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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Stealth/car camping in a Berlingo

23 replies

SE13Mummy · 16/04/2022 22:51

We've recently got a Berlingo (2019) and it would be really useful if DD2 and I could sleep in it for a night or two en route to the various places where she takes part in a sport. I've seen the bootjump contraptions and whilst they look fabulous, I'm not really looking for a full-on micro camper set up, more of an airbed-on-a-piece-of-wood-on-top-of-a-load-of-sturdy-boxes set up. We need to have enough space for her sports kit, some of which is long and bulky, so the fancy slide out bed structures probably won't work for us.

I reckon I can sort the platform/bed base side of things but I can't get my head around how to make the inside of the car dark given the huge sunroof I've seen Wolflaunch produce an inner car tent but it doesn't seem to be available in the UK so I wondered if anyone has bought a regular tent inner/similar and hung that from the anchor points in the back of the Berlingo?

OP posts:
crackofdoom · 16/04/2022 23:00

You can get blackout blinds which attach to the inside of windows/ sunroof with suction cups. I actually made a set for my NV200 with funky fabric patterns on the inside!

You might feel safer in campsites overnight- I always pay for the cheapest farm campsites I can find, just to avoid the dreaded 6am knock . Oh, and it's nice to have toilets.

Funf · 17/04/2022 09:44

Look on Facebook at some of the self built campers some ingenious ideas. Silver foil Bubble insulation from Toolstation is easily made in to black out blinds with rubber suckers, personally I would back out the rear windows with Privacy film stuff very cheap on Ebay

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 17/04/2022 09:46

is it cycling?

TheWayTheLightFalls · 17/04/2022 09:52

I camp in a Kangoo!

Check Redcote Leisure.

Yy to campsites.

I'm not far from you (going by your username) if you want to borrow a camping stove or chairs.

Original poster
SE13Mummy · 17/04/2022 10:44

@mumsiedarlingrevolta

is it cycling?
No, not cycling. It's a watersport.
OP posts:
Original poster
SE13Mummy · 17/04/2022 10:51

Thanks for the ideas. Seems as though the window blinds are the best option although I'm still not sure how we deal with the sunroof. @crackofdoom I was thinking we'd use campsites, or sometimes arrive at the sports club we're heading for late at night and camp there (lots of them allow this).

Thank you @TheWayTheLightFalls - we have camping kit as we are campers... just not microcampers!

OP posts:
Funf · 17/04/2022 12:20

Sorry wrong link

rps13.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/diy-sunroof-cover/

Original poster
SE13Mummy · 18/04/2022 12:20

Thanks for the link @Funf
Having just collected DD's equipment and put it in the car, I'm going to have to think about how we do things as there are now two long, solid poles stretching the full length of the car, via the middle seat, which rather thwarts any plans to sleep in there! Once we've had a towbar fitted, the sports kit could all go in the trailer and I'd have lots of space inside the Berlingo. I'd been trying to avoid that as we have no off road parking so collecting the trailer adds rather a lot to the journey time.

OP posts:
Funf · 18/04/2022 13:01

What about a plumbers Pipe rack for the roof, they are lockable?www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175218138796?hash=item28cbd09eac:g:cIUAAOSwZbBiQWsh

Could these not be hung for the roof at bed time? Have a look at how fishermen store rods etc

Wombat98 · 18/04/2022 13:03

Box on towbar?

Original poster
SE13Mummy · 18/04/2022 14:10

Those internal roofbars look like they may do the job. I had thought about trying to hang the poles so it's good to see it may be possible.
Annoyingly, the roof bars we got for on top of the car do not fit so we're back to square one on that side of things and can't fix anything to the roof right now. We have something similar to the plumbers pipe tube, but with a significantly larger diameter, fixed to the trailer but there's no reason it couldn't be put onto the roof... once we have bars!

OP posts:
Funf · 18/04/2022 14:24

Look on the Thule website and find which bars and fittings you need as they are often cheap on Facebook market place etc, but you have to know what fits what.

Original poster
SE13Mummy · 18/04/2022 16:29

Supposedly that's what DH did Hmm

OP posts:
Funf · 18/04/2022 16:41

Sometimes its best to Email as some cars have several different options!

tribpot · 18/04/2022 17:04

You might want to have a look at on YouTube, who's converted a Delica for camping. There are a number of people who've converted Berlingos as well.

DogInATent · 18/04/2022 22:40

If the equipment is valuable, how will you secure the trailer overnight? - not so much an issue on a site, but can be a problem if you're genuinely stealth camping.

Access to a loo is a big deal when stealth camping. Getting in/out the vehicle to use the hedge draws attention. I've stealth camped in car parks, on streets, on a quayside near a harbour, etc. using the MH and once the dog's been out it's reassuring to turn the deadbolts with the curtains drawn and know I don't need to got out - and that I can drive-off without having to got outside if necessary (this could very relevant to how you'll secure the trailer).

I would definitely look at using campsites, Britstops or other recognised locations as much as possible. Sometimes a pub will let you use the carpark if you eat there (and until closing time you've their loos). Be aware that some may not regard a car without cooking facilities as a proper camping vehicle for this.

Coming back to basic car-camping. I see several people doing this on a couple of sites I use regularly. They almost all use foil-backed foam insulation bought on a roll that they've cut to fit the shape of the windows. This sort of stuff - www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Thermal-Foil-Insulation-Roll-600mm-x-8m/p/210022
(a lot of them also have a pop-up loo/sentry tent to use with a porta potti - obviously, this is only for basic sites not for stealth camping).

(btw, for roof bars use www.roofbox.co.uk)

Original poster
SE13Mummy · 21/04/2022 09:56

@DogInATent there will be very little that's stealthy about DD2 and me in our Berlingo, especially if I'm towing the trailer or there's equipment on the roof! I posted to pick the brains of the stealthy campers on here but perhaps I should have given the thread a different title.

On the whole, we'd be staying at campsites near/en route to the destination or at the sports clubs themselves where camper vans (of all sorts) are permitted and access to club toilets, showers etc is possible. At our home club, whilst it's not an official camp/van facility, people travelling for events can stay overnight in an allocated area and are provided with a code that enables access to the changing rooms.

OP posts:
helpfulperson · 21/04/2022 10:16

Be aware that not all campsites will allow you in the setup you are talking about. I have a bootjump and have had to go through the campsites list of requirements of seats, bed, table, cooking facilities to demonstrate it complies. I think it may be a licensing requirement rather than campsite rules.

DogInATent · 21/04/2022 10:29

Be aware that not all campsites will allow you in the setup you are talking about. I have a bootjump and have had to go through the campsites list of requirements of seats, bed, table, cooking facilities to demonstrate it complies. I think it may be a licensing requirement rather than campsite rules.

^ this is going to be your problem for campsites (rather than sports club carparks). They'd rather you sleep in a tent rather than in a normal car.

bumpytrumpy · 01/09/2022 23:24

How about a roof tent?

tentbox.com/product/tentbox-lite/?attribute_colour=Orange+Edition

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