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MrsIHN and I spent six months travelling around Europe in a camper, some tips:
On the ventilation front, if it's a tailgate, get an extended latch for it. They lock the boot open about two inches, makes a massive difference.
This kinda thing (check for compatibility, obvs)
And fit wind deflectors to the front windows, cos then you can have them open an inch or so even when it's raining. Between them and the latched tailgate you get a good airflow.
If it's proper hot though, there's nothing you can really do as it's still a big metal box. We've slept with all the windows/doors/boot open at times and it's still been a sweatfest. Camping/parking in the shade as much as possible is the most important thing, so weigh up where the sun will be in relation to your pitch when you're picking one if you can.
Might be worth while getting a big mozzie net from Decathlon for over the sliding door.
That seems very sensible.
We have a large skylight above our bed with a fan built into it. it can be switched from suck to blow.
He has just ordered one this morning already - 12v fan built in.
And fit wind deflectors to the front windows, cos then you can have them open an inch or so even when it’s raining.
This I very much like. Plus he has no aircon, so driving that will help too.
Camping/parking in the shade as much as possible
Agreed.
On the ventilation front, if it’s a tailgate, get an extended latch for it. They lock the boot open about two inches, makes a massive difference.
Barn doors unfortunately, and the place his bikes will be stored. I do think that finding a way of keeping the side door open a bit, as he has the awning, could work though.
Does it have a leisure battery fitted. If not its worth while running the engine every day to top up what the interior lights take out of it. Abigale now travels with jump leads and a fully charged booster for when the inevitable happens. The Italians were very helpful when she didn't have enough left in the battery, the French not so. Hers is an auto so couldn't bump it.
One of these will come in handy
Barn doors unfortunately, and the place his bikes will be stored. I do think that finding a way of keeping the side door open a bit, as he has the awning, could work though.
I've just looked, and that latch will work on barn doors too, the mechanism is the same. Would need to be a bit careful if it was raining, but might be worth looking at, for the sake of a tenner.
Plus he has no aircon, so driving that will help too.
We had aircon, but very rarely used it. If you're not in a rush to get places, you can (and, indeed probably should) take the slower routes to see more of the places you're going through, so just wind the window down.
More latch type things here too
Does it have a leisure battery fitted. If not its worth while running the engine every day to top up what the interior lights take out of it.
And/or get a 100W/120W solar kit, they're not much money, and will give you enough juice to keep the battery in decent nick and run stuff like a small fridge etc. And a leisure battery with a split charge would be a very, very good idea.
We had aircon, but very rarely used it. If you’re not in a rush to get places, you can (and, indeed probably should) take the slower routes to see more of the places you’re going through, so just wind the window down
The old 2 80 Aircon!
About 20 years ago I sold a VW T25 camper that wasn’t too bad body-wise, but the engine/gearbox combo I’d had installed because the last combo literally fell apart, was seriously lacking. The gear linkage was the wrong way round and the ‘new’ engine (1.6D from a crashed Passat) couldn’t take it beyond 25Kph up any incline.
After the couple had agreed to buy, I asked their plans. They stated they’re planning to tour Europe in it. I nearly died inside, because it wouldn’t make a tour of the Somerset levels in my mind!
However, a search recently of DVLA records showed that it carried on for quite a few more years. Whether it needed another new engine, I couldn’t say.
So the moral of the story is: go for it!
And/or get a 100W/120W solar kit, they’re not much money, and will give you enough juice to keep the battery in decent nick and run stuff like a small fridge etc. And a leisure battery with a split charge would be a very, very good idea.
No it won't physics .
Also budget
Cheap solar is a good idea yes if budget allows but don't think your running a budget 12v fridge off it.
Split charge and leisure battery on order.
Either / or solar and a mains connection - we can get mains 'extension' with fuse on, which can then charge van and leisure if needed. Not sure if a solar panel is a better bet...
Fwiw I'd have solar over a split charge....infact I do.
I removed my split charge after I got the solar system as it was unnecessary and allowed the solar controller to charge well rather than the piss poor charge control offered by basic split charge relays.
But split charge better than nothing.
No it won’t physics .
...
Cheap solar is a good idea yes if budget allows but don’t think your running a budget 12v fridge off it.
Fair enough, I must have a fridge that breaks the laws of physics.
Did you delete the middle part of the quote there for any reason ?
Which fridge do you suggest they buy to go with their 120w solar panel that doesn't wipe out their budget?
Fwiw I’d have solar over a split charge….infact I do.
Split charge AND is our plan - it may be solar AND mains hookup AND split charge
No proper fridge - we've a tiny coolbox that will slot into a super insulated shelf.
tips for either cheap sources of materials, and tips for “must have” items.
