stuff you always wanted to see.
Did I mention the "Britstops" book? Well it's a book containing hundreds of Pubs around the country that let you park overnight in their car parks...Oh yes..it's as good as it sounds.
BRITSTOP (https://gohumberto.com/our-first-britstop-056)
There's a "France passion" book we bought. A similar concept we hope to try this summer but involving Vinyards and Farms.
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You are all utter bastards - having gone from a vague feeling that I fancied a camper van at some stage, I now Very Much Want a Bongo Wagon.
Later this afternoon a Bongo won't be good enough. You'll be wanting needing one of these...
(http://www.motorhomemart.com/images/luxury_rv2.jpg)
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Do you think there's any merit in reading some Bongo Mags before purchasing? Just to get clued-up?
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There's a "France passion" book we bought. A similar concept we hope to try this summer but involving Vinyards and Farms.
I recommend the All-the-Aires books by vicarious media, we spent most of a year on the continent using the aires, stellplatz etc.
Another good source of info is the motorhome facts forum, IIRC they've got a decent map, similar to our cake stop map, of overnight locations ranging from campsites with service points to 'wild camp' locations.
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There's a "France passion" book we bought. A similar concept we hope to try this summer but involving Vinyards and Farms.
I recommend the All-the-Aires books by vicarious media, we spent most of a year on the continent using the aires, stellplatz etc.
Another good source of info is the motorhome facts forum, IIRC they've got a decent map, similar to our cake stop map, of overnight locations ranging from campsites with service points to 'wild camp' locations.
They are both on our list when we go full-time. The plan is to use campsites in June & July as I want to spend as much time as possible doing bugger-all (and going outside of school hols should mean space at most sites).
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There's a "France passion" book we bought. A similar concept we hope to try this summer but involving Vinyards and Farms.
I recommend the All-the-Aires books by vicarious media, we spent most of a year on the continent using the aires, stellplatz etc.
Another good source of info is the motorhome facts forum, IIRC they've got a decent map, similar to our cake stop map, of overnight locations ranging from campsites with service points to 'wild camp' locations.
They are both on our list when we go full-time. The plan is to use campsites in June & July as I want to spend as much time as possible doing bugger-all (and going outside of school hols should mean space at most sites).
You probably realise but you will still need to appear on the electoral roll when you're fulltiming and your insurance will take a serious hike. Don't tell any UK campsite that you might be planning on using that you're a full timer.
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I have been dithering about buying a motorhome for years. Trouble is my wife has no interest and I would therefore be going solo. I'm always on e-bay looking at all the possibilities. I have yet to come across a van conversion older than about 7 years that has not had some welding done in the past and often failed MOTs on this. Once they have been welded, my experience is rust always returns and it is not cheap to repair. Older campers like Renaults, Talbots etc seem the same. Only Hymers seem to be well built in that respect and Toyotas. The other thing is, that we don't know how far the Diesel punishment will go with tax, fuel price, bans etc. I have done the maths and if you only use it say once or twice a month then B&B is cheaper and less hassle. But the adventure of it all appeals to me, once I have forgotten about traffic jams, sat in a field in bad weather and crap drivers etc. Oh well back to e-bay.
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No such thing as too young for a motorhome - owner age is mostly regulated by the inescapable fact that only over 40's tend to have the necessary disposable income. Which to me indicates that you're older than you feel ;-)
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Do you think there's any merit in reading some Bongo Mags before purchasing? Just to get clued-up?
I'm sure that the Bongo Fury (http://igmaynard.co.uk/) newsletter might help. As would a browse on the Bongoland (http://bongoland.co.uk/) site :D
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Anybody know the answer?
You are a real cyclist, Flatus, aren't you? Then, why not try something more cycle-oriented?
(http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bike-campers-dethleff.jpg)
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Has this concept made it across the pond yet?
https://www.yakima.com/skyrise-tent-small#
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Has this concept made it across the pond yet?
https://www.yakima.com/skyrise-tent-small#
That design is very popular in the Safari market in Africa.
