VW campervan owners sign in!!

[Quadrophenia]

lets talk all things campervan!

We have a tintop danbury 1971 conversion, whilst it looks very tidy its beginning to go rather rusty and is need of some serious welding...i spend half my life worrying about it!! the danbury conversion works well for us as it seats all four of our children in the back! We are members of our local vw club The Shoe county dubbers and have loads of dub friends who we camp with at shows regulalry. I also occasionally post on VZI but am more of a lurker , have made some good friends through that site....anymore for anymore?

[ExterminAitch]

ha HAAH! i knew you'd show up on this thread vitomum.

[PuppyMonkey]

Vitomum - it will get easier.... not!

Having done about a dozen trips in my splitty Bobby (with just one dd at the time, and she was about 4/5 then) since we got him 2002, I can honestly say our trips were always memorable - but not always enjoyable! Not in the rain. It is impossible to enjoy a campervan holiday in the rain. This is empirical fact.

Our policy is just to do overnights or a weekend away now. After doing four weeks in France once, we did get into a sort of routine. But boy was I happy to get home!

[bohemianbint]

I'm trying to decide if I would be totally off my head to go away in our camper van when we get it back this week. I bought it a month ago but have spent less than 24 hours with it because the gear box broke. Fortunately it was less than 24 hours after I bought it, so the guy who sold it to us has sorted it out.

Thing is though, am now 36 weeks pregnant and not sure if even a night away in it might be lunacy. I'm massive and have to wee every 3 minutes, and this would probably disturb DS (23 months.) But am dying to get out in it, and if we don't do it before I pop, god knows when it'll happen. What dya reck?

[VWLady]

Not been on MN much this weekend - been on my own with the DCs as DH is at (sorry Quad) BUGJAM!
He has raced in the Pro class and has got knocked out in the final (look for the Beetle pick-up with the flames) and is now queueing up to get out. I expect he will arrive home about midnight stinking like god-knows-what.
Back on topic, we have a 1967 Split and a 1972 Bay. The Split, whilst beautiful outside, needs a refit inside. So the Bay has gone to Bugjam this year and the Split is sulking.

[vitomum]

thanks for those words of hope purple monkey

actually i have long ago concluded thar camping is the bestest thing in the worl when the sun is out, and when it rains it is pure hell on earth. there is no middle ground whatsoever.

bohemianbint woudold you have someone with you to do the hard work? if so maybe you could do a one or two night trip? could i also suggest taking some sort of plastic recepticle to save you many a night time trudge to the loos

[bohemianbint]

Bah! Camper van STILL NOT BLOODY BACK! I bought it on the 20th of June and haven't seen it since the 21st. Apparently it will be ready on Friday. Don't get me wrong, am glad the guy who sold it to me is fixing it (and I think he's gutted at having to put in a whole new gearbox) but 5 weeks is a long time to be without something you've just bought! Bloody vans...

[sesley]

Hi there...we are Grandparents with a T25. Our grandchildren all want to camp with us!! Which is no problem sleepwise as we have a great awning/tent....However the seating arrangements are not so good, does anyone know how or if it is possible to fix a removable middle row bench seat??

[Purplemoon]

Hello, I haven't read the thread but am doing as instructed and signing in...although at this point am not sure if a T25 counts? Would love a bay with a viking roof. Hubby is just restoring a '72 beetle for me and she's gorgeous!! Will come back and read this thread when I'm awake! Sorry for rambling...

[Quadrophenia]

Bohemian bint thats pants but at least he is fixing it...have heard so many stories of people buying them and having to fork out alot not long after!!
of courser t25 owners are welcome
a friend of mine has a bay with a viking roof...it is wicked..I sometimes really regret having a tintop.

[Skribble]

OK its not a VW but I have an old posty van that was semi kitted out as a campervan and I have re done most of it now just need to put in a bench and reinstall the sink somewhere .

[Quadrophenia]

VW lady i know your dh's Beetle!!!

