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 Topic: Campervan sliding door on driver`s side?
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17/10/2024 at 6:02pm
Location: Wessex
Outfit: Dethleffs Trend T675
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We've got a Dethleffs motorhome and that has the habitation door on the driver's side. Some campsites have asked us to park nose in rather than reversing into a pitch but it's no big-deal.
We used quite a few CAMC sites this autumn and they weren't bothered about which way we parked, leaving the decision to us.
So I'd say go for the layout that suits you best.
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17/10/2024 at 7:23pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Leisuredrive VW T6 campervan
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Our slidey door is on the nearside, where the sun awning is. We have seen vans with the awning on the nearside and the slidey door on the offside, that seems a bit odd to me. And we have seen vans with 2 slidey doors, which seem to be very congested inside due to having no spare wall.
We mostly camp in France where no one bats an eyelid which way you pitch.
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18/10/2024 at 7:55am
Location: Turriff Aberdeenshi
Outfit: Romahome R30 Dimens
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Once on a CAMC site, we had pitched nicely when a German van pulled on to the adjacent pitch. A rather grumpy driver got out and told me I had to move because I would be to close to his awning. I pointed out that I was sited correctly and that it was his side door and awning that was facing my van. Along came the warden, had a quick look and told the German to move. He was not happy.
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Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
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18/10/2024 at 12:10pm
Location: Dartford Kent
Outfit: VW+T6+conversion
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I saw it referred to as the “whizz-bang door” the other day; tickled me a bit. UK nearside door, van used as everyday drive, including supermarket trips where side door is used for stowing shopping. No issues anywhere, either here or in EU: can be quite convivial, as I found when parked next to a German Cali in Spain, with door opposite mine. Also seemed to confuse the gendarmerie when I was pulled over at night for a migrant check, wanting to inspect the back: “Non, monsieur, c’est un fourgon anglais!”
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18/10/2024 at 1:31pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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I suppose I don't have the issue to contend with, at least in the UK, as I've got a UK built caravan with the habitation door on the NS.
But it seems common sense to me to maintain the habitation door/awning on the same side for all units to suit the pitches, be they UK or Continental sites, and NS or OS habitation doors. It maintains personal privacy, fire break distances etc.
For a MH/camper it makes precious little difference if you reverse into or drive into a pitch, for a caravan, IF it's got Motor Movers, again it doesn't matter, it's no more trouble one way or the other! On the other hand, a caravan without MM becomes a bit of a handful to physically push into a pitch nose first as opposed to maybe reversing still attached to the car. I don't think there is any way I could push my 1.3T caravan on my own any great distance, and certainly not up any incline, or for that matter down one as that would become 'up' on departure!
You always hear arguments from people wanting to orientate their unit to get early morning/eve sun or view etc. through a particular aperture, if I've been that fussy, always found that can mostly be dealt with by picking a particular pitch, but still maintaining regular pitching orientation. If not, I accept what I've got, luck of the draw and all that.
I've certainly encountered people who've pitched 'the wrong way' on adjacent pitch, when there have been no site restrictions, or habitation door on 'wrong side', and it feels slightly less 'comfortable' to be forced into closer than usual contact, and have an unobstructed view directly into their unit and witness their every coming and going, it make me feel like I need to compensate in some way for the uninvited 'intimacy' with them, so MY actions and activities become 'compromised'! It may be slightly more complicated for me by my dog, she's generally a great camper and good neighbour, but also nosey, so may react to people 'too close'!
I don't think it matters which side the habitation door is, I do think it matters how you pitch in relation to your neighbours though.
As to how much of an inconvenience having a habitation door on the OS is, then that probably depends on where you use your unit most! If you do a lot of continental camping, it'd work well, but for UK only, then personally I'd find stepping out into traffic, having to ensure my dog didn't exit into traffic probably a compromise too far. Wouldn't bother me if I was nose in or out when on a pitch though.
I'm certain sliding doors CAN be closed quietly (friends do with theirs!), but it does bug me on many a site when one of the most dominant noises is the constant and repeated 'WHOOSH-BANG' of endless doors being shut without consideration! Particularly offensive in the quiet of the evening or at night. Think I'd get a bit p*ssed off if I had a neighbour facing me and only a few feet away who was one of the inconsiderate ones! There may be terse words .....!
Personal view of course, everyone to their own and all that.
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18/10/2024 at 1:59pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Leisuredrive VW T6 campervan
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Hmmm, it is almost impossible to close the slidey door quietly in our current and previous VW Transporters. They just can't be clicked shut when pulled to first, you need to re-open a tad then push hard. We try not to use that door later in the evening or first thing in the morning, but we do now have the ability to enter/exit through the tailgate door. In our previous van we didn't as the bed was across the back.
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via mobile 17/10/2024 at 5:38pm