Almost all campsites in the national parks in SA, Namibia and Botswana will have plenty of these rooftop tents.
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REI (US outdoor retailer) and Yakima are just rolling out the concept in the US. It'll be interesting to see how it does. Not as hard on a car as towing a trailer/caravan, but it doesn't take up as much space between trips as an unused motorhome.
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Who wouldn't want anything called a Bongo Friendee. However, as Mrs S won't swap her Yaris and I won't drive the distance I drive in something that consumes so much fossil fuel, I think this is more suitable
http://www.opuscamper.co.uk/ (http://www.opuscamper.co.uk/)
Look at Air Opus
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Another day gone and I'm not investigating self-importing, and have discovered the Nissan Elgrand and the Toyota Alphard...
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I really like my old Yaris. Cheap to run, stupendously reliable, but it's no Bongo however it can make a decent mini camper when required. I've slept in comfort in mine with the bike in there as well.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/33944847043_4e74955bbb.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/33944846693_bceac765ca.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34713845486_1ee288496b.jpg)
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How did you change it's colour for the bottom picture? :)
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They are just examples from the web to show possibilities. I've made my own version for my conversion, but did not have pics. What you can do with a small everyday car. Great car, turns into a van when the rear seats slide under the front to give you a flat floor. The Berlingo is a popular one for a mini camper but I allready had the Yaris and it is more reliable then the Berlingo.
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You could go for the 1970s British version of the VW camper: a well-used Ford Transit panel van with a mattress in the back.
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I looked at the roof top tents when I last had a car but the cheapest I could find at the time was about two grand which seemed daft to put on a car with maybe five hundred quid at best.
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REI (US outdoor retailer) and Yakima are just rolling out the concept in the US. It'll be interesting to see how it does. Not as hard on a car as towing a trailer/caravan, but it doesn't take up as much space between trips as an unused motorhome.
Indeed. I think they are a really good design.
As I said, it's a common thing in Southern Africa; we've hired self-drive safari vehicles from these people before, the pictures in the link show the kind of things we've rented.
http://www.drivebotswana.com/vehicles/
Of course, in Africa, there's also some practicality in being a bit inaccessible to the local wildlife on the roof of the car.
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How about one of these? You can look down on those with mere on story motorhomes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBWvAj4h7JE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBWvAj4h7JE)
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Or how about building your own solar powered electric campervan, 50 mile range,
https://youtu.be/fGZ1zbqAGA0
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Vanlife TV is full of good stuff on converting panel vans...etc.
>>HERE<< (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvk48WmX-tB1PXb3JaAcSjg/videos)
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Having met several ex-owners this weekend at the Great Scottish Spoon Hoolie (it's a thing, really), I've changed my mind on the Bongo Wagon. They both said that the inaccessible engine and lack of pattern parts made it an expensive way to maintain a vehicle. They are also, apparently, thirsty as fuck. The camper of choice for the green woodworking community would appear to be a self-build VW Transporter conversion, with a pop top and an awning for longer stays. I've joined some FaceFriend groups where people often sell finished ones on...
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Or how about building your own solar powered electric campervan, 50 mile range,
https://youtu.be/fGZ1zbqAGA0
Surely a horse pulled one is the only way forward regarding this subject?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=horse+drawn+caravans&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNmtjEoIPUAhUmLsAKHZ-VABgQ_AUIBigB&biw=994&bih=368 (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=horse+drawn+caravans&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNmtjEoIPUAhUmLsAKHZ-VABgQ_AUIBigB&biw=994&bih=368)
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Yesterday I hosted a French woman who was travelling in a Renault Espace. Big double bed in the back with lots of storage under accessible through the side doors, and a nice kitchen space (naturellement ) at the back where you could stand or sit under the shelter of the open hatch.
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Has this concept made it across the pond yet?
https://www.yakima.com/skyrise-tent-small#
c. 2000 I stayed on a caravan park at Saint Carles de la Rapita between Barcelona and Valencia, Spain. And there was this guy building his own on a small van. I've never seen a commercially produced one though.
