Hi
We are in the process of buying a campervan (or at least thinking hard about it).
We have spent a long time trying to decide what to go for. At the moment we are dithering hard between a Long Wheel Base VW Transporter (Length 5.3m, Width 1.96m), a High top MWB Ducato (Length 5.4m, width 2.05m) and a High top LWB Ducato (Length 5.98m, width 2.05m). Both of the latter would be camper conversions - not coach built.
Has anyone got any experiences they would like to share that might guide us as to which version to go for?
For example, how much hassle is it taking a van to events? Do you have to park miles away? Can you always get in and out of parking? Do you use a shower if you have one in the van? Same with toilets?
What sorts of campers have people got? What is good about them? What should we look out for?
Hopefully this shouldn't be too controversial.
Thanks
Taking a campervan to an event
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
We have a campervan. It is great for events. Ours is a SWB T5 conversion. Whether you are classed as a car or motor home is 50/50 at events. It is much more likely to get stuck in the mud. We really ought to get some chocks for it. We go camping and to events all year around in ours, which has no shower, but we find making tea / soup / toast warms you up nicely. The next van we'd get would have a heater tho I think. The in-built DVD player is v useful for entertaining kids when you are doing split starts on a v wet day. We would never get a hi top as it's our only vehicle and hi tops are harder to park around town. Many car parks have 2-2.2m height limiters.
- housewife
- green
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
We've a LWB Fiat Ducato – Murvi Morello, i.e. a van conversion with all facilities. Purchased before we started O-ing (only done the latter for 3 yrs or so) & used extensively for touring/walking holidays in the UK & France. V pleased with it – intelligent conversion, no frills but good use of limited space.
At O events it's wonderful to have cooking/heating/loo/shower if needed – but we're always worried about the parking aspect & research what's on offer first. Even if the organiser offers reassurance that they know what's involved, those on parking duty may not – we've been directed to heavily rutted areas at one event & not allowed to turn to keep our driving wheels near the track at another. We argued at the first but obeyed - & had to be pulled off – at the other.
So – what to look out for? Good ground clearance – ours has an underslung heater & a very low exhaust, hence the fear of ruts with a LWB vehicle! A narrow body for negotiating the lanes/stone walls/gateways. How the base vehicle reverses – Fiat didn't consider this type of use when designing the gearing & there are some horror stories out there. Grip tracks or similar to help you off muddy fields (those little plastic mats are useless). It's an expensive investment – maybe also be prepared to occasionally use it as a base at a campsite but hire a car for multi-day events if the parking on offer is going to be too difficult/too far away from the arena??
At O events it's wonderful to have cooking/heating/loo/shower if needed – but we're always worried about the parking aspect & research what's on offer first. Even if the organiser offers reassurance that they know what's involved, those on parking duty may not – we've been directed to heavily rutted areas at one event & not allowed to turn to keep our driving wheels near the track at another. We argued at the first but obeyed - & had to be pulled off – at the other.
So – what to look out for? Good ground clearance – ours has an underslung heater & a very low exhaust, hence the fear of ruts with a LWB vehicle! A narrow body for negotiating the lanes/stone walls/gateways. How the base vehicle reverses – Fiat didn't consider this type of use when designing the gearing & there are some horror stories out there. Grip tracks or similar to help you off muddy fields (those little plastic mats are useless). It's an expensive investment – maybe also be prepared to occasionally use it as a base at a campsite but hire a car for multi-day events if the parking on offer is going to be too difficult/too far away from the arena??
- alder
- string
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
It is wonderful having a campervan at an event. Some of the advantages are: the room to change in especially when wet; the use if a loo without queuing, space for young children to play in cold wet weather, hot drinks. Our long wheel base van conversion will go anywhere, coach builds are wider so there might be more problems with access to events. Parking is usually ok you just need to make sure they don't park you driving uphill to get off and be careful on forest tracks where overhanging branches can be a problem. We too have to be careful on rutted tracks as we have a water tank and spare wheel underneath. Ours heats the water as we drive which is excellent. Take care if you only get a battery operated fridge, our previous van had one you could use on calor gas and for multi day events with no hook up (e.g. white rose) we struggle with a battery only fridge. There is a great deal of space for everything you would want to take with you e.g. chairs bbq's.
- batty
- off string
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
Hi
Thanks for the ideas everyone.
If anyone can give any more tips I would appreciate it.
We are closing in on LWB Ducato type with a fixed bed in the rear and a big garage underneath the bed.
Thanks,
Thanks for the ideas everyone.
If anyone can give any more tips I would appreciate it.
We are closing in on LWB Ducato type with a fixed bed in the rear and a big garage underneath the bed.
Thanks,
- bewildered
- red
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
Fixed beds take up a large amount of your living space.
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Mrs H - god
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
Agree about the space limitations of a fixed bed, tho' they're v popular at the moment. Try sitting in the "living room" section (with all doors shut) & see how it feels. Also: large garage gives the impression you can carry everything including the kitchen sink - check the various weights given in the converter's spec - most people wildly overestimate how much they can legally carry!!!
- alder
- string
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Re: Taking a campervan to an event
We have begun to get to grips with the amount of stuff you can carry. We won't be packing the garage full.
It seems odd, but the vans without a fixed bed seem to make it hard to get a third berth in for our daughter. And, my wife does like a nap - as do I after a race!
It seems odd, but the vans without a fixed bed seem to make it hard to get a third berth in for our daughter. And, my wife does like a nap - as do I after a race!
- bewildered
- red
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- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:06 am
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