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 Topic: Questions from a campervan newbie
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 via mobile 01/4/2024 at 10:45pm
Location: Ayrshire
Outfit: Auto-Sleeper MHs
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Joined: 10/4/2007 Diamond Member 
Forum Posts: 5144
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As above, especially hiring to try before you buy.
I’d say you’re looking at a ULEZ compliant short or long wheelbase PVC (panel van conversion). A Motorhome will be “lumbering” as you put it, it won’t go under car park gantries & it’s rubbish for the supermarket run.
Go & visit some dealers (pity the caravan & Motorhome show at NEC is by); sit & stand inside, with doors closed; some have high roofs, others have pop tops. There are a range of layouts & one will suit you more than the others. All the usual makes do PVCs - Auto-Sleeper, Autocruise, IH, WildAx, Hymer, and do look at Bongo! Google others, check layouts online, YouTube is helpful.
Bear in mind that a conversion that’s tailored to suit you by a firm that converts PVs may not suit anyone else when you come to sell, whereas A-S model X or Bongo model Y is a known commodity.
The extreme is buying a white van & throwing a mattress & cooking stove in the back: not ideal & has its risks, but it’s easy to get carried away with the bells & whistles. Check the forums on here for home conversions vs DVLA regs & insurance.
Good luck. Adventures await!
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2024 = 20 sites / 41 nights. 2023 = 9/23. 2022 = 13/35. 2021 = 11/29. 2020 = 4/20. 2019 = 13/35. 2018 = 20/33. 2017 = 10/22. 2016 = 19/33. 2015 = 15 sites / 27 nights. Didn't count 1976 to 2014.
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02/4/2024 at 12:18am
Location: Devizes Wiltshire
Outfit: MWB VW Crafter PVC
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Joined: 19/6/2009 Diamond Member
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Concur with the others about rent before you buy, and to visit as many shows as you can, to have a feel of the different layouts, and to see and feel examples of van conversion companies should you wish to go down that route.
I went down the custom PVC route as I could not find a van that suited my needs and wants, such as no LPG, a drop down bed, and end kitchen and bathroom that I could separate from the main living area, etc. etc...
She is a MWB VW Crafter, diesel, with as powerful an engine as I could find from a van dealer as VW could not give me a build date after months of waiting due to Covid.
The company that carried out the conversion had sadly gone out of business, otherwise I would have recommended them highly as they did a great job in turning my own design into reality.
She is not perfect, however, she is as close to perfect as I could ever wish, and am very happy with her, now in her 4th season.
Good luck!
DK 
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* Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest And Play! *
- 2025 - inc. FR & DE
- 2024 - 10/56 inc. FR & NL
- 2023 - 48 inc. FR
- 2022 - 49
- 2021 - 34
* Ex-tenter & solo female camper *
* Treat life events like a dog: If you can't eat it, play with it, or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away! *
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02/4/2024 at 3:23pm
Location: Dartford Kent
Outfit: VW T6 conversion
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Joined: 06/5/2008 Platinum Member 
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As a somewhat middle aged solo camper, I decided to move from caravan to campervan, having had both trailer tents and various other tents in the past. I popped in to the local VW commercials showrooms, where they had an ex-demonstrator California; I sort of fell in love with it. On further research, I decided on a conversion from Needingworth Campers; just delivery mileage, and with a healthy winter discount. I was advised to hire first, which is the sensible way to go, but I’d already made my mind up, and threw caution to the winds. I have a 150PS diesel DSG T6 Transporter, ULEZ compliant, fits under nearly every height barrier, and fits in a car park space ((albeit tight, and a bit longer than I’m used to.) It does 30-35 mpg; not ideal on short trips, but cruises like a good un.
I’m now on my third trip, in the Lakes, and it’s standing up to the weather, narrow roads, hills and all. There is a complicity among campervanners, I’m finding; a friendly bunch. I’m not one of those who wants to wild camp, but I am planning a long trip or two abroad soon.
Had I been younger, I’d have commissioned my own conversion, but I’m only just starting to explore what works and what doesn’t. In the end, all camping is about compromises.
Good luck with your travels: in the end I think you just have to go for it; apparently they maintain their value, so you can always change your mind.
