LFGSS Camper Van owners?

No VAT on that swamper though, so add another 20%

Slightly off topic but has anyone got experience of roof tents? Are they as cool as they seem or just a faff?

I’ve spoken to people that have them a few times and seen them in the flesh. We were parked up near a lake in France and a German couple arrived late and spent a considerable amount of time setting theirs up on the top of their land rover. They loved it, and it was a leftover from a big desert trip a few years before, but if it wasn’t for nostalgia it would fail any tests of practicality or flexibility.

The amount of time it takes to set up is off putting, and at the end of the day it’s just a tent, so you still have to cook and sit outside or just in your car if the weather is bad. They’re the least stealthy things in the world, So the difference between having a car and pitching up a tent next to it is marginal.

If you consider finding a 19k panel van ‘looking harder’ then I think I’m ok ;)

We’ve found a really nice and well cared for T4 that we’re about to make an offer on just under the 12k mark.

That T4 sounds ideal!

This is my conclusion too after a lot of googling. I like the adventure side of it, esp if I can keep it on our pickup truck. I also think it'd be fun for a long weekend with the kids, but if the weather turns shit we'd have to head home. Also useless in winter.

I think a T5 is the answer as it could be used as our main car as well

From hands on experience t4 built better than t5 in many ways. But most are less rusty because they are less old!
Think the highline have a nicer interior, the two lower ones are very builders van up front.
Thinking about a euro (fiat/citroen/Peugeot) van, medium high, medium length or a vaux/renault equivalent. Seen a few neat conversions done, don't need much, will stay registered as a van I think (useful for work), just need a folding bed, some insulation, skylight /sweat vent, maybe a mini kitchen and a side window in door + panel. Or go full fat and just get a sprinter /transporter (older one as im familiar with their engines).
T4 lwb would be great, but low roof and cba with putting a pop top on it, mate bought a t5 with a diy pop top that was done wrong in just about every way.

Isn’t mpg vastly improved in the T5?

We have two kids so home made conversions doesn’t really work for us, feels too risky. Otherwise I’d just get an empty shell and have a go at it.

A bigger van means more room but at the cost of tax, mpg, parking, ferry fees, etc. I think a VW with a pop top hits the right balance between space, comfort and ease of use. Shame they cost a minor fortune though.

Re other van makes they all seem to fall apart really quickly here. Seems like the salt eats them quicker than a VW. Or perhaps theyre just less looked after

Mpg on the older bosch VP pumped 1.9 and 2.5 T4 are excellent, older T5 with a 1.9 PD will do epic mpg if you just potter along, anything common rail is noticably worse on fuel, rarely ever get above 40mpg unless got a tailwind and your doing 48mph on an A road. I think the really new stuff is better, but IMO lots of diesels from 2005 > 2018 really aren't very good on economy, more performance/nippy feeling, and with diesels power = fuel, lots of it.

I think its the quality of the owners, especially the first 5-8 years that makes a big difference to how bad vans get, most tradies that have a crafter/transporter/caddy actually look after their van and don't slob out vs, every single transit van has actively decaying food packets and filth visibly mounded up against the windscreen. Same for any vauxhall car, often fleet cars for people that don't care, not that they are bad cars just the new/early years owners often don't look after them. Look at 20 bog standard spec 1.4 astra's for sale and then 20 similar 1.4 golf's (wind up window level of spec), the golf's will be much less disgusting inside!

Very, very, very early days, but we’ve often talked about taking time out with kids to travel, and Europe in a camper seems like a fun option. Has anyone here done something similar? If so what age? We were wondering about 2yo & 4yo or maybe 5yo & 7yo (as I said early days). Any challenges or things you’d have done differently?

In terms of campers the ideal seems to be something with a pop-up shared bed up top and a rock ‘n roll below, plus some basic cooking facilities. Does that sound on point?

Also trying to work out how much we’d need to save to buy and whether it would need to be for a longer period to be economical.

Cheers.

Oh I also forgot, a short older relative is planning on moving into a camper and was asking about a bike. I thought of those mini-velos that seem popular in Korea and Japan or a Brompton. Can't remember what they were going buy, some German pre-built thing.

Any thoughts on bike suggestions for them?

Cheers.

When my parents had a camper they actually preferred full size bikes as they could be kept on a rack at the back rather than inside where there was limited space.