Spare Parts.
I'd maybe have a think about what kind of spares you should pack away in the event of a sudden need, where maybe that specific type is hard to source. Bulbs,fuses, bits of wire, jump leads,wheel nuts, replacement fuel cap etc.
Also I think in Europe, should you break down, you must have a lighted triangle(or maybe not, but i seem to remember something about certain safety equipment mandatory under EU law) to place to warn drivers of a breakdown ahead, so possibly find some info on what the law requires you to do in any sort of emergency situation.
You're right dyna-ti, I'll go read up on what each country wants...
Don't worry about floor vents unless you are having a permanent gas installation inside. The van will be leaky enough to allow an extractor van/forced rooflight, the cab and rear have built in vents to allow the doors to close without making your ears pop.
For water, you can get handpumps that fit on top of the 5 gallon office water cooler jugs, pinch a couple of jugs and knock in the internal bung and you can refill them. The pump I had worked by pumping air in, so a few quick pumps would result in a few seconds of water for hand washing.
knock in the internal bung and you can refill them
Don't even need to do that, if you remove the obvious tear strip you can just take the top lid off and reseal as needed, keep a spare for the pump attachment and you're laughing.
Ok, all sorts of decisions made. The build begins tomorrow.
A question: electrical power and a coolbox.
At present he's only going for:
Split charge relay AND solar panel. Panel size yet to be determined.
Biggest battery he can, but likely needs to be less than £100.
Output:
Three USB points.
One internal LED light. (Two other lights in 'boot' will be battery/usb chargeable).
Small fan on the rooflight.
He's still hoping to run a small coolbox. I'm suggesting building an 'insulated' cupboard to help it stay cool, thereby not needing running all the time.
Realistically is this just going to kill a 100ah battery in a couple of hours....?
Suggestions for cheap / efficient suggestions welcome.
I’m suggesting building an ‘insulated’ cupboard to help it stay cool, thereby not needing running all the time.
You need airflow over the element if it's a non passive cool box. Insulating it just makes it work even harder by trapping the heat removed from the box within the insulation.
Fwiw it'll tan the battery.
Yeah, we're moving away from active cooling, more towards coolbox to keep veg out of the main heat of the sun...
Cool box can be helped by covering with a wet towel. Worked well for me in Oz.
It's with remembering that 'cool', i.e veg storing temperature, is quite easy - in our van anywhere that touches the floor and sees little or no light stay pretty cool, so places like under the bench seat for example, so just think about where you'll keep the coolbox. "Cold", i.e beer storing temperature, is the tricky one without active cooling.
Agreed - we're going for cool not cold now.
I'm back to work today, but he should have the floor finished today.
Facebook and Gumtree are providing some nice cheaper materials such as insulation, plywood and lino floor. 👍
Sadly, rooflight and electrics (etc) aren't cheap at all..
If you need cheap LEDs for the roof, go to Ikea and get some of their cheap 4 LED ones. The mains kit just steps down to 12v and with a 12v regulator (plans on the internet and cheap as hell to make) you can replace bulbs in the roof with them and get more light with less current (I think).
I fitted some to my van when I insulated the roof, set them up to run off the leisure battery, but switched from the doors and it made it a genuine difference to the inside.
Matt, could he not look at a second hand 3 way fridge (they're about £20 on the bay of fleas) and just not plumb the gas side in? They sip electricity - far more efficient than a peltier box and more versatile than a simple cool box.
This sounds awesome Matt, wish I'd done similar when I was his age rather than the typical lad's hol to the Costas (nightmare stuff looking back).
Already mentioned but wind deflectors will help greatly on the move. We started off with a T5 van before fully converting it - no A/C and the deflectors helped reduce the buffeting at speed. Initially insulated and ply-lined it myself, cheap lino cutoff on the floor, top half of bulkhead removed (to get driver's seat far enough back for me), Ikea futon as a seat/bed in the back although that was stupidly warm and soon swapped to a double airbed.
Cut down a bigger sunshade to fit the T5, attached via reusable cable ties to eyelets screwed into the roofrack mounting points. It worked but if I was doing it again I'd use C-channel stuck to the roof - much neater and ours was approx £25.
On the subject of C-channel, there's a place in Essex that sells long lengths of awning rail for a lot less than from campervan suppliers. I _think_ it is this place: http://www.keder-rails.co.uk/
They can chop the rail into two 3m length as well, so it will fit a full length of a T5 SWB and you get both a spare length to sell on and a long cardboard tube.
We've also done the c-channel (bought a length from a local caravan place) stuck in the rain gutter thing, works a treat with one of these sheet awnings (which are surprisingly versatile)
https://www.funkyleisure.co.uk/debus-vw-t4t5t6-sun-canopy--anthracite-grey-6770-p.asp
Other colours are available.
