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

A new engine is a biggie! Hope it isn't too dear. Wow what abuse these vans take, black smoke and surfboards through windscreens.

Can I join? DH is always on the different forums it would be nice to have a girly version. We've got a T5, It's not had much camping use yet, we took it to Italy last autumn which was it's first proper trip, and it was brilliant once we'd got ourselves organised. DD1 sleeps in the roof, DD2 sleeps on a cab bunk, us on the rock and roll bed. Looking forward to using it more this summer. Weekends and not just long holidays.

Welcome loubie.....all welcome here ......

Igggi hahaha.....black smoke and surfboards ...we do love our vans but Can't believe how much money they snaffle.....if I'm not buying essential assessories , it's the damn windscreen (or side mirror that oh totalled on the wall outside!)

Well I have had to google every one of the things in your first post because I had no idea.

I'm reading through the whole thread.

We have a cab bunk, DD2 was 18months last year and slept in it fine. It will last until she is too long for it I imagine. It's a bit like an old fahioned camp and so she was sort of rolled into the middle and didn't come anywhere near to falling out. I think ours came from a man in Bristol (homemade ish and therefore cheaper than others I've seen) I'll ask DH where it came from because I think it's good. It doesn't come apart though which could make it a pain to store. We put it on the roof bed and then pull the pop top down.

DD1, 3 last summer sleeps in the roof, we have one of the safety-net things from southwest campers. I don't think she would fall out anyway but just to be sure...

I definitely recommend the kyham awnings. My brother told us to get one because they're easy to put up. He was right!!! Pricey but very good(just be careful with the "elbows?"). When the girls are bigger they'll sleep in it before progressing to a tent of their own (like DSSs). We can sleep five in our van easily. Six would be quite a squeeze.

Our newest perchase is a snazzy bbq again on my brothers recommendation but we have yet to try it. Looking forward to it though.

Oooh that BBQ looks like a nice little contraption. I've been thinking about investing in one. Let me know what it's like when you use it.

Very impressed with how many people some of you are sleeping! But, does that mean you all go to bed at the same time? We manage by putting ds (4) in bed in the sleeping bit in the awning and then sit either outside or in the van till we join him. I don't think he'd sleep if he was upstairs and we were underneath him talking..

Hi igggi We have a long wheel base van, Usually we put the tinies to bed in the van and sit in the awning until they've gone to sleep (which after a day at the beach usually doesn't take very long) If it's really cold then we sometimes sit in the van and read but then they do take much longer to settle. (Actually DD1 in the roof is fine but DD2 on the cab bunk can of course see us if she pokes her head up which is a bit of a game) The boys are old enough to sort themselves out and usually have their own little tent if their is room on the pitch.
Noqontrol (good name ) My brother thinks his is excellent. The special heat resistant bag means you can pack it away even if it's still quite hot if you have to, which he likes for picnics and bbqs on the beach. I will let you know what I think.

• there is room on the pitch! grr. should have said sleeping six would require three children to share the roof bed or us share with DD2. I don't think we'd get much sleep but could if we had to iyswim.

We sit outside until the kids have gone to sleep. Once they're asleep then we're normally ok to go back in. It does get a bit cold outside, not sure what can be done about that. Maybe the BBQ would do the trick.

We are thinking of getting some cheapy 2cm Memory foam toppers from Argos or Dunelem Mill (both have sales). Has anyone got these? Were they any good?

That's a good idea Milliways, our bed is really hard, not sure where I'd store them though.

Wow how do you manage with 4? we hired a kateramano motorhome last yr - 7 berth jobby and have been looking at buying a 2nd handy this yr like a ci carioca type with bunk beds, they are around £17k and as i dont want to totallyskint us i started looking at bongos and the likes but have ruled it outnow as surely you couldnt get a family of 4 sleeping in it - ds and dd are 10 and 6.... Enlighten me,,, sleeping outside not an option as we are wantign some luxury - think i should just save hard and aim for next yr!