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Rooftop tents have been common on expedition type vehicles such as landrovers and Hiluxes. You have to be aware of the weight limits on your ordinary car or van which are generally not as high as people imagine that they would be.
I like the eNV200 conversions that firms in Surrey and Derbyshire are doing. They have interesting electric hookups to allow a trickle charge from the campsite electrics so you can enjoy your stay and get on the road next day all for the price of the hookup. Folk will cite range anxiety but that only affects you if you are intending to cover hundreds of miles non stop: something that most people in fact do not do.
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They have interesting electric hookups to allow a trickle charge from the campsite electrics so you can enjoy your stay and get on the road next day all for the price of the hookup.
All EVs can do this. All you need is a portable EVSE - preferably one that lets you control the charge current for the more stingily-breakered hookups - which most EV users will have, in order to use a normal mains supply (or the handful of ancient public charging points with BS1363 or Ceeform outlets) and the right connector.
It's quite a reasonable approach, as many camping destinations are some distance from the rapid charger network.
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It's a very reasonable approach. When the eyes and willing pilots have dwindled I shall hope to travel in such a contraption, perhaps even a self-drive one! ;D :thumbsup:
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There's also what the Americans call a 'teardrop trailer (http://www.homedit.com/camper-trailers/).' I've never used one, but they seem kinda cute. ;D
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There's also what the Americans call a 'teardrop trailer (http://www.homedit.com/camper-trailers/).' I've never used one, but they seem kinda cute. ;D
Caravan manufacturers have started making them. Some are rather amazing in the amount of indoor space. Very TARDIS like.
GOPOD were the first I saw in the UK but they are still Caravans, and Caravans are different to Motorhome/Campervans.
There's just something special about actually driving your home around, with everything on-board and accessible.
I've never had a Caravan but I've had a bloody big Folding Camper like this (http://www.blueskyholdings.co.uk/conway%20crusader%201998%20(4).jpg)
We had a wonderful time in it but they need setting up, they need to be totally dried if you intend to store them for more than a couple of days, they can be very cold and very hot and they take up as much room as a car.
I think the big advantage of getting a Transit Van type base vehicle is that you then own a Transit Van. Surely the most fabulous thing to own. It's basically a bike shed on your drive.
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Take and standard van and have someone do a nice conversion:
http://www.centralcamperconversions.com/ (http://www.centralcamperconversions.com/)
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Having met several ex-owners this weekend at the Great Scottish Spoon Hoolie (it's a thing, really), I've changed my mind on the Bongo Wagon. They both said that the inaccessible engine and lack of pattern parts made it an expensive way to maintain a vehicle. They are also, apparently, thirsty as fuck. The camper of choice for the green woodworking community would appear to be a self-build VW Transporter conversion, with a pop top and an awning for longer stays. I've joined some FaceFriend groups where people often sell finished ones on...
I went to an importer yesterday. It was like spending an hour with a double-glazing salesman. Apparently it would seem that all Bongos other than his would be an unmitigated disaster. However he did seem to have a lot of low-mileage units in excellent condition.
It's hard to know what to do. I'm concerned about diesels as long term they seem to have the crosshairs on them. However there are so many diesel vehicles on the road that it might be many years before they are forced off. Bongos fuel consumption is high, mid 20s seems to be the most one can expect. LPG conversions are possible, but again, like the Bongo, it's a bit too esoteric for my liking. Production of the Bongo ceased in 2005, and although there is a thriving Bongo scene, I wonder just how much of a pain it will prove to be.
Maybe I should just spend £10k on as good a Mercedes Van as I can find and get it converted. VWs seem very expensive.
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Merc, VW, maybe even a Ford or a Fiat. I think the main thing for me is buying something reliable, ubiquitous and simple to work on with a good availability of pattern parts. Much as I hate the idea of a big petrol engine, I'm also beginning to think that it's a better bet in the long term. The problem is, it's easy to be seduced by the funky interiors and forget about the platform it's built on.