Another tip, which I might have already said, shade is your friend. Pick parking/camping spots that will be in as much shade for as much time as possible.
I know there they're expensive but a Waeco compressor fridge is worth its weight in gold in a European summer if only for a saving a fortune keeping pre-Apres beers cold. They hold their value well when you come to sell so the total cost of ownership is low. They are also electrically really efficient.
Hot_fiat I've never found a 3 way fridge that isn't hugely inefficient and power hungry on 12v power, they are good on 240v or gas but are not desigened to run on 12v for an extended period.
£400ish will get you a decent 12v compressor fridge which will run indefinitely off a 100-150watt solar panel. Nothing makes a bigger difference to eating well and cheaply than a fridge that works.
@steveh dunga. Thought that might be a way out. We've a Dometic compressor cool box & it is massively efficient - will happily sit on the leisure battery for three or four days keeping things at 4C. It'll even dive down to -17 so we can take frozen stuff away.
Unfortunately not, the technology is very different. 12v is almost only to keep things cold while driving between spots. Compressor stuff on the other hand is great.
£400ish will get you a decent 12v compressor fridge which will run indefinitely off a 100-150watt solar panel. Nothing makes a bigger difference to eating well and cheaply than a fridge that works.
Total conversion budget is £1200...
@steveh dunga. Thought that might be a way out. We’ve a Dometic compressor cool box & it is massively efficient – will happily sit on the leisure battery for three or four days keeping things at 4C. It’ll even dive down to -17 so we can take frozen stuff away.
+1 to that. Won't be a cheap addition Matt, but might be useful for afterwards. We bought https://www.dometic.com/en-gb/outdoor/uk/products/food-and-beverage/portable-coolboxes/electric-coolboxes/dometic-coolfun-ck-40d-hybrid-_-136334 and run it alongside a massive passive coolbox we already had. Camping with 240v hook-up, we run this as a freezer to refreeze our icepacks which keep the coolbox as a huge fridge. Also brilliant for stocking up on cheaper ice-creams from the supermarket...
Understood Matt but that and a solar panel, while expensive would make a bigger difference to van life than anything else, I've done enough of road tripping about ridig bikes over the year to be sure of it.
Waeco = Dometic nowadays, ours is the CF40. Must be 15years old, currently being used as a freezer in the garage. Has done multiple tours of Europe in various vehicles.
Low voltage cut off so you don't need a leisure battery set up.
High upfront costs but Im guessing you'd hardly lose anything on it selling when they are back if they kept the packaging/box etc or buy a used one to start with.
Ice cold beers, milk, dairy etc, stop the butter melting etc.
A couple of questions...
- gas, and finding "correct" fittings in France & Austria - looking at a single or double burner portable stove, but concerned about getting gas. Advice please....
- has anyone sliced up a memory foam mattress to make an odd shaped bed? Looking to buy a second hand mattress and cut...mrs_oab can make cover.
depends on the fitting. IIRC the commonest ones in france are not the ones we usually use here. What I would do is buy a stove there that uses the common french fittings. Indeed I have had to do this in the past when i was unable to get the screw on gas cans we normally use
Good idea - a stop at the first Decathlon...
Something I'd suggest, though I know nowt about caravanning or living in a van. The insulation you have- foil(is it the foil covered bubble wrap ?)
I have seen people cut window sized squares of this foil insulation stuff to help keep their van cool. I imagine a van sitting with the hot sun streaming in the windows is going to make for an unpleasant interiour and foil insulation across the windows is going to work far better than simple curtains.
Just a thought 🙂
The whole van is insulated with fluffy insulation and silver foil / silver bubble insulation. Windscreen has a fold out reflective cover. Only window is roof vent, which has an extract fan. Floor has 'intake' from under where it's cooler. Mrs_oab making door size midge nets so he can sleep door open...
And whole van is silver/blue colour.
has anyone sliced up a memory foam mattress to make an odd shaped bed? Looking to buy a second hand mattress and cut…mrs_oab can make cover.
PM if you want some foam, we make 12k tons a year of it.....
Collect only from Rossendale Lancs though.
Abigale uses these as they are universal in most places and don't take up any room
Wanted to get her one of these but she prefers the basic stove a saucepan and a frying pan
https://www.bbqworld.co.uk/m/cadac/cadac-safari-chef-30-compact.asp
See that one Tracey has. I'm sure your aware but given your profession but...
https://www.bohemivan.com/2019/06/portable-gas-stove-explosion-warning.html?m=1
Not the only one- just the first I found..... We had one go up in flames just like that - as well as them being a bit pants for heating stuff in anything but warm weather.