If the plans do come off, and I decide to head off around Europe for a bit, what should I be looking for in a camper?

Looking for experiences really from folks who have 'em, or have had 'em.

And yes, I will search the web for Campertrackworld, but I thought I'd start with you lot first

about to tuck into sushi. Will post a long reply later

We've just bought our 2nd, having had out first one for 6 years. The key we found was to work out what layout suits you best. With 2-kids we wanted a van with fixed bunk beds and that worked out great in practice. With just the one coming with us now (the older one is 18 and no longer interested in holidaying with us!) we've switched to one with two big doubles and a large garage (big enough for a motorbike).

The other main change is that we've got air-con fitted having struggled in the heat when we took the previous one to Italy.

Buy one of these and spend the £35k+ change on a longer trip?

I'm with Matt on this one. They cost a lot to run and a lot to buy – even driving a small car around France gets pricey quickly, I'd hate to think what it costs in a big camper at 25-30mpg.

Well, I'd be looking at £15k, not £35k (a nice VW conversion or similar), but yeah, I get your point. I'd want to be able to do some sneaky car-park sleeping at times though I'd imagine, tricky with a tent.

I bought a 06 T5 panel van and had it converted by a company in Devon.It's got a pop up roof, a proper triple crash tested bed/rear seat and a kitchen pod with a cooker and fridge. It's small enough to use like a car but 4 of us can sleep comfortably – not much change from £20k for the van and the conversion though

I haven't owned one but have hired a variety of different ones – for a couple of weeks every few years that works out a lot cheaper.

You have to decide what comnprimises you will accept – the bigger the van the more comfy to live in but the worse to drive. Do you want an onboard toilet? Full cooker or just a little one? Big fridge or one that will only take a couple of beers?

For me for more than a night or two I want a big van – full size bed that you don't have to fold away to drive it, on board kahzi, several days worth of water in tanks and a waste tank – that sort of think. A small one you might as well have a car and a tent.

edit – and for driving in 'Europe then one witht he steering wheel on the right side is very useful

I still lust after one as well. Insurance put me off this year, maybe once I've got a little more time on the road. Little bongo with a basic conversion would do me as a bike/motorbike van and basic treehouse-on-wheels I reckon. You don't need to be minted to get into this game it seems, but a bit of no claims does seem to help.

The price of scabby old campers though, feh… Beige talbots with mystery mould, VWs made entirely out of badly welded repair panels…

How long you intending going for? I hired one a couple of years ago – got a brand new super deluxe one and while expensive it was not ridiculous. &800 a week IIRC. For a &70 000 brand new van

TJ – couple of months, if not more.

I've just bought our second, and love it.
Much depends on how many it's for and your budget. Vans better than coach-built motorhomes for sneaky sleeping in laybys, etc. DOn't forget the folding shovel, either.

Tell us more about what you want it for….

Get a left hand drive one other wise the toll roads will be a complete bugger.

It'd be for me and maybe one other (if I can find someone to come with me…). The plan (such that it is) is to see Europe, so mainly campsite camping but there's bound to be some carpark/service station/layby sneaky sleeps needed. I want to take a bike.

Not too fussed about on board shower/bog. I would like aircon I think.

I'm starting to think about a small Caddy/Connect type van with a v.basic camper conversion (like, a bed) and a decent sized tent for campsite use.

Hmmm…

I'm in the process of a DIY (plus the help of some friends) conversion on an 04 plate MWB LT35. It's awesome. If you have the time and enthusiasm to convert it yourself you will save a lot of money over buying something already camperised. I spent ~ £4k on the van and have another 2k or so in it to insulate, line, carpet, beds, eberspacher heater, swivel seats, water tank, sink/stove, skylight, 12V power system etc. It's been fun but a fair bit of work. Fantastic to have something precisely how you want it though.

Still needs a bit of work to fully finish it, but it's getting there….

If you want VW, on htat budget, I'd get a either a spot on T25 (the 80's one) or buy a T4/T5 and fit it out yourself. If you fancy T25 check out club 80-90 (not a biddyfiddling website I promise) . Brickwerks/Brick yard also offer good info for other VW van stuff. Much as I love my camper, if i did it again I'd get a transit or similar, you pay a premium for that VW badge!

However, if its a one off trip and your life style doesn't suit a camper van as a hobby (beleive me it is one) perhpas buya nice one and sell it on, or if its more about the trip than the vehicle how about an estate car? You can still sleep in the back, get a camping cooker/ grill (all thats in my camper van, only mine has cupboards and stuff) get a mini fridge if required (though TBH they eat batteries and just go to a bar for cold beer!) carry a big bottle of water for cooking/cleaning etc and bobs your uncle. why pay extra ferry/fuel/tax/insurance on a van if its just you for one trip?

