The Campervan Thread

[Drago]

Mine has the full kitchen, and I've never personally used any of it. Knowing what I know now I'd spec a van without it next time.

 

[Jameshow]

Mine has the full kitchen, and I've never personally used any of it. Knowing what I know now I'd spec a van without it next time.

You don't make a cups tea? Surely that's one of life's little luxuries?🤔

 

[Drago]

I have a 60L water tank and a kettle. Couldn't survive without my morning coffee and afternoon PG.

But I've never used the grill or the hob.

 

[Jameshow]

I have a 60L water tank and a kettle. Couldn't survive without my morning coffee and afternoon PG.

But I've never used the grill or the hob.

Inverter then?

 

[Drago]

Not yet, but im making the switch to big capacity LiFePo4 over the next few months and once thats done an inverter will be next on the list...and then Starlink/LEO, then TV, then...

 

[tom73]

Not yet, but im making the switch to big capacity LiFePo4 over the next few months and once thats done an inverter will be next on the list...and then Starlink/LEO, then TV, then...

You decided who to get your battery from ?
https://www.fogstar.co.uk/ gets good reviews, good YouTube tests and teardowns. Its a British company that builds stuff not just adding stickers. I've contacted them a few always helpful. I'd love LiFePo4 upgrade but it will fry our alternator

 

[Drago]

Itll be fogstar for sure.

I already have B2B, its just a case of changing the settings to tell it the new battery type

 

[Alex321]

DVLA have changed their rules. Once again those of us with a pop top can register as a motor caravan...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...van/converting-a-vehicle-into-a-motor-caravan

No huge advantage other than a small minority of campsites can get snotty if a van is not registered as such. It stops hobos, builders and surfers using their work van for camping and lowering the tone, but a minority of sites go OTT and wont have even perfectly respectable conversions on site if not thus registered.

We've never applied, and would have to modify the table to attach to the wall if we wanted to - the table in ours is freestanding (and we fold it up and put it behind the rear seats when traveling).

But Adrian Flux were happy to insure it as a motor caravan, and we haven't come across a site yet that wouldn't let us stay - though TBH we don't very often stay on commercial sites anyhow. Are you saying that the awkward sites check your registration to see what it is register5ed as?

 

[Alex321]

I have a 60L water tank and a kettle. Couldn't survive without my morning coffee and afternoon PG.

But I've never used the grill or the hob.

We don't actually have a mains connection, so ketytle gets boiled on the hob.
We have the parts to make a mains connection, but we have no real purpose for one, and it would mean cutting a hole in the external panelling for the socket, so can't be bothered.

 

[Drago]

We've never applied, and would have to modify the table to attach to the wall if we wanted to - the table in ours is freestanding (and we fold it up and put it behind the rear seats when traveling).

But Adrian Flux were happy to insure it as a motor caravan, and we haven't come across a site yet that wouldn't let us stay - though TBH we don't very often stay on commercial sites anyhow. Are you saying that the awkward sites check your registration to see what it is register5ed as?

Yeah, mine is with Flux and they were quite happy.

Im thinking of holding fire. Theres no tangible advantage, and Im wondering its a government ruse to get tens of thousands of people to re register as motor caravans, only for some punitive new tax to appear on leisure vehicles or somesuch. They havent made this change out of a warm sense of beneficence, there's a motive for it somewhere.

 

[fossyant]

DVLA have changed their rules. Once again those of us with a pop top can register as a motor caravan...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...van/converting-a-vehicle-into-a-motor-caravan

No huge advantage other than a small minority of campsites can get snotty if a van is not registered as such. It stops hobos, builders and surfers using their work van for camping and lowering the tone, but a minority of sites go OTT and wont have even perfectly respectable conversions on site if not thus registered.

Thats good news. I've been on a site that says campers but not builders vans, didn't have to be registered etc. I suppose we were the most low rent setup at Llangollen but nothing was said. Most others were motorhomes or caravans.
Although, mine is a car if they checked.

 

[tom73]

We are not with Flux I can't remember which , all we did was self-declare it as a camper van and the insurance are quite happy with it.