Campervan - The new "must have" piece of equipment ?

A downside of camper vans in remoter areas is that they (can) give little back to the community, but take a fair bit. Give little by not using local services, whether food or bed etc,, Take in the form of road wear and tear, blocking parking areas, filling rubbish bins, congestion in wilder parts etc.

There's definitely merit in a photographer using one to document areas that would have difficult accessibility but as a general tourist tool :wave:

Why do you think that all campervan owners don’t buy any local goods, pay road tax & fuel tax and block parking areas? Why do you think a campervan owner with a mobile bedroom should use a B&B? Would you prefer campervan owners threw their rubbish in a hedge instead of a rubbish bin provided to put rubbish in? How does a VW camper cause more congestion than a car the same size?

This attitude is the same as those people that think photographers are paedophiles just because of the kind of camera they carry.

Just because a few individuals can be selfish please do not tar all campervan owners with the same brush.
 
You don’t have to spend £40k, we’ve spent a 10th of that and it’s the best photography accessory we have!

We went down the ‘buy an NHS minibus and do it up yourself’ route, the main advantage of doing your own is that you get what you want. Our budget was spent kitting it out for ‘off grid’ use with lots of solar panels and batteries for plenty of power for all the kit. It’s just had it’s layout changed to accommodate a baby bunk!

The main disadvantage is that this country is very anti-campervan and could do with taking some lessons from the French!
 
Slightly tongue in cheek headline but are campervans becoming the new "must have" piece of kit ?

I must admit that it's definitely on my longer term plan to own one as the facility to be able to pull up close to the bottom of a hill, coast or lake an hour before sunset, take a few shots, retire to the comfort of a nice van and be ready a few hours later for sunrise has a huge appeal.

Everywhere I seem to look there seems to be more and more people purchasing them or thinking about them

Anyone just bought or intending to ?

I love my camper but in the USA the Luxury RV Coach is the rage

View: https://youtu.be/cCl1CDPHoME


I am still in Ireland with my van but I will return in a couple of weeks and will write up my project (nearly 4 summers of work).

2019 I shall head to mainland Europe.

I bought my ‘van’ off an old guy in my village after he spent a small fortune on a custom build with every comfort and toy. His wife and he got one summer before she fell ill and had to hgo into a care home.

Camper vans are available at every price band but if you want all year use then ‘double glazing’, inner lining and central heating are a must. I have a small diesel fuelled heater which prices a nice flow of warm air wich is circulated in the main cabin. Early September saw it’s use!

I always fancied a VW ‘California’ but I think that now I am in my 60s I enjoy the space i have with all the trimmings and a proper bed!

I think I could live full time in my ‘van’ but currently looking forward to seeing my grandchildren and friends.

Good luck with what you choose.

Steve
 
I love my camper but in the USA the Luxury RV Coach is the rage

View: https://youtu.be/cCl1CDPHoME


I am still in Ireland with my van but I will return in a couple of weeks and will write up my project (nearly 4 summers of work).

2019 I shall head to mainland Europe.

I bought my ‘van’ off an old guy in my village after he spent a small fortune on a custom build with every comfort and toy. His wife and he got one summer before she fell ill and had to hgo into a care home.

Camper vans are available at every price band but if you want all year use then ‘double glazing’, inner lining and central heating are a must. I have a small diesel fuelled heater which prices a nice flow of warm air wich is circulated in the main cabin. Early September saw it’s use!

I always fancied a VW ‘California’ but I think that now I am in my 60s I enjoy the space i have with all the trimmings and a proper bed!

I think I could live full time in my ‘van’ but currently looking forward to seeing my grandchildren and friends.

Good luck with what you choose.

Steve
I loved my RV and lived in it for a few years, travelling all over Europe with a 1000cc motorbike on the back, being a lorry chassis it never even knew it was there. I was living in luxury for 4euros a night! By driving it to one place then staying for a few months it was actually quite economical, exploring the local area on the bike. If I wasn't a cripple would probably still be doing it now!
 
What on earth is wrong with a bit of comfort? I'm in my 70's and enjoy the fact that I can sleep, cook, shower, take a dump and watch a dvd or even (horror of horrors) telly in my bus while in the company of my wife and dog and still get out to indulge my hobby.