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02/4/2024 at 4:29pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered
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Joined: 31/5/2019 Standard Member
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Quote: Originally posted by morepints on 02/4/2024
As a somewhat middle aged solo camper, I decided to move from caravan to campervan, having had both trailer tents and various other tents in the past. I popped in to the local VW commercials showrooms, where they had an ex-demonstrator California; I sort of fell in love with it. On further research, I decided on a conversion from Needingworth Campers; just delivery mileage, and with a healthy winter discount. I was advised to hire first, which is the sensible way to go, but I’d already made my mind up, and threw caution to the winds. I have a 150PS diesel DSG T6 Transporter, ULEZ compliant, fits under nearly every height barrier, and fits in a car park space ((albeit tight, and a bit longer than I’m used to.) It does 30-35 mpg; not ideal on short trips, but cruises like a good un.
I’m now on my third trip, in the Lakes, and it’s standing up to the weather, narrow roads, hills and all. There is a complicity among campervanners, I’m finding; a friendly bunch. I’m not one of those who wants to wild camp, but I am planning a long trip or two abroad soon.
Had I been younger, I’d have commissioned my own conversion, but I’m only just starting to explore what works and what doesn’t. In the end, all camping is about compromises.
Good luck with your travels: in the end I think you just have to go for it; apparently they maintain their value, so you can always change your mind.
Love this story. Sounds exactly what I'm looking to embark on. Thank you for sharing.
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27/4/2024 at 7:05pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Joined: 17/9/2015 Diamond Member
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Can only second the view of 'go look, and don't rush'!
I took about a year of quite serious 'looking' at various options when I decided to move up from a tent to 'something more kindly to my aged bones'! I visited the big shows, and countless dealers forecourts, I clambered in and out of endless, trailer tents, campers, MHs, caravans etc. ..... and I changed my mind significantly from what I first thought I wanted!
I went through the motions of simulated 'using' rather than just looking at the various options, that alone put me off a fair number of things, miniscule 'all in one/shower over toilet type bathrooms were a casualty, initially thought I could live with one, but soon discovered I didn't really fit in them and banged head and elbows on just about everything in there! ... a decent full sized bathroom and shower became an essential!
Cooking! - I like cooking, and had every intention of being as self sufficient as possible, so the two tiny hobs on the draining board type 'cooker', no oven, no microwave all got the elbow, a decent kitchen became another 'must have'. ... and the fridge had to be adequate too!
Seating. Sit and sprawl, you may find the seating is neither that comfortable, nor has space to really sit in a relaxed way! If you want a TV, is it comfortable to watch in what is often a fixed position for it!
Sleeping. I'm a big bloke, I need a reasonable sized bed. I wasn't too fussed in theory about whether it was a fixed bed or a convertible seat/bed, but decided fixed beds compromised space elsewhere too much for daytime use, and some conversions to beds were just too big an ask after a long day hiking or a shandy or two!
Looked at basic campers and caravans, but decided they were to all intense and purposes, literally a 'tin tent', lacking much amenity over and above a decent tent, but with ALL the disadvantages of being a vehicle in their own right! If I was going to suffer the expense and inconvenience, then it HAD to be a major step up from a tent!
Finally settled on a quite large 4 berth caravan with a fair degree of luxury about it, and 6 years on, I made ABSOLUTELY the right choice, would happily go out and buy a near identical one as a replacement should I need to. That was the very last thing I thought I wanted when I started my 'upgrade' from a tent!
I was no stranger to caravans and various campers/MH's as a number of friends have them and I'd spent time (visiting, not staying) in them, BUT when you start looking at them for what suits YOU, you look with very different eyes! I was no stranger to towing an assortment of trailers over decades, so a caravan was of no concern to me. I've also driven various larger vehicles, so a MH was not off putting. If you have never experienced a Camper/MH as a living space, then I absolutely recommend you hire one for a holiday, both to familiarise yourself with it as a living space AND as a vehicle on the roads. It's a sizable investment, and can be an expensive mistake if you purchase in ignorance or unwisely.
As to a camper as an everyday vehicle in London, rather you than me. I live in NW London just off the A406, and even though very at ease with driving all sorts of vehicles in all sorts of places, even a largeish car (7 seat MPV) can be hard work in the chaos of London's roads, and where the hell can you park it with it's potential length and height! - parking bays are small, and most car parks have low height barriers! I don't see it getting better under Mayor Khan's stewardship if he gets back in as Mayor, his declared hatred of Diesels can only cost more and more! I changed my car from a Diesel to a Petrol because I saw the day it would be prohibited outright or prohibitively expensive to carry on with a Diesel vehicle! Even car parking around my way has a premium rate for ALL Diesels! Virtually NO petrol camper vans out there!
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