Our New Campervan... Only 600 days to go (hopefully).

[cgtmiles]

Looks like you’ve been to some amazing places already. Our conversion is due to be completed at the end of January which seems like an eternity right now.

You have worried me a little that we didn’t do enough research but hopefully everything will be as great as we are imagining.

It looks like you have it sorted but is there anything you’d do differently now you have had it a few months? Also did you solve the condensation?

regs
Chris

 

[czmate1999]

Nice thread guys! Happy travels!!

 

[Stewby]

Great wee trip to Grantown on Spey.




Ended up in Huntly on the Saturday as hubby forgot his jacket and wallet (so my parents met us halfway to act as postman). We are still loving the van, he remains absolutely perfect-ish.

Still having the issue with condensation @cgtmiles but people seem to recommend a window vacuum thing so I am getting one of those for my birthday.


In other news... we are heading to Birmingham for the Caravan, Motorhome and Camping Show in February (our first time there). Very excited as I have seen it a lot in youtube videos. We are planning on buying an awning there as have heard you can get some good deals. Will probably end up spending a fortune as I do love buying stuff.

 

[cgtmiles]

Thinking about using one of these:
Damp Kontrol Mini Moisture Trap Ocean Spray Dehumidifierwondered if you’d tried anything similar to prevent the condensation.

the vac is a great idea though but I’m going to try this to see if it can prevent.

maybe see you at the show

 

[Stewby]

Thinking about using one of these:
Damp Kontrol Mini Moisture Trap Ocean Spray Dehumidifierwondered if you’d tried anything similar to prevent the condensation.

the vac is a great idea though but I’m going to try this to see if it can prevent.

maybe see you at the show

We have these dehumidifiers which work really well (if we are not in the van).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pingi-LV-A...id=1579464474&sprefix=dehumidi,aps,157&sr=8-4

We have quite a lot of condensation when we are sleeping in the van so that is when I think the window vac will come in handy.
It might just be a winter thing though as we have only got the completed van in December so we don't have a wide range of experiences yet.

 

[czmate1999]

Great wee trip to Grantown on Spey.


View attachment 58651

Ended up in Huntly on the Saturday as hubby forgot his jacket and wallet (so my parents met us halfway to act as postman). We are still loving the van, he remains absolutely perfect-ish.

Still having the issue with condensation @cgtmiles but people seem to recommend a window vacuum thing so I am getting one of those for my birthday.


In other news... we are heading to Birmingham for the Caravan, Motorhome and Camping Show in February (our first time there). Very excited as I have seen it a lot in youtube videos. We are planning on buying an awning there as have heard you can get some good deals. Will probably end up spending a fortune as I do love buying stuff.

Just do your research on the best online price you can get the bits you want first and go with a screen grab to negotiate with

 

[Stewby]

So...... we have a full blown conversion. A perfect van that should fulfil all our campervanning needs.

Why do I have a list of fourteen things that we "need". This is in no particular order as it depends on when we get the chance to buy them.


* Tow bar.
* Alloys (we have 2nd hand ones but the plan is to get another set so we have summer and winter tyres plus a spare, all on 18s).
* BF Goodrich tyres.
* Bigger, integrated solar panel (hubby wants bigger, I want it integrated so I can go into safari parks).
* Fire extinguisher (we have one but it is about 20 years out of date so should really replace it).
* Driveaway awning.
* Bike rack - to go on tow bar.
* Grippers (so we can get out of fields after wet festivals).
* Austops roof bed (apparently they are making a folding one so am waiting for that).
* Roof ladder (cause I am short and fat and won't make it on to the roof bed via chairs).
* Multi-coloured LED lights.
* Electric steps (someone else showed them on the facebook group and they are amazing).
* Aquakem mini toilet fluid bottle.
* Karcher window vac for condensation.


So..... erm.... oh dear. I really should stop watching videos and reading posts. It is not good for one's bank balance.

 

[czmate1999]

So...... we have a full blown conversion. A perfect van that should fulfil all our campervanning needs.

Why do I have a list of fourteen things that we "need". This is in no particular order as it depends on when we get the chance to buy them.