I love vw drag racing, Judgie from RNJ motorsport is our mechanic he is featured in ultra vw this month!!

[mabel1973]

Hi

Can I join??
We bought our 1969 tin top bay in january, we've managed a few camping weekends this year, as we bought a Khyam awning for it, and took it down to cornwall in july, although we didn't stay in it (we'd booked a cottage before we bought it).
We've had to have seatbelts put in the back for our 2 ds's (3.5 and 2), and they love it!
We are expecting DC no.3 in december and not sure how we are going to accomadate the baby seat in the back.
Any ideas?
Someone suggested a buddy seat to go behind the right hand front seat, next to the sliding doors, but have also read these donot offer much protection in a crash.
Also we are thinking of maybe venturing to FRance next year, DC3 will be about 7 months....is this crazy??? [grin}

[mabel1973]

oops!

[Quadrophenia]

hi Mabel what interior do you have in your bay? I would probably put a baby seat in the front and sit on the buddy seat in the back?
We have a khyma awning to, it is lush, we will be putting it ip in two days time when we go down to cornwall

[mabel1973]

Hi Quadrophenia.
We have a rock & roll bed, which the boys have their seats on, then there is a bench seat along the side..which I am assuming is where originally the cooker etc had been.
The guy we bought it off was more interested in housing his bass bins than cooking a fry-up in it I think! It was seriously pimped! so low we couldn't drive anywhere for fear of speed bumps, exhaust off a motorbike, and leopard print interior !!! We have had it raised 3 inches and replaced the exhaust...I am yet to work on the interior!

I am not sure if the bench seat would be suitable for a baby seat, but we have got to take it to our local garage soon anyway, so maybe they'll be able to shed some light on it.
Since buying the van I have become addicted to reading camper and bus mag (learning all the lingo!) and can see me turning into a serious geek....they seem to do that to you these camper vans don't they!

I love our awning too...so much space and so easy to put up...v jealous of you off to cornwall...have fun!

[Quadrophenia]

oh wow i love low buses, my friends have just bought a 1969 dormobile which is ridiculously low with a narrowed front beam from a splitty, it looks very cool although as you say is very inpractical. Ours has lowered suspension but we are looking to go lower!
My friends who had a bench seat deffo used the front passenger seat for their baby seat although you may have to fit a longer seatbelt.
I have become very geeky about aircooled vw's

[mabel1973]

Ours was so low we were restricted as to where we could go and the ride was bumpy to say the least, everytime we hit a man hole the whole bus went with a huge bang and we thought bits were going to drop off!
Whilst we were on holiday recently we broke down and had to take it to a garage in Dorset called Kombi Klassics, they were great, v helpful but did tell us off for our low profile tyres..they said we had o rplace them with van tyres ASAP!

[mabel1973]

we went our 1st camper van club meeting last night at a local pub....saw loads of lovely vans and beetles...felt a bit geeky though!

[Quadrophenia]

our vw club isn't geeky although it probably looks it to outsiders. we are camping at santa pod this weekend for vw Action, I can't wait, is anyone else going?

[VWLady]

No Quad I am not going (and you are already there). DH is around, if you see him, tell him hi from me. We're like ships in the night over the 6 week holidays, I am just back from very very long time in the caravan with the dcs. And I had to take the darlings to the dreaded HSM today while he hangs out with chums.
He was at Shakespeare County last weekend too, another nice little trophy for the shelf.

[Wills]

Can you get 5 people into a Campervan legally? i.e. can I get myself, dh, dd1(8), dd2(5) and ds(2) in and sleeping down at night? Would love to have a campervan but can't see how it would transport us as so far not seen any with enough seat belts.

[Skramble]

My camper (not VW) seats 5 with seat belts I can put in another seat to make it 6 but can't stretch out in bed . Sleeps me plus kids OK, with partner I would have to use the awning probably put kids in awning or partner and DS and us girls can sleep in the van. I want a high top van with a longer wheel base so I can put in a high cab bed for the kids and a proper size bed/ diner area.