CAMPER ON A BUDGET - The way things used to be in a world of shiny and expensive.

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mommabear

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T6 Pro
So
Friend of mine and I were recently having a laugh about some of our old adventures and what the world was like before we had Transporters.
His van is a sparkling 2019 Highline with Italian Leather and a real 30mm thick marble worktop - mine is not.
Yes..... he's absolutely minted - self made in the world of I.T, ill admit that, so fair play - but we often argue about what a huge t**t he is with all the gadgets and gizmos he gets fitted to his van, to use it twice a year and roll onto a site pretending he's a man of the people and not a member of the 17th century French Aristocracy.
(Has a vegetable steamer and and air fryer built into his van.........built in......who the hell does that?)

However , we still have a laugh about the time we went to the Scottish Highlands in an old Ambulance (I mean late 70s Ambulance) and almost died of exposure (oh the irony of dying in an ambulance) and the weekend we spent in an old Hearse that costs us £250 at auction back in 1998 down in Devon.....got some funny looks in Salcombe that weekend when waking up in the back and opening the red velvet curtains like a pair of hung over zombies.

With 'covid tax" being slapped on everything camper van and incredulous prices for equipment, we wrote a little piece for reflection to hopefully demonstrate that you dont need expensive gear to enjoy owning a camper van.

Click the link to read.

Camper on an extreme budget…. | Momma Bears
 
Pity you felt you had to explain satire, but unfortunately many don't get it. Good read though.
 
That's a really interesting read. My wife and I have experienced both sides of this. In 2018 she bought a California Ocean, 204bhp, 4Motion etc etc... bucket load of extras. All together she paid of £70k. We used it for actual camping maybe... 4 times, but most of the time we just used it to take the dogs out.

She sold it and (with a couple of cars in between) I bought my poverty spec shuttle (from which I have removed the middle row of seats).

Now I have a daily dog hauler to take the dogs to the woods, for less than £200 I have fitted a removable hot water shower for cleaning them up and If we want to go camping, I can sling a tent in the back, I have a Trangia meth's burner for cooking. We're Sorted at a fraction of the price of the California.
 
Agree with everything you say (and that's coming from someone with that exact £500 fridge and that dual hob !).

It does feel like a bit like an escalating arms race with the kit that we can put in our vans now. We are looking at building a Crafter/Sprinter based van next, and we are already asking the "will we really use that" questions.

Pete

P.S. You forgot to mention that the £500 fridge can make ice cubes for your G&T, so it's worth every penny ;)
 
A couple I know and their huge dog spent months travelling around Spain living in a Citroen C1, they had no option as no funds and they made the most of it.
It’s about what you you do with the what you have.
 
I started ( after motorcycles and tents ) with an old side valve Reliant van, the wife and I managed to sleep in the back on top of the tent and everything else. The tent wasn't one of these modern ones that fit in a carrier bag it was a heavy canvas ex MoD bell tent which took up half the back :) .
 
Very well written article, it made me chuckle, also refreshing to see it written in everyday language.
I’ve just been reading that the BBC has slapped an “offensive language” warning on some episodes of Porridge on the iPlayer. :rolleyes:
 
Ali-G said:
Very well written article, it made me chuckle, also refreshing to see it written in everyday language.
I’ve just been reading that the BBC has slapped an “offensive language” warning on some episodes of Porridge on the iPlayer. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
OMG - SWMBO just told me about the “offensive language” banner. She is stunned and I despair today’s snowflakes
 
We started our 'VW' adventures in Australia in our late twenties. Bought a T2 Kombi van with absolutely nothing in the back. Called a number we gad been given by SWMBO's parents...very very distant relatives...we stayed there and 'kitted' out our van ready for our adventure. Used an old louvered cupboard door as lockers under the bed, 2x2 and a piece of chipboard and old sofa cushions (yuk) for the bed...some secondhand grey marl material for curtains and that was it. Black solar bag shower, portable gas stove, water containers, an old milk crate, a noisy oscillating fan...ready to go!!
We had the best time ever and wanted for nothing else...apart form a 'proper' shower every now and again. :p
We did nearly come a cropper though...whilst in Kakadu NT we left a mozzie coil burning in the van all night and woke in the early hours to a smoke filled van....a foam cushion had fallen onto the coil and burnt a massive hole in the foam:cry:!!
Covered 24k with only some minor pit stops. Mind you, all geared up for outdoor living over there...4 days of rain in 10 months.
Ended up selling 'Larry' for more than we paid which was a bobby bonus.
Now we are rekindling our younger days but with a T6 and sooo many more mod cons which tbh we couldn't do without...and age thing.
Todays expectations are so much more unfortunately, especially for the younger generations.

IMG_3379.jpeg
 
Excellent article and defiantly food for thought. Thanks so much for this real world alternative.
Stu
 
mommabear said:
So
Friend of mine and I were recently having a laugh about some of our old adventures and what the world was like before we had Transporters.
His van is a sparkling 2019 Highline with Italian Leather and a real 30mm thick marble worktop - mine is not.
Yes..... he's absolutely minted - self made in the world of I.T, ill admit that, so fair play - but we often argue about what a huge t*** he is with all the gadgets and gizmos he gets fitted to his van, to use it twice a year and roll onto a site pretending he's a man of the people and not a member of the 17th century French Aristocracy.
(Has a vegetable steamer and and air fryer built into his van.........built in......who the hell does that?)

However , we still have a laugh about the time we went to the Scottish Highlands in an old Ambulance (I mean late 70s Ambulance) and almost died of exposure (oh the irony of dying in an ambulance) and the weekend we spent in an old Hearse that costs us £250 at auction back in 1998 down in Devon.....got some funny looks in Salcombe that weekend when waking up in the back and opening the red velvet curtains like a pair of hung over zombies.

With 'covid tax" being slapped on everything camper van and incredulous prices for equipment, we wrote a little piece for reflection to hopefully demonstrate that you dont need expensive gear to enjoy owning a camper van.

Click the link to read.

Camper on an extreme budget…. | Momma Bears
Click to expand...
Great read and made me think a lot. Maybe I don't need half the crap I have planned....... :whistle:
 
I think for a large number of us the path of ‘bed on wheels’ was taken. Mine was A T4. Ply wood conversion. Breakages easily fixable, modifications a doddle and all for a fraction of the price of these modern units. My old T4 gave me great memories, I still have a dedicated folder in my Dropbox account now.
Great blog post. :thumbsup:
 
‘98 would that have been on North Sands car park or Shadycombe after a night in the Ferry and bus trip to Fusions??
 
Ali-G said:
Very well written article, it made me chuckle, also refreshing to see it written in everyday language.
I’ve just been reading that the BBC has slapped an “offensive language” warning on some episodes of Porridge on the iPlayer. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I always wondered how long before the word/phrase “naff” became offensive despite undoubtedly being invented to not do so!
 
Fantastic post and puts a lot into perspective. I think I'll sell my T5 campervan!

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