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The boxy VW campers are generally known as "wedges" and have a proper engine, not an asthmatic and raucous air-cooled thing that isn't really powerful enough to move a Beetle, let alone your home on wheels. The first generation are "splitties" because of the split windscreen, and the second generation are "bay windows".
I used to sit next to a VW camper nerd in work.
The first few years of the T3 (sometimes known as the T25, Wedge, or Brick) were air-cooled. From around 1982 they became water cooled. The 2.1 fuel-injectd version is actually able to keep up with traffic! They have a tendency to rot from the panel seams, but if you get a good one, they're increasing in value and they're a lot larger inside than even the modern T5/6.
Edit: my 1992 T3 LLE 2.1 in full-blown tent-city mode:
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/TimC_1955/Camping/Aug-Sep09010.jpg)
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Merc, VW, maybe even a Ford or a Fiat. I think the main thing for me is buying something reliable, ubiquitous and simple to work on with a good availability of pattern parts. Much as I hate the idea of a big petrol engine, I'm also beginning to think that it's a better bet in the long term. The problem is, it's easy to be seduced by the funky interiors and forget about the platform it's built on.
It's worth a call to a local commercial garage to see what their mechanics say about the various platforms.
I'd warrant you're never far from a Ford Garage. VW & Merc cars are notoriously expensive to work on, not sure if that's true of their commercials. On the continent it would be Fiat/Renault (same thing).
Diesel commercial vans, and hence parts, will be around for decades. Motorhomes are generally carrying a lot of weight, in my case equivalent to a fully laden 3,500kg commercial truck.
That would take quite some petrol engine to get moving. Horse Power is secondary to torque at 3.5 tonnes.
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A friend of mine runs his own business and has run a small fleet of Mercedes Vans for years. Loves them. Then he bought a Mercedes car (brand new) and it was nothing but trouble. He still loves the vans though.
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I'd say that given the number of Mercedes vans on the road that they must be relatively cheap to maintain. White van man doesn't like to tear purple backs from his roll unnecessarily. I do see lots of T5's and T6's as well.
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That would take quite some petrol engine to get moving.
Do I recall correctly that ambulances used to use the Ford 3.5l V8 petrol engine? They're all diesel now though.
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There's also what the Americans call a 'teardrop trailer (http://www.homedit.com/camper-trailers/).' I've never used one, but they seem kinda cute. ;D
We've just bought one.... We've done two trips already and it's great. They work really well in the dry climate of California, but wouldn't really be a practical option for the UK.
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I've got a VW T4 California, imported from Germany (as am I am France, LHD is fine). Having done loads of research around this, VW vans are good, but they always command a premium to due their name/status. The status element means there are plenty of specialists and parts available, but at a price. If you are not bothered about 'looking cool' then you could probably buy a lot more Merc or Transit for the same money.
If you do go down the VW route, then the T4 models, (92-03) are generally sound, but the early T5's from 03-06/7 experienced some teething problems so later T5's are preferred.
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If you do go down the VW route, then the T4 models, (92-03) are generally sound, but the early T5's from 03-06/7 experienced some teething problems so later T5's are preferred.
Pah! FWD rubbish! ;D
Seriously, the T4 is an excellent campervan platform - especially the late LWB version. The T5 added complexity but not capability, but you'll never have any problem with spares for an earlier VW van. There's plenty of support for the T5 too, but that complexity makes it expensive if things go wrong. And they get bloody expensive to buy as they get more recent!
Some friends have done a conversion on a 2006 VW Crafter Hi-line van, which is rather good, and I've seen several very nice ones done on the extra-LWB version of the Transit. There are fairly cheap kits available for the interior structure, and the equipment is easily sourced. Watch out for prices, though - van fridges, cookers and sinks should be gold-plated for what they cost!
