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Lol. I never said it was adult and reasonable but no blood was spilt lol.
Jerry are you concerned because you suspect the value of your T5 might be in more than 40K,I feel I might have missed something here? But if your t5 is worth 40K then possibly I haven't.
thank you
stu
Lol. I never said it was adult and reasonable but no blood was spilt lol.
Why isn’t it, it has a bed and all other necessary equipmentbut it's not a camper?
I've had a campervan (t5.1) for around 2+ years now.
Summary:
CamperVan -> Tent
But only just, the key to sleeping well is having a customised mattress (topper) that perfectly fits into the shape of the van at the back otherwise you will end up with many a night waking up with a bad back if there are two of you sleeping on the mattress.
Mark what does the phrase below the word " summary" mean. please??
We have wanted for yonks and finally got the old T5 part converted, I mentioned above. I'm slowly getting things how we want. First up addressed the mechanicals got the wheels off ASAP seems they were not the right load rating and then spent a few quid on the mechanic side. Slowly wading through what we really need conversion wise.
For me two things are paramount sleeping comfort and warmth at night . It's all been very slow but wonderful to wake up where I want to make some images at dawn and not have to drive there first. With us togs always questing for magical light the dawn and dusk shooting should be somewhat easier now.
Oh Mark although I don't totally understand your post even our RIB bed ( they are very expensive around 2/2 1/2 K) needed a topper it's a damn comfy and SAFE seat but by god that bed is uncomfortable.
stu
Small to medium basic camper = happiness and fun.
Big and luxurious = aggravation and disappointment.
The campervan is great if like you say you are doing some early morning togging and you are the only one sleeping there. However, we found that unless you get a top end "mattress topper" that has been created to exactly match the seat profile (when in "bed mode") it can be a very uncomfortable night if there are two of you (i.e. you and your partner).
We spent a small fortune on a Smart EVO which by far is the best one out there but we made the mistake of getting (expensive) a mattress topper which was slightly bigger than the seat and what we found is that it curled up at the edges slightly. This just made the entire process uncomfortable and quite often we would wake up either with a sore neck/back/what have you and also looking something like out of the walking dead. This issue was resolved once we shelled out around 500 for a top of the range custom built mattress topper.
The other issue being with two people, it is quite the task to get up when there is limited space and shuffle down to the edge of the seat (unless you prefer to open the door behind door and just fall out the back of the van) if you need to make a night time toilet trip etc.
We also have the pop top roof but to be honest we just use that for storing stuff when we've unpacked.
So top tip if not sleeping alone: no matter "how good" the mattress topper is - do not get one unless it exactly matches the seating area profile when lain out in the bed configuration. This may mean you may need to get one custom fitted if you do not have the an official VW campervan (e.g. a T5.1 conversion like me).
So back to my summary:
Campervan > (is greater than) Tent in terms of comfort. But only just.
Obviously I'm being a little bit mischievous - with the fridge, oven, hob and water it's brill for everything else. You just can't beat the sound of a kettle whistling away while making a hot pot noodle/coffee early in the morning. Or if you don't' mind the smell on the fabric - a bacon sandwich!
One final thing with VW Campervans (and conversions) - the residual retention is just silly. If you get a good deal on the campervan you can quite easily sell it for same or even slightly more 2 years later.
It appears to me that one of the main problems is keeping warm. There are varying ways of heating the van up but condensation causes all manner of problems. Just about everythng else one can get around if one takes a sensible approach.
Comfy bed and warmth are two huge priorities for us. We'll go either the Wallas route of an eber/planar diesel heater,def not gas. as the main off grid heater. My take on the condensation aspect at this time was to use a dehumidifier on returning home. It won't help when camping sure but overal might help.
Does any one have any reservations about running a dehumidifier in a T5 after camping??
Much thanks for the indepth reply Mark, very much appreciated. Yes the "greater than" sign had me foxed last night. The words on the topper have been headed almost by accident I guess I took the van to someone local whom made the topper to our bed design,I need to get used to it now before passing further judgement,but it is a definite improvement on where we started.........out of interest who made your 500note topper. Tis a lot of money for some foam but the good night of sleep is utterly so important: despite reservations I can see your logic. what types of foam ,I presume a mix of memory and maybe the blue(unsure of correct nomenclature) foam,how thick ??
The way the dubs hold value was almost incidental i'm hoping the van will do us for my foreseeable active future,no real intention of upgrading or selling .The scene tax is somewhat astounding though .
cheers again
My new addition after much deliberation!
Paul a very simply Q...why???
stu
One option people may not have considered is to have a layout which includes two single beds, rather a "rock n' roll" double bed. The company that I bought mine from - Leisuredrive - has this option and there may be others.
Each front seat slides forward and the back reclines. There is a different layout on each side but the result is the same - two single beds. It is also possible to slide out a metal framework and add an extra mattress to make an (almost) full length double bed. The funny thing is, it is actually more comfortable than a flat mattress! It must be something about the slight angles created by the reclining front seat that fits me perfectly. I can get back pain on a flat mattress at home , even a thick one with a mattress topper, but I've hardly ever experienced it in the camper.
This layout is particularly useful if you're likely to be using the van mainly on your own. You can leave the passenger seat down and one single bed set up while you drive and there's no need to rearrage anything when its time to crash out. the kitchen area is at the back on the passenger side so none of the cupboards and units are obstructed when the double bed is down, as would be the case in the normal layout.
Just a thought......!
Oh........ Any T5/6 owners out there ............. buy a set of H and R anti roll bars, just trust me . and it will probably be the best money you spend. The difference in handling on my LWB was WOW