You are not allowed. You must conform otherwise your non-compliance will be filmed on the latest child-slave made iPhone owned by a huge tax dodging capitalist enshrining corporation, built in the most polluting country in the world before being uploaded onto a channel hosted and owned by one of the largest tax dodging corporations so that lots of other sanctimonious and self-congratulatory gobsh*tes can whine and then pat themselves on the back for a "job well done". And if that doesn't work then let's form a pressure group and try and use the Government as a big stick and legislate it, removing yet another little piece of enjoyment from people's lives.

I quite fancy something like this: https://earthroamer.com/xv-hd/ and what with it's 6.7L V8 engine needing a 115 Gallon fuel tank, I reckon I'll be pumping (excuse the pun) plenty of money into the local economy :)
 
3vwidbuzz_0.jpg

Keeping an eye on what this ends up like in production guise. An EV camper would really appeal to me as a second vehicle.
 
You are not allowed. You must conform otherwise your non-compliance will be filmed on the latest child-slave made iPhone owned by a huge tax dodging capitalist enshrining corporation, built in the most polluting country in the world before being uploaded onto a channel hosted and owned by one of the largest tax dodging corporations so that lots of other sanctimonious and self-congratulatory gobsh*tes can whine and then pat themselves on the back for a "job well done". And if that doesn't work then let's form a pressure group and try and use the Government as a big stick and legislate it, removing yet another little piece of enjoyment from people's lives.

I quite fancy something like this: https://earthroamer.com/xv-hd/ and what with it's 6.7L V8 engine needing a 115 Gallon fuel tank, I reckon I'll be pumping (excuse the pun) plenty of money into the local economy :)
You ecowarrior you....
 
I loved my RV and lived in it for a few years, travelling all over Europe with a 1000cc motorbike on the back, being a lorry chassis it never even knew it was there. I was living in luxury for 4euros a night! By driving it to one place then staying for a few months it was actually quite economical, exploring the local area on the bike. If I wasn't a cripple would probably still be doing it now!

I bought the wagon as an impulse buy. It is a custom build (from Germany) and is on a Mercedes chassis. It is an all season wagon and I tow a trailer with a Nissan Micra (has a Smart for a while).

It will go into storage in 2-3 weeks until around mid march when I will head off to Spain for a few months and see how it goes. So will spend time with my grand kids and wider family. I will also need a bone specialist to look at my shin which was fractured when I was riding my bike and was hit by a car - it was improving but now painful again.

I think I could live in my wagon but can be lonely when my partner has to go back to Boston for work.

If I were younger, I could still throw a mattress in the back of my Transit van and head off. Too old now - I am used to my comforts!

Steve
 
I converted a VW T4 myself. Having been lifelong campers my wife & I fancied a bit more comfort but on a limited budget.
Having kitted it out with 12 & 240v electrics and a recent solar panel i've now found it makes a great base for photography, especially those early mornings or times you want a brew and a check of the photos.
 
A downside of camper vans in remoter areas is that they (can) give little back to the community, but take a fair bit. Give little by not using local services, whether food or bed etc,, Take in the form of road wear and tear, blocking parking areas, filling rubbish bins, congestion in wilder parts etc.

There's definitely merit in a photographer using one to document areas that would have difficult accessibility but as a general tourist tool :wave:

I still think you use a lot of the local services; Pubs for food/drink, local shops and amenities - if you are stopping in an area then something like the day vans can't really be 'lived in' - they provide a comfortable nights sleep. Not sure about the congestion either.

For lots of small towns tourism really bolsters the local economy and if it's easier for you to visit then surely that helps those areas?
 
I still think you use a lot of the local services; Pubs for food/drink, local shops and amenities - if you are stopping in an area then something like the day vans can't really be 'lived in' - they provide a comfortable nights sleep. Not sure about the congestion either.

For lots of small towns tourism really bolsters the local economy and if it's easier for you to visit then surely that helps those areas?

Yes, local services can be used, but in general people in self sufficient vehicles will use less of the local services than those who stay in bricks and mortar. That's why they have self-sufficient vehicles!

It's not a problem until it gets above a level. Tourism is beginning to reach troublesome levels in many places - there are examples of cities looking to limit tourists, beaches being closed, 'Tourist Taxes' being proposed.
 
Yes, local services can be used, but in general people in self sufficient vehicles will use less of the local services than those who stay in bricks and mortar. That's why they have self-sufficient vehicles!

It's not a problem until it gets above a level. Tourism is beginning to reach troublesome levels in many places - there are examples of cities looking to limit tourists, beaches being closed, 'Tourist Taxes' being proposed.