If however you fancy the van lifestyle, its great fun and I can recommend it, buy one that is as near to perfect as you can find (interior inclded) as costs add up very very fast!

15k will find you a nice T4 conversion with maybe 50k on the clock (we paid 17k for ours).

Consumption for ours with the 88bhp 2.5tdi is upto 39mpg.

If I had 2 or 3 weeks before I went, Id consider doing my own conversion based around some eBay units, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELF-CONTAINED-KITCHEN-UNIT-DAY-VANS-HORSE-BOXES-/290437901701?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item439f72ad85 which would save a lot of money, and if it was just me, I wouldnt need to worry too much about everything being "just so".

Things to definitely sort out:

Tinting any rear windows – important for security and v v good for privacy during the day. Keeps the van a bit cooler in the continental summer too. Add to that some Silver Thermal Screens http://www.swcampers.co.uk/index.php/fully-converted-campervans/popular-additions/vw-window-silver-screens-thermal-blinds – they are a must have on cold nights if your conversion has single glazing (they also work for privacy when you have the internal lighting on). They make a huge difference. Off the shelf ones can be a bit pricey (about £25 a window). I have three (front), but for the rear 4 windows I made my own using some silver backed insulation cell sheets and some sucker cups from eBay, cost about £6 each.

A water tank with pump, a basin, and a hob are all you need to live.

Showers at campsites or local swimming baths.

A fridge is a possibility but they eat electricity so can only be relied upon if you are doing many miles with a split-charge relay system or are going to be on campsites with hookups. Gas fridges are easier to power but cost a bomb and you have to cut holes in your wagon.

Split charge relays and leisure battery kits can cost a bit ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INTELLIGENT-Voltage-Sensing-Split-Charge-Relay-Kit-4-5m-/280508232436?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Cars_Parts_Vehicles_Terminals_Cabling_ET&hash=item414f97f2f4 and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LUCAS-ULTRA-DEEP-CYCLE-105AH-SEALED-LEISURE-BATTERY-/260507703088?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item3ca7781730 )(say £150ish for 100Ah) and they are useful for powering stuff without risking your starter battery. then add a 400w inverter for the computer etc http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/400W-12V-Inverter-Mains-Socket-Camping-Boats-NEW-/390060296498?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_AudioElectronicsVideo_Video_TelevisionSetTopBoxes&hash=item5ad167c932 But if you want to add hookup charging that'll cost a bit more for the charger and breaker. Forget solar as you'll need quite a big unit to charge even a modest 100Ah battery and that will take a few days of good sunlight too! 🙂 http://www.lake-renewable-energy.com/inc/sdetail/6178

You can run a simple solar charging lighting kit though http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LED-Solar-Window-Light-campervans-boats-camping-/320547245660?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Garden_Lighting&hash=item4aa21ace5c without the need for any big battery systems.

For privacy or simply to avoid the rain when wild camping you may want to look at something like this http://4kits.co.uk/ploo-portable-toilet-p-80.html for curling one out in the comfort of your own van 😉

Go for it IHN. You wont regret it. Ive been lucky enough to go exploring both with Mrs S and later with Stoner Jr. Now there's Stoner Jr MkII on the way, it's getting tougher to plan for four for a few months at a time but Im working on it!

Bon Voyage, Rodney!

Unless you are a VW fan, I would avoid them purely on cost. One advantage is you could buy a builders van, tidy it up and buy the camper conversion pretty much off the shelf as they are so popular.

Like Sam I've self built my own…paid £4.5k for the van and so far have spent the same on the conversion. Could be cheaper but for the long term it made sense to pay a little extra and get double glazed windows, top notch insulation, fixed gas tank and proper cooker with oven etc etc. Only thing left is a little tidying, sorting out the bike garage and putting in the bog/shower. (I wouldn't recommend an Iveco unless you want to tow heavy trailers, the Daily is pretty much the only van that will pull ours legally so we make do with the truck like ride and handling 🙂 ) Afraid I am a bit short on recent photos, but there are plenty of older ones if you click on the pics.