I'd say 5 and 7. We've been sailing or camping with our kids since they were 2 and 4. It's ok, but this is the first year when I'm looking forward to it with zero dread. They're now 4 and 6

@aggi - I probably should have been clearer, they will be permanently living in a camper. But I guess even a mini velo takes up a lot of room, so thinking it through more it's;
a) normal bike if they're happy to have it on the back from a safety pov,
b) mini-velo if they have space but a) isn't possible, or
c) Brompton if a) and b) aren't viable.

@kboy - that's interesting. Did you find both being out of nappies made a difference? I guess I'm wondering if it there were any major milestones, or just death by 1,000 cuts?

When we first talked about it, it was more of a whole year including home schooling idea so I'd assumed a bit older and I liked the idea of it being in their... Idk formative(?) years I guess. But recently with everything going on we started mulling over something earlier for less time.

We're still waiting on the 2nd mini-H, so it's all a bit soon. Equally if you don't think ahead on these things they stay dreams forever.

I think the main difference is that I can now have an actual conversation with them and explain things. Up until maybe 4 our kids were mainly aimlessly bumbling around. No harm in that, but on a boat it’s nice to know they won’t randomly jump off if your turn away for a few seconds.

I think slightly older kids makes it more interesting. The kids themselves will enjoy it more as well as they understand a bit more about what’s going on etc.

But all that said, if you feel like going just fucking do it. It’ll be awesome and you’ll regret not doing it if you don’t.

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15363398/

Camper vans.

More specifically, those meticulously curated two tone split-screen type things and the whole culture around them. The whole rebel hippie surfer counter culture outsider vibe that these creations are supposed to invoke is totally bogus. For very one that was rescued, restored and renovated by a genuine car or design enthusiast, 200 are bought and owned by a middle manager called Kevin who has one of those LOVE signs on their living room wall in attempt to acquire an interesting personality.

Absolutely none of them are owned by anyone who surfs regularly, because people who surf every day in this country either work in an ice-cream shop for four months of the year and live with their parents, are on the dole and live in the back of an Astra van or are semi-retired millionaires who live in a massive house on the beach. Actually, some of those cunts definitely have a "splittie" in the garage.

The aesthetics of the scene are so codified that they're total cliches. Every single one looks the same and aren't deemed hip until they've hit the requisite number of hits on the VeeDubClub bingo card of cool. I hate how people in the scene see themselves as guardians of golden age design and taste and yet their taste is limited by this pick list of reference points and they wear old guys rule shorts, quicksilver board shorts and reef sandals.

These guardians of cool listen to Jamiroquai. Guaranteed. They go to festivals headlined by Reef and think it's brilliant when some stoned cunt in a hat playing a didgeridoo wanders into their campsite at 3am.

Fuck camper vans and the misguidedly smug cunts who drive them.

Repeating that rant is more cliche than the rant which is so old its more cliche than whats being ranted about. I suppose calling every layer cliche is just as bad. Its like cliche Russian Dolls.

Fuck camper vans and the misguidedly smug cunts who drive them.

Suus cuique crepitus bene olet

A few days into new van ownership!

Grand, well not so, plans to camper convert, nothing fancy, no permanent cooker/washer etc as it’s just too much cost and we want to keep it simple with as much space as possible.

Currently looking for a local poptop fitter, got windows in the post and a load of other smaller bits like seat covers etc

Fingers crossed be able to have a birthday camp out for kiddos birthday in October

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Project thread, go on

Mhmm.

Front seat swivels would be top of my list. Easy to fit and makes huge difference. Who using for pop top please?

in time maybe, our budget is whatever spare cash I find!

First jobs;
new windscreen next week, new brake pads tomorrow
paint wheels, insulate and lay a new floor, insulate half height "walls", fit two side windows, remove bulk head, build bed

Poptop; local company quoted 5 days £3150, guy 90 miles away (southcoast poptops) £2200..

maybe next year!

Ply out, hubcaps off

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Three years since I converted mine and not found cash for the roof yet. I need to get my wheels painted as well. It came with carlos fandango alloys, but the factory steel wheels are more comfortable and drive better, so they were sold! The sound proofing and insulation makes a big difference.

Dont need to spend a lot on the swivels but it does transform the inside when parked up.