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I've just spotted a large campervan near here with the legend on the back, "Adventure Before Dementia" ;D
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Well Ive just bought a Toyota Alphard mpv, jap import. Going to drive it around a bit before thinking about a conversion.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0oaK8FtyK9fMK-z8EPG-sLImZXGR9zWJtaCjvrY1wMA4BTl7HqA)
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Nice :thumbsup:
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Thanks. Its pretty plush inside. Im just looking forward to not having to fuck about with a trailer.
Im going to LPG it. The V6 3 litre Lexus engine isnt exactly economical.
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It has a lot of artefacts.
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Hows the beer going down?
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:thumbsup:
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(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1501/26042085664_b6106ca8c6_b.jpg)
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Cool looking and worth hiring.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1501/26042085664_b6106ca8c6_b.jpg)
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(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1501/26042085664_b6106ca8c6_b.jpg)
That's awesome - there's your bucket to piss in, right there!
Funny thing is - since getting involved in this thread -I've looked up a couple of things on You Tube, and now You Tube won't stop suggesting "Van videos you may like". Some of which I've watched. The concept is not lost on me, but the bucket thing is still a show-stopper...
Is there a YACF "My Van" thread yet? I can't believe there isn't.
(This is where someone not only provides a link to such a thread, but also to a contribution from me.)
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For Kim
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/35036267435_3dc4a9c024_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et)
Cannon (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et) by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr
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For Kim
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/35036267435_3dc4a9c024_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et)
Cannon (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et) by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr
:thumbsup:
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For Kim
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/35036267435_3dc4a9c024_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et)
Cannon (https://flic.kr/p/Vo32Et) by Steve Cunio (https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecunio/), on Flickr
Presumably that has a 'NO TAILGATING' sign on the back?
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I'll just park this here...
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/34913343610_cee4ef3cdb_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Vcb1Gb)Eriba, DL2017. (https://flic.kr/p/Vcb1Gb) by Luke Hayes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/60205142@N04/), on Flickr
More space than a VW, and next to nothing in ongoing cost.
It hardly affects the mpg of the volvo, so I can actually afford to take it places too. :thumbsup:
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Maybe this it what you want?
(https://www.eta.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Qtvan-and-bicycle1.jpg)
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I'll just park this here...
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/34913343610_cee4ef3cdb_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Vcb1Gb)Eriba, DL2017. (https://flic.kr/p/Vcb1Gb) by Luke Hayes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/60205142@N04/), on Flickr
More space than a VW, and next to nothing in ongoing cost.
It hardly affects the mpg of the volvo, so I can actually afford to take it places too. :thumbsup:
Thats great. But does it do 0-60 in 8 seconds?
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I should think so, possibly even faster
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/22/article-1280439-09B05CFE000005DC-411_634x390.jpg)
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My brother owns a Mercedes Vito adapted for touring i.e. it has plywood and a mattress in the back.
My other brother takes the enthusiast-hipster's approach with his 70s VW. The van's value is rising with age, but not enough to recoup the cash it has consumed. The last refurbishment involved replacing the roof.
A friend is a Landrover enthusiast who populates his Twitter timeline with photos of his car-and-tent on some bleak hillside, and photos of freshly grilled meat products he's about to eat on said hillside. He enjoys buying survival gear.
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There's an obvious decision to be made between Caravans and Motorhomes.
I'd summarise it as:
Caravans -
Pros - Cheap especially used. You have access to a car to drive into town car parks. Spacious for the length.
Cons - Overall length of car and Caravan is large. Harder to go "off grid".
Motorhomes -
Pros - It's easy to pitch up anywhere quickly. Self contained (water on board, waste on board). No 240v required. No hitching, towing, unhitching. (Handbrake on, engine off...you're camping).
Cons - Expensive, even used. Something else to MOT, tax and insure. A pain to get into some towns. Not so much internal living space for the same footprint (usually).