Hi there noyouhavehadawee We bought a lwb painters and decorators van and have had it converted so it meets our needs. It has a pop top roof which easily sleeps two, and three children would be fine if they don't squabble, a cab bunk will sleep a small child, we sleep on the rock and roll bed.
It's a seven seater because we've got a bench seat in the front as well as the drivers seat. DH sourced two tip up seats from a coach building firm in South Wales that are mounted rearward facing behind the front seats and have the seat belts mounted into them, and then of course the rear seat/bed.
It wasn't cheap! I would think about £18k when you add everything together, although we did make a few mistakes which have cost us money to put right. The main on being DH insisted he could fit the windows himself. They all leaked! and have cost us about £1000 to have them removed cleaned up and put back properly. [cross]
We bought it because we needed a second car for DHs new job and decided to get a camper that could also be used for daily use, hence a poptop not a hightop and a T5 not a T2, Because we have four DCs there was no way we'd have found something ready done that would have what we needed. We do plan on keeping it forever now and enjoying holidays in the UK.
For a family I do think you need an awning, there isn't really enough living space in the van to do everything. The awning gives that extra space, marks your place if you go out for the day and means you don't have to pack everything away before going out in the van because you can leave it in the awning and lots of them have sleeping compartments so DCs could sleep in there.

LoubieLou sorry my first post was so mind boggling

Interesting Milliways re memory phone toppers....our bed is REALLY bumpy and I didn't sleep well for any of the three nights we were away at Easter so am definately looking for something to improve comfort! Please let me know if you take the plunge!

We are now sleeping 4 ok in our van , one in hitop, one in cab bunk, oh and I in main bed, we sit in awning when kids are in bed , then go in later on in the evening. Awning is definately essential when staying a few days , when the weather isn't baking etc and of course somewhere to keep all the junk you dont want in the van!

Anyone off this weekend?
Think we might go on day trip to Swansea to get the windows tinted.......windscreen is being replaced on Friday (do I tell glass people hubby stuck a surfboard through it ....have also put a new step in this week which we bought from just kampers!

Yes, the boginabag!!!! I suppose that one is a fairly descriptive name. The drawings illustrating it's use made me I could imagine the facial expressions. I'd never heard of a jompy before.

Yes my last post was a bit epic to explain our sleeping arrangements. sorry everyone.

I was just thinking about going away this weekend but already have a party invite. Lots of . We're moving back to the UK in a few weeks, (we're in Germany atm) and so it would be nice to have at least one weekend in the van this year before we go. And then lots once we're home.

I'm glad the window is getting sorted. I think you might as well tell them. Enjoy Swansea.

Am not getting a boginabag.....have decided I really don't need one of those in my life!

I have indulged in an iceytek as we needed a fridge/icebox that kicked arse!

Jompy.....I love the idea but am not sure how successful it would be!

Loubie .....make the most of Germany with a Trip before you return or you will massively regret it!

Will fess up to surfboard incident if I get interrogated

Well, we have just bought 2 of these so hope they work.

The alternative was from Argos at £39.99 - more expensive but includes Mem.foam pillows! Gets good reviews but we have pillows and a DUnelm down the road.

We stayed in Austria last year for a few nights and I have to admit I loved it, just beautiful. We live in Northern Germany, it is not the prettiest place in Germany by any stretch of the imagination. Southern Germany, Bavaria and the Black Forest is stunning from what I've seen of it. I'd just like a weekend away before we move.

That looks good millyways, our camperbeds aren't comfortable either. Those toppers look like they don't take up too much space. I'm going to look in to getting some of those.

You'll have to let us know if you're able to get them back in the bag they came in milliways.

Milliways ....mega jealous of your foam toppers....let me know how they are....and if you can ever get them back in the bag!!!!

Loubie....are you driving the camper back across Europe???

We will probably do as we always do when we visit home and come on the Hook of Holland / Harwich Ferry because it is a bit less time in the car. I expect it will be quite full of boxes and we get our moving expenses mostly paid for so I will take advantage of the hotel I think. Dh will drive the camper and I'll drive the car. We'll argue over who gets the children. (I usually lose and have to listen to Roald Dahl Stories on a loop )

How's your new windscreen? Hope it's all sorted and fully drivable for the weekend.

Milliways as well as getting them back in the bag do you think it would be possible to trim the foam. I think the double would be too wide for our bed but could trim it to fit? I'm very taken with the idea but still wonder where I would keep them during the day. How big is the bag? I wonder if a second duvet would pack smaller?

Loubielou wouldn't the children rather drive in the camper?