Camper Jam 2018 - Forum Club Pitch

[Lord Mfwic]

Home, van unpacked, showered and shattered.
Great weekend. Thanks to all for making it such fun weekend. Looking forward to Busfest.
Didn't take many pics but heres one. The only time we had cloud. It was bloody roasting all weekend.

 

[PukkaT6]

Trust you to find a cloud, I thought they were extinct ha

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Couple more from the weekend.

 

[Davenjo]

Couple more from the weekend.
View attachment 25173 View attachment 25174 View attachment 25175 View attachment 25176

Great illustration of how the old school dubbers do it

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Great illustration of how the old school dubbers do it

Now we know the best way to park up. I suggest we follow their model at Busfest.
Looks a lot neater than us as well.

 

[Ed Webb]

How did squeezing 20 vans into an unknown plot go?

 

[Halfnail]

Brilliant weekend lovely weather and great to meet like minded people.
Here's a random photo of a few peeps stopping what they were doing to watch the footy.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Brilliant weekend lovely weather and great to meet like minded people.
Here's a random photo of a few peeps stopping what they were doing to watch the footy.View attachment 25179

Would not have wanted to be in the middle of that with the heat we had.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

How did squeezing 20 vans into an unknown plot go?

See pic above. We all fitted in but we didn't have a communal area where we could all gather.
The old school dubbers across from us had a better set up model. Basically, 2 rows of vans as a perimeter and all the awnings facing the middle. It looked like a rather charming village fete.

 

[Davenjo]

How did squeezing 20 vans into an unknown plot go?

We had a long plot running up a hill with 2 rows of 11 vans - main issue was not enough room for a central, communal area but, to be fair, however we did it would have created problems. At least Busfest should be a flat, level pitch that will make things a bit easier

 

[Ed Webb]

Ah i see it now, I didn't spot that before you mentioned it. Very smart.

 

[DaveyB]

How did squeezing 20 vans into an unknown plot go?

It was pants to be brutally honest. Mainly thanks to some rather overzealous Marshall’s with clipboards and laminated plans! We could not have been hemmed in tighter if we’d tried. There was loads of room but because we were in a pre-designated plot with white lines that were too narrow to fit a van and an awning, and too short to fit 2 vans back to back, it made it pretty rubbish.
Yet, walk over the track to “home is where you park it”, it really was a case of pitch it wherever the hell you want and in any fashion. No lines, no marshall’s, no worries.
Our area felt completely cut off. Whilst it was good to see new members, I didn’t get round to talk to all of them as I would have liked, and because it felt like several smaller groups I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bust, just not as good as I’d set out for it to be.

Plus got home, threw everything out the van, hooked up the trailer, drove straight across to Rutland Water to go and pick up Daughter. Knackered, ready for a shower and bed.

Then need to kick VanDoc’s arse tomorrow. Hilo man wasn’t at all impressed when he walked up to the site at lunchtime to look at one fairly innocuous issue I had gone to talk to him about, only for him to find a different, slightly larger issue.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

Although thinking about it (the 2 row idea with awnings in the middle) I doubt we would have had the depth to place a van plus awning opposite each other, if that makes sense?

 

[Davenjo]

Should we forget club camping next year and try “home is where you park it”? So long as we get a few of us arriving for opening we could bagsie a decent sized area??

Although thinking about it (the 2 row idea with awnings in the middle) I doubt we would have had the depth to place a van plus awning opposite each other, if that makes sense?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Ed Webb]

Sometimes you've gotta make do with what you got. And long strips will never be communal no matter what you do. You'll still have the guys on the end a little out the loop as such.
Sounds like you guys had a nice weekend, certainly had the weather. I'm gutted to have missed it as working nights in this weather is vile.

 

[DaveyB]

It goes to show how small the world really is though.
The gent parked two vans up from me, used to work for a company that I now deal regularly with; appointed a chap into a job to deal with Fire Safety for him, who used to do my job before he retired. Oh, and he lives about 15 miles from me. Bizarre or what.
What is truly awful though is that although I know his name is Merv, I haven’t a clue what his forum name is. How bad is that.

 

[Blitz]

DavyB your right. First lot in got shoe horned into the first few pitches. Then thank God when we turned up it was just dump it and full the rest of the field .No way I could have fitted into a proper pitch size. Being in a LINE doesn't help socialising but I think we all did ok. Great friendly bunch and the Mrs was impressed

 

[Lord Mfwic]

It goes to show how small the world really is though.
The gent parked two vans up from me, used to work for a company that I now deal regularly with; appointed a chap into a job to deal with Fire Safety for him, who used to do my job before he retired. Oh, and he lives about 15 miles from me. Bizarre or what.
What is truly awful though is that although I know his name is Merv, I haven’t a clue what his forum name is. How bad is that.

@DaveyB I think he's @VDubnewby666

 

[DaveyB]

@DaveyB I think he's @VDubnewby666

Have looked on the map but he is not showing, within the town where he lives.

@Blitz, thank goodness for your sake you were a bit later, cos if the marshalls would have seen your set up I reckon they’d have toppled over and gone belly up to the sky.
Mega impressed though that you were able to get all of that brood and two tents in the shuttle. Now that was military precision!

 

[DaveyB]

Have to say the best bit of the weekend was getting up on Saturday only for @Pauly to say “is your rear tyre meant to be that flat?”.
Bloody flint and stone driveways had put a small slice in the tyre. Had to be done there as the TMPS did not kick in, and i’d have equally noticed it when putting the van up on the levellers. Flat as a pancake over night.
Absolutely rocking the rusty steel spare wheel look right now. Thank ‘eck the ground was so well baked I was able to jack the van up in situ and swap the wheels out.
Just to add insult to injury, as driving out of the site today the TPMS did chime up because it reckonised I was using a different wheel with different pressure.
Going to have to sit on the spare for a couple of weeks until I can get some new tyres sorted, as the rears were fairly low and brushing the indicators. Probably why it punctured.