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[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?

[susiecutiebananas]

I'm just too of you all I want a van so so much. Has been my dream for about 15 years of or so. I regret the day a didn't buy a Beautiful '76 pop top in "spearmint cal" paint. She was perfect, inside and out. I just walked ( or drove actually) away, as I couldn't think how i'd get it home and my car! It was in cornwall... Why? Why did I not just drive one home and get the train back for t'other?

Sorry to gate crash... just was feeling too jealous!!

I will, be joining you all one day, really I will!

< positive emoticon >

[Skramble]

I always wanted a camper so when exH left thats just what I did, its not the VW I always wanted but it is a camper. (Old postie van). I ran my little car for a while as well but it is off the road now and I am using just the van to get around, bugger to park and heavy ont he fuel but I decided it is cheaper than running a second car.

[Wills]

OK so it is possible. But can you get a VW version that does it?

[Skramble]

You might get enough seat belts but if its a VW you want it means putting 2 or 3 kids in the pop top bed or turfing the hardy ones out into an awning.

[Surfermum]

We have a T4 called Spike. Dh builds campers and we took it to Cornwall to try and sell during our holiday - but fell in love with him and kept him. He's great, we've had so much fun in him this year. We're off to the New Forest this weekend in him and have booked for Oktoberfest too.

Wills - the ones dh builds have 5 seatbelts - 3 in the front and 2 in the back. So far we have slept 3 in there (us in the double and dd in the boot!). When we take dsd with us too we take a small tent for one of us to sleep in.

[moosemama]

We have 5 3-point seatbelts, but our camper used to be a panel van a looong time ago.

We have the driver plus a double seat in the front and 2 3-point belts on the rocknroll bed.

When DD1 arrives in January we will fit much better in the camper than in the car! (And there's enough room for the 3 dogs as well!)

Some vans are fitted with a buddy seat behind the driver or passenger which can then accommodate another seatbelt but you have to make sure it is one of the newer/safer style buddy seats rather than 'a cushion on a box' style.

Newer vans ie Type 25, Type 4 onwards have a better range of seating options available as well and can have either buddy seats or sometimes fittings for a captains seat by the sliding door (I think those would only be in ex Caravelles though).

When we were thinking about changing to a new bus we spent a lot of time on autotrader and ebay looking at photos of all the different internal layouts - then we decided to keep the one we've got (well he is part of the family after all).

[mabel1973]

we are looking at having a buddy seat fitted as we have DC3 on the way in November.

I wasn't sure how much of a possibility it was, but saw a few fitted that looked good at Run to the hills.

[isgrassgreener]

Just sold our 1966 split screen VW so not part of this club anymore

[Quadrophenia]

wills the danbury and devon conversions seat 5, in fact our danbury seats 7 with seat belts and sleeps the 4 kids in the van whilst we bunk in the awning.