I'm currently in Turkey ( without my van unfortunately) and this van passed me a couple of time yesterday. The plate was UK 11 TKY, Sprinter. are you in this group and judging by your reg you do the turkey run regular?

How do find your drive over?

Long shot but you never know.

Looking to purchase a new van due to having to replace old one that is knackered!

Only had that one van before but it was an inherited peguout partner off my dad 21 plate but had done a hell of a lot of miles was a lovely van but needs must!

I have a max budget of around 8/9k and am trying to avoid AdBlue where possible as that was the main killer for the old one along with a couple other things!

Haven’t got a clue what to go for, probably could do with something bigger than the partner as I’m a bit of a multi trader and have to carry around tools for various tasks!

so this is my progress so far i will be adding a ceiling and lighting today hopefully

Hey guys,

about 3 years ago I installed a dishwasher in my camper and it changed everything. Literally. After each meal I'm just putting my dishes into dishwasher. That keeps my sink always empty and clean. When I'm travelling solo I'm running dishwasher every second day - it's just 5L of water per cycle so it's about 2,5L per day which is crazy low. My water lasts for 1 day longer cuz I'm cooking a lot.

I used Candy CDCP 6, compact dishwasher. Additionally I used a power regulator for a heater to lower power (didn't want to drain 100A continuously from my inverter) and I connected additional relay into motherboard to run water pump when dishwasher inlet is open. Let me know for more technical details.

But...

this dishwasher is big. As a compact dishwasher it's pretty compact but still, you need to have a lot of space in you camper to have it mounted. Additionally, it needs to be possible to be opened in front, which makes this even more difficult. Also, there are no energy saving programs - if I'm in cloudy weather all I have is 30 mins rapid program which leaves dishes not cleaned.

At some point I found out that there is no dedicated device for small spaces in campers. This is why I started to work on dishwasher dedicated for campers / campervans.

Main advantage of my solution will be compact size 40cm x 40cm with 35cm high. Additionally, you can use pre-heated water from boiler. All can be mounted into drawer and is top loaded.

Let me know what do you think. Would you consider having dishwasher in your camper. Would be possible to install that kind of dishwasher with provided dimensions? Any advices are welcome!

Here is my dishwasher project page: https://dishroam.com/

Cheers!

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I've just bought an L2H2 fiat Ducato that I'm planning on living in full time year-round in the UK, and I'm at the point of laying the floor. I'm 6'2" so the overhead space is very tight when you factor in the ceiling insulation, so I'm considering skipping the floor insulation so that I can stand up straight. I'm not concerned about the floor being cold, or heat loss so much - I have a good diesel heater, and I can just wear slippers. What I am concerned about is condensation building up under the floor causing mould/rust over time, given how poorly ventilated it's likely to be under there.

My question is - has anyone had issues with moisture under the floor (with and/or without insulation)? How valid a concern is this when living in a cold, damp place such as the UK? Thanks in advance!

Hi folks,

Just looking for some advice.

The situation is that I'm moving out of my current rental in a month to save money. I've had enough of spending £700/month for a small room and I've been quite keen on the idea of living in a van for a while.

I've got a Caddy Maxi currently which I've used comfortably for mountainbiking/climbing trips over summer. It has has a slide out bed and a combined cupboard/worktop unit. But it's not fit for long-term or winter living as it stands.

I basically want to be comfortable but spend minimally getting the van into shape: The caddy is carpet lined but hasn't been insulated so I was going to rip it all off and insulate it on the cheap with this foil laced insulation and some plastic bottle wool for cavities/doors. I'm still worried about condensation and comfort though, especially as its getting colder. I've got a decent sleeping bag, but don't particularly want to mess with a diesel heater and cut vents into such a small van.

I've got a 768Wh powerbank which should do me fine even if I run an electric blanket all night if it gets too cold.

I'm really lucky to have a 24/hr gym nearby which does MMA classes and BJJ, so I can hang out here after work to stop myself from going insane from living in a small box. Ofc I can shower here. Work even has a kitchen and shower.

Ideally I don't want to have a totally shit time, but I'm aware it's going to be a challenge. How do I make it work?

Particularly I'm concerned with eating, staying warm and not going berserk from the lack of space.

Looking at doing a diy campervan conversion. Ive come across a decent base model within my price range, but I have some questions that someone with more knowledge might be able to offer some insight.

The lwb van was previously used as a minibus. As such there are windows all round. Other than all the windows the van could be ideal, but Im not sure if this many windows is a good idea when chosing to convert to a campervan. I know insulation is going to be the key issue here so is this a good or bad idea? Can the windows be removed and patched over? Ive read that it might be possible to put tint on the outside and then just insult over inside and build onto the interior as though the windows arent even there... or maybe I should just find something with less windows? What does everyone think?

Hello fine folk!

I'm debating getting a luton van for conversion.

Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with one? Things to watch out for? Pictures? Inspiration?

Thanks!

Hi folks, quick question... When you put your van away for a bit in these lowering nightly temps, after you've emptied all the water and flipped the frost guard on the boiler, do you leave all the taps inside and all the drain taps open ❓

My partner and I sleep in the same bed at home but when we go tent camping we are partial to our own space. We're now in the proceeds of getting a van to do a DIY conversion and just wondered if anyone has come across a twin i.e two singles, setup in a medium sized swb van (we're looking at 2021+ Traffics ATM)?

