Going over to the darkside (aka campervan instead of tent)

[littlemissneela]

Our last trip away was lovely, but it rained a lot, the tent leaked, then was still wet when we put it down. They dh was hugely busy with workso I had to re-erect the huge thing (Gelert Corvus 5+2) on my own in the back garden to dry out.
Driving back from Devon we saw loads of V dubs, 4's and 5's, and would love one but can't quite stretch to the huge prices they command.
We saw a Hyundai iLoad which looks like it might be a good starter van. Has anyone converted one? If so, how much did it cost and are you happy with it? We only need space for us two and the spaniel, but it would be nice to be able to have extra seats in should the kids ever want to come along, so it would be nice to be able to add and remove seats as and when.
Also, does anyone have another van they would recommend, of a similar size to these vans. Thank you!

How about a mazda bongo? We've just sold ours because we've outgrown it but we had some very happy years of camping with my two kids when they were a bit younger. I wrote this blog all about buying bongos and our adventures in it which may inspire you!

I always wanted a t4 but they're insanely expensive and actually I find the low head height irritating.
We're on our second fiat Ducatto which we've fitted out. They're seriously uncool but so much room. We've got a row of 2 seats fitted in the back and then a bench seat fitted opposite which folds out into a double bed. We've a kitchen area and will have bank of cupboards (husband still building!)and then bunk beds in the back. Then we've still room. The back doors open a large boot type area where we can put bikes/pram/rucksacks.
When we're driving the kids can sit in the back seats and have a table to play games on.
The van itself was really cheap and kitting it out was pretty cheap if you're handy. And you can configure it in lots of different ways. I've seen one where they put proper seats in for their girls that recline into beds and then they've got a fixed raised double bed with a kitchen wrapped round it.
Our friends have a bongo and they love it. It was pretty cheap as well.
It's so much easier to go abroad with a camper as you can break up the journey in one of those parks off the motorway.

We converted a medium wheelbase, high roof Movano. We wanted the higher roof so we can stand upright inside. There are three of us so we needed the two passenger seats as well.

We have an L shape kitchen area and a u shape seat/table that converts into double bed at the back. DS sleeps in a bunk above. From the rear doors there's access to a boot area where we keep the awning, BBQ, shoes etc. Loads of storage above the cab and under the bench seats.

Van cost £2k and conversion was about the same. It was hard work and took ages due to work commitments etc, but we love the result.

Sorry just placemarking don't mind me!

Fab thread so far.

Yeah, the dark side is beckoning me, too.

Converting sounds like a great idea.
Any input on how old/young,/ kind of mileage you were looking for/ I should be looking for?
Thanks

Aha! I have a VW T25 high top. It's brilliant! I smile everytime I get into it and love driving it. It turns on a sixpence, easy to drive, great fun and serves as a mobile art studio too.
The dog and the parrot love it.

I've often thought about this but then concluded that for the expense you could just stay in a B&B every time instead!

Have you thought about a small trailer tent? Easy and light to tow and a decent dry bed to sleep in.

We have had Tents , Vw T25 and now have a 9metre beast of a van (as we use it gor our hobby tgriugg the winter) . Before you go spending lots of money just remember when you camping with a van and want to go exploring you have to take the van with you & pack it all up . I think the folding caravan sounds great .

Vw t4 owner here. Love it, sleeps 4, only real advice would be to buy on eBay in winter and sell at the end of summer. Had our last one for 4 years, sold it last year for £2k more than we paid, having travelled round Europe. Don't be scared of high mileage vw, although handy to have some practical ability with stuff under the bonnet!

rembrandtsrockchick fellow T25 owner here. Wedges rule. Cost us £3k about 6 years ago. Wasn't fitted out as a camper but luckily DH is handy. It goes really well and is reliable. We love it for Winter picnics and changing into wetsuits, plus filling with booze and food on the way back from Euro camping trips.

We still have the faff of a tent as there isn't enough room for 4 plus stuff.

We bought our duccato for 5k, 100k miles 59 plate 2 years ago. It'll prob cost us approx 5k to fit out. (Some cos we're time poor so paid a joiner)
So a lot of money but in school hols we can can go away for a fraction of the cost of paying accommodation and have the luxury of moving round really easily compared to camping.
Once you campervan you don't go back (in our experience!)

Hmm, I didn't get any notifications about your messages, so sorry for the late response.

Thanks for the suggestions. Not too keen on the Mazda Bongo as they look a bit wobbly when going around corners. I still love the v dubs, any type really, but we are now looking into getting a Mercedes Vito and converting it. They seems cheaper to buy in the first place, and I haven't found any super bad reviews about them, apart from tne older ones of the newer model tend to rust. I saw a gorgeous yellow one with pale blue interior on ebay, but we aren't really in a position to buy yet, plus it had quite a bit of rust so would need lots of work on it.

We've just finished a Citroen really lwb. The van (63 plate) was £7k ish and we must have spent 10k fitting it out! 😵 Dh wanted the best though! We need space for motorbikes so have a fitted double bed abound the 'garage' and a bench seat behind the actual van seats which ds (8) uses as a bed. We've managed to get in a kitchen area with an oven, hob, sink and fridge and even a bathroom with a shower (for when dh and ds are filthy from riding their bikes!). Even if we're not camping, we'll use it as a day van for making food and drinks and having our own toilet will be amazing for me at events as it's usually bushes or nothing! It's taken ages to finish though.

We're going on our first proper trip next weekend: can't wait!