What appeals to me most about Motorhoming is the self-contained nature of it. With 100L of water on board, large LPG Gas bottles and Solar-charged batteries, you can pitch up just about anywhere and have everything you need. Delays at the ferry terminal are no issue, we're good for about 4 days with a full water tank. They lend themselves perfectly to overnighting en-route to somewhere, or just sightseeing somewhere for the one night and moving on.
Another Pro, abroad, is that Motorhomes are well catered for by "Aires". That is basic overnighting areas (sometimes nothing more than a municipal car park) but with water/waste facilities. There are thousands of them in France, either free or a couple of Euros, and, as far as I know, not open to Caravans. That really takes the pressure off trying to find campsites. You know that there will be an "Aire" within 10km or so. Failing that....just park up on a back road somewhere and go to bed.
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(https://s22.postimg.org/umltg460h/20170717_113628.jpg)
All done. Pop up roof, solar panel, twin hob, sink, fridge etc and Lpg conversion. Gets its first outing on saturday
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You need a couple of sit-up-and-beg E-bikes on the back.
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oh no I dont
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Just the one then?
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It appears to have Riot Mesh windows. Expecting trouble? :);)
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Need lots of photos of this beast...
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Need lots of photos of this beast...
What, Flatus?
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Need lots of photos of this beast...
What, Flatus?
Whom did you think I meant?
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I saw the Flatusmobile on Saturday. If it wasn't his, it was the spirit of motorhomes yet to come. Large white motorhome, like any other of the type, with two bikes on a rack on the back... and being towed with its front wheel off the ground, back two on the road, a chopper motor trike, Easy Rider style. All gold and swirly patterns. The kind of thing that might have featured in Bike magazine circa 1976 or in a poster on the young Flatus's bedroom wall. :D
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I'm definitely full of hankering for a campervan. Caravans have never appealed, and motorhomes just seem too big.
Also, you can fit a van pretty much anywhere.
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Very interesting thread, and I've been through all the emotions expressed here. A friend had one that he made himself and it was lovely, very good insulation made it cool in the sun of the Swiss Alps and warm in the ice of a Bristol winter. Then he sold it and bought a VW boxy thing, also very useful. But although I'd like one, in the end I keep coming back to the number of tents I could buy and the number of trips I could do, plus the number of nights in nice hotels I could have when the weather was foul on aforesaid trips. And now I look back on, for example, seven weeks in Patagonia with a tent and a bike, and seven weeks in Norway going to Nord Kapp with a tent and a bike. But I also remember how far away those nice hotels were when the heavens opened. And each trip cost about £2,500. And I still don't own a campervan.
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MrsC, to my disappointment, does not like camping (although we are going camping this weekend; she is not looking forward to it). If we had a motorhome with bike rack, we might go away for weekends, I could abandon her in motorhome and vanish off on bike for a few hours in picturesque locations. Maybe.
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Ardnamurchan. Two week tour of Kielder forest, Loch Ness, and Ardnamurchan. Just me and the kiddies. Loved it.
(https://s28.postimg.org/9epfa845p/20170802_071424.jpg)
(https://s27.postimg.org/mcyda5dub/20170801_175455.jpg)
Purbeck
(https://s27.postimg.org/shhc768c3/20170810_160850.jpg)
Just me.
But everyone else arrives tomorrow.
(The Dorset flag attracts a fair bit of attention, but it backfired on me yesterday when a French lady enquired what it was, as she'd seen a similar one flying from a church nearby. I told her it was white supremacy and she said "well, there's nothing wrong with that".)
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That looks really lovely Flatus.
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Thanks. It is!. The place I'm at now is one we visit every year. It's on a slope so people tend not to camp near each other. Oodles of space. Loch Ness was a C&CC site so was full of people sat in their caravans and motorhomes watching Cash in the Attic. We were in the tent field at the extremity of the site which was a bit better. Ardnamurchan was off the scale for quaintness and beauty, but at the price of convenience (nearest town 2hrs plus ferry)...perfect.