I wouldn't recommend trying to convert anything smaller than a Fiat Scudo or its identical brothers, but if you want to keep your bike inside you really need to move up to a MWB van. In mine I've partitioned across the van 1 metre from the rear doors. There is a wall dividing this space, 1/3rd is space for two bikes stood upright on rear wheel with front wheels removed, the other 2/3rds is space for the bog and shower. If you want to sleep sideways consider either an LDV Convoy (cheap option) or Fiat Ducato and its twins. The older ones are are approx 6' wide, the new shape Ducatos are something like 6'3" wide. My Daily is 6' wide if you build the bed further back, but I put mine across from the sliding door so only get 5'10", making it a perfect fit lengthways for myself 🙂

http://www.sbmcc.co.uk/forum

Would like another now, but the size of van we'd need to sleep 5 isn't the size of van I'd like to drive round the twisty roads of the places I'd like to take it. We started off with an old shape VW LT high top, which was very shabby home conversion but was great as the width of the van allowed a big double bed sideways across the back with lots of storage under. Rust and the novelty of rehanging the sliding side door for the nth time finally finished it off and we then went for a beige Talbot Autosleeper. Say what you like about the beige, but Autosleeper know what they are doing. Everything was well thought out and worked great. We had great fun in both vans for maybe a decade of going away at least every other weekend as well as some annual holidays. Very handy to have the van permanently ready to roll and just need to hop on with clothes and fresh food and drive. Neither of our vans would really cut it as an everyday car, but we didn't need them to. I'm tempted by some of the Mazda Bongos I've seen on here, for us to use together with a couple of tents for a sort of hybrid camping, or just as is for a biking weekend on my tod. If you're planning a single trip, I'd be looking at buying then reselling. The price of VWs is just silly.

OOh sounds fun. – Can I come ?
Where in Europe, could influence what you want. Up north in winter you'll need a good heater, plenty of insulation and 4×4. In the mountains, make sure you get something with a meaty engine. 1 of the lads we kayaked with had a merc and he found that underpowered when fully laden on some of the hills in the Alps. Something else to bear in mind is not looking too flash and a target for theft.

Sleeping in cars and vans not set up for it is a bit grim – you get condensation on a van's roof. Even sleeping for a couple of hours in an estate car, you find that the whole car and everything in it feels pretty damp. Ventilation and insulation is needed to make it bearable – maybe a basic ply line with insulation and some vents (police dog van type or camper type?) would be up to it.

I heard a theory that depreciation on camper vans is so low it's less than inflation. So you can get a top whack one with a 25 year loan, and you'll be able to sell it for at least what you bought it for, thereby paying off the loan.

Supposedly. It would explain why the dealers are always full of eye-wateringly expensive vans that apparently sell.

Sam – how about a build thread on here, I'm sure plenty stw'rs would be interested in more detail on that – budget solutions are always best!!

For OP, I spent a year in a $1,000 van touring australia. It was a lwb Mazda window van (similar to a modern Toyota hiace favoured by shopkeepers and florests). Fitted out with a full size futon fixed to batons along the sides allowing loads of space underneath for bags and boxes for camping which left about 4ft of space between the back of the front seats and the end of the bed. Never had proper fitted kitchen but normal camping stuff that could be used inside if raining but as oven as not cooked outside. Had a massive water barrel thing with a wee tap (circumnavigated Australia so took water pretty seriously)

stuff I would want if I was doing it again:-
swivel captains chairs – never had them in my van, would have made much better use of the space tho
longest van you can get – length is king, anything else is luxury
decent stereo – again I didn't have one, but vans are pretty noisey so decent sound are a must
fridge – only needs to keep your dairy and a couple of beers cold but a proper powered fridge would be great in Europe
power sockets to keep computer, phone etc charged
properlly thought out lighting to add comfort
roof vent so you don't have to keep windows open
and make sure your converstion is as stealth as possible – no alloy wheels or campervan graphics. If it looks like a builders van then you can sleep anywhere even large citys

I don't see the need for:
built in wardrobes – unless hanging your suit on a hanger is a traveling priority! Just pack bags and boxes sensibly and have them accessable.
Plumbed in sink – seriously, why??

Defenately do it – no need to spend megabucks, cheapper the better as you'll spend. Shi7load on fuel anyway!

the missus and I spent 4.5 months last year touring Europe in a VW Westfalia T25 , in that time we got as far as Turkey and covered around 20K Km's. Our van is LHD which made life a lot easier travelling around the continent and, TBH has not been too much of a pain in the UK.

Agree with most of the points that Stonor made above, we certainly found the onboard loo to be great, as it opened up the aires/stellplatz in France, Germany, Italy which meant we could stay for free instead of shelling out for a expensive campsite every night.

we had our bikes on a rack on the back, under a cover and made sure that they were securely locked to the van at all times. At no time in Europe did I worry that 3K's worth of bikes were going to go walkabout, the only attempt at stealing the bikes was back in England.

If you are going outside of the main summer season then check out the ACSI book as this lists campsites that offer a cheap(ish) rate (usually 11/13/15 Euro per night inc electricity). The book paid for itself after the first week or so.

