Looking at getting a camper van t6 probably. I thought tail gate was the way to go but a mate with a t6 with barn doors says no the rain shelter doesn’t win against the pros of two doors.
what do those with experience say of the pros and cons..?
Would need to be carrying 4 bikes.
Barn doors for opening rear when someone blocks you in. Tailgate for every other scenario.
if you camp with it tailgate is way nicer.
Tailgate all the way. Our t6 is my wife’s family car. Not once has the mahoosive tailgate been an issue for her. It’s quieter as there fewer seal for VW to screw up; weighs less; you can see out the back better and best of all you can lock it open in a weathertight way to provide ventilation when you sleep with one of those bent nail £5 prop thingys from eBay (also from stitches & steel @ £1798.99).
My previous van had a tail gate, current van has barn doors.
If you use the back doors to get in and out a barn door is more convenient. For just loading bikes in the back then I'd be hard pressed to choose between the two.
I've got barn doors, wasn't a deliberate choice, but they work for me.
Pros:
* Easier (for me) to load/unload - being able to open/close half at a time means I can post wheels in behind one set
* Easier access to the roof (mostly to wipe down the solar panel, but also for anything that might be on the roof rack)
* Less space needed behind me to get things in and out
* Better control of airflow through the van - option of having half or full open makes a difference
I don't have rear windows in mine, I guess if you did, you'd have better visibility through a tailgate.
I've never really missed sheltering under a tailgate (I have tried it before). Generally if it's miserable, it's miserable from all sides. I'd just shelter inside the van. If I really wanted outside shelter, I've got an awning anyway.
"the rain shelter doesn’t win against the pros of two doors."
That's just something people with barn doors say to make themselves feel better.
Tailgates are ace.
Tailgates look better and I had them on all 3 of my VWs.
I’ve got barn doors (obviously the only option) on my current Citroen Relay, the only time the I miss a tailgate is when it’s windy, the doors can get blown about. It’s handy sometimes just to pop one open and quickly chuck something in.
I wouldn’t get hung up on which to have, I’d go for the best van I could find and live with whatever doors it had.
That’s just something people with barn doors say to make themselves feel better.
I very rarely hid under my tailgates, I tended to just get into the van.
When I was looking for a suitable van, I originally wanted a tailgate but I'd borrowed one first and decided I preferred the barn door type - mainly for the reasons listed above (including carrying kayaks on the roof). As it happens, I'm really glad we went that way as the interior layout lends itself to only opening one of the doors.
I don’t have rear windows in mine, I guess if you did, you’d have better visibility through a tailgate.
Yeah - I have windows in my barn doors and the visibility isn't great.
Just been through the same conundrum. My thinking ended up being to go with tailgate if I got a SWB but barn doors if LWB, simply due to the extra space needed to make use of a tailgate of an already long van. I went for the LWB and so barn door option.
It’s quieter as there fewer seal for VW to screw up; weighs less
Weight and noise don't really seem like real issues. It's still a van. Weatherproof seals, perhaps - but I've never had too many issues with seals.
At least double the number of catches that can fail though. That's a consideration.
At least double the number of catches that can fail though. That’s a consideration.<br /><br />
Not worth worrying about tbh. There’s no gas struts to fail, which I’ve replaced more regularly than door catches.
The sliding door rollers however are likely to fail at some point.
I've had four vans with tailgates.
I prefer it for shelter, loading large items with no side obstruction, visibility and clean looks.
My mate has a LWB with barn doors and ended up getting it converted.
Vans are ace though. Rear doors are the least of the considerations, just get a van!
Hmm, for rain shelter and barn doors, I wonder if you could mount a canvas near the top of the doors? Not like the ones that pop over the top of the doors, but a few inches down, so you could leave it mounted and it would fold into the van and pop out automatically when you opened the doors.
That'd be even better than a tailgate; you'd have side cover too.
Not worth worrying about tbh. There’s no gas struts to fail, which I’ve replaced more regularly than door catches.
Yeah. Fair point. Me too. The thing is, failed door catches stop me from using a vehicle (because I can't secure it), gas struts are just inconvenient.
Barn doors as the rain around here is predominantly sideways 😂
Had both types, but just prefer the barn doors, not sure why. Does help with pinning stuff in whilst you use the second door.
Barn doors = a van first owned by an hairy arsed builder who spends the first 3 years of the vans life farting weatherspoons burgers into the seats. Picking his nose and wiping it on the floor and grimacing at cyclists who dare hold him up on the way to his next 'tube of silicone' snagging job. Had the occasional supermarket bag dump job in the back following an excessive weekend of currys n'coke.
Tailgate = guardian reading family, van owned, cherished and christened 'Terence' the Transporter. Used for weekly Waitrose shops and for nailing the nanny in the back of.
Which would you buy?
I have a van with a tailgate, used as a basic camper with a bed over the bikes. If I need to park the van loaded but unattended for a while, I can reverse the van against something solid as an extra security measure. Removing the bed to access the bikes from the front would be a serious faff. But could equally be done with barn doors.
A tailgate is often received as a better choice for a camper, but I see pros and cons. It's easier to build a fold away rian shelter for barn doors than it is to make a fold away wind sheet or privacy screen to a tailgate.