I made the right choice for me vehicle-wise. The V6 thrummed up the motorway to Scotland at 90 mph for hours at 2500 revs, and in supreme comfort. It's small enough to get up some frankly barking roads. There were no motorhomes on the Ardnamurchan site ;) Havent needed a hookup, even though I can. The solar panel pulls enough to run the fridge and lights and usb chargers even on a dull day. Its sunny this morning and the battery is at full charge, with and extra 4+ amps coming in on top of the the draw from the fridge.
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Looks lovely.
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(https://s22.postimg.org/umltg460h/20170717_113628.jpg)
All done. Pop up roof, solar panel, twin hob, sink, fridge etc and Lpg conversion. Gets its first outing on saturday
Where did you get it converted? We are thinking of getting something similar.
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Northstar conversions on I.O.W.
If you want a Toyota Alphard, I'd recommend dealing with Paul Mckeown at New Acre Cars in Coventry.
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On Sunday I had to wait at roadworks while a good dozen camping cars came through in the other direction. Then about 20 minutes later half a dozen cars pulling caravans blocked me at a roundabout. Must have been chucking-out time at a local camping site.
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Our van arrives a week on Friday........... :o
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Northstar conversions on I.O.W.
If you want a Toyota Alphard, I'd recommend dealing with Paul Mckeown at New Acre Cars in Coventry.
Thank you!
Our van arrives a week on Friday........... :o
Coooool! What are you getting?
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Trigano Tribute 665. Perfect for the two of us to get out and about this winter. It got an auto gearbox, the finding of which made the search for the Holy Grail look simple. Makes life a lot easier for Littlewheel's shorty legs...... Trips are being planned!
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Wouldn't it make more sense for old* VW Type 2s to be converted to an EV rather than continually refurbish an old engine that will spew out much much more nasty stuff than a modern engine? Use roof for large solar panel? Non-speedy driving is expected anyway...
Yet I don't see any off the shelf conversions offered....
*(and even modern Brazilian ones if engine breaks?)
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Wouldn't it make more sense for old* VW Type 2s to be converted to an EV rather than continually refurbish an old engine that will spew out much much more nasty stuff than a modern engine?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40998128 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40998128)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZ1zbqAGA0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZ1zbqAGA0)
I think this one featured in the Nissan Leaf thread
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Thanks. It is!. The place I'm at now is one we visit every year. It's on a slope so people tend not to camp near each other. Oodles of space. Loch Ness was a C&CC site so was full of people sat in their caravans and motorhomes watching Cash in the Attic. We were in the tent field at the extremity of the site which was a bit better. Ardnamurchan was off the scale for quaintness and beauty, but at the price of convenience (nearest town 2hrs plus ferry)...perfect.
I made the right choice for me vehicle-wise. The V6 thrummed up the motorway to Scotland at 90 mph for hours at 2500 revs, and in supreme comfort. It's small enough to get up some frankly barking roads. There were no motorhomes on the Ardnamurchan site ;) Havent needed a hookup, even though I can. The solar panel pulls enough to run the fridge and lights and usb chargers even on a dull day. Its sunny this morning and the battery is at full charge, with and extra 4+ amps coming in on top of the the draw from the fridge.
Solar panels are great aren't they. It's so nice being able to go totally off grid. Our fridge only runs off 12V when we're moving, it's gas usually.
I highly recommend a GAS-IT conversion if you currently use bottles. Fill up for 1/3 the price of Calor as and when you put fuel in the van, rather than try and run Calor bottles as empty as you can.
We're off to a C&CC site on Friday evening. No hookup spaces available ...no problem
Big engines are also great. I'd never drive our lump at 90mph but we have a 3Litre Diesel which comes into its own on long hills and overtaking.
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Thanks Lee. I'll look into the GAS-IT thing :thumbsup:
Yes, I'm amazed at how both solar panels and mobile fridges have evolved.
