Nice Problem to Have

[EarthDemon]

Hello

I have been thinking about getting a motorhome of the van variety fort, let's see... about twenty years and MAY now be in a position to buy one new or newish.

I travel round britain a fair bit and I often feel I'd rather be spending it on a van than on hotels.

I want to live in the van about half the time as I am going to be letting out my house but also have access to a property in North London for a third of each month. I can stretch to a B&B once a week or so too if need be. Don't want to go completely insane with cabin fever.

Also going to sell my land rover for a goodly sum and the plan is to buy a very cheap car to do what the camper can't. Putting all that together and I am in the £50K+ bracket if I want to be.

Camper wise I am thinking Westfalia Columbus 640 unless someone can convince me it will be a PIA and then I'd go for the 600. I don't think the 540 is going to cut it esp as I am 6'3" and will have massive dog all the time and another adult sometimes.

Also attracted to Adria Twin and Knauss Box Star or Box Life.

If anyone feels like commenting or answering some of my questions it would be massively appreciated.

I reckon to be some kind of home from home I need the diesel heating kit that you get in the Columbus and the Knauss - dunno about the Adria. Basically anything that keeps you warm in cold damp climates seems like a good idea.

Great that it's even possible to maintain a warm van without needing gas bottles or electrical hookups, which brings me to my next question -

Will I be able to keep a laptop and several devices and lighting powered up without ever having to hookup to a campsite leccy supply? I have no idea how it works - Do today's clever vehicles have back up batteries which just need to be topped up by driving every couple of days or what? I don't do TV.

Cheers

 

[Robmac]

It sounds like a good solar panel system would benefit your lifestyle, coupled with some uprated leisure batteries.

You will find some very good threads on solar power on this forum and the advice you will get on panels, chargers and batteries will be invaluable.

 

[Robmac]

Another consideration would be disposal of waste.

Many of us when travelling for any length of time will book onto a CL or CS once every few days. These are small sites (only allowed 5 vans) with basic facilities, but it will give you a chance to empty your cassette and get rid of your grey water as well as filling up with fresh water. These small sites can range from anything like £5 - £15 per night.

 

[yorkslass]

Hi, one of your questions was about backup batteries. When you get your van you will probably have one. The problem with most leisure vehicles is that they are designed for use on a campsite, plugged into a 240v system. If you don't want to do that you will probably need to add another battery , or two new ones if you don't know how good the original battery is.
This will give you the power storage. Then you have to decide how your going to put the power in there. You could use something called a battery to battery charger which puts power into your leisure batteries while your travelling. If you'r not going to be driving on a regular basis then as Rob suggests, solar panels are the way to go, bearing in mind they are not so effective in Winter.
If you check out our sister site, Motorhomer, there is a section on there devoted to Motorhome Electrical Systems.
Hope I havn't totally confused you, but if your going to spend a fair bit of time in the van, then power, and as Rob said, fresh water, waste water and rubbish are things to think about. All achievable with a bit of forward planning.

 

[guerdeval]

You might want a look at a Wildax solarisXL 4 berth if you're on your own a lot. The bunk at rear is over 6'2" and if you 're buying new the factory could leave out the top bunk for extra storage leaving the lounge area for lounging. It's a 4 season van with full insulation and heated water/waste tanks and full cooker, fridge,freezer etc. I would personally avoid diesel except as a back up ebespacher or something, the batteries aren't an issue easily dealt with as are solar panels and inverters etc. gas underfloor so easy to fill.Build quality is as good as foreign vans plus the factory are very helpful and you can visit and talk to them about your requirements. I've nothing against foreign vans having owned 3 in the past.

 

[phillybarbour]

Your problem will be 12v power. Diesel heaters use quite a lot of power: twice as much as the equivalent LPG ones. Most motorhomes use LPG - but do get refillable bottles or a tank.

If you use a 12v adapter for your laptop, you should be OK if you drive for an hour every other day. If you use an inverter, you will have problems.

If you are more or less full-timing, make sure you get a reliable van. A breakdown will make you homeless as well as without transport.

This would be my point exactly. You’d be better with gas heating, refillable bottles and your away. LPG is so easy to find with modern apps and it’s cheap. Plus the gas heater is much quieter.

 

[EarthDemon]

You might want a look at a Wildax solarisXL 4 berth if you're on your own a lot. The bunk at rear is over 6'2" and if you 're buying new the factory could leave out the top bunk for extra storage leaving the lounge area for lounging. It's a 4 season van with full insulation and heated water/waste tanks and full cooker, fridge,freezer etc. I would personally avoid diesel except as a back up ebespacher or something, the batteries aren't an issue easily dealt with as are solar panels and inverters etc. gas underfloor so easy to fill.Build quality is as good as foreign vans plus the factory are very helpful and you can visit and talk to them about your requirements. I've nothing against foreign vans having owned 3 in the past.

Yes I'm going off diesel heating didn't realise it outputs fumes (obvious of course) and I seem almost allergic to any whiff of diesel... so refillable LPG seems like a good alternative. I will check out the Wildax with interest.

The knauss is good for me cos its really high inside - I don't want to become a hunchback.

 

[Pauljenny]

Check out the many discounts available on here.
Gas it refillables should be your first point of call, then look at batteries, solar and the rest. One of our member is An electronic wizard..
If you're buying used, there's more than a small chance that the batteries and tyres will need looking carefully at.

 

[phillybarbour]

I have just sold my Globecar Campscout Revolution, one of very few vans built on the extra high roof. Put simply a brilliant van for build quality and German insulation not UK graded. What the Globecar does not do is look as plush when you stick your head in the door compared to a UK van, and some essentials are extra. However get behind how they are screwed together and you soon see why they are Europe’s biggest selling PVC, although UK sales are very small mainly because they seem expensive v the UK vans.

Biggest issue with a Globecar is finding a used one of any model.

 

[EarthDemon]

Globecar Campscout Revolution looks superb - thank you :heart:

Anyone know of any other hightops out there other than the Revolution and the Knaus BoxStar?

Both of those are in my budget.