I think the whole idea of the 'small campervan' such as the converted Transit is the ability to wild camp so you would be less likely to go to the densely populated areas. Certainly after a good days pic taking I would want a pub tea rather than just sitting in my camper on my own boiling an egg on the Smeg stove. maybe I'm not like most though.

You could also argue that people using campers reduces the need for hotels to build bricks and mortar?
 
And what does that have to do with campervans?

Too many camper vans risks creating a similar problem in wilder areas.

The thread title is "Campervan - The new "must have" piece of equipment ?" There's no implication there that possible downsides of camper vans are not to be discussed.
 
Too many camper vans risks creating a similar problem in wilder areas.

The thread title is "Campervan - The new "must have" piece of equipment ?" There's no implication there that possible downsides of camper vans are not to be discussed.

So how are we supposed to get to these 'wilder areas'?

Most aren't within walking distance of train stations or any public transport; surely you really can't expect people not to travel around?
 
So how are we supposed to get to these 'wilder areas'?

Most aren't within walking distance of train stations or any public transport; surely you really can't expect people not to travel around?

Travel around responsibly, yes.
 
Don't get me started!

I'm a VW man through and through, and been involved with the whole scene for about 15 years now. There are a lot of VW shows over the course of a year, and a lot of them were very good weekends, with a huge amount of Beetles, Splitcreen and Bay Window buses with the odd T25 (or T3 if you live anywhere else in the world other than the UK).

These shows are now full of T4 / T5 / T6 vans, and for the most part, all the same. This has then created a huge aftermarket opportunity for vendors, but most of all the amount of money that's flooding in by those who want to 'be a part of it's (and who aren't interested in the historic side) has pushed the price of early stuff way beyond affordability for most. Hell, a mate of mine recently sold a rare early splitty for close to £250k. That and the 'show and shine' is now growing more and more like a VW commercial dealership forecourt.

Now, that aside if you're wanting to travel, a modern van is great and have everything available to you (bar a toilet). They are hugely expensive (unless it's not a campers but a multivan) too. But they're still a front-engined van at the end of the day and have no appeal to me at all. I like told stuff. :D

I've had a splitscreen which was cool but not great for camping, a T25 Westfalia California which was perfect, but now I have a US car and a tent. Not as practical but it's a damn sight cooler. :D
 
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Getting back on topic

I was planning at one point on following what GreenNinja did ie buy a movano and convert, however have decided on another route and get a citroen berlingo and use a bootjump
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDtiP0LuWjw
 
I've seen quite a lot of these raised bed conversions with storage underneath. Looks like a simple, cheap conversion thats easy to do and remove.
Perfect for an overnight stay, with a small size van
 
Getting back on topic

I was planning at one point on following what GreenNinja did ie buy a movano and convert, however have decided on another route and get a citroen berlingo and use a bootjump
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDtiP0LuWjw


We thought about a smaller van Paul but for various reasons we need a bed we can leave made up at all times.

I miss having a proper sofa so may have to rethink a bit of the inside over the winter.

I'm sure the toilet compartment can be "adjusted" to make it multi use.
 
Aye, as times gone by I've come to the conclusion that the berlingo / partner is the short to medium term answer for me as it will be for overnights and weekends at most and will likely only be me as I want to use it to explore for photography rather than anything else.
 
I am rare for a landscape tog as I have

a) not got a campervan
b) absolutely do not want a campervan preferring luxury saloons - you can sleep in these too and they're just nicer to drive and be in
c) do not like dogs
d) cannot bare camping or sleeping in tents - driving /walking through the night is infinitely preferrable
e) prefer to drive as opposed to walk (although will don a pair of boots etc) but it's not my preferred MO.
f) prefer summer to winter.
 
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A couple of years ago I contemplated buying a Mazda Bongo, so I could go to photography events / motor racing. However, we ended up with a 24' 6 berth motorhome, my wife comes with me, and also occasionally heads out on her own. Been abroad several times and it gets used regularly from March to November, and occasionally over winter too. Fortunately we have space to keep it! Heading off this weekend in it, so have put the fridge on and filled it with water ready for the off.
 
Right - this thread has had a little hoovering, and lots of non campervan action has been removed. The protagonists are aware that they are trading on their last warning, and from here on in, ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE who takes this thread back onto its earlier detour is going to have a week to get in their campervan and go on holiday, because they won't be able to see the forum for a while...
 