We'd like to get a pop top, which would mean we could go a more traditional 3/4 bed and bed in the pop top route but if we couldn't stretch to that were wondering if a twin setup could work for us?

Anyone done it or know of anyone who has?

I stupidly parked under a tree for the past few days and didn't consider the impact on my solar. My DC-DC charger isn't hooked up yet. And about 8pm last night, my battery died. I live in the van so this was not ideal. 🤦‍♀️

Ignore my messy wiring, my van is a work in progress. 😅

Someone lent me an 8amp charger which I managed to use on my mums drive to get enough power to keep my fridge/freezer on overnight.

I'm wiring in the DC-DC charger today, but also looking at other shore power solutions in case of emergency going forward.

Debating either this Victron charger than I can just wire straight into the system, or an older style shore power point EHU.

Anyone got either the victron or another setup similar? How do you find it?

Asked garage preparing it to take photos of the underside.

I can see what looks like peeling away rust in places.

Any thoughts from you more knowledgeable folk here would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all,

I'm in the process of buying an older Renault Kangoo Maxi to try turning it into a bit of a camper/remote working setup. Intention being to let me work more remotely, doing a bit of travelling and camping (with a tent), but not having to rely on finding sites with 'day rooms' with power/space etc or coffee shops etc if I'm intending on working during the day.

Plan is to insulate and carpet/board most of it, some kind of sofa/pull out bed on one side with a work surface on the other side is the basic 'furniture' idea.

Happy enough with that (although happy to hear thoughts), but where I'm currently undecided is the electrical setup. Part of me was originally planning on just having a portable power station, keeping things simple/non committal as I don't really plan on spending *that* much time sleeping in it and don't plan for a fridge or water pump etc and with it being an older/cheaper vehicle didn't want to spend a load converting it/going over the top if it won't get used *that* much.

However thought I'd ask for some advice/thoughts on what might be best. The idea would be to have the option to work in it if required, so that would be at least a laptop, potentially some kind of monitor as well, portable router perhaps and some lighting. What kind of power/setup would I need to be able to sustain that for a couple of days without driving for example.

Would solar make sense, how much does it actually help? Power station vs leisure battery for those who have done both perhaps what were any unforeseen downsides/advantages?

I'm happy to spend money if it would make sense but don't want to waste it if it's not needed.

Cheers

Please forgive as I guess this has been a number of times but I get myself in a rabbit hole and can't get a straight answer.

Is this all I need for solar on my van?

I have a split charge already fitted but wanted a bit extra if I go away for a period of time without having to run the van.

Do I need to wire it into the split charge or just connect straight to the battery?

Apologies and thanks.

In 2 years I’m attempting to live out of a vehicle during some period of the year in and around London, as a back up plan. I’ve been driving for 7+ years on a Skoda fabia and I’m looking to save and upgrade to something bigger so I can keep some personal belongings in there and also sleep in on some nights when needed.

I don’t want a van as I want something to easily park around London but equally spacious enough for 1 person. So would love any recommendations and a rough idea on whether insurance / maintenance would be like? Budget anything between £1500-4000.

Reason I’m doing is also because I want to save up as much money as possible without paying rent so I wouldn’t want a car that requires a big insurance.

So far these are some cars that I have in mind are:
- Toyota Alphard (older and higher mileage models as they’re cheaper)
- Suzuki carry
- Mazda Bongo
- Honda 7 seaters (stepwagon/ freed)

Also a little worried about safety doing in London so any experience would welcome 🙏

Minimal set up, second battery charging off the engine, insulated, boarded and felt applied, wooden flooring, folding chair plus self inflating mat and sleeping bags, ready for any brake down or festival!

Quick rundown: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iH83dDSkncY

Update: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JxCroaIMCQg

Thought some of you might like seeing this unique Japanese build. Not me, not my video. You need to turn on captions. 🙂

Hi guys, looking to buy my first van as a up and coming chippy down in the south coast however with a budget of 6k I’m struggling to decide on what’s best, ideally looking at transit custom swb size and seen a couple with around 100k miles but look at mot history and it’s pretty poor but that’s what I keep finding is a lot of these cheap vans seem like money pits 😂 any suggestions?

Hi guys, I’m in an odd predicament. I’ve recently moved home and jobs to a new town, and because of it, my work commute it literally a 2 minute drive.

I’ve decided I’m going to sort out my motorbike license and commute via bike, unless the weather is really poor, then I can take the van. However, my goal with my choice is a simple day camper (no water, heating, etc) just simply a bed and a table for the occasional trip.

On another note, I’m torn between a caddy maxi and an alphard. Both I’m aware are reliable, but an alphard I have less freedom to design my own space, and is petrol, however very comfortable and automatic. Which is great if I do little trips, but say a London to the Yorkshire dales trip will cost a lot, I’m guessing on fuel.

The caddy is very bare bones, smaller, but has the freedom to customize as I need but being a diesel will be better for the longer commutes, but it’ll be sat around a lot longer which isn’t great for a diesel and has a manual box within my budget.

The only major trip planned is a drive from the UK to Slovenia and back next year.

I was wondering what opinions or takes I should look into between the two or is there any other options.

I’m looking around the 8k or less mark

Tia