jimbouk said:
Jrb thats pretty much exactly where I got to thinking with this. One of the boys on site just said hes got 3 sheets of 25mm celotex spare as well!
Result! It's great when things like that happen. You will need to buy a bit more though, 3 sheets won't be enough.
jimbouk said:
I saw your van on tranny forum. Nice job. I was looking for a tranny but even with the high roof couldnt stand up in it so went for this insted at around the same £.
I'm a shorta*se, so headroom isn't a problem for me!
jimbouk said:
Want to make it part time camper as well for summer hols and occasional working away.
I've stayed away in mine for a few nights now, and I hope you don't mind me giving you a few pointers that might help you planning yours:
1. Really think about how much space you have, and what you want to fit into it. I put a lot of thought into what tools I wanted in there, but very little about what camping essentials I needed & where they were going to go. One of the first things I bought was a porta potty, but I didn't have anywhere to store it so ended up putting it in the space for my CT Mini, directly behind the driver's seat. The Mini now lives up the back by the rear doors (tip: if you're going to have a toilet, you want to put it as far forwards as possible - you'd really be surprised how much more the back end bounces around - even during normal driving - and that leads to sloshing... [embarassed]). Think about where you're going to store all your food, cooking equipment, bedding etc. too.
2. Fit a (powered) roof vent - I haven't fitted one yet, and it gets REALLY warm in weather like we're currently having. I've been advised by another self-converter who I met on a campsite to fit a powered one (i.e. one with a 12v fan built in) which I'm going to do. That way, at the flick of the switch you can change all the air in the vehicle in just a few minutes.
3. What are you doing regarding windows? I'm getting the sliding door glazed (hopefully next week!). I think it will make a big difference to the 'feel' of the vehicle.
4. Do you want a night heater? I thought I did, but having spoken to others unless you're going to be living in it for days at a time in the middle of winter, it's something that you probably won't use much, if ever (and if you'll have access to mains you could at a push use a small fan heater).
5. Where are you going to be staying mostly? I've not yet stayed anywhere other than a campsite, where you have access to electric hook-up, showers, etc., so I don't really rely on the 12v electrics. If I was staying on a job site, I'd almost certainly have access to at least electric. If however you're going to be 'wild camping' in it, you need to think about 12v systems, inverters etc. more.
6. Are you going to sign-write your van? Be warned - if you do, some campsites won't let you on. Personally, mine won't be signwritten. In fact I'm hoping that once I get the side window, roof vent, and an awning fitted it will look more like a camper than a work van, and will therefore appear less of a target to thieves!
7. A few links to things I've got & would recommend:
I've just bought one of
these powered coolboxes. It works off mains or 12v, and works really well. Much cheaper than a 'proper' fridge!
I've also got one of
these too. It's a TV receiver that broadcasts the signal over Wi-Fi, so you can watch live telly on your phone or tablet.
Lastly, I bought
these lights for the back. You can get cheaper ones, but they're not as good a quality. These are really nice, machined aluminium bodies, with very bright LEDs - so bright in fact, I'm going to buy a dimmer for them for over the bed area!