* Tow bar. cool (with electrics)
* Alloys (we have 2nd hand ones but the plan is to get another set so we have summer and winter tyres plus a spare, all on 18s). I would go all season personally... but again depend what your doing and if you have 4motion
* BF Goodrich tyres. Nice
* Bigger, integrated solar panel (hubby wants bigger, I want it integrated so I can go into safari parks). most panels used on motor homes are the 'flat' boating solar panels that are glued onto your roof... Really worth giving your electrical system a lot of thought - i spent a lot more here than originally intended...
* Fire extinguisher (we have one but it is about 20 years out of date so should really replace it). check this out, https://firesafetystick.com/50-seconds-fire-safety-stick/, no mess
* Driveaway awning. Vango galli 3 is popular
* Bike rack - to go on tow bar. Thule do a good one that you can adjust so as to open the tailgate...
* Grippers (so we can get out of fields after wet festivals). do you have 4motion? your BFG tyres should be good here
* Austops roof bed (apparently they are making a folding one so am waiting for that). We have Reimo - after doing a lot of investigating...
* Roof ladder (cause I am short and fat and won't make it on to the roof bed via chairs). Lol
* Multi-coloured LED lights. Cool, but after giving it a lot of thought just went with white...
* Electric steps (someone else showed them on the facebook group and they are amazing).
* Aquakem mini toilet fluid bottle.
* Karcher window vac for condensation. have heard that if you have outside blackout screens (https://rainbowthermalscreens.com) its not such an issue


So..... erm.... oh dear. I really should stop watching videos and reading posts. It is not good for one's bank balance.

some comments of the top of my head above

 

[Pete C]

That list looks very similar to ours about 12
months ago.

Definitely get a new fire extinguisher, and the Karcher seems such a luxury but it is worth the money - look for discounts.

Pete

 

[Stewby]

That list looks very similar to ours about 12
months ago.

Definitely get a new fire extinguisher, and the Karcher seems such a luxury but it is worth the money - look for discounts.

Pete

Please tell me your list is now empty and things don't keep getting replaced every time. I would like to get down to a single-figure list.

 

[Peatey]

Please tell me your list is now empty and things don't keep getting replaced every time. I would like to get down to a single-figure list.

Your only just beginning now you have the van.
That list will grow and grow and you will soon have a van full off stuff you didn't know you needed, stuff you thought you needed, stuff you dont need, plus the stuff you haven't discovered yet

 

[Pete C]

Please tell me your list is now empty and things don't keep getting replaced every time. I would like to get down to a single-figure list.

Sadly no.

List currently is:
New radio/media player to replace bog standard VW one.
T32 springs on the rear to lift it a bit.
Voice controlled electrics
H7 headlights (or similar)

Pete

 

[Stewby]

Well.... here's something I thought I would never see happen.

We are going to get some really large decals on our van. I have never been a showy person (which is why we went for a grey van and not something brighter) but we saw these amazing decals whilst at the Caravan Show in Birmingham.
We have thought about it for ages and have now decided we want them. They are in no way subtle but they aren't 'in your face' either.



So... next big purchase for the van will be something that I never even considered as an option. Damn, these vans are expensive.

However, we did replace our badges with matt black ones and they look amazing.


Our Harvey is beginning to look a bit more characterful now.


(I need a better lovey smilie. This one is just not good enough to explain how I feel about my van).

 

[czmate1999]

Saw that van at Busfest - nice couple. Think it was a Dirty Weekender conversion wasn’t it? I was really taken with the decals too.

 

[Stewby]

Saw that van at Busfest - nice couple. Think it was a Dirty Weekender conversion wasn’t it? I was really taken with the decals too.

Yeah, it was also in Birmingham. It certainly is a Dirty Weekender conversion. I have emailed them and also a local sign writer to see if anyone is able to make it for us. It looks awesome.

 

[Skinns]

Congratulations!!
You’ll love it, I’d recommend having a rear heating system fitted

 

[Stewby]

Hi Skinns. We have a diesel hob (Wallas XC duo) which acts as a heater and a cooktop. It's been tempermental but I think we have the hang of it now. Maybe.


