Camper van peops reveal yourselves - role call ;)

[Jammygal]

Hello fellow camper peops
Well I am new to all this camper van lark, have been using the van more as a day van up till now but very soon will be progressing to overnight stays!

We have a vw t4 4 berth hi top.....I welcome any tips from you more experienced campervanners out there......
So far have been looking at jompys, iceyteks, boginabag etc feeling like I need them all....pls tell me your top buys etc
X

Igggi most definately bought them out....camped in the drive last night....... ds lasted all of 4 hours.....think we might have to rethink sleeping arrangements and get a cab bunk!
Any tips on where to get a cab bunk folks?

The spending spree continues

How did it go?????

Well purple ......kids got really hot and crotchety at 1 am after ds waking up and moaning every 10 mins for an hour! I then took him in the house as he was tired and emotional!

I don't think we can have both kids sleeping up in the hi top of camper- its just too squashed and hot! Hence why I am looking for cab bunk!

On the plus side Thermo mats were awesome and warmth was the least of our worries!
So any tips folks for cab bunks etc .......and I could do with a little more comfort on the big bed as I have slipped disc...any top tips on making beds more comfy? Thanks all x

You can get memory foam toppers to go on the bed but they take up valuable room traveling and in the day.
How old are your kids? We've solved sleeping problem by having half the people outside.
If we are just staying one night we throw a Outwell pop up tent out the door and fill it with the junk like car seats you don't want in the van when stopping, Wellies, etc. then DH sleeps out there, one kid with me on rock out bed and DS in roof.
If we stop for longer we have a Base 2.4 or 4.2 which we use for sleeping 2 people and often have the Outwell for junk so we an easily zip up the tents and drive away for a day trip.

Last summer was bliss, we had 2 other kids with us and the boys shared the Outwell and the girls the Base tent. Got to share the van with just my DH

Kids now 12 & 9 but were 4 & 7 when we started camping in the van

Thanks Hebie for your reply.....yes am in agreement about topper, will take up too much space.....might try thinning duvet underneath and see if that helps!

Love the pop up junk tent idea.....after last night defo think that is a necessity!

My two are 9 and 6! Hmmm tent too is defo the way although do u find u get charged more at some sites?

Lol about u and hubby alone in the van...
....don't come a knocking if the van is a rocking!

We are buying a Motorhome - is that too big for this club? I have all my tent camping equipment but there is going to be so much to learn!

Jammy, I reckon 9 is old enough for most kids to be in a tent, depending on whether you can rely on them following ground rules. I was spending summer nights in the garden at that age (goody goody only child)

Milliways, if you can drive it and sleep in it I reckon you're welcome here

I own Ruby, a T25 hightop, Although she is currently unwell & needs
t.l.c, then an m.o.t :)

We're facing the dreaded MOT this month on the wedge. He's had all kinds of niggles and the bug set us back 600 earlier this year. Fingers crossed!

We're facing the dreaded MOT this month on the wedge. He's had all kinds of niggles and the bug set us back 600 earlier this year. Fingers crossed!

Good luck all you soon to be MOT ers! Hope they go well and cruise on through .........yes purple and defo thinking tent might be the answer although dd is a bit of a scaredy cat, might have to give her some therapy !

We got our van today and had a trip out this afternoon. Can't wait for the first over night stay at Easter :)

Cool snowmummy are u going on a day trip tomorrow too???? Where are you off at Easter???

Hi Jammygal. No, unfortunately, we have something else on tomorrow or else we'd be off. We've booked a campsite that's only about ten miles away from us for our first overnighter. That'll give us a chance to try everything out.

Shame....I love pootling around at the weekend, I find it hard to go anywhere without the van now.

But great that you are going on an overnighter very soon! Let's hope the weather stays as lovely for the easter hols!

Jammy gal, we have a Khyam drive away awning which solves our sleeping problems. It's also good for saving your space in the campsite and means you don't have to pack everything up if you want to go out for the day.

We have two splitties, one a samba, but neither on the road at the moment, so we borrow my FILs splittie for the moment until ours is back on the road.

Hey Trixy that sounds good ......who sleeps in the awning in your family?? Have you been out in your splittie yet this spring????

Depends who's going and the age of the kids. If FIL is there he sleeps in the rock and roll bed, DH and I sleep in the awning, with DS in the travel cot when he was little. Now DS is a bit bigger he's in the cab bunk. When we took our nephew, he slept in the awning.

Last time it was just the 4 of us we didn't use the awning for sleeping, just for sitting in particularly at night with the kids asleep in the van. DH and I slept in the rock and roll bed with DS in the cab bunk and DD on some cushions on the floor.

Haven't quite worked out the sleeping arrangements when DD (2) is a bit bigger yet!!

Haven't been out in the van yet this year.

Did u buy the cab bunk Trixy??? Would you recommend?

Trixy I have a khyam awning too, it's great, though I'm not able to put it up in a minute or whatever they claimed on the instruction dvd!
If ds was big enough to sleep in the (pop-top) roof bed it would be great, not sure when that will be though (he's 4 now). An arrangement where we all sleep in the van would be much better for quick weekends than using the awning.

Another one who is just bringing the camper out of the garage and getting him mot'd, taxed and insured for the summer. We have a 1972 bay poptop. Unfortunately just failed mot. [Sad] but not really a surprise. About £600 worth of welding needed.
Once that is sorted we are planning a couple of one night trips this summer. Nothing too adventurous think squeezing me, dh, dd(4) and dts(2) into the van might be stressful enough without going far away.

We bought the cab bunk from Just Kampers. I would recommend it even just for storing stuff on.

Takes us quite a bit longer than a minute to put it up too!! Although it is pretty easy to put up.

I probably would only use a cab bunk for really small non crawling babies, or for babies who are in beds (not cots) at home as I would trust them not to fall out. At the moment our sleeping arrangements are the 3 kids in the bed in the van, and me and dh in a tent. Later it will be the boys in the pop top bunks and dd in the bed ( me and dh still in tent) and then later still me and dh in van and kids in tent.
This is all theory though and will also mean we will have to get the canvas replaced on the opo at some point. It's a bit moth eaten

Yy chesticles. DS is 4 and fine in the cab bunk, but DD is 2 and I wouldn't put her in it at night, althought she has had a nap in it during the day.

Thanks for all your replies regarding cab bunks......do you think they would be ok for small 6 year old ......also do I have to resign myself to 80 odd quid .... So far the bills keep on coming......keep on coming