Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Can I have both?

No idea, tried to go and see it twice and couldn't. Too busy.

I like it. Aiming to swap my velar for one in October if I can actually find one to buy...

Pass. I still don't get camper vans/mobile homes/whatever you want to call them.

If you're in a vehicle, then you might as well drive to the nearest hotel/guesthouse/B&B/AirBnB and stay there, and then drive to the place you really want to get to.

Camping, on the other hand, great. Tent, sleeping roll, sleeping bag. You can put it on a bike, you can carry it in a rucksack, stay in the middle of nowhere inaccessible by a vehicle or just stopping wherever you like. Nice.

Sleeping in a glorified van next to a bucket of excrement, on the other hand, seems to me the worst of both worlds.

Camper vans, vans etc are kick arse if you've got genuine wilderness on your doorstep. Want to go Mountain biking / dirt biking / climbing / Kayaking in the great outdoors? You sort of need one. I agree about the plumbing though, much rather take a shovel and join the bears.

Want to go Mountain biking / dirt biking / climbing / Kayaking in the great outdoors? You sort of need one.

How far's it going to be to the nearest hotel/B&B though? I've spent plenty of time mountain biking in the great outdoors, and never begrudged half an hour's drive from the local hostelry in return for a proper bed, flush lavatories and a proper cooked breakfast.

Depends where you live really - out here it can easily be a couple of hours drive. Last spot I camped, there was literally nothing within a 45 mile, exceptionally twisty radius despite only being a couple of hours from town to get there.

With you all the way! £35k plus for a reasonable second hand posh van, which is an awful lot of nights in decent accommodation, which a camper isn't. I have never had to tax, MOT or insure a b&b, nor do they depreciate and need maintenance. Access for campers is largely limited to fucking awful sites, access for tents far less so. Chemical shitters can REALLY go forth and multiply.

I think I am now banned from the 'campers' thread...

That description applies to just about nowhere on this crowded little island, unfortunately. Bears are also a comparative rarity, idiots doing 30mph in campers are not.

Can’t argue with that! I wouldn’t want a camper over there. Might still have a old van though....

Depends where you live really

True. I have no particular desire to leave Europe these days - with the possible exception of Chile. Can't see a camper van making sense in either. And to be honest, if there was 45 miles of sinuous roads between me and the place I wanted to be at, I reckon I'd prefer the 45 miles of sinuous blacktop as a start to the day.

Yeah, there's just too much cool stuff that you need a van / pickup / trailer to get to here. Check this spot out - some of the most amazing mountain singletrack you can ride anywhere. It's a long enough drive you really only go for a long weekend and there's nowhere anywhere near to stay...so you need to carry bikes / gear / food / tents / beer in for 3 days. Can't really think of an equivalent in Europe.

Oddly enough, most locals think I'm weird for having a van rather than a pickup. Even when I point out I can lock my gear up and go to lunch and kip in it when it rains.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kennedy+Meadows+Campground/@36.017593,-118.19956,12z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x80c04546f264d863:0x35dbe82866d80d1d!2sKennedy+Meadows,+CA+93527!3b1!8m2!3d36.0180578!4d-118.1224257!3m4!1s0x80c044c4ac945189:0x55023520f050c1ba!8m2!3d36.0516665!4d-118.1306648

Yeah, I can see that in really remote places it might make sense. But even in Iceland, Cycliste and I were fine hopping from hotel to hotel/cabin/B&B. And that's as remote as I'm planning to do for the foreseeable future.

A van is still tempting, if only for changing for TTs, rather than using my Robie and (occasionally) mooning the entire car park, inadvertently. As soon as you can buy a 500bhp+ van in the UK, I'm in...

I've been noticing these guys more and more recently, the offroad/camping equivalent of the full-kit-wanker...

Exhibit A: There was a little Suzuki Jimni in front of me at the lights today... Kawasaki green (lol), lift kit, big fuck off offroad wheels and tyres, water and petrol Jerry cans on the roof rack as well as traction planks and a little fucking spade... All in brand spanking, never been used condition... It looked awesome...

They're absolutely fucking everywhere e.g. here's the queue at our local supermarket... 😂

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Jerry cans on the roof you say?

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Campers are super common in NZ because of freedom camping, but these things are getting more common too because of the popularity of 4x4s / Utes

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I would love one of those tents, not sure how I'd get up there at my age but still... Looks more fun than a normal ground based tent...

Maybe campers give you a better night's sleep? Can bears climb ladders? 😊

so it's a bit like this:

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Ha, nice...

I like a MK3. Not really the GTi but can be made into a pretty sweet car. Post a few pics if you do go to see it

Chemical shitters can REALLY go forth and multiply.

So no boating for you.

Try a nice motor home. Or decent spec build where you intend to live on the vehicle for a while.

As I mentioned, no more time here.

Caravan?

90% of the appeal of a camper is having somewhere warm and cosy to sit in and make tea during the day. Being able to sleep in it is just a bonus.