spigot
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help need to put me out of my missery of making a wrong disicision..post 1
Smaug
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A shower in a small van conversion? You are joking, aren't you? You can always use a black poly bag in the sun on the roof & shower outside I suppose.
Byronic
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There are so many permutations and comprimises, and all dependant on personal preferences, But in suggesting a small van I am making a few assumptions such as a small van is not likely to be camped up for extended periods without moving, hence compressor fridge could be viable. Camping Gaz is expensive takes up space and sometimes takes a bit of shopping around to source. And space heaters even Propex or Truma blowers also take up space, but more of a problem may be in finding a convenient place to install them.
Even if owners of smaller vans use campsites for showering etc between wilding stints. then being independant of EHU is no bad thing, they don't half charge (no pun) these days!!
lebesset
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viv , glad to see you put in the dimensions of your gas locker which helps in giving advice
however , to advise it is really necessary to know what time of year you want to make this trip as butane is just fine except when the temperature drops to about 4 degrees and some places it is all that is available ...eg camping gas is butane
also what countries you will spend time in and how much in each
I am presuming that your system is with a rubber tube fitted to a regulator on the bottle , and you swop the regulator from bottle to bottle ...is this correct ?
however , to advise it is really necessary to know what time of year you want to make this trip as butane is just fine except when the temperature drops to about 4 degrees and some places it is all that is available ...eg camping gas is butane
also what countries you will spend time in and how much in each
I am presuming that your system is with a rubber tube fitted to a regulator on the bottle , and you swop the regulator from bottle to bottle ...is this correct ?
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Byronic
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You've posed the question, and answered it really. Between the two poles are for eg. "extended travel older people group" not able to park a larger vehicle at home, the van may also be their only vehicle, they may also spend significant time UK touring. I can think of many exceptions to your premise.
It is a distinct advantage being able to access Eurotown/village centres as easily as a car, sure any competant driver would have "usually" no difficulty with a large vehicle, just more potential to encounter aggro. Many Spanish villages are a testament to that believe me!! The expectation being that tourists only drive cars, and that local large commercial vehicle owners know their way round, after all their families have been living there 6 generations!!
Many < 3.5t coachbuilts are overbodied resulting in a payload that makes the carrying of a reasonable amount of longterm equipment distinctly iffy if not illegal. Might be preferable to have a small PVC with decent payload.
It is a distinct advantage being able to access Eurotown/village centres as easily as a car, sure any competant driver would have "usually" no difficulty with a large vehicle, just more potential to encounter aggro. Many Spanish villages are a testament to that believe me!! The expectation being that tourists only drive cars, and that local large commercial vehicle owners know their way round, after all their families have been living there 6 generations!!
Many < 3.5t coachbuilts are overbodied resulting in a payload that makes the carrying of a reasonable amount of longterm equipment distinctly iffy if not illegal. Might be preferable to have a small PVC with decent payload.
spigot
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I am certainly not joking, my van is just over 5m (Peugeot MWB) & has an adequate shower room with bench toilet & tip-up basin (so that doesn't get in the way). In fact the shower is roomier than some coachbuilts.
This year, at some resorts in Spain, we were using it every day when there were no beach showers available.
Byronic
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C'mon now you broadened matters out by, and I quote "most older people", "many people" etc etc not necessarily the OP. I have about the largest PVC available to suit my wants and hopefully my needs, but I can see why some folks doing more or less the same motorhoming as myself, might want to, or by necessity have to have something more compact.
I wonder if you agree or not re. my < 3.5t remarks?
Do you actually do much longterming yourself, and over how many years.
I wonder if you agree or not re. my < 3.5t remarks?
Do you actually do much longterming yourself, and over how many years.
