Campervaners Hellooo

[Scramble]

Just wanted to see if we had many campervaners, now if you have a huge big white shiney one with all mod cons that doesn't count, if you spend that much on a camper why not go to a hotel .

More interested in those who have little converted vans or VW classic ones. Wondered how you manage with sleeping arrangments, we are a bit cramped, it will be better inthe summer if I use the awning and can get the kids to sleep out in it. Mine is not a full conversion, and have no fitted beds, but I want to improve on the arrangments we have.

Just being nosey really

We have an old orange VW campervan. Love it!

We started out sleeping in it on a 3/4 bed which was pretty cosy. We pulled out some of the cupboards etc and put in a full double and stored most of our stuff in the awning. Even then we got tired putting it up at night and down in the morning plus all the tidying before you could drive off and now we mostly sleep in a tent but can run electricity etc through the van, so it's great.

Only problem is the lack of heating when you're driving. No problem in the summer but a very frosty experience this time of year. Easter weekend we were wrapped in rugs and sleeping bags and still had to stop at the services to buy thermal hats and gloves - freezing.

Wouldn't be without it though. The best thing is the smiles and waves you get driving it.

I dont have one but would so much love one. I will read this thread for pure envy reasons.

I do have a heater in the van a normal car style for when you are driving but it doesn't give out much heat though. Might get a small heater to run from the lighter socket while driving.

Just now the kitchen is right in the middle of the van I think I will move it right to the back behind the row of seats and put a bench seat behind the driver seat. Then I can put a bed right accross the bench and rear seats and make it a big square, it will measure up a bit short but I will sleep diagonaly, but I will have to fit DD in with me when it is cold.

DS sleeps on a mattress wedged in accross the front seats, he thinks it is great because he has his own seperate bit . Its just an old caravan cushion held up by wedging the holdalls in the footwell, which gets them out of the way.

As I'm sure you already know i have a vw (on my profile). It is an early bay tin top so we have a big double bed which sleeps 2 and then a khyam awning that sleeps 4. Or bed converts from the seats into the whole back area so when we all sleep in the van when its brrrr we just squish in and use the awning to chuck all our stuff in. Just kampers used to sell bay bunks which you put up over the driver cab bit they are pretty cool. Am off to Big bang at the weekend, vw's galore yippeeeeee

an espacher heater is apparently the way to go, they run off diesel i believe.

Do you have a kitchen in the van when you say that you convert the whole back into a bed?

Checking in....

white ford tranny hightop, we have 2 sleep in van and 2 in awning. Stove and sink and some cupboards. It's a shame we can't all sleep in thevan but, hey, we had a tiny budget and that's what we could afford.
We have a leisure battery so can have lights etc without electric hookup. TBH, we don't know how to use E/hookup

I love my van.

Hi there

We're serial vw campers. We're on number 5 at the moment.

Ours is late bay twin sliding door tintop which came with no interior when we had just 1 baby sized ds and we kitted it out with a full width rear bed - snaffled from a doner westfalia.

Its not a walkthrough and has a half height solid bulkhead behind the front seats so we have built in a kitchen unit that backs onto the bulkhead.

We have three camping trips planned for this year - Wales, Cornwall and of course 'Vanfest'.

DH ds2 and myself will kip on the fold out bed (which is huge and really comfy) and ds1 is to get the brand new JK cab bunk (he's soooo excited about it).

We also have a tunnel awning which we have used to sleep in when camping with friends and also serves as a great dining/sitting room.

Best campers we've had for kids were the westfalia (lovely big bed in the pop top) but we decided not to keep it after lovingly spending years and ££££ restoring it, as with the kids and 3 dogs careering in and out, it would not have stayed beautiful for very long .... and the Dormobile which had a great side lifting pop top and two fantastic pull out bunks across the sides.

We have loads of fun in ours - 'he' is very much part of the family and we've had 'him' longer than any of the others 'cos the kids won't let us sell him and get a 'walkthrough'. 'He' is definitely the tattiest van we've ever had as well (mainly due to us being broke since we've had kids!!) but we've just decided to go with it and have put great big flowers down the side!

In our experience the best way to find out about useful layouts for interiors is to go to plenty of shows and talk to the other owners. Most people are desperate to talk about their vans and will be really keen to help. You could also try googling vw camper interiors etc as there are literally thousands of vw sites out there.