Some van model are much harder to find with a tailgate, like a transit for example. I would personally see it as far less important than some people make out.
My T4 has a tailgate and I was picking up lots of timber yesterday in that rain, loading and unloading, if I'd had barn doors I would have been even wetter and the van would have been a swimming pool...
That said, the Sprinter we use as our camper has barn doors and I never give it a second thought. Actually, thats not quite true, everytime I open and close them, which sometimes feels like every 2 minutes, I think 'one day I'm going to knock the stupid badge off!'.
Not sure if it's an option on a VW, by my Toyota ProAce has a tailgate and an opening rear window (in the tailgate) for those times when either you just want to chuck something in, have parked close to a wall, or have something REALLY long that won't entirely fit inside. It's really handy.
What about attaching accessories (like spare wheels)? Seems unlikely you'd do that for tailgate option
Had a tailgate on my T5 and used it as a shelter a couple of times. It mostly works as long as the rain is not coming sideway. Yes, if you park too close to things (or people park too close to you) it _might_ be an issue, but usually not.
I'm looking at getting a van now and that choice really hasn't come into the decision process. I'd rather spend my time thinking about how it drives, reliability and internal space.
One of our barn door minibuses had a nylon shelter which was press-studded to one side and rolled up. It took 20seconds to flip it over the door then the other side, bungee to secure.
It creates a really nice sheltered and rain proof area.
One of our barn door minibuses had a nylon shelter which was press-studded to one side and rolled up. It took 20seconds to flip it over the door then the other side, bungee to secure.
Seen those around at a few races. Or similar. Tarp that runs along the back edge of the roof from door to door. Bungee to keep it tight.
I've also done it with a tailgate. Hooked to the back of the van and the edge of the tailgate to keep it tight, then a couple of guys from the bottom edge.
The barn doors on the T5 were known to fail. I doubt the T6 ge much different given it is the same design.
I've had both and I'm not that bothered.
Tailgate is a shelter only when the rain is coming down vertically, which it almost never does.
Barn doors let you sit on the back step with a bit of privacy and you can put shelves and storage nets on the back of them.
As you can see, insufferable snobby types will only have tailgates. Let them pay more and you get what works for you.
On my T5 I bought some uprated gas struts so that I could open the door tailgate with three bikes on (never tried with four) and it of stay up. Was fun watching the GF try to close it when it wasn't loaded.
Barn doors do give you a bit more protection from the wind. If there's no wind and the rain is falling perfectly vertically then a tailgate is better.
Personally, I'd go with a bigger van than a Transporter.
I've only had barn doors, and I do like the privacy and the ability to just open one door.
Friends have tailgates and I can see the upsides of those too.
Honestly, if you don't have a strong preference or requirement for either, I'd just choose based on the vehicle's condition, history and value.
Is this the most trivial issue that people get narky about on here? Oh no, I've just remembered the speaker wire thread I started last week.
Bike rack = tailgate
Would not be my top priority though
As matt above says, barn doors can make a brilliant camping space when thrown wide and a tarp secured over the whole lot.
Personally, I’d go with a bigger van than a Transporter.
This. Transporters are tiny.
Round here all the fashion-vanners have moved onto big rigs with swamper tyres and full solar setups. The T6's are full of yummy mummys on the school run.
Barn doors = a van first owned by an hairy arsed builder who spends the first 3 years of the vans life farting weatherspoons burgers into the seats. Picking his nose and wiping it on the floor and grimacing at cyclists who dare hold him up on the way to his next ‘tube of silicone’ snagging job. Had the occasional supermarket bag dump job in the back following an excessive weekend of currys n’coke.
Tailgate = guardian reading family, van owned, cherished and christened ‘Terence’ the Transporter. Used for weekly Waitrose shops and for nailing the nanny in the back of.
Which would you buy?
Posted 2 hours ago
Except Hairy arsed Pipe fitters who insist on a tailgate so they can set the threading machine up with some shelter.
Easily spotted as the bulkhead will be cut under the passenger seat, if there isn’t a flap to pass pipe through.
The T6’s are full of yummy mummys on the school run.
So what does that make mrs_oab and I in a t5.1...?
So what does that make mrs_oab and I in a t5.1…?
Doggers?
So what does that make mrs_oab and I in a t5.1…?
How does she show her face in society driving an old banger?
I've got barn doors and use a tow bar mounted bike rack. It's an Atera but I don't know which model..., eBay purchase. It has to be mounted at a very slight angle so the left hand door clears it and I can access the rear, this means the right hand door can't be opened. Not a problem for me currently, but bear that in mind and get some recommendations for bike racks that will work for you.
I wanted a tailgate on my T6 but ended up with barn doors. I am glad I did. I often want to just open one door if stuff is leaning against the inside, or just slightly open one door for the view without opening the whole thing (Which we couldn't do without going outside and walking around the back on a barn tailgate) Dont have a bike rack but again opening the whole thing with bikes on the back must be difficult (if possible) whereas split doors allow you to open. Other than rain cover I dont get the attraction.
How does she show her face in society driving an old banger?
According to @RustyNissanPrarie we are already old bangers...