3vwidbuzz_0.jpg

Keeping an eye on what this ends up like in production guise. An EV camper would really appeal to me as a second vehicle.

Yep, me too - been keeping an eye on it for a while and if production ends up anything like the concept and the price doesn't double like I'm half expecting it to then I'd be very interested in one
 
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Right - this thread has had a little hoovering, and lots of non campervan action has been removed. The protagonists are aware that they are trading on their last warning, and from here on in, ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE who takes this thread back onto its earlier detour is going to have a week to get in their campervan and go on holiday, because they won't be able to see the forum for a while...

That might be a good thing. They’d come back with pictures and use their cameras.

Autumn is a great season and a good time to get out and explore.
 
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There is the option of hiring a camper for those who do not want to invest or have a second vehicle.
This summer I hired a VW Camper just for the crack, and spent the night at Cape Cornwall, excellent waking up just before dawn at one of Cornwall's hidden treasures!
Can recommend this company.
http://www.cool4campers.co.uk/

Hiring one is a great way to find out if it is for you before making a big financial or time investment.
 
Here’s a plusher alternative to a campervans. Ok you can’t cook in it but the rear recliner ottoman seat is just as good. Rear blinds too.

Proper engine too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809130467887

And an economical version as a hybrid.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805136470782

For half the price of a new van you can get this, a ton of petrol to go places and some new gear.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809301013721

These things just go on and on without going wrong. Nothing Ford or VW made is as dependable as a Toyota or Lexus.

Plenty of room to sleep in, equipment etc concealed and hidden in a locked boot plus inbuilt satnav to help you find your way. Massive comfortable seats you can heat after a mornings cold shoot or cool you after a sweaty hike and they’ll keep you much more comfortable than the seats from a transverse mount engined van. Genuine refinement makes it a perfect companion to whisk you from the UK to the Alps.

This is a remarkably photographer friendly car and I should know. I drive it’s baby brother the GS.
 
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Here’s a plusher alternative to a campervans. Ok you can’t cook in it but the rear recliner ottoman seat is just as good. Rear blinds too.

Proper engine too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809130467887

And an economical version as a hybrid.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805136470782

For half the price of a new van you can get this, a ton of petrol to go places and some new gear.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809301013721

These things just go on and on without going wrong. Nothing Ford or VW made is as dependable as a Toyota or Lexus.

Plenty of room to sleep in, equipment etc concealed and hidden in a locked boot plus inbuilt satnav to help you find your way. Massive comfortable seats you can heat after a mornings cold shoot or cool you after a sweaty hike and they’ll keep you much more comfortable than the seats from a transverse mount engined van. Genuine refinement makes it a perfect companion to whisk you from the UK to the Alps.

This is a remarkably photographer friendly car and I should know. I drive it’s baby brother the GS.

Very interesting, only ever seen this on a Citreon C6 before, could be a very good option for me, I never sleep in a van for more than two nights and then need a proper bed. I intend to do a six week tour of Scotland in the spring, staying out some nights for astro photography and supplementing the van or car with great big comfy hotel rooms with all the comforts in between!
 
Very interesting, only ever seen this on a Citreon C6 before, could be a very good option for me, I never sleep in a van for more than two nights and then need a proper bed. I intend to do a six week tour of Scotland in the spring, staying out some nights for astro photography and supplementing the van or car with great big comfy hotel rooms with all the comforts in between!

That’s how I do it - some in the car, a lot in hotels to get stuff charged, myself properly washed etc.

I’d swap Scotland for the Alps or Pyrenees though [emoji6]

Imho a diesel 4 clyinder van is unrefined and not luxurious and a camper van is very expensive- for the same or less money you could have a totally amazing car. Refinement and seat comfort are two of the most important qualities in long distance travel. That Lexus would blow your mind and obliterate a campervan in this regard and for a solo photographer who sleeps out occasionally is probably a better fit.
 
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That’s how I do it - some in the car, a lot in hotels to get stuff charged, myself properly washed etc.

I’d swap Scotland for the Alps or Pyrenees though [emoji6]

Imho a diesel 4 clyinder van is unrefined and not luxurious and a camper van is very expensive- for the same or less money you could have a totally amazing car. Refinement and seat comfort are two of the most important qualities in long distance travel. That Lexus would blow your mind and obliterate a campervan in this regard and for a solo photographer who sleeps out occasionally is probably a better fit.
And the money you save will pay for a fair few nights in a hotel...
 
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