Agree with Surfette VW vans are loads of fun and its great to see at the waves and smiles you get when you're out and about.

scramble our cooker slides out from under a seat and the fridge is between the two rear facing seats, to look at our van doesnt have a kitchen as such. We use the awning loads during camping trips and for day trips the interior as it is is perfect with a table in the middle being used to prepare lunch etc.

moosemama no vanfest for us this year, they want club camping to have public liability insurance so our vw owners club are having an independent sleepover elsewhere

Hello fellow vdubbers!!! We have a late bay Westy. expecting first baby so not had any issues with space yet, although think we'll be fine for many years to come as we have a lovely 2nd double bed in the roof!
Went to Bustypes at the weekend and it was soooo cold, the r&r bed is a little hard with quite a large bump too! But had a great time.

Her name is Bella by the way and we love her, we've even already planned that before our child gets to school age we're gonna take 3 months and travel europe in her, it'll be a great adventure.

Quadrophenia - just looked at your profile to see your van and realised I recognise it from Northampton, seen it about a couple of times. Lovely van
Ours is a taiga green Westy give us a wave if you see us about the town!

Looking for some ideas...

I want to move my kitchen to the rear of the van, but the windows don't open there. I open the window beside the cooker when cooking or it steams up the van. I don't want to opent he back door every time, so any ideas for ventilation.

Hello! We have a VW T4.

That's it at the moment!! Just the van with nothing in the back, but soon to be a camper I hope. We're just doing the design and researching where to get all the bits and pieces from. Anyone know any good suppliers?

We love camping, but I'd love a van too. My plan is to use our large tent for week/fortnight trips, but for weekends use the van with a pop up tent for dd and dsd to sleep in.

I wish I had a pop up roof, I must look a right chookie squatting on my little pink stool cooking the dinner. We all emerge like hunchbacks.

Hello, I'm checking in too. We recently bought a freshly converted Mazda Bongo Free (pop up) top. We took it to Scotland a few weeks agao for it first 10 day run in. The bugger who converted it didn't hook the electrics of water pump up properly...but apart from that we went fine!

We altered the roof bed so that instead of using the normal pull down ceiling bed, we use some wooden boards which take up 3/4 of the space, so that we can stick our heads up and check on DC (2 and 4 years) while they are asleep.

I will stick a pic on my profile in a mo...

Plan is to take the Bongo to Europe for 3-4 months in August

Nice to meet you all, fellow campervanners!

I put some pics on

Oh I am jealous I wanted a bongo, but to expensive for me.

hello

we have a T25 california hi-top with westfalia conversion. me and baby ds sleep in the bottom and dp and 3 year old ds sleep up top. just got it earlier in the year and planning trips and what awning to get. had 4 nights in it so far and love it.

3-4 months in europe Astrophe

Our Big Trip this year is going to be 3 weeks in France in June / July.

In May we are going to the far north west of scotland (Wester Ross and Sutherland)for 8 days. I like to get my highland trip in before the Midgies get too bad.

One of the things i'm really looking forward to though is spontaneous overnight trips just cos the weather looks great and the van is ready packed and wiating to go.

yes, we are rather fortunate - moving to Aus in November, so have bought the van for a trip around europe in August..."on the way home"! Let me know if you want to buy a Bongo in November anyone! Tax is way too much for us to take it back to Aus

nelif does it park down riverside????
wow a fellow v dubber from Northampton, you must join our local club we are called the shoe county dubbers.

Quadrophenia - no ours is rarely in Northampton at the moment, we have to store it at my parents, it got badly keyed last year on both sides whilst parked on the road outside our house in Kingsley, and we had to get a respray. So we are now waiting for a garage in Northampton. Think we saw you last year at Busstopover though, we chatted with a couple of the Shoe County dubbers there and def seen your van around Kingsley area, Morrisons etc.... I'll try and put a pic on my profile page of ours.

Astrophe - could you tell me more about the roof boards you use in your Bongo? We want to do the same in ours - but can't quite work out how to - and what to use. Thank you!

Seeker -

go to B&Q, get two pieces of 18mm plywood cut to size (I thik it was 108cm x 43cm each - but do check).

With the 'ceiling' open/up, you then slide these two pieces in and they rest on the lip which the cieling normally rests on when its down.

Do you have a removavable, rectangular bit in the roof above the cab? You are basicly making two more of them.

The two piece fit nicely nd but up against the arm/bracket thing which raises the ceiling up and down.

I then covered mine with vinyl on top, and sanded the bottom.

I hope that helps! I got the idea off the bongo fury site, but found it really confuring to read. Now I've done it, its very simple. Let me know if that doesn't make sense, and I can take some photos and send them. Where abouts are you? Maybe I can show you?

Oh, Kent I see on your profile. Will have to send pics then!