Hi Folks,
I am very new to this - so please be patient with me!
My wife and I had a caravan a few years ago but didn't like it, we felt at the time that we would have been better off with a caravanette. We checked the prices of them and they were way too expensive.
Anyawy, we are considering the possibility of getting a van and converting it.
I have trailed my way through 'Autotrader' and have looked at lots of vans. One thing that I did notice it that a lot of vans are wood lined - would this need to be removed first?
Also, all the vans looked very well priced, but they are all subject to VAT - which is a pain!
Anyway, we are a family of 4, and Ben our golden lab (he needs to come with us, so a wee place for him would be ideal).
I think that we would need to have a van large enough to cater for 4 people, a shower room and wc are a must, with the oportunity for storing lots of fresh water - I hated the travelling to and from the sluice when I was caravaning. The van also needs to have plenty of storage for bikes etc.
I am keen to hear from you soon.
Kind regards
Graham & Jan
Hey Graham,
I definitely agree with NOT getting a caravan. It does provide the room but is a pain to tow, manouevre, park up and you will annoy everyone else who ever gets stuck behind you on the road
Given your spec. you will need something quite large. You'll also need something with a good engine to move all the weight. Unfortunately these both impact on cost. I wouldn't worry about wood lining. You can usually just convert over this, it may even provide a good base for fixing cupboards etc too.
I have no experience of bigger vans but I'd suggest looking at the current hire options to give you an idea of layout and van types. For example, one site is www.bunkcampers.com which shows a very compact 4 berth layout with a WC and shower which sounds right up your street. I "think" it is a FIAT Ducato which is used? Bikes would need to go on the roof / back door with this one.
I'm sure there are loads of other makes which would work for a conversion, hopefully some others out there might have some more ideas?.....
Hi Campergirl,
Thanks for the guidance. I will take on board what you say and will let you know what I decide to get.
I have looked at the bunk camper web site that you posted. The layout shown in the campers appear basic, but I get the picture as to the layout design etc.
Take care, and will catch up with you soon.
best regards
Graham
did you get? i too am family of 4 looking for a van to convert, was wondering what you opted for and how you got on with it.
cheers
Malcolm