Did it a couple of years ago for 6 months in my t25,had it converted to run on gas before we went,best £400 i ever spent,did 8k miles and it cost us about 5k for the whole trip,thats for the two of us and our black lab,have a look here….http://www.travelpod.com/members/signsoflife
Rob

On board loo

I can wait for the services for #2

On board loo

I can wait for the services for #2

Once it's all done I will put up a full conversion post – consider this a sneak preview 😉

Plumbed in sink – seriously, why??

I was previously of the same opinion, but it really makes it so much easier doing dishes and just keeping the cooking area inside clean. However I didn't have it in my previous Transit conversion and coped ok. But if I was taking off for 12 months a sink and running water is a really nice thing to have.

I've been looking at campers for 12 months or so, but cant justify the price/ age/mileage.
so instead of buying something with corrosion , knackered mechanicals decided to go for a cheap caravan.

Tow it, set it up ,ride, stay overnight, ride tow home. oh and if you need something inbetween you dont have to take your " accomodation" with you!!

Got mine late last year (T5 ex-builders van conversion) and wish I'd bought one sooner, it's great just popping away for the weekend, tend to head to "offical" sites with facilities as to get everything in the van we thought necessary a shower and toilet wasn't going to fit.

The design of the van is excellent and meets our needs thus far and is a bespoke design around what I wanted to acheive, it's pretty heavy on diesel it's probably doing about 27mpg on a mix of motorway and A roads with a few overtaking bursts.

We have also used it more than we imagined before getting it but it's so flexible, from trips away to getting a new cooker the camper is ready and waiting to go, no regrets here.

Bought a VW T4 for 5 grand and converted it myself. Basically a very comfy double bed in the back with lots of storage. I use it as my car and everyday runabout. Been away virtually every weekend in the past year in the van. I was heading to Europe in it but have now bought round the world plane tickets instead.
I cook outside if nice and just inside if not. The Mrs has bought a she wee and you just get used very quickly to roughing it a bit. To be crude you can always crap in a bucket to avoid campsites and go to a swimmimg pool to get a shower. Have used a solar shower though which are good in summer.
Next step when I get back is swivel seats in front and a solar panel on the roof.

i'm about to put a peugeot partner, professional conversion by east neuk up for sale for 7.5k. If anyones interested drop me a mail and i'll give you more details.

this is our campervan to be an Iveco daily lwb high roof full service history one previous owner called Pat who had a black and white cat full Iveco service history I have the print out 75000 miles.Being an ex working vehicle narrow roads must get there yesterday squeezing in to little places it has a few scratchesbut it is amazing what G3 can get out.Your asking asking how much £4700.When you consider how much the toys that we cycle around on cost thats a good deal.
There is a company in Bradford called Cordoba Leisure they will convert fully to your spec for around £5000 that is a fully loaded campervan with secure cycle tools occomodation for Nissan Micra money.
Some other poster quoted truck like Handling suspension yes this will not have the ride of a Porsche or a Renault Clio the suspension is built to handle weight I find it really good it goes stops corners very well when driven like a van which is what it is.These engines are good for over 250000 miles without breaking into a sweat.25 mpg would be about right.If that is a problem dont by one I would like to fly first class to the usa but I always go in the crates.
Anyway for about ten grand you can have a very comfy home from home (same money as a Renault Clio)
that will transport you your dog your bike your tools and not forgetting the good lady oh that includes roof mounted air con.As you can see by the piccie we just had windows fitted and are progressing with our self build check out sbmcc website they have how to pictures which help.
Iveco yes Mercedes to expensive Ford Transit naaaaa

im not against them but i think it would be a pain in the arse having to pack everything away if you want to drive out to somewhere but are planning on returning to the same campsite. or do you get used to this? this is why i think a touring caravan or a tent would be the way forward.

Having messed about with various camper vans, we decided a panel van and an awning if the way forward. All too often campervans come with posh bits, like carpet and curtains and fluffy seats and are not overly practical for muddy cyclists and their dogs.

Took a Hi-Ace conversion around NZ for a bit. For two adults it was more than enough for the kind of campsite/occasional park-up the OP speaks of. Small enough to drive/park like a large car and space inside for a fold away double, sink, cooker and fridge. It was kinda like camping inside a metal box, rather than the full-on "home-on-wheels" you'd get with a bigger/better spec van with loo/shower etc. As others have said – decide on what compromises you can live with and what you can't live without and go from there.

Might be worth a look:

Amdro

alex how did ya post the picture

http://dogslow.smugmug.com/Cars/new-van/12250149_YyQVk#901977846_ArmMZ/img%5D

Find an image on the internet, right click, copy image location, then in the 'post' form click the IMG button and paste the copied link. voila!

thanx, Iveco vans are big n strong

Cordoba leisure will fit what you want ,I will post more of ours as the conversion begins.You could raise the fixed bed at the rear and put all your bikes and tools in a garage under the bed