So... our list currently looks like this:

* Tow bar (with electrics).
* Alloys (we have 2nd hand ones but the plan is to get another set so we have summer and winter tyres plus a spare, all on 18s).
* BF Goodrich tyres.
* Bigger, integrated solar panel (hubby wants bigger, I want it integrated so I can go into safari parks).
* Fire extinguisher. We bought it at the show in Birmigham.
* Driveaway awning. We also bought this at the show.
* Bike rack - to go on tow bar.
* Grippers (so we can get out of fields after wet festivals).
* Austops roof bed (apparently they are making a folding one so am waiting for that).
* Roof ladder (cause I am short and fat and won't make it on to the roof bed via chairs).
* Multi-coloured LED lights.
* Electric steps (someone else showed them on the facebook group and they are amazing).
* Aquakem mini toilet fluid bottle. Bought one but still need a second one.
* Karcher window vac for condensation. Got it for my birthday.
* Graphics (on hold for now).
* New Portapotti.
* Rugs for the rear bit and possibly the main living area (main bit for festivals).
* Looking at smoked LED rear lights as they look pretty amazing.


The graphics will cost approximately £1300 so we are going to focus on the other stuff for a start.


Hey czmate.... My husband prefers seperate summer and winter tyres. I am definitely an all-season tyre person but that might just be due to laziness. We are currently debating the BF Goodrich tyres because he wants A rated in the wet and apparently "looking awesome" is not a valid reason to buy tyres.


No 4motion sadly.
We picked austops after lots of researching and the only regret so far is that the roof is ridged so people aren't willing to do an integrated solar panel. Might not get to hang out in safari parks with monkeys after all.

Currently, we have been nowhere fun and done very little since our Grantown on Spey trip. We have nothing planned as we are waiting out this bug.
Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary and one of our rules was to always be away to celebrate and to always have a meal out. We have failed in our second year.
Hubby did like the bottle of beer I bought him though... so he's happy.

 

[czmate1999]

Hi Skinns. We have a diesel hob (Wallas XC duo) which acts as a heater and a cooktop. It's been tempermental but I think we have the hang of it now. Maybe.


So... our list currently looks like this:

* Tow bar (with electrics).
* Alloys (we have 2nd hand ones but the plan is to get another set so we have summer and winter tyres plus a spare, all on 18s).
* BF Goodrich tyres.
* Bigger, integrated solar panel (hubby wants bigger, I want it integrated so I can go into safari parks).
* Fire extinguisher. We bought it at the show in Birmigham.
* Driveaway awning. We also bought this at the show.
* Bike rack - to go on tow bar.
* Grippers (so we can get out of fields after wet festivals).
* Austops roof bed (apparently they are making a folding one so am waiting for that).
* Roof ladder (cause I am short and fat and won't make it on to the roof bed via chairs).
* Multi-coloured LED lights.
* Electric steps (someone else showed them on the facebook group and they are amazing).
* Aquakem mini toilet fluid bottle. Bought one but still need a second one.
* Karcher window vac for condensation. Got it for my birthday.
* Graphics (on hold for now).
* New Portapotti.
* Rugs for the rear bit and possibly the main living area (main bit for festivals).
* Looking at smoked LED rear lights as they look pretty amazing.


The graphics will cost approximately £1300 so we are going to focus on the other stuff for a start.


Hey czmate.... My husband prefers seperate summer and winter tyres. I am definitely an all-season tyre person but that might just be due to laziness. We are currently debating the BF Goodrich tyres because he wants A rated in the wet and apparently "looking awesome" is not a valid reason to buy tyres.


No 4motion sadly.
We picked austops after lots of researching and the only regret so far is that the roof is ridged so people aren't willing to do an integrated solar panel. Might not get to hang out in safari parks with monkeys after all.

Currently, we have been nowhere fun and done very little since our Grantown on Spey trip. We have nothing planned as we are waiting out this bug.
Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary and one of our rules was to always be away to celebrate and to always have a meal out. We have failed in our second year.
Hubby did like the bottle of beer I bought him though... so he's happy.

Fair enough, I prefer one wheel/tyre option - but I am a bit lazy!

my van is sitting on the drive getting dirty, haven’t had the chance to use it since I got it back...

 

[Stewby]

Fair enough, I prefer one wheel/tyre option - but I am a bit lazy!

my van is sitting on the drive getting dirty, haven’t had the chance to use it since I got it back...

We have cheated really badly. We were meant to be on holiday this week but obviously can't go anywhere. My parents have a nice drive half a mile away from our house so we have put the van there.
No contact with them obviously but it means we can camp out in the van for a couple of nights.
It's desperately needed. All work and no play makes me bloody miserable.


You need to wash it czmate. That's how these veedub things work. You wash them even though they aren't dirty. Have you not seen the posts all over facebook and the forum. It's the "in-thing" at the moment.

 

[czmate1999]

Ha, I knew it was going to rain...