Sparks
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vwalan
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in fact cars and caravans get cheaper ferries . my 10 mtr outfit is the same price as my mates 6m m,home . i can go up to 11mt as a car and caravan for the same money. plus small doesnt always mean a saving . i can carry more water food etc so when out in the wilds dont have to keep driving to top up etc . plus i can take lots of things i know are cheaper here or bring back more things that are cheaper there .
as for showers, whats happened to flannel washes . heat water with a kettle . its all easy done . even bottles in the windscreen warm up enough .
th op only as a smaller camper to use . this might be her last year in it . she fancies spain this winter so propane shouldnt be a problem . space is a problem for carrying bigger bottles .
one person just cooking camping gas will be fine . more expensive yes but its what suits best . we could say buy an adaptor off ebay and fill uk bottles ,but op is timid and lets not complicate things for her . she will be ok . help is around if she needs it . i,m sure just about all of us that go to spain etc would go out of our way to help one another . certainly thats my experience.
as for showers, whats happened to flannel washes . heat water with a kettle . its all easy done . even bottles in the windscreen warm up enough .
th op only as a smaller camper to use . this might be her last year in it . she fancies spain this winter so propane shouldnt be a problem . space is a problem for carrying bigger bottles .
one person just cooking camping gas will be fine . more expensive yes but its what suits best . we could say buy an adaptor off ebay and fill uk bottles ,but op is timid and lets not complicate things for her . she will be ok . help is around if she needs it . i,m sure just about all of us that go to spain etc would go out of our way to help one another . certainly thats my experience.
Byronic
Guest
If and when you decide to take that GSXR1000 with you, then you'll wish for that extra payload. Even my 120kg tiddler can't be rack carried on many 3.5t coachbuilts.
Byronic
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Why stop there get a full size proper artic, and put the 3.5t camper in the back along with your artic and at 9mpg there would be a fuel saving (share the cost) and 2 less vehicles on the road.
vwalan
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mind not so sure i would want an old merc in the back . the rust from them i might just as well go to the scrappy . hee hee .
i,m off before you all gang up on me . ha ha .
think i,m right you .david and john all have old mercs . hee hee i cant handle all three of you .
i,m off before you all gang up on me . ha ha .
think i,m right you .david and john all have old mercs . hee hee i cant handle all three of you .
Byronic
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Can't have us all travelling in the same van either. One tri-fatal accident and that's 90% of the brain power of this forum gone :sad:
Byronic
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But a "Bronze Age" Hymer definately their finest product era. Before they introduced cutting measures such as sheet steel outer skin in lieu of the stippled aliminium, and dispensing with the steel framing and substituting sandwich construction arguably an advancement.
The Hymer body outclassed the FIAT mechanicals, but then it probably outclassed the Mercedes mechanicals also, after all, they're only the scuttle/chassis beneath a bread delivery van per se.
The Hymer body outclassed the FIAT mechanicals, but then it probably outclassed the Mercedes mechanicals also, after all, they're only the scuttle/chassis beneath a bread delivery van per se.
Crustacean
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Camping Gaz? Not if l can help it.
I used to sell Calor and Camping Gaz at my boatyard. I had mixed feelings about selling a customer a C/Gaz refill. On the one hand they are tiny. l could fit 4 or 5 of them to one Calor 13 kg in the boot of my TVR. And they were a good deal more profitable per unit quantity of gas than Calor - almost embarrassingly so. On the other hand l used to feel sorry for the people who were stuck with these money-pits. But then, the customer is always right - even when they are wrong, as l was taught at biz class.
However, Boats-R-Not Us these days. I just bought a Voxl Movano LWB Hi 3.5t. One thing l am determined to do is have space for a proper-sized gas cyl - 13/15 kgs. I haven't quite twigged what it is they use in France/Spain for bottled gas - what they generically call "butano". l know the bottles and regs are different from UK Calor kit. Please can someone explain?
I used to sell Calor and Camping Gaz at my boatyard. I had mixed feelings about selling a customer a C/Gaz refill. On the one hand they are tiny. l could fit 4 or 5 of them to one Calor 13 kg in the boot of my TVR. And they were a good deal more profitable per unit quantity of gas than Calor - almost embarrassingly so. On the other hand l used to feel sorry for the people who were stuck with these money-pits. But then, the customer is always right - even when they are wrong, as l was taught at biz class.
However, Boats-R-Not Us these days. I just bought a Voxl Movano LWB Hi 3.5t. One thing l am determined to do is have space for a proper-sized gas cyl - 13/15 kgs. I haven't quite twigged what it is they use in France/Spain for bottled gas - what they generically call "butano". l know the bottles and regs are different from UK Calor kit. Please can someone explain?