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Wouldn't it make more sense for old* VW Type 2s to be converted to an EV rather than continually refurbish an old engine that will spew out much much more nasty stuff than a modern engine?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40998128 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40998128)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZ1zbqAGA0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZ1zbqAGA0)
I think this one featured in the Nissan Leaf thread
A) Interesting, although it manages to look smaller than original whilst being bigger on the outside (as is the modern way). However, that leaves all the original type 2s sputtering fumes. Also, I like the narrowness of the original type2.
B) I saw that DIY one but why no off the shelf 'leave van in at garage' style EV refits? Old Type 2s are presumably still numerous enough to be worth it?
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In another place I saw a figure of £25-30K bandied about for the conversion of a classic car to EV; presumably the cost would be even higher for a van (more batteries etc?).
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I have seen that piece about the VW electric van several times. I have also detected some considerable cynicism that it will ever be built.
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I am looking forward to the release of the LDV ev 80 . Trials are on going in oz and suggested prices for a high roof van are very competitive . Not much more than an nissan e 200 van .
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I sold my VW T3 diesel California last spring. I bought it in 2013 in Birkenhead, and after some repairs to make it road worthy had invested £8K. It had a bit of superficial rust that would bother the purist, so got it fairly cheap. We spent our summers traveling Europe from Sweden to Croatia, then shipped it to America (Galveston from Southampton) in 2016 and did a four month 13,000km trip through the Rockies to Vancouver Island, then down the Pacific coast. I sold it in the US for $10k. The 1.6 turbo diesel was slow going but what a reliable engine. I put around 40k miles total and only changed the oil & filter. The headlamp switch melted in the 'on' position, and had a rear wheel bearing issue that led to having the rear brakes repaired - that was it.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4439/37083504071_4db2da9c1f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YuWDMR) (https://flic.kr/p/YuWDMR)
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Picked up our van on Friday...... :) Two nights out and we are having a great time.
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An off the shelf Electric VW T2 (seen in VW Camper Magazine*):
https://electric-campers.com/ (https://electric-campers.com/)
Uses Tesla batteries.
For some reason the motor goes thru the gearbox (can be left in 4th...) which presumably incurrs an efficiency hit?
Front lowered to counter weight in back and keep bus level.
Presumably T25s could be done too.
*https://pocketmags.com/vw-camper-magazine (https://pocketmags.com/vw-camper-magazine)
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Keeping the gearbox seems to be common in electric conversions. Presumably it makes specifying/installing the motor simpler.
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There's an obvious decision to be made between Caravans and Motorhomes.
I'd summarise it as:
Caravans -
Pros - Cheap especially used. You have access to a car to drive into town car parks. Spacious for the length.
Cons - Overall length of car and Caravan is large. Harder to go "off grid".
Motorhomes -
Pros - It's easy to pitch up anywhere quickly. Self contained (water on board, waste on board). No 240v required. No hitching, towing, unhitching. (Handbrake on, engine off...you're camping).
Cons - Expensive, even used. Something else to MOT, tax and insure. A pain to get into some towns. Not so much internal living space for the same footprint (usually).
What appeals to me most about Motorhoming is the self-contained nature of it. With 100L of water on board, large LPG Gas bottles and Solar-charged batteries, you can pitch up just about anywhere and have everything you need. Delays at the ferry terminal are no issue, we're good for about 4 days with a full water tank. They lend themselves perfectly to overnighting en-route to somewhere, or just sightseeing somewhere for the one night and moving on.
Another Pro, abroad, is that Motorhomes are well catered for by "Aires". That is basic overnighting areas (sometimes nothing more than a municipal car park) but with water/waste facilities. There are thousands of them in France, either free or a couple of Euros, and, as far as I know, not open to Caravans. That really takes the pressure off trying to find campsites. You know that there will be an "Aire" within 10km or so. Failing that....just park up on a back road somewhere and go to bed.
We now have a caravan and I’d say your summary of motorhome v caravan is spot on. The ideal solution would be to have a caravan and a motorhome!
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Keeping the gearbox seems to be common in electric conversions. Presumably it makes specifying/installing the motor simpler.
Yes. It gives them something to bolt the motor to AND it means they don't have to build a transmission...