Full timing in England and Wales, I am going to get cold.

often woke up with the duvet stuck to the frost flowers on the window,and once or twice had my hair stuck. character building ! as long as you're warm in bed,then the van can be as cold as the outside. fill the kettle before bed then it doesn't matter if your water's frozen,you can still have tea
 
Another little trick, and a double whammy is this one is I often used a Coleman lead free petrol light. Saves the leisure battery but the heat does take the chill off the air in the evening , plonk it on the table and read etc...the sound of the things is quite therapeutic too. and you can get lead free petrol freely no reason for expensive gas cannisters or batteries

Channa
 
How about one of these http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A7x9...-heatpal/RK=0/RS=_JQ8Bvgxzs_HHnwZzcFbs9RKqmc- looks good to me and can also be used to cook on or boil a kettle spirit burners are safe to use with only a small amount of ventilation as the only by product of burning bio ethanol as I understand it is water ie condensation. so as long as you don't deplete your oxygen supply which is very highly unlikely in any vehicle it's completely safe to use.
 
Fit secondary glazing on all of the windows using velcro, or even duck tape. A solid fuel stove is cheap to run but you need a decent one, windy smithy in Taunton make a tiny one.
Our Woodburners | Windy Smithy
a cheaper alternative is a frontier stove about £150 not intended for vans but tents but I see no reason why not. A number of member have them not sure if anyone uses them in a van or just outside.
Memory foam mattress reflects/holds the heat well, plus a decent duvet or 4 season sleeping bag. Don't forget a night cap for your head not to drink, hee hee.
 
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If you have something to keep old fire bricks in without burning the floor then these heated up in a camp fire will hold heat for hrs inside van.
 
Rowena32 said:
Hi,

I have been full-timing for about six weeks in England and Wales for the last 6 weeks in a 1998 (cheap) converted ambulance called Geoffrey.

Have used Wildcamping POIs every night predominately CR rural car parks.

Favourites so far include Mumbles, Ferryside, and Clent Hills.

I have no heating in the van and have draughts through the gaps in the windows, large rear doors and large side door, so will be looking for ways of improving the van for the winter.

R.
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how is mumbles now or as its known the bay of lost dreams also many liken it to the bay of napels ,we used to stay there a couple or three nights a week i adored the place and made many friends there amongst the regulars on knab rock c/p .we found literaly hundreds of places to wild in south wales . the brecons were another favorite ,including merther on the leisure center car park .
 
campervanannie said:
Get a calor gas heater the ones on wheels probably get slated but I never use when going to sleep or having a drink of alcohol but great for taking the chill of of an evening and on a frosty morning look for the ones with a oxygen depletion switch and use a CM detector and stay safe .

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nothing wrong with a portable gas heater ,we used one for quite a long time in our bedford when the fitted heater packed in . never a problem with the carbon monoxide we had a detector in the van one with a led readout and it never showed and it never went above a couple of ppm with the heater ,unlike when we boiled a kettle on the rings ,it used to go through the roof then . very little condensation either like many complain of . and you can get them for a few quid at boot sales , try the bridgend one on a sunday ,or the porthcawl one if its still there . ps there used to be some thursday and sundays at abergavenny ,thats another place where theres quite a few places to overnight ,bus station truck stop being one .
 
mandrake said:
nothing wrong with a portable gas heater ,we used one for quite a long time in our bedford when the fitted heater packed in . never a problem with the carbon monoxide we had a detector in the van one with a led readout and it never showed and it never went above a couple of ppm with the heater ,unlike when we boiled a kettle on the rings ,it used to go through the roof then . very little condensation either like many complain of . and you can get them for a few quid at boot sales , try the bridgend one on a sunday ,or the porthcawl one if its still there . ps there used to be some thursday and sundays at abergavenny ,thats another place where theres quite a few places to overnight ,bus station truck stop being one .
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I have used one for a couple of years now it lives in the garage at home and only really use it a few days a year if visiting Scotland in the autumn/winter and so it's not wasted space in my van.
 
managed for years without heaters just dressed sensible and used decent sleeping bags did once sleep out in minus 12 gas froze coffee froze but decent sleeping bag and of course woolly beanie hat is a must and try and tuck the van in and face it toward the rising sun ok it wont have any warmth in it but it does help with the mood
 
oldish hippy said:
managed for years without heaters just dressed sensible and used decent sleeping bags did once sleep out in minus 12 gas froze coffee froze but decent sleeping bag and of course woolly beanie hat is a must and try and tuck the van in and face it toward the rising sun ok it wont have any warmth in it but it does help with the mood
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parking in the sun in winter will warm the van quite nicely during the short few hours its shining
 
can i ask a question about your van rowena 32 . you say its a converted ambulance ,it seems as if it was a patient transport vehicle . hasent it a diesel heater fitted as it seems these vehicles usually have along with all health authority vehicles, the same goes for ex mini buses .
 
oldish hippy said:
managed for years without heaters just dressed sensible and used decent sleeping bags did once sleep out in minus 12 gas froze coffee froze but decent sleeping bag and of course woolly beanie hat is a must and try and tuck the van in and face it toward the rising sun ok it wont have any warmth in it but it does help with the mood
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Goodness me you southern softies really need to get over it you spend a couple of nights at a minus 12ish temperature and bang on about it for years, that quite a normal winter for us northerners.����❄❄☃☃⛄⛄
 
yep that was only the coldest day but it just goes to show that you can survuive without heating if you get it right it was a cold few days
 
andyjanet said:
I Once wore a balaclava in bed whilst in wales following the rally of wales,i turned over in the night but the balaclava didnt, woke up thought i was blind :D
Welcome Along, Andy
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lol !!!!!! so who did you think Janet was if you were not able to see her ???? :rolleyes2:
 
i used to sleep in long legs thermal trousers, and a woolly hat, and a long sleeved top, and a thick wool blanket (used as a throw in the day) over my sleeping bag and was as warm as toast.

mind you in my van i have a gas fire and can reach out and switch it on in the morning before getting up (if i sleep downstairs and not above the cab) so that the van is toasty before i have to get up - but thick curtains/cupboard insulation and carpeted walls have made a big difference to my vans internal heat loss - also bubble wrap in the under-seating storage boxes to stuff up the gaps and draughts.


is there any way you can access the space in between your vans external surface and the inside of the habitation area ?

if you go to a WC meet - go look inside every ones vans and get ideas - folks love to show off their vans
 
delicagirl said:
i used to sleep in long legs thermal trousers, and a woolly hat, and a long sleeved top, and a thick wool blanket (used as a throw in the day) over my sleeping bag and was as warm as toast.

mind you in my van i have a gas fire and can reach out and switch it on in the morning before getting up (if i sleep downstairs and not above the cab) so that the van is toasty before i have to get up - but thick curtains/cupboard insulation and carpeted walls have made a big difference to my vans internal heat loss - also bubble wrap in the under-seating storage boxes to stuff up the gaps and draughts.


is there any way you can access the space in between your vans external surface and the inside of the habitation area ?

if you go to a WC meet - go look inside every ones vans and get ideas - folks love to show off their vans
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As my mum used to say in winter when she tucked my brother and I in bed ..." there you go me ducks, snug as a bug in a rug !!